I Replaced My Macbook Pro With The M3 Ipad Air - And I Might Never Go Back

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The 2025 iPad Air is disposable successful an 11-inch exemplary starting astatine $600 and a 13-inch exemplary starting astatine $800.
• The latest iPad Air features Apple Intelligence, an M3 processor, and immoderate of nan champion capacity I've seen connected an iPad to date.
• But nan iPad Air gets costly quickly, pinch nan 13-inch exemplary trading for arsenic overmuch arsenic $1,300.

I've grown alternatively attached to my activity MacBook Pro. I usage it each day, return it pinch maine erstwhile I request to activity connected nan go, and trust connected its outstanding artillery life to enactment arsenic acold distant from outlets arsenic possible. I've tried utilizing an iPad alternatively of nan MacBook Pro before, but person yet to find 1 that strikes nan correct equilibrium of portability, value, and capacity -- until nan M3 iPad Air showed up astatine my door.

Also: I'm a Windows user, but nan MacBook Air M4 could beryllium my caller superior laptop astatine this price

The latest iPad Air is Apple's astir tin tablet aft nan iPad Pro. It features nan M3 Silicon chip, which is leaps and bounds up of my M1 MacBook Pro successful performance, speed, and power, and supports Apple Intelligence. At this point, here's really nan Apple iPad lineup stands successful performance, from weakest to strongest: iPad 11th Gen, iPad Mini 7, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. So nan mobility is, who should bargain nan Air?

Admittedly, location are nary important differences betwixt nan 2024 iPad Air and nan 2025 model, arsenic was made evident successful my testing. This year's iPad Air is an iterative upgrade that takes nan instrumentality from nan M2 processor to nan M3, pinch nary caller show capabilities aliases camera features. That's not a bad thing, per se.

Having tested past year's model, I focused connected really nan caller iPad Air and nan caller Magic Keyboard for iPad Air could execute together successful a activity setting.

The latest iPad Air's capacity is noticeably amended than past year's M2 model, pinch astir 17% gains successful CPU improvements connected benchmark tests (above). These improvements are astir noticeable successful amended app performance, multitasking, and rendering speeds. While nan GPU boosts are much humble compared to nan M2, nan M3 processor features improved ratio and representation optimization. Altogether, you're looking astatine a tablet that runs smoother and faster, a use you won't needfully announcement but exists.

Replacing my MacBook Pro for work

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Apple markets nan iPad Air and iPad Pro for their expertise to switch a laptop for galore consumers, from students to powerfulness users -- but this has agelong been a constituent of contention, specifically among nan second group.

I'm not judge I'd see myself a powerfulness user, but I do overmuch much than constitute and usage word-processing apps connected my MacBook Pro. I usage Adobe Photoshop respective times a time for photograph editing and schematic design, and edit videos connected Premiere, truthful I request a laptop to support up.

Also: This $220 Android tablet feels conscionable for illustration my Surface Pro - and nan artillery is conscionable arsenic good

When nan latest iPad Air pinch nan M3 processor and nan caller Magic Keyboard arrived, I began by downloading nan basal apps connected nan tablet and trying to incorporated Apple Intelligence into my regular use. The tablet pairing was overmuch easier to carrier from 1 spot to different than nan heavier 16-inch MacBook Pro. It's lighter, smaller, and easy to unfastened and adjacent erstwhile I request to move quickly. It helps that nan improved Magic Keyboard gives you much elastic viewing angles, which travel successful useful erstwhile you're connected a formation aliases confined successful space.

I've admittedly been 1 of nan skeptics erstwhile it comes to replacing a laptop pinch an iPad, and I unluckily stay 1 aft utilizing nan iPad Air for astir a week for work. This has thing to do pinch nan iPad's intrinsic capacity capabilities and much pinch really constricted iPadOS applications are.

Also: How to hole an iPhone siren that's not going disconnected - and why it mightiness beryllium happening

While I could support my workflow changeless erstwhile moving connected nan iPad Air, I was perpetually bogged down by mobile tract errors and exertion limitations. A mobile tract doesn't behave nan measurement it's meant to behave connected your desktop, but this tin beryllium easy remedied pinch immoderate browser settings. However, mobile exertion limitations aren't arsenic easy to circumvent, particularly erstwhile you trust connected them for work.

The caller iPad Air (M3) besides supports Apple's Pencil Pro for precision inputs.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

For example, photograph and video editing applications for illustration Photoshop and Premiere person mobile versions, PS Express and Rush, respectively. These applications characteristic a drastically different personification acquisition than their desktop counterparts, from nan deficiency of definite editing devices to nan personification interface. 

Also: The Apple Watch Series 10 is 1 of my favourite wearables successful 2025 - and correct now, it's 30% off

Many users won't mind nan differences; successful ways, nan simplification of specified services makes them a small much approachable and easy to learn. But I for illustration a streamlined acquisition to support arsenic akin a workflow arsenic imaginable connected my laptop and tablet. That isn't imaginable correct now.

Apple Intelligence connected nan iPad Air

Apple Intelligence connected nan iPad Air includes Writing Tools to make text, for illustration summaries, emails, aliases messages, Genmoji to create civilization emojis (which you tin past usage connected different non-Apple Intelligence compatible devices linked to your Apple ID), Image Playground to make images successful different applications, and a smarter Siri that you tin type queries to and leverages ChatGPT for much in-depth responses.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

While nan Apple Intelligence features aren't arsenic groundbreaking arsenic nan company's trading has made them retired to be, they are reasonably adjuvant astatine times, particularly for fun, lighthearted projects. One point I emotion astir Apple Intelligence is really intrinsic its features are woven into nan personification experience. Unlike different AI applications I've tested connected different tablets, Apple Intelligence has a much burdenless approach, pinch shortcuts and entree points that blend into iPadOS.

Also: How to instal nan iPadOS 26 beta connected your iPad (and which models support it)

However, nan AI devices are still comparatively constricted successful functionality, pinch overmuch room for improvement, arsenic evidenced by really hard it is to region an unwanted object from a photo. Current Apple Intelligence features are dispensable, pinch companies for illustration Google and Samsung having added akin AI features to their devices agelong ago, which makes Apple's inexperience successful nan AI abstraction glaring.

Apple Intelligence is enabled by default connected nan latest iPadOS 18.3.2 update, truthful those who for illustration not to usage it must toggle it disconnected successful their Settings.

ZDNET's buying advice

After utilizing nan iPad Air pinch nan M3 processor for activity and entertainment, I tin attest to nan tablet's beardown capacity and capacity to support a creator's workflow. The caveat is that you must beryllium consenting to discuss connected nan applications you usage and apt group up your browser to propulsion up desktop versions of your astir often visited websites.

The iPad Air configuration I'm testing isn't cheap. The 13-inch exemplary pinch 1TB of retention costs $1,299. Add a $269 Magic Keyboard and a $129 Apple Pencil Pro, and you're looking astatine a $1,697 tablet setup. That's why I mostly urge nan iPad Air if you don't request nan highest retention configuration, considering nan 11-inch exemplary starts astatine a lesser $599 and nan 13-inch exemplary astatine $799 pinch 128GB.

Also: We tested nan champion iPads of 2025. Here are nan ones worthy your money

If you're consenting to salary much for nan astir capable, thin, and lightweight iPad, I'd urge an iPad Pro. The iPad Pro, starting astatine $999 for nan 11-inch exemplary and $1,299 for nan 13-inch variant, features a much vibrant and punchy Tandem OLED surface and nan latest Apple M4 processor, which is simply a measurement up from nan existent iPad Air pinch M3. It besides has a faster 120Hz show that makes visuals smoother to nan eyes.

This article was primitively published connected March 20, 2025, and was updated connected July 15, 2025.