iPad Air 2024 series launched with Apple M2 chip; Check features, price and more

After nearly 2-year neglect, Apple finally updated its iPad lineup with new devices, including the new iPad Air at its Let Loose event on May 7. The iPhone maker called it the ‘biggest’ iPad announcement since the device’s inception. Unlike the MacBooks that were released via a simple press release, the iPad Air was introduced in a live-streamed video by the company, giving a glimpse into its features, capabilities and price.

iPad Air features and specifications

The new iPad Air has been released in two screen sizes - 11-inch and 13-inch, both of which get familiar Apple features like Centre Stage. The camera has now been moved to the landscape edge, along with new landscape stereo speakers with spatial audio. What’s also new is the new Apple Silicon M2 chip. The iPhone maker claims it is a staggering 50% faster than the M1 iPad Air.

It supports machine learning features such as visual lookup and better image editing capabilities. Apple claims it works with the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil. Moreover, it also supports Apple Pencil’s hover feature. The storage has been bumped up too. Apple has phased out the measly 64GB storage and it now comes with 128GB storage as standard. The upper ceiling has also been raised, with the new iPad Air now supporting up to 1TB of storage.

However, there’s still no Face ID on the iPad Air, with Touch ID still supported. It also supports 5G connectivity.

iPad Air price and availability

Despite a bump in storage, the iPad Air price remains the same. The 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599, while the 13-inch variant starts at $799. In India, the 11-inch iPad Air starts at Rs. 59900 for the Wi-Fi model, and Rs. 74900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 13-inch iPad Air starts at Rs. 79900 for the Wi-Fi model, and Rs. 94900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

Both variants go on pre-order today, with shipping promised for next week.

The new iPad Air is available in four colour options - Blue, Starlight, Purple and Space Grey.