Best iPad Air tablets

Top pick: the 11-inch iPad Air with the M3 chip. It's the sweet spot of the Air line — light enough to hold one-handed for reading and notes, big enough for split-screen work, and the M3 chip handles Apple Intelligence, drawing apps and 4K editing without strain. Wi-Fi 128GB is the sensible starting point; step up in storage only if you keep video or big game libraries on it.

Who the others suit:

• 13-inch iPad Air (M3): for people who mostly work at a desk or on a couch — the extra screen makes side-by-side apps and PDF markup much more comfortable, at the cost of weight.
• Cellular versions: worth it if you commute or travel and don't want to tether to a phone.
• 1TB models: only if you edit video or hoard offline media; otherwise the money is better spent on the Pencil and a keyboard.
• Refurbished units: a smart way to get the same M3 performance for less, if you're fine with a non-new box.

Skip the older 2024 Air unless it's dramatically cheaper — the M3 model is the current generation and will get updates longer.