iPad comparison
iPad Air 11-inch M2 vs iPad Air M3
Compare iPad Air 11-inch M2 vs iPad Air M3 side by side — chip, memory, storage, display, ports, launch price and how each fits in Apple history.
iPad Air 11" (M2)The Air moved to the M2, doubled base storage to 128 GB, relocated the camera to the landscape edge, and (for the first time) offered a choice of sizes.
iPad Air (M3)A speed bump to the M3 (in both 11" and 13"), adding ray tracing and a faster GPU while keeping the Air’s value pricing.Specs side by side
| Spec | iPad Air 11" (M2) | iPad Air (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Release | May 15, 2024 | March 12, 2025 |
| Launch price | $599 | $599 |
| Price today | $605 | $605 |
| CPU | Apple M2 · 3.49 GHz | Apple M3 · 4.05 GHz |
| Memory | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Display | 11" Liquid Retina, 2360×1640 | 11" or 13" Liquid Retina, up to 2732×2048 |
| Ports | USB-C | USB-C |
| Operating system | iPadOS 17.5 | iPadOS 18.3 |
Method note: historical pricing uses approximate US CPI. CPU clock comparisons are clock-only and do not represent full real-world performance.
Why each matters
iPad Air 11" (M2)
First time the Air came in two sizes.
iPad Air (M3)
Brought hardware ray tracing and dynamic caching to the Air via the M3.
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Last updated: 2026-07-04