$599 M4 iPad Air is a lot like the old one, but with a substantial RAM boost

As expected, Apple has announced a mild update for the iPad family's middle child today. The new iPad Air is a lot like the old one, but it replaces the Apple M3 chip with an M4. That M4 also comes with a less-expected upgrade: a jump from 8GB of RAM to 12GB, which should be helpful for those using iPadOS 26's multi-window multitasking features.

The iPad Air still comes in 11-inch and 13-inch versions that start at $599 and $799, respectively; the only disappointment is that these entry-level models still come with 128GB of storage.