iPad Air
A radical slimming that made the full-size iPad feel new.
Overview
The fifth full-size iPad took its name from the MacBook Air, and the label fit. Apple removed about 28 percent of the weight and a fifth of the thickness compared with the previous model, mostly by trimming the side bezels and reworking the internal layout. The 9.7-inch Retina screen stayed the same.
The A7 chip was the first 64-bit processor in any tablet, paired with a gigabyte of memory and a dedicated M7 coprocessor that tracked motion data without waking the main processor. Wi-Fi gained dual antennas for MIMO, which made wireless noticeably faster, and the LTE variant supported a wide range of bands.
It shipped with iOS 7 and stayed on sale until 2016, receiving software updates through iOS 12.
Why it mattered
Established the lightweight, narrow-bezel look that defined full-size iPads for years and brought 64-bit computing to tablets.
At a glance
- Announced
- October 22, 2013
- Released
- November 1, 2013
- Discontinued
- March 21, 2016
- Launch price
- $499
- Chip
- Apple A7, 1.4 GHz dual-core (64-bit)
- Display
- 9.7"
- Storage
- 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- Thin 7.5 mm body, about 469 g
- A7 64-bit chip with M7 motion coprocessor
- MIMO Wi-Fi with dual antennas
- Updates reached iOS 12
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Size
- 9.7-inch
- Type
- Retina LED-backlit IPS multi-touch
- Resolution
- 2048 x 1536 (264 ppi)
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
Chip
- Chip
- Apple A7, 1.4 GHz dual-core 64-bit
- Coprocessor
- Apple M7 motion coprocessor
Memory
- RAM
- 1 GB
- Storage options
- 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB
Camera
- Rear camera
- 5 MP iSight, 1080p video
- Front camera
- 1.2 MP FaceTime HD
Battery
- Battery life
- Up to 10 hours of web, video or music
- Capacity
- About 32.4 Wh
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11a/b/g/n with MIMO, dual-band
- Cellular
- Optional 4G LTE model
- Connector
- Lightning
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 4.0
Accessories
- Apple Pencil
- Not supported
- Keyboard
- Bluetooth keyboards and third-party cases
Design
- Dimensions
- 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm
- Weight
- 469 g (Wi-Fi), 478 g (cellular)
Security
- Authentication
- Passcode lock
Software
- Launch OS
- iOS 7.0.3
- Latest supported OS
- iOS 12.5.x
How it compares
More in the iPad Air family
iPad Air 2
Barely 6 mm thick, with three CPU cores and 2 GB of RAM.
iPad Air (3rd generation)
The Air returns with a 10.5-inch screen and a Pro-inspired body.
iPad Air (4th generation)
The Air goes all-screen, with Touch ID in the power button and five colors.
iPad Air (5th generation)
M1 power and 5G in the colorful Air.
iPad Air 11-inch (M2)
An Air with M2 power, a landscape camera and Apple Pencil Pro.
iPad Air 13-inch (M2)
A bigger-screen Air arrives for the first time.
iPad Air 11-inch (M3)
M3 power and Apple Intelligence in the unchanged Air body.
iPad Air 13-inch (M3)
The large Air gets M3 speed and Apple Intelligence.
iPad Air 11-inch (M4)
M4, 12 GB of memory and Wi-Fi 7 for the same $599.
iPad Air 13-inch (M4)
The big Air steps up to M4 and 12 GB of memory.