Apple announces new iPad Air 2024 in 11- and 13-inch sizes

(Image credit: Future)

Apple Let Loose Event

1. Let Loose iPad event LIVE — New iPad Pro, iPad Air, and more as it happens!
2. OLED iPad Pro — Will it be M3 or M4?
3. iPad Air 6 — Is the M2 chip coming to the iPad Air?
4. Apple Pencil 3 — Or should we say Apple Pencil Pro?

Apple has officially announced its brand new iPad Air for 2024 at its May 7 'Let Loose' event. The new tablet comes in two sizes for the very first time with an 11-inch model joined by an all-new 13-inch model. Both models feature Liquid Retina displays and come in four colors; purple, blue, starlight, and space gray.

In terms of processing, Apple has updated the iPad Air to remove the M1 chip and add the newer M2. The result? The new iPad Air is around 50% faster than the previous generation and up to 3x faster than the older model with an A14 Bionic chip inside. Gamers can expect huge improvements in GPU performance, making the new tablet a much better gaming device.

Apple says that the updated tablet of course supports the Apple Pencil as well as the Magic Keyboard, while users can also take advantage of a front-facing camera in landscape mode for improved video calling capabilities.

In terms of storage,e the new iPad Air comes with 128GB as the base model while a 1TB option is available at the very top of the lineup. Pricing is the same, with Apple's 11-inch model starting from $599. Those buying the bigger 13-inch model will see a price that starts at $799, however.

Those who want to buy a new iPad Air will be able to place an order today with tablets shipping to buyers next week.

Notably, Apple made a big deal about AI during the event, pointing out how much quicker that M2 chip is when compared to previous models. With Apple AI thought to be a key feature of future Apple hardware and software, that might hint at a big change coming to iPadOS 18.

Now replaced — The iPad Air 5

Apple's excellent iPad Air 5 was unveiled in March 2022, featuring the M1 chip and 5G. It built on the design language refresh brought to the model in 2020, but the surprise inclusion of the very powerful M1 chip made it a very attractive iPad in the lineup. For a long time, it's been the thinnest and lightest iPad in the lineup.

We're covering the Apple iPad event as it happens. Follow the Let Loose event LIVE here. Or check out our roundups for all the latest on the new OLED iPad Pro, iPad Air, and the new Apple Pencil.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.