This year’s iPad Air was a surprise to me. Apple launched the last Air less than a year ago, and that was a very good device that could already support Apple Intelligence — and most of Apple’s recent gadget upgrades have been about supporting Apple Intelligence. I figured Apple might launch a better Magic Keyboard for the Air (which it did), and that maybe we’d see some big new software ideas at WWDC this year. But a whole new model? Didn’t see that coming.

In fairness, there’s really only one new thing about the new model: it runs on an M3 chip instead of last year’s M2. So maybe instead of a whole new iPad Air, this is more like a mid-cycle refresh. Apple’s chip production changes, and so its devices change too. The new one, just like the old one, starts at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch screen. It comes in the same very pale colors. You get it.

I’ve had a 13-inch M2 Air for many months and an 11-inch M3 Air on my desk for the last several days. The story is the same as ever: it’s an excellent tablet, and I wish Apple would use iPadOS to make it a more versatile one. But we don’t need to litigate the reason for tablets to exist — you want to know if this is the tablet you should buy.

To that end, I have six thoughts that have come up in my testing that I think add up to something like an answer.

There’s no meaningful performance upgrade here. The M3 chip inside the new Air benchmarks at about 12–15 percent above the M2 in last year’s model. That’s actually a decent-sized bump, though it’s not the 2x jump Apple promises over the M1 from 2022. (I don’t have one of those handy, unfortunately, so I can’t test that number.) In practice, though, I don’t notice the difference. At all. Apps open at the same speed, games look and play the same, even apps like Procreate and Logic are equally responsive.

None of that is a problem with the M3, really, just a statement about how good the M2 already was. In general, I’d say the M3 seems closer to the M2 in performance than the M4 iPad Pro, which is still a half-beat faster on just about everything.

Graphics performance can be tricky to test on an iPad since there aren’t that many games designed to push the limits of the device. if I play Call of Duty: Mobile and crank everything to Max settings, I think I notice a slight difference in the details, particularly in shadows. But it’s subtle at best and possibly just a placebo.

But the keyboard is way better. Adding a row of function keys — for controlling volume and playback, opening the app switcher, and quickly locking the device — immediately makes the Air a more credible laptop replacement. (Until now, the Air’s was the only keyboard dock that didn’t have the function keys, which was just weird.) Apple says passthrough charging with the new Magic Keyboard charges the iPad as fast as plugging the tablet in directly, which makes it a really useful dock. It’s way too expensive an accessory, starting at $269, but it’s a very good one. The Pro keyboard is still the best one, though: it’s made of aluminum, has backlit keys and more feedback in the trackpad, and just feels nicer to tap on.

Another nice thing: the new keyboard is backwards compatible, so if you have an M2 Air it’ll work just fine with the new keyboard. In fact, if you can find one on sale, 2024 Air plus 2025 Magic Keyboard might be the Air combo I recommend most.

This thing really, really should support Face ID. Touch ID always made more sense to me on phones, which you typically hold the same way all the time, than on a tablet where notions of “bottom” and “top” are ever-changing. On the Face ID iPad Pro, you hardly ever need the power button; just tap the screen, and it wakes up and unlocks. On this Air, like other Touch ID iPads, it’s just annoying to sweep your thumb around the edges looking for the power button, where the sensor is.

In terms of day-to-day “design is how you use it” features, Face ID is the Pro upgrade I most want to see come to the Air.

Size matters. It might seem silly to say that a 13-inch iPad is very different from an 11-inch iPad, but those two inches of screen size really do change everything. When I use a 13-inch iPad, which is mostly what I’ve been testing recently, I hardly ever pick it up; it’s a desk-bound, keyboard-attached thing. An 11-inch model, on the other hand, is so much easier to hold in two hands (or even in one) that I find myself carrying it around a lot more.

If you want a larger model, I’d encourage you to consider the 13-inch Pro instead. If you’re thinking about the iPad as a productivity machine rather than a portable consumption tool, you’ll really benefit from the Pro’s better Magic Keyboard, its 120Hz screen, and its performance improvements. If you want something that is essentially your main computer, the iPad Pro is the way to go if you can afford it. But if the versatility of the small screen appeals to you, the 11-inch Air is a really nice option. You sacrifice some space, obviously, and the keyboard attachment is a bit more cramped, but I recommend the smaller models to people for the wieldability alone. I’m convinced that practically every iPad user is best-served by either the plain ol’ iPad or the 11-inch Air.

Apple Intelligence is the open question here. I haven’t been able to try the new base-model iPad yet, but I suspect that its story is fairly straightforward: the A16 Bionic chip is a nice upgrade, and it’ll be great for watching movies, browsing the web, and the other things everybody does on their iPad.

But there are a couple of things the base model can’t do, like Stage Manager (not a problem) and the Pencil Pro (maybe a problem!). It’s also the only current iPad that doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. Right now, that does not matter one tiny bit. Seriously: I can’t think of one reason Apple Intelligence would cause you to buy one device over another in the near future. But if you’re bullish on the future of AI and you think Apple Intelligence is likely to be good before you’re looking to upgrade your iPad again, you might want the Air. I have no idea how to handicap the likelihood that AI gets good before your iPad dies — though it’s not a great sign that Apple just once again delayed the Siri improvements that might actually make Apple Intelligence compelling. Either way, that’s the biggest and most consequential difference between the devices right now.

The Air is still a tweener, but it’s a good one. Speaking of longevity: most studies and surveys show that iPad buyers keep their devices for at least three years — and in many cases, it’s more like five or even seven. If you’re planning to keep your next iPad until 2030 or so, I’m confident the M3 Air will last that long. Apple’s M-series chips are terrific and hold up well over time, this Air supports a good Magic Keyboard and the best Apple Pencil you can buy, and other than Face ID and the 120Hz screen, there are no features you’re missing by not buying the Pro. (The Pro is just better at everything.) I still think the base iPad is plenty of iPad for just about everybody, but if you want a nicer screen, a little more processor, and a little more confidence that this thing will last you into the next decade, the Air is a great choice.