Apple's iPad Air 6 launches with a bigger 13-inch screen and a MacBook-level chipset

Apple iPad Air 11 inch and 13 inch 2024
(Image credit: Apple)

After months of speculation, Apple has finally lifted the lid on the iPad Air 6, with two different versions of the new slate debuting alongside the supersized iPad Pro (2024) at the company’s highly anticipated ‘Let Loose’ event.

Where previous iPad Air models, like the iPad Air (2022), launched in a single 10.9-inch size, the iPad Air 6 is now available to pre-order in an additional 13-inch size, with both models coming equipped with an M2 chipset (aka the same chipset you'll find powering many of the best MacBooks).

Apple says this chipset makes the new iPad Air 50% faster than its M1-equipped predecessor, and three times faster than A14 Bionic-equipped iPad Air models.

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Other key upgrades for the iPad Air 6 – which can also be thought of as the iPad Air (2024) – include a landscape-oriented front-facing camera, landscape stereo speakers with spatial audio, and up to 1TB of internal storage. The new tablet is available in four colors: Blue, Purple, Starlight and Space Grey.

Apple has confirmed that the iPad Air 6 will begin shipping next week, at a starting price of $599 / £599 / AU$999 for the 11-inch model. The 13-inch model starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,299, rising to $1,449 / £1,449 / AU$2,429 for the 1TB model with cellular capabilities. You'll find a full price breakdown in our iPad Air 6 hub.

The launch of the iPad Air 6 and iPad Pro (2024) brings to an end the longest wait for new iPad models since the company began producing iPads in 2010; the last new iPad to hit shelves was the iPad 10.9 (2022) in October 2022.

For a look at what else was revealed during Apple’s ‘Let Loose’ event – namely a new Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard – head ove rto our dedicated Apple event live blog.

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Axel Metz
Phones Editor

Axel is TechRadar's UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site's Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.  Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.

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