Apple has refreshed its mid-range iPad Air for 2026, adding in the company’s latest M4 chip, boosting memory and adding next-generation wireless, without increasing the starting price in Australia.

The new iPad Air, available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, replaces last year’s M3 model just 12 months after launch. While the design remains unchanged, the internals have been significantly upgraded.

At the centre of the update is Apple’s M4 system-on-a-chip, bringing an 8-core CPU and 9-core GPU to the Air lineup.

Apple claims performance is up to 30% faster than the M3 model and up to 2.3 times faster than the M1-based iPad Air.

The new chip also supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, delivering up to four times faster 3D rendering compared to the M1 version – a boost for gamers and creative professionals working in apps such as Final Cut Pro and Pixelmator Pro.

Memory has increased from 8GB to 12GB as standard, with memory bandwidth rising to 120GB/s. Apple says the 16-core Neural Engine is up to three times faster than in the M1 model, improving on-device AI tasks in iPadOS 26, including transcription, photo search and app-based AI tools.

Connectivity also gets a major update. Apple’s new N1 wireless chip brings support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, while cellular models include the company’s C1X modem, promising up to 50% faster 5G speeds and improved energy efficiency. eSIM support and GPS remain onboard for mobile users.

The iPad Air runs iPadOS 26, which introduces a revamped windowing system, a new menu bar, improved file management and a native Preview app for PDFs and images. Accessories including Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard remain supported.

In Australia, pricing starts at $999 for the 11-inch Wi-Fi model with 128GB of storage, and $1,349 for the 13-inch equivalent. Pre-orders open March 5, with availability from March 11.