iPad Air (M4) review: M4 is powerful, iPadOS 26 improves multitasking, and the hardware is robust, but its screen could be better, no Face ID, and can be pricey
The iPad Air is extremely powerful and portable, but it's past time for it to have a nicer screen.
Context & Ripple Effects
The M4 model extends an iPad Air progression that has repeatedly emphasized faster Apple silicon and improved productivity features, including the prior M3-generation Air's multitasking and keyboard improvements.
The trade-off is persistent rather than new: earlier Air coverage also identified the absence of Face ID as a compromise, including the 2022 model's reliance on Touch ID. This review matters because iPadOS 26 makes the hardware's extra performance more usable while the product’s premium-feature gaps remain visible.
First-order effects
- Buyers who prioritize portable performance and multitasking gain a more capable iPad Air, but must still accept a screen the review finds underwhelming, Touch ID rather than Face ID, and potentially high configured pricing.
- Apple’s Air positioning becomes more explicitly productivity-led: M4 performance and iPadOS 26 are its immediate differentiators, rather than a uniformly premium hardware experience.
Second-order effects
- The Air’s value comparison with Apple’s lower-priced tablet becomes more dependent on workload and multitasking needs; the A16 iPad was already reviewed as fast and well-equipped despite its own aging display.
- Repeated screen and biometric complaints give shoppers reasons to delay an upgrade or compare upward within Apple’s tablet range, especially as faster chips alone become less distinguishing in everyday use.
Third-order effects
- If this pattern persists, iPad differentiation will increasingly hinge on software workflow and tiered hardware features—not raw chip performance—as Apple reserves some premium experiences from the Air.
- The recurring gap between processor capability and display or biometric upgrades suggests a broader tablet-market tension: hardware performance can advance faster than the features that make premium pricing feel comprehensive.
The trend: This is one more data point in the shift toward productivity software and deliberate feature tiering as the main ways to differentiate increasingly powerful tablets.