Apple unveils new M2 iPad Airs — including larger 13-inch model for the first time

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You wait all year for an iPad Air and two come along at once

Apple iPad Air
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple just launched its first new iPad Air in over a year, bringing the powerful M2 chip found in the MacBook Air range to the iPad for the first time.

Revealed during the dedicated "Let Loose event", both models include a moved front-facing camera on the landscape edge and improved sound quality.

Apple has also borrowed a leaf from the iPad 10th gen by moving the front-facing camera to the landscape side of the tablet — which should make it much better for FaceTime calls when you're using the device on its side.

The M2 chip

The M2 is a powerful chip and bringing it to the Air will add power efficiency improvements in addition to a significant performance boost. Apple gave the iPad Pro range the M2 in October 2022.

M2 is a "system on a chip" complete with neural engine for machine learning tasks, CPU, GPU and a unified memory architecture. 

Its addition makes the iPad Air a powerful AI device, capable of running applications like Pixelmator Pro or Luminar Neo with on-board AI image processing, allowing for image editing without relying on an internet connection or cloud computing.

Two iPad Air models

Adding the new 13-inch version of the iPad Air brings the larger screen size to the range for the first time, enabling a wider range of applications.

This is the first time Apple has offered the iPad Air in anything but an 11-inch screen size since the first Air launched. 

Both models now come with a minimum of 128GB storage and go up to 1TB. Prices start at $599 for the 11-inch and $799 for the 13-inch. Orders are available today with the Air available from next week.

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Ryan Morrison
Ryan Morrison
AI Editor

Ryan Morrison, a stalwart in the realm of tech journalism, possesses a sterling track record that spans over two decades, though he'd much rather let his insightful articles on AI and technology speak for him than engage in this self-aggrandising exercise. As the former AI Editor for Tom's Guide, Ryan wields his vast industry experience with a mix of scepticism and enthusiasm, unpacking the complexities of AI in a way that could almost make you forget about the impending robot takeover.
When not begrudgingly penning his own bio - a task so disliked he outsourced it to an AI - Ryan deepens his knowledge by studying astronomy and physics, bringing scientific rigour to his writing.