As its name implies, Apple’s iPad Air lineup has always placed an emphasis on portability and value above all else. Unlike its beefier iPad Pro brethren, it streamlines its hardware to ensure a balance between having enough power to handle everyday tasks or creative work while maintaining a slim form factor and a friendlier price point.
All this is about to change with the introduction of the iPad Air (2025), Apple’s newest model that has now been upgraded with its M3 processor, offering a performance boost over its M2 predecessor at a matching starting price, providing the same choice between its 11 and 13 inch variants with up to 1TB of storage.
Despite not housing the latest M4 tech, the M3-powered iPad Air still puts up a respectable fight, especially considering its value, providing solid gaming performance across titles like Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile and even more graphically intensive games like Alien: Isolation, only struggling with particle-effect-heavy games like Zenless Zone Zero. Most notable, however, is the device’s excellent thermal management, an impressive feat for such a slim device.
Check out our gaming gauntlet in the video above, including individual performance tests and temperature checks. The iPad Air 2025 (M3) starts from S$899 for its 11-inch variant and S$1,199 for its 13-inch variant, and is available in Space Grey, Blue, Purple and Starlight.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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Si Jia
