Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 Review: Powerful, Portable and Ready for Apple Intelligence

The Apple iPad Air 11-inch with M4 chip is one of Apple’s strongest all-around tablets for students, creators, professionals and everyday users.

It combines the powerful M4 processor, 12GB unified memory, 128GB base storage, Wi-Fi 7, Apple Intelligence support and an 11-inch Liquid Retina display in a thin 464g design.

iPad Air M4 11-inch Specs

Apple offers the M4 iPad Air in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB configurations and in Blue, Purple, Starlight and Space Gray.

Apple M4 Performance

The biggest upgrade is the M4 chip.

The 11-inch iPad Air includes:

8-core CPU
9-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
12GB unified memory
120GB/s memory bandwidth

It also supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Apple says the M4 iPad Air can be up to 30% faster than the previous M3 version and up to 2.3× faster than the M1 iPad Air, depending on workload.

That makes it powerful enough for:

• Video editing
• Photo editing
• Gaming
• Multitasking
• Music production
• Drawing
• Office work
• AI applications

For most users, there is considerably more performance here than everyday tablet tasks actually require.

12GB Unified Memory

The M4 version also increases memory to 12GB unified memory.

That is 50% more than the previous M3 generation, according to Apple.

More memory is particularly useful for:

• Heavy multitasking
• Large creative projects
• AI features
• Video editing
• Professional apps
• Future iPadOS updates

It also gives the M4 Air more long-term headroom.

11-Inch Liquid Retina Display

The iPad Air uses an 11-inch Liquid Retina IPS display with:

2360 × 1640 resolution
264 PPI
500 nits brightness
P3 wide color
True Tone
Fully laminated panel
Anti-reflective coating

The fully laminated display is an important advantage over the standard iPad because the image appears closer to the surface of the glass.

Still Only 60Hz

One major weakness remains.

The iPad Air display is still limited to 60Hz rather than the 120Hz ProMotion technology available on the iPad Pro. Independent testing also confirms that the M4 refresh keeps essentially the same display technology as previous Air models.

For normal browsing and video this is fine, but fast scrolling and gaming look smoother on a 120Hz tablet.

No OLED Display

The M4 Air also continues to use an LCD panel rather than OLED.

You still get excellent color quality, but an OLED iPad Pro offers:

• Deeper blacks
• Higher contrast
• Better HDR
• Higher brightness
• 120Hz ProMotion

The Air’s display is good, but it is one of the clearest differences between Air and Pro.

Apple Intelligence

Unlike the standard A16 iPad, the M4 iPad Air fully supports Apple Intelligence.

This gives the Air access to Apple’s AI-powered features across supported apps and iPadOS.

The powerful Neural Engine and 12GB of unified memory also give the M4 plenty of capacity for future AI workloads.

128GB Base Storage

The base model starts with 128GB.

Storage options include:

128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB

128GB should be enough for many students and everyday users, although video editors and gamers may want 256GB or more.

There is no microSD expansion.

Wi-Fi 7

The 2026 iPad Air receives a major wireless upgrade.

Apple’s new N1 networking chip enables:

Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth 6
Thread

Wi-Fi 7 is particularly useful for faster wireless transfers and lower latency when paired with a compatible router.

USB-C With 10Gb/s USB 3

The USB-C port is much faster than the one on Apple’s standard A16 iPad.

The Air supports:

USB 3 up to 10Gb/s

It also supports DisplayPort and an external display at up to 6K resolution at 60Hz.

That makes the Air much more practical for:

• External SSDs
• Monitors
• USB-C hubs
• Cameras
• Professional accessories

Apple Pencil Pro

The M4 iPad Air supports:

Apple Pencil Pro
Apple Pencil USB-C
Apple Pencil Hover

Apple Pencil Pro adds features designed for drawing, note-taking and creative work.

This is another major advantage over the standard A16 iPad, which does not support Apple Pencil Pro.

Magic Keyboard Support

The iPad Air also works with Apple’s dedicated Magic Keyboard for iPad Air.

It adds:

• Keyboard
• Large trackpad
• Function row
• Adjustable viewing angle

Apple specifically positions the M4 Air for use with both Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro.

Together, they can make the Air function more like an ultraportable laptop, although both accessories add significantly to the total cost.

12MP Rear Camera

The rear camera is a 12MP Wide camera with an f/1.8 aperture.

It supports:

• Autofocus
• Smart HDR 4
• 5x digital zoom
• 4K video up to 60fps
• 1080p slow motion up to 240fps

For document scanning, video recording and casual photography, it is more than sufficient.

12MP Center Stage Camera

The front-facing camera is a landscape 12MP Center Stage camera.

Center Stage can automatically adjust framing during video calls as you move around.

Its landscape placement is especially convenient when the iPad is attached to a keyboard.

Battery Life

The 11-inch Air contains a 28.93Wh battery.

Apple rates it for up to:

10 Hours

of web browsing over Wi-Fi or video playback.

Tom’s Guide measured approximately 9 hours and 44 minutes in its battery testing.

That should comfortably cover most school or work days.

Gaming

The M4 is dramatically more powerful than what is normally required for mobile gaming.

Hardware-accelerated ray tracing and the 9-core GPU make the iPad Air suitable for demanding titles as well as Apple Arcade games.

The biggest gaming limitation is not processor performance — it is the 60Hz display.

A 120Hz panel would have been a much better match for the M4’s graphics capabilities.

iPad Air M4 vs iPad A16

The A16 iPad is better suited to basic browsing, streaming and schoolwork.

The M4 Air is considerably better for creative work, multitasking, gaming, AI features and long-term performance.

iPad Air M4 vs iPad Pro

The iPad Pro remains the premium option.

Its biggest advantages include:

• OLED display
• 120Hz ProMotion
• Higher-end performance
• Better display brightness
• Premium design features

The Air, however, delivers much of the real-world productivity performance for significantly less money.

For many users, the M4 Air sits in the sweet spot between the basic iPad and iPad Pro.

Pros

✓ Extremely powerful M4 processor
✓ 12GB unified memory
✓ Apple Intelligence support
✓ Excellent laminated display
✓ 128GB base storage
✓ Wi-Fi 7
✓ Bluetooth 6
✓ USB-C up to 10Gb/s
✓ Apple Pencil Pro support
✓ Magic Keyboard support
✓ Excellent battery life
✓ Lightweight 464g design

Cons

✗ Still only 60Hz
✗ No OLED display
✗ Only 500-nit brightness
✗ No Face ID
✗ Accessories are expensive
✗ 128GB may be limited for professionals
✗ M4 performance can be overkill for basic tablet use

Apple iPad Air M4 Rating

Performance: 9.9/10
Display: 9.0/10
Battery: 9.2/10
Connectivity: 9.8/10
Productivity: 9.6/10
Portability: 9.6/10
Value: 9.3/10

Overall: 9.5/10

Verdict

The Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 is one of the strongest all-around iPads in 2026.

Its biggest improvements are the M4 processor, 12GB unified memory, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and full Apple Intelligence support.

The biggest weakness is the display. A premium tablet this powerful would benefit greatly from 120Hz, but Apple still reserves ProMotion and OLED for the iPad Pro.

For students, creators and professionals who want significantly more capability than the standard iPad without paying iPad Pro prices, the M4 iPad Air offers an excellent balance of performance, portability and features.