iPad Air review by Rob Leedham
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Much like Levi’s, Lana Del Rey albums and a cold pint on a summer’s day, there’s no such thing as a bad iPad. Unless you make the mistake of buying something that promises to work ‘just like’ one of Apple’s tablets for half the price. That’s more of a surefire disappointment than watching Southampton in the Premier League this season.
By most standards, 2025’s iPad Air is not an especially remarkable creation. It is more or less the same device as last year’s offering, only with an upgraded M3 chipset and improved compatibility with Apple’s Magic Keyboard. That means the same joyously portable sizing, the same wealth of apps to waste away an afternoon on a sun lounger and the same Apple Pencil Pro compatibility for expert doodling. To put things another way, it’s a spec bump for an already great device.
If you’re looking for the sweet spot in Apple’s tablet arsenal, the latest iPad Air is as delightful as these things get.
Apple
iPad Air (2025)
[£599
Amazon](https://cna.st/p/2HJc3Q4E4T5tpyA3CWADHJojijjH6EJrQCC1QBwry3EanvfZyzTxKnjr7Q8giHik2HjJ2vsWMpLyVegzBKgXjL51CcierMm1aDnKfkhCXVHPQNgCMJWWfEnSRDRLyvTkjYpFwRQTMdUPXBsxz9S1qcAZnbyhwF4f2gVFGr446HYjLNU28d7oShs6M5pPpbkwCCiYe7avVQQkRe8kPjVL6Pr5U5PeC2jXX3TTpJmfZJhZHDDBHZyYGTMYuAL9MXzTzTDpCXA9smexmqYdKFnYYS5ct7D8Lj8o7bS1N5yPdcTZ8XJa4LWDFUxsm2Ye)
[£599
Apple](https://cna.st/p/QZHnKs2kd95Ya5C9nvK77jGvFwYnU6GDAr7nyvUNTaaPSagwC7uVXyJqGa7hBY5EUd3ogxgka4kYiP8MAe24u8jYK9HPtx7KFRjj8HkiFChQnEjLCJWPcZURaVmWRbhhBfj54HXFM51JhMsDx74qjBFNcYNKGuEZYmGnJrPA5LaobjjVX1d5SdwvsY9AwhmFqH7EBHavQa9uaFYJkcniBL9KpAKraosgSvVEUg43tPTkzTcTCCK8UbQ)
What’s new with iPad?
Assuming you don’t spend as much time in the weeds of Apple’s iPad lineup as I do, then a quick recap of your options is in order. Right now, the iPad Air sits squarely in the middle of this family group photo. It’s far more capable than the standard iPad (£329) – which now comes with a new chip and 128GB storage – but not quite as flashy as last year’s iPad Pro (£999). I adore that Pro and its physics-defying 5.1mm thin design, but it really was made as a plaything for 30-year-olds with more disposable income than sense. If you can bear to watch F1’s Chinese Grand Prix without the use of an OLED display, then you’ll save a healthy chunk of change on the £599 iPad Air.
Technically, the iPad mini (£499) is also tucked away in the background of this metaphorical family photo, but it’s kind of doing its own thing. Like that arty cousin who took up saxophone and moved to Margate in the pandemic.
All of which is to say, the Air is a bit of a no-brainer in tablet terms. Were I buying an iPad with my own money (and I had the common sense not to splurge on the Pro), it’s the model I’d opt for. Especially, in its smallest 11-inch guise and a Magic Keyboard for good measure. This is the precise Air I’ve been using for the past fortnight and it’s a tablet I’d recommend with almost no reservations.
Apple’s best tablet
Speaking as someone who had the misfortune to be caught up in this month’s Eurostar travel carnage – AKA the palaver that involved an unexploded WWII bomb – I can certainly speak to the iPad Air’s portability. Weighing just 460g, you can chuck it in and out of a backpack at a moment’s notice without worrying whether it’ll fit. Although its Liquid Retina display is not quite as dazzling as what you’ll find with the OLED-powered Pro, it is bright and packed with radiant colour. Whether you’re sat in a departure lounge cramming in one last round of Balatro or squished into the corner of a train with Robert De Niro via Zero Day, you’re going to have a good, carefree time with the Air.
Like most iPads nowadays, the Air is capable of a lot more than these relatively passive interactions. With the power of Apple’s recent-but-not-latest M3 chip behind it, it’s twice as fast as its previous incarnations featuring the M1 and A14 Bionic chips. That means tasks such as video editing, 3D modelling and animation are very much on the table for this tablet in a way that you likely wouldn’t expect them to be. Honestly, the best way to figure out what the Air is capable of is using it for something you’d do on your regular computer and seeing what happens – you’ll be surprised at just how accomplished it is.
My only quibble from a fortnight spent with an Air? Its use of a Touch ID fingerprint scanner instead of Face ID biometrics to unlock the device. Although you won’t have to reach across your iPad’s display to input your digit all that often, it’s still an awkward and slightly archaic gesture. At least its 12MP front-facing camera is situated in the middle of the Air’s bezel for Zoom calls.
Magic Keyboard is mandatory
While no iPad ranks as a straight-up laptop replacement – mainly due to the differences between Apple’s macOS and iPadOS operating systems – getting a Magic Keyboard for the Air is more or less essential in my book. The Apple Pencil Pro is a lovely accessory for those with the requisite talent to use it properly, but the Magic Keyboard instantly makes writing, browsing and generally interacting with the Air an altogether more complete experience. I’ve cleared my inbox, booked a litany of trains and edited plenty of features in its company without nary a spot of bother thanks to its lovely, big keys, which come with plenty of travel.
Although the iPad Air previously worked with a keyboard attachment, it’s now simpatico with an extra row of function keys for brightness, volume, video playback and more, as well as a bigger trackpad for cursor movements. All of which make a difference when you’re using the Air for your nine-to-five as I have regularly done of late.
iPad Air (2025) review
As much as you really can’t go wrong when upgrading your iPad, Apple’s new Air really is the no-brainer option with all things considered. Especially if you’re going to use it for more than catching up on the Severance finale. It’s an excellent go-anywhere, do-anything tablet that’s far more capable than you might assume thanks to the power of its upgraded M3 chip and the litany of excellent apps available for it. No matter how you use the Air, you’re guaranteed a good hang.