Apple's M3 iPad Air and Magic Keyboard: Everything You Need to Know

The upgraded tablet also got a new Magic Keyboard, and the original iPad got an update, too

By
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Senior News Editor, Fact Checker
  • Western Kentucky University
  • Gulf Coast Community College
Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.
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Published on March 4, 2025 11:08AM EST

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The M3 iPad Air lineup.

Apple
Apple News

Apple released a new M3 iPad Air with a new Magic Keyboard and updated the standard iPad with double the storage and an A16 chip.

The iPad Air update we've been waiting for has finally arrived, but once again, Apple has made the announcement quietly and without much fanfare.

In a press release on the Apple website on Tuesday, the company announced the M3 iPad Air (7th generation), a new Magic Keyboard specifically for the new tablet, and an update to the standard iPad.

The M3 iPad Air is the star of the announcement, with its upgraded M3 chip, 8-core CPU, 9-core GPU, 128 GB of storage (upgradeable to 1TB), and support for Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil Pro. Apple claims the M3 iPad Air is two times faster than the M1 iPad Air, with 35 percent faster multithreaded CPU processes and 40 percent faster graphics performance.

It comes in 11-inch and 13-inch versions and Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Starlight colors. And because it has the new M3 chip, you'll have access to all the features of Apple Intelligence with this version of the iPad.

The M3 iPad Air is compatible with the Apple Pencil and the Apple Pencil Pro, and Apple also announced a new Magic Keyboard designed for this version of the Air.

M3 iPad Air on a white Magic Keyboard.

Apple

The new Magic Keyboard has a 14-key function row, a Smart Connector for power and data, and is available in both 11-inches and 13-inches.

The Magic Keyboard for iPad Air only comes in white.

Tucked in near the end of the announcement, Apple also confirmed an update the standard iPad. This version of the iPad is getting double the storage (128GB) of the existing version and the A16 chip. You won't be able to access any of the Apple Intelligence features with this one, but for some, that might be a plus.

You can upgrade the storage in this iPad to 512GB, and it's available in silver, blue, pink, and yellow. It only comes in the 11-inch size.

The new M3 iPad Air starts at $599 for the 11-inch, and $799 for the 13-inch. The Magic Keyboard for iPad Air starts at $269, and the upgraded standard iPad starts at $349. All are available for pre-order now and are expected to start shipping March 12.

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