The iPad Air may be lightweight, but it’s certainly no slouch. With each iterative refresh, the middle child in Apple’s tablet lineup continues to surpass expectations for on-the-go creative work, and this year’s update has more brawn in store.
Now powered by the company’s M4 chip found on the 7th-generation iPad Pro, MacBook Pro and Mac mini models introduced in 2024, the device promises “30 per cent faster” performance, alongside a RAM increase to 12GB, up from the previous standard of 8GB. The 11-inch Liquid Retina display remains unchanged at a resolution of 2,360 x 1,640 pixels and a 60Hz refresh rate — more than sufficient to bask in the visuals.
As expected, the iPad Air with M4 held its own impressively in a test of might against Wuthering Waves, Zenless Zone Zero, and Genshin Impact, clocking little to no frame rate drops, but the battery efficiency came as the biggest surprise, dropping only by 22 per cent after half an hour of gameplay. Temperatures barely hit 37 degrees, too, indicating excellent thermal management even under heavier loads,
Check out the gaming performance in the video above, including individual performance tests and temperature checks. The 11-inch iPad Air M4 (2026) starts at S$899, the same as before, while its 13-inch sibling will be available from S$1,199. Both models come in four colour options: Space Grey, Blue, Purple, and Starlight.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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