iPad Air M3 2025

It's important to know that this iPad Air M3 11" (Wi-Fi/Cellular, China) model supports GPS/GNSS, 4G LTE (29 bands), and 5G (26 bands), but not 4G LTE bands 11 and 21 or 5G mmWave. This model is sold only in mainland China and supports eSIM only, with no physical nano-SIM card slot.

The iPad Air M3 11-Inch (Wi-Fi+Cellular, China) features a fully-laminated, antireflective 10.86" LED-backlit 2360x1640 "Liquid Retina" display (264 ppi, 500 nits) framed by a thin black bezel and housed in a slim aluminum case with rounded corners and flat sides. It is available in (light) Blue, (light) Purple, "Starlight," or "Space Gray."

The iPad Air M3 11" is powered by a 4.05 GHz Apple M3 CPU with 8 cores (4 performance, 4 efficiency), a 9-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine, and 8 GB of RAM. Storage options are 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB.

Connectivity includes a USB-C port supporting USB 3 (up to 10 Gb/s), dual-band 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E) with 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.3, and a top-button "Touch ID" sensor. It has a single 12-megapixel "Wide" rear camera (4K video) and a landscape 12-megapixel "Ultra Wide" front camera (1080p video) with "Center Stage." It also has dual landscape stereo speakers and dual microphones.

Battery life is rated at 9 hours on cellular and 10 hours of "surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video."

Like its predecessor, this model supports external keyboards, trackpads, and the "Apple Pencil Pro," but was introduced alongside a cheaper, non-backlit "Magic Keyboard" with function keys and a larger trackpad. Compared to its predecessor, the iPad Air M3 11-Inch (Wi-Fi+Cellular, China) and its siblings are essentially the same except for the faster M3 processor, minor weight variations, and different identifiers.

The M3 iPad Air for the China market was evaluated as a potent, if incremental, upgrade. The M3 chip brought enhanced performance, especially for graphics and AI-driven features, keeping the Air a powerful tool for a wide range of tasks. The support for the new Apple Pencil Pro was a notable addition for creative professionals. With cellular connectivity optimized for China's 5G networks, it was a reliable device for mobile productivity. However, with an identical design and display to its predecessor, it was not seen as a necessary upgrade for recent iPad Air owners. For new customers or those with much older iPads, it represented a fantastic blend of power, portability, and connectivity, reinforcing its position as the best mainstream tablet choice in China.