Apple iPad Air 13 (M4, 128GB, Wi-Fi): Review, Pros & Cons

Summary

Check storage and screen refresh before you buy: 128GB is not upgradable, and the panel runs at 60Hz.

Strengths

A large laminated 2732×2048 screen with accurate color, and no detectable PWM flicker in one lab test.
M4 performance with 12GB of RAM gives substantial headroom over older base iPads.
Apple Pencil Pro support with pressure, squeeze, barrel roll and hover.
The Magic Keyboard connects without Bluetooth pairing and adds a trackpad.
Wi-Fi 7 and 10Gb/s USB-C are real connectivity steps.

Weaknesses

60Hz only, with no 120Hz ProMotion or OLED tier.
Sustained heavy loads can throttle by roughly 40% in one lab test.
128GB fills quickly, with no microSD slot or internal upgrade path.
616 g without a keyboard; extended one-handed reading gets tiring.
Accessory costs add up: Magic Keyboard $319, Apple Pencil Pro $129, Smart Folio $99.
Wi-Fi only, with no cellular data or hardware GNSS.

Verified specifications

Identity	Apple device A3461, 13-inch iPad Air (M4), Wi-Fi only, released March 11, 2026; Space Gray model MH5N4LL/A, with Blue, Purple and Starlight also offered.
Processor	M4 with an 8-core CPU (3 performance, 5 efficiency), 9-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 120GB/s memory bandwidth and 12GB unified memory.
Display	12.9-inch viewable diagonal, 2732×2048 at 264 ppi, LED-backlit IPS Liquid Retina, P3 color, True Tone, laminated, 600 nits, 60Hz (no ProMotion or OLED).
Dimensions and weight	280.6 × 214.9 × 6.1 mm; 616 g for the Wi-Fi model.
Storage	128GB, not user-upgradable; one tested 128GB unit showed about 102GB available after initial setup.
Cameras	12MP f/1.8 rear wide with 4K video up to 60 fps; 12MP f/2.0 landscape Center Stage front camera at 1080p up to 60 fps; landscape stereo speakers and two microphones.
Wireless and ports	Apple N1, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread; one USB-C port up to 10Gb/s with DisplayPort; one external display up to 6K at 60Hz; no 3.5mm headphone jack.
Battery	36.59 Wh lithium-polymer; advertised up to 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing or video; a 1 m USB-C cable and 20W adapter are included.
Stylus and keyboard	compatible with Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil 2 is not compatible. The 13-inch Magic Keyboard uses the Smart Connector and adds a trackpad and 14-key function row.
Security	Touch ID in the top button; no Face ID.
Software	ships in the iPadOS 26 generation with resizable windows and Apple Intelligence features subject to eligibility; it does not run macOS apps natively.

Full research notes and sources

Display and motion

The 12.9-inch panel is clear, fairly bright and laminated, which helps for reading and drawing, but it is not the iPad Pro’s brighter OLED HDR tier. Scrolling and fast games can look visibly less fluid to anyone used to 120Hz, and one October 2026 owner of the 13-inch M4 liked the size but criticized the 60Hz refresh. This is a deliberate tier decision rather than a defective screen.

Battery and charging

Apple rates the 13-inch model at up to 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing or video from its 36.59 Wh pack. Charging from empty took over two hours in one lab test and 1h57m in another, so treat those as tested figures rather than a universal fast-charge promise. Apple’s design target is 80% capacity after 1,000 complete cycles, which is not a guarantee for any individual unit.

Storage and accessories

There is no microSD slot and no user-swappable SSD, so external USB-C storage or paid cloud are the only escapes. A usable kit costs more than the tablet: adding the $319 Magic Keyboard and $129 Apple Pencil Pro to a $949 tablet gives $1,397 before tax, or $1,496 with the $99 Smart Folio as well.

Apple direct charges $949 after the June 25, 2026 increase, up from the $799 Wi-Fi launch price on March 11, 2026. Costco’s online catalog shows $929.99 for the same model, Walmart lists the new 13-inch M4 Wi-Fi 128GB Space Gray at $949.00 with a separate open-box offer at $749.00, and Best Buy shows $949.00 after a September promotion at $849.00 that expired September 8. A Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ 12.4-inch 512GB Wi-Fi listing appeared at $799.97. AppleCare+ for the 13-inch Air M4 is $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year as of July 15, 2026, with twelve monthly payments totaling $95.88. Editorial thresholds, not promises of available discounts: excellent at or below $750 to $800 new and authorized, good at $801 to $850, fair at $851 to $930, and full $949 only if timing matters. For smaller hands, the 11-inch M4 Air starts at $749 at Apple and $729.99 at Costco; the 13-inch M5 iPad Pro starts at $1,499.

Which model this is

This page covers the 2026 13-inch iPad Air with the M4 chip, Wi-Fi only, 128GB, Apple device A3461, model MH5N4LL/A in Space Gray. Do not confuse it with the 2024 M2 Air, the 2025 M3 Air, the 11-inch M4 Air (A3459, 464 g), the Wi-Fi + Cellular 13-inch model (A3462), or the 13-inch M5 iPad Pro. The Wi-Fi model has no modem, eSIM or hardware GNSS, and cellular cannot be added later.