Apple's latest update to the entry-level iPad doesn't add much, sits in a strange spot in the lineup, and is not powerful to join the company's Apple Intelligence push.

The 2025 iPad Air is largely the same as its predecessor, but a faster processor provides more power for students and creators to work and play.

Less than a year after updating it with the M2 chip and introducing a larger-screen option, Apple gave the iPad Air another hardware refresh with a power bump. To boost its already formidable productivity chops,