Apple launches M4-powered iPad Pros, new iPad Airs

Apple on Tuesday announced four new iPad models, hoping to guide its tablet lineup in a new direction. Leading the pack were two new iPad Pros, but the company also announced two new iPad Airs, marking the first time the Air has been available in more than one size.

AI appears to be a strong focus of the devices — but the company is being cagey about future plans.

iPad Pro

The iPad Pro is now available in 11- and 13-inch sizes, both which use new Ultra Retina XDR displays powered by a technology it calls Tandem OLED. In translation the tablet actually has twin OLED panels, the second of which is used to help produce brighter images, up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness. Unlike the 2022 Pro, there’s no longer any discrepancy between sizes either — both tablets have the same display tech, including a dynamic 10 to 120Hz refresh rate. You can pay extra for nano-textured glass that reduces glare.

The other major change is a jump from an M2 processor to the previously unseen M4 chip. The latter is a 3nm design that offers 50% faster CPU performance, four times the GPU performance, and specific support for Tandem OLED as well as hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray-tracing. Perhaps more importantly there’s a strong emphasis on machine learning/AI acceleration, likely to support the generative AI technology Apple is expected to announce at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. If it does, that tech will presumably appear in iPadOS 18 this fall.

The new tablets are even thinner and lighter than before, and include some additional design changes like a landscape-oriented 12-megapixel front camera — matching the 10th gen base iPad — and adaptive True Tone flash for the rear camera.

Pricing starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for 13 inches. Each has Silver and Space Black color options, as well as a choice of 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of internal storage. Nano-textured glass is only available with 1TB and 2TB models, and costs an extra $100. All models have an optional 4G/5G cellular version, which is $200 more. Before accessories like the Apple Pencil Pro or the updated Magic Keyboard, the most expensive configuration costs $2,599.

Preorders are available now, but will only ship on May 15 at the earliest.

iPad Air

Apple will sell the iPad Air in new 11- and 13-inch sizes, the second being the most significant, since until now people wanting maximum size had to spend extra on an iPad Pro. While both screens continue to use LCD instead of OLED, they now support Apple Pencil hover functions, including those of the Apple Pencil Pro. Notably the 13-inch model is slightly brighter than the 11-inch one, rated at 600 nits versus 500.

Internally the Air has switched from the M1 chip to the M2, boosting its AI/machine learning performance by about 40% and overall performance by around 50%. Other design changes include a landscape-oriented front camera, and an upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E.

Preorders start today ahead of a May 15 launch. Color options include Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray, while storage options have grown to include 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Adding 4G/5G cellular cost another $150. Prices start at $599 for 11 inches and $799 for 13 inches — a maxed-out 13-inch Air will set you back $1,449 before accessories.