ChargingEditor’s pick
Apple
iPad Air (M3)
Keyboard folios are most of this category, and the thing to check is the Smart Connector pin row rather than the screen size — an 11-inch case is not automatically the right 11-inch case.
Display
11" Liquid Retina
Chip
M3
Port
USB-C
Keyboard
Smart Connector
Released
March 2025
Hardware & Architectural Profile
Silicon, Optics & Chassis Topology
Verified physical and architectural specifications. Subtle chassis shifts, camera plateau depths, and port standards dictate which accessories remain compatible across generations.
SoC & Node
Apple M3
3nm (TSMC N3B)Unified Memory
8 GB Unified Memory (100 GB/s bandwidth)
128GB baseOperating System
iPadOS 20.3
Launched on iPadOS 19I/O & Interface
USB-C
30W USB-PDMass & Frame
462 g (Wi-Fi model)
100%Processor & Neural Silicon
Silicon System-on-Chip
Apple M3
CPU Architecture
8-core CPU (4 performance @ 4.05GHz + 4 efficiency @ 2.75GHz)
Graphics Processing Unit
10-core GPU with Dynamic Caching & Hardware Ray Tracing
Neural Engine / NPU
16-core Neural Engine, 18 TOPS
Storage Capacities
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Optics & Camera Plateau
Optical Array
Landscape 12MP Center Stage front + 12MP wide rear
Primary Sensor
12MP Wide, f/1.8, up to 5× digital zoom, 4K60 video
Telephoto Module
None
Plateau Protrusion (Case Clearance)
Single flush ring camera bump, 1.4mm protrusion
Enclosure, Controls & Display
External Dimensions (H×W×D)
247.6 × 178.5 × 6.1 mm
Chassis Metallurgy
100% recycled aluminium unibody
Tactile Hardware Controls
Top button with Touch ID sensor, Volume buttons, Smart Connector (rear)
Display Panel
11.0" · Liquid Retina IPS LCD with True Tone & P3 wide color (60Hz) (500 nits typical)
Screen Border Margin
7.8 mm uniform border
Power, I/O & Telemetry
Physical Port & Protocol
USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10Gbps, DisplayPort 6K60)
Cell Chemistry & Capacity
28.93 Wh rechargeable lithium-polymer
Wireless / Inductive Standard
Magnetic Apple Pencil Pro inductive charging only
Wireless Networking
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) · Bluetooth 5.3
Spatial Telemetry
None
Parts that fit
CablesEditor’s pick
Anker 765 USB-C to USB-C Cable (240W, 1.8m)
AudioEditor’s pick
Sony WF-1000XM5
Audio
Apple AirPods Pro 3
Audio
Sony WH-1000XM6
Charging
UGREEN Nexode 65W USB-C Charger
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Secondary Market Ledger
Trading in or selling your Apple iPad Air (M3)?
Estimated UK Cash Value
£250 – £325
Before buying fresh parts or retiring an older handset, recycling or trading in pays the highest return. We track UK certified trade-in rates daily.
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