Apple has announced two new iPad upgrades this week, both of which are set to release March 12, but you can preorder them now. They’re the M3 iPad Air, which starts at $599, and a new 11th-generation baseline iPad, which starts at $349. These are more spec-bump updates rather than major overhauls, but they’re the new 2025 models and they’re more powerful than their predecessors, so they’re probably the ones to get if you’re in the market for a new Apple tablet.
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You’ll find all the details below, including what’s new in these iPads, how much they cost, and where you can lock in your preorders. Let’s get to it.
Apple iPad (11th Generation)
If you’re a regular person with normal tablet computing needs, look no further than the new 11th-generation iPad. It comes with the speedy A16 chip, replacing the A14 chip in the previous-gen iPad. It also starts at 128GB, doubling the starting storage of the previous model at no additional cost. Other than that, it looks and acts basically the same, with color options including silver, blue, yellow, and pink. It’s just better on various internal metrics – though it notably does not include Apple Intelligence.
If you can live without that (and I, as an iPhone 16 owner, can definitely live without Apple Intelligence), the 11th-gen iPad has all the power and performance you’ll likely need from the device. That’s for users who typically do things on their iPad like playing games, browsing the internet, watching videos, scrolling social media, checking emails, and the like. It’ll be able to handle those tasks for a good number of years with no sweat.
New iPad Air with M3 Chip
The new iPad Air sits in the middle of Apple’s tablet lineup, with better specs than the baseline iPad, but it’s not as powerful as the iPad Pro. That said, if you need more computing power in a tablet than what the baseline device above offers, the new iPad Air with M3 chip will likely suit you just fine. It also comes in your choice of 11- or 13-inch options.
As you can tell by the name, it has Apple’s powerful M3 chip, and it supports Apple Intelligence, unlike the baseline model. It’s also compatible with a new Magic Keyboard (see it at Apple) that has a row of function keys and a trackpad.
Where to Buy Previous Generation iPads
There have been a lot of generations of iPads so far, but here’s a quick look at the previous iterations you can still buy in 2025. Anytime a new generation is announced is a good time to buy an older iPad.
Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.
