At $499, Apple’s M3-powered iPad Air is a good deal

Jun 30, 2026 12:49 AM - 4 hours ago 140

Cameron Faulkner

is an editor covering deals and gaming hardware. He joined successful 2018, and aft a two-year stint astatine Polygon, he rejoined The Verge successful May 2025.

Most of Apple’s value increases person gone into effect, resulting successful iPads and different products costing hundreds much than they did a fewer days ago. If past week’s Prime Day waste wasn’t a bully clip to see buying an iPad, we recovered a woody worthy considering that’s conscionable nether $500 correct now. The 128GB iPad Air that has the M3 processor, positive some Wi-Fi and 5G cellular support, costs $499 astatine Best Buy. At conscionable $50 much than the guidelines iPad (now $449, up from $349), it’s a importantly faster and all-around amended tablet.

A photograph of an iPad Air connected a table.A photograph of an iPad Air connected a table.

$499

The latest 11-inch iPad Air features Apple’s accelerated M3 spot pinch GPU upgrades for illustration move caching for smoother capacity successful demanding apps. It besides supports the Apple Pencil Pro and the newest Magic Keyboard, which features a larger build and a 14-key usability row. Read our review.

While the last-gen Air matches the guidelines iPad’s 11-inch surface size, the Air has a laminated, antireflective coating, positive a wider colour gamut. In different words, it’s the amended prime for intermezo aliases for creating content. In position of specs, its M3 processor leaps up of the A16 pinch much cores, not to mention Apple Intelligence support (as good arsenic support for iPadOS 27 coming later this year). It besides boasts Apple Pencil Pro support.

Verge Shopping

Sign up to get the champion deals connected products we’ve recovered and tested sent to your inbox.

Follow topics and authors from this communicative to spot much for illustration this successful your personalized homepage provender and to person email updates.

More