iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026) vs iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
89
out of 100
VS
82
out of 100
Here we compared two flagship tablets: the 13-inch Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026) (with Apple M4 (iPad)) that was released on March 2, 2026, against the Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025), which is powered by Apple M3 (iPad) and came out 1 year before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
- Has 50% more RAM: 12GB versus 8GB
- Newer Bluetooth version (v6.0)
- 31% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (3617K versus 2764K)
- Compatible with the latest Wi-Fi 7 wireless networks
- CPU with a higher amount of cores (+2)
- 23% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 3738 and 3044 points
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Size | 13 inches | 13 inches |
| Resolution | 2048 x 2732 pixels | 2048 x 2732 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 |
| PPI | 264 ppi | 264 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 600 nits | 600 nits |
| HDR support | No | No |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 86.8% | 86.8% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 | - DCI-P3 |
| RGB color space | 99.8% | 99.9% |
| PWM | Not detected | Not detected |
| Response time | 19 ms | 36 ms |
| Contrast | 1563:1 | 1214:1 |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 280.6 mm (11.05 inches) | 280.6 mm (11.05 inches) |
| Width | 214.9 mm (8.46 inches) | 214.9 mm (8.46 inches) |
| Thickness | 6.1 mm (0.24 inches) | 6.1 mm (0.24 inches) |
| Weight | 616 g (21.73 oz) | 616 g (21.73 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Metal | Metal |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | Gold, Gray, Blue, Purple | Gold, Gray, Blue, Purple |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-button | Yes, in-button |
| Area | 603 cm2 (93.5 inches2) | 603 cm2 (93.5 inches2) |
| Repairability | Average (2.84/5) | Average (2.59/5) |
| Drop resistance | Bad (E) · 16 drops | - |
Screen-to-body ratio
Tablet Ranking (11th and 30th place)
iPad Ranking (4th and 8th place)
Performance
| Chipset | Apple M4 (iPad) | Apple M3 (iPad) |
| Max clock | 4410 MHz | 4050 MHz |
| CPU cores | 10 (4 + 6) | 8 (4 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 6 cores at 2.85 GHz: - 4 cores at 4.41 GHz: |
- 4 cores at 2.75 GHz: - 4 cores at 4.05 GHz: |
| Manufacturing | TSMC | TSMC |
| Lithography process | 3 nanometers | 3 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Apple Neural Engine | Apple Neural Engine |
| Graphics | 9 core Apple GPU | Apple GPU 9-core |
| GPU shading units | - | 1152 |
| GPU clock | 1470 MHz | 1380 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~3763.2 GFLOPS | ~3179.5 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Compute Score (GPU)
| Compute Score (GPU) | - | 45545 |
| Single-core score | 3738 | 3044 |
| Multi-core score | 13702 | 11749 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 1732068 | 770486 |
| GPU | 945613 | 1024172 |
| Memory | 349993 | 312462 |
| UX | 590286 | 657090 |
| Total score | 3617960 | 2764210 |
| Samples | Less than 3 | [4 tests] |
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
| Stability | - | 70% |
| Graphics test | 22 FPS | 20 FPS |
| Graphics score | 3027 | 2695 |
3DMark Solar Bay
| Graphics test | 49 FPS | 39 FPS |
| Section 1 | 59 FPS | 52 FPS |
| Section 2 | 49 FPS | 38 FPS |
| Section 3 | 38 FPS | 28 FPS |
| Graphics score | 12850 | 10356 |
Memory
Configuration
| RAM size | 12 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Memory clock | - | 6400 MHz |
| Channels | 4 | 4 |
| Storage size | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Storage type | NVMe | NVMe |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | iPadOS 26.3 (Can be upgraded to iPadOS 26.5) | iPadOS 18.3 (Can be upgraded to iPadOS 26.5) |
| OS size | 26 GB | 23 GB |
| OS updates | 0 years | 5 years |
Battery
| Capacity | 10340 mAh | 10340 mAh |
| Max charge power | 20 W | 20 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (51% in 70 min) | Yes (50% in 70 min) |
| Full charging time | 2:28 hr | 2:30 hr |
| Battery cycles | 1000 cycles | 1000 cycles |
| Web browsing | - | 09:17 hr |
| Watching video | - | 13:08 hr |
| Gaming | - | 07:13 hr |
| Standby | - | 170 hr |
General battery life
Main camera
| Matrix | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4032 x 3024 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | No | No |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | 240 FPS (1080p) | 240 FPS (1080p) |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 12 MP |
1) Standard: 12 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode | - Bokeh mode |
| Image resolution | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.8 |
| Pixel size | 1.22 micron | 1.22 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4032 x 3024 |
| Aperture | f/2.4 | f/2.4 |
| Sensor | CMOS | CMOS |
| Autofocus | No | No |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 6.0 | 5.3 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| DisplayPort | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS |
| NFC* | No | No |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Type of SIM card | eSIM | eSIM |
| eSIM support* | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Flagship | Flagship |
| Announced | March 2026 | March 2025 |
| Release date | March 2026 | March 2025 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $799 | $799 |
| Sensors | - Barometer - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Fingerprint |
- Barometer - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Fingerprint |
| Bundled charger | Yes, 20 W | Yes, 20 W |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
After analyzing all the data, we think that the Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026) is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 8