Join Patreon
 Join Patreon

The 11-Inch iPad Air With M3 Chip Receives a Huge Price Drop on Best Buy

By / Tech / June 8, 2025

The 11-inch iPad Air is one of Apple’s finest creations, and it has now received a huge price drop on Best Buy.

Picture of the 11-inch Apple iPad Air
Apple iPad Air (Image via Apple)

The 11-inch iPad Air was released on March 12, 2025. It is designed with the M3 chip to deliver even more performance to those who truly need it. The M3 chip inside this iPad can deliver performance and more without increasing its size and bulk. However, its launch price kept it away from the budget of many industry professionals.

Fortunately, the 11-inch iPad Air with M3 chip has received a significant price drop on Best Buy, which reduced its price below $500. In this article, we will discuss whether this iPad is worth buying, considering the current price tag.

Note: The article is subjective and reflects the writer’s opinions. Also, the price is subject to change.

The 11-Inch iPad Air with M3 Chip Can Be Yours for Under $500

This iPad Air with M3 Chip was originally launched at $599.99, which was a tad too much. However, after receiving a $100 discount, the price came down to just $499.99 on Best Buy. That’s more than a 15% discount, and providing such discounts is not usually the case with Apple devices. However, if you are still not convinced, here’s everything you need to know:

Specs

SpecificationsDetails
Display11-inch Liquid Retina IPS display with 60Hz refresh rate and 500 nits brightness
ChipsetApple M3
Operating systemiPadOS 18.5
Memory & storage8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB internal storage
Camera setup12MP rear camera with 12MP front camera
Battery and charging7606mAh with 20W wired charging with USB-C

Design and Display

Picture describes the design of the iPad Air
The design of the iPad Air (Image via Apple)

The 11-inch iPad Air features an aluminum body with a flat design, which makes it easy to grab and less slippery. The body is constructed from a single aluminum block through a CNC machining process, which helps deliver better structural integrity. Therefore, the iPad won’t bend or creak easily under pressure. Also, the surface of the iPad’s body is smooth and nice to the touch. It is available in three colors: Blue, Purple, Space Gray, and Starlight.

As for the display, this iPad has a large 11-inch Liquid Retina screen that can get as bright as 500 nits, so you shouldn’t have too many issues under mild sunlight. The screen is color-accurate, features True Tone capabilities, and is also protected with scratch-resistant glass. On top of this glass, Apple applied an oleophobic coating to prevent oils and smudges.

Performance and Productivity

PIcture describing the power of Apple Intelligence in this iPad
The power of Apple Intelligence in this iPad (Image via Apple)

The performance is the key selling point of this iPad. Apple designed the iPad Air with the M3 chip to cater to industry professionals who require a powerful mobile workstation, and it certainly delivers that. The Apple M3 chip can easily run powerful video and music production apps, including Logic Pro, Luma Fusion, Adobe Premiere Rush, CapCut, Garage Band, and more.

The M3 chip will have no issues supporting many productivity applications and games, including console-level games like Resident Evil Village, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, or Death Stranding.

Camera

There’s a 12MP camera on the front and rear, which may not take as good of a picture as the iPhones, but they’re no slouch either. The pictures clicked have decent details, and the color tone is accurate. However, these cameras are mainly designed for video calling, which is where they excel, with features like Center Stage.

Battery life

The 7606mAh battery inside this 11-inch iPad Air can deliver up to 10 hours of continuous battery life on a single charge. This is only possible with light tasks, such as web browsing, watching YouTube videos, and more. When you run heavier applications, the battery life will be lower.

Should You Buy the 11-Inch iPad Air with M3 Chip?

Picture describing the inside of the iPad Air box
Inside the box of the iPad Air (Image via Apple)

If you are an industry professional who wants an iPad-like device with powerful processing capabilities, then the 11-inch iPad Air with an M3 chip can be the perfect device you need. It packs a high-performance chipset that can handle almost anything you throw at it. It is also complemented by a great design, display, camera, and battery life. However, what makes this iPad even more attractive is its current $499.99 price tag, and you shouldn’t miss such a deal. We absolutely recommend it.

However, if you just need an iPad to watch movies and browse the web, then you don’t need the M3 chip. In that case, we would recommend the 10th Gen iPad 10.1 inch instead.

We provide the latest news and “How To’s” for Tech content. Meanwhile, you can check out the following articles related to PC GPUs, CPU and GPU comparisons, mobile phones, and more:

You may also like:

Start typing and press enter to search