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M4 iPad Air Hits New Low Prices on Amazon, Available From $519.99

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Amazon today has expanded its sale on the M4 iPad Air with new all-time low prices on a handful of models. This includes both 11-inch and 13-inch models of the brand new 2026 M4 iPad Air.

m4-ipad-air-pink.jpeg
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Specifically, the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch M4 iPad Air has dropped to $519.99, down from $599.00, beating the previous low price by about $40. You'll also find new low prices on the 256GB Wi-Fi 11-inch model and 256GB Wi-Fi 13-inch model, both of which we're only tracking on Amazon.





The new iPad Air features the M4 chip, C1X modem, and N1 networking chip, which brings support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. In terms of design, the 2026 models are identical to the 2025 iPad Air tablets, with an edge-to-edge display, slim bezels, and aluminum chassis.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.



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Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!






Article Link: M4 iPad Air Hits New Low Prices on Amazon, Available From $519.99
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/05/04/m4-ipad-air-hits-low-prices/
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  • Haha
Reactions: Z-4195
Great all round device, all its missing is a 120 hz display (not really a deal breaker though).
 
120hz is nice, but FaceID is the deal breaker IMO. Touching a small power button every time you turn on your device is a big usability drop for a tablet.... notably more so if you use a Magic Keyboard.
 
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DribbleCastle said:
120hz is nice, but FaceID is the deal breaker IMO. Touching a small power button every time you turn on your device is a big usability drop for a tablet.... notably more so if you use a Magic Keyboard.
Click to expand...
I didn't think I'd care about FaceID on my iPad until I went from the Pro to the mini. Really hope they update the Air and mini line with FaceID. Since Apple doesn't necessarily mind confusing/convoluted product lines, just add the mini as the third size for the Air and Pro devices, so it can be 13", 11", and 8" for both lines. Keep the standard iPad as the true entry option.

I wonder with the Huawei MatePad Mini if Apple will sooner rather than later "Pro-ify" the mini lol
 
I have an iPad Air with Touch ID. The biggest problem with Touch ID on the power button is this, and I am the victim of this..........if your touch ID power button gets any kind of scratch or nick, or lands the wrong way, it is RUINED, and no longer works. I accidently dropped my M1 iPad Air a few weeks ago, and the power button barely hit metal, it is utterly fine otherwise. The iPad is fine, but the touch ID no longer works, and is unrepairable. It costs $410 to Apple to replace the entire iPad without Apple Care, and if you try to trade it in, you get no value for it. I am stuck using it as a passcode only device, until I replace it, and can't ever trade it in. That did piss me off.
 
I routinely see Amazon etc. posting to cheap deal offers. Does Apple provide an additional discount to enable Amazon to do this.
I'm just wondering if Apple are using this an an avenue to push more sales.
One thing for certain is that Apple is picking up their sale numbers quite aggressively in the last 3-6 months. I feel like, along with the Neo, Apple are working on lower cost products to increase their sales and revenue.
 
Corefile said:
Maybe you don't understand application software stack.
Click to expand...

yes i absolutely do.

do you?

the “application software stack” is the full chain that allows an app to run. the hardware, kernel, operating system services, frameworks/apis, and the app itself. on macOS and iPad OS, the lower parts of this stack are similar: both run on apple silicon and use the xnu kernel.

the differences are higher up the stack, especially in the system behavior, frameworks, and app model. macOs is built for a desktop environment, with frameworks like appkit, broad file system access, persistent background processes, flexible multitasking, and the ability to run software from outside the app store.

iPad OS is designed around a mobile-first model, using uikit and swiftui, enforcing strict sandboxing, limiting background execution, and tightly controlling how apps access files and system resources.

this is why an ipad can’t simply run macos. it’s not just a thermal issue

(though that is also a major obstacle)

macOS apps are built against different frameworks and assume a completely different execution environment. they expect unrestricted process control, direct file system access, and precise mouse-driven interaction, none of which align with ipados’s touch-first, sandboxed, system-managed design. even though the underlying hardware is the same, the apis, security model, and user interactions are not the same

macOS and iPad share a common foundation but they aren't as much the same as you seem to think

diluting macOS (and even apples macOS apps) to make it/them work on ipad is a trade off no one should want

you still haven't explained why you would even want to? which is whole other conversation
 
Last edited:
Charlie Bonesx said:
yes i absolutely do.

do you?

the “application software stack” is the full chain that allows an app to run. the hardware, kernel, operating system services, frameworks/apis, and the app itself. on macOS and iPad OS, the lower parts of this stack are similar: both run on apple silicon and use the xnu kernel.

the differences are higher up the stack, especially in the system behavior, frameworks, and app model. macOs is built for a desktop environment, with frameworks like appkit, broad file system access, persistent background processes, flexible multitasking, and the ability to run software from outside the app store.

iPad OS is designed around a mobile-first model, using uikit and swiftui, enforcing strict sandboxing, limiting background execution, and tightly controlling how apps access files and system resources.

this is why an ipad can’t simply run macos. it’s not just a thermal issue

(though that is also a major obstacle)

macOS apps are built against different frameworks and assume a completely different execution environment. they expect unrestricted process control, direct file system access, and precise mouse-driven interaction, none of which align with ipados’s touch-first, sandboxed, system-managed design. even though the underlying hardware is the same, the apis, security model, and user interactions are not the same

macOS and iPad share a common foundation but they aren't as much the same as you seem to think

diluting macOS (and even apples macOS apps) to make it/them work on ipad is a trade off no one should want

you still haven't explained why you would even want to? which is whole other conversation
Click to expand...
Well you should know that UIs should not be a constraint on the SW design. Presenting user facing information has to be possible in various form factors such as web, watch, phone app, computer app, etc. Introducing an artificial limitation like touch UI v computer mouse based UI is lousy or lazy SW design. Take your pick. The bottom line, the iPad OS infra is the same code base as macOS is compiled from and the UI stack for iPad OS is nothing but another set of API building blocks presenting user facing information.

Whenever somebody place restrictions on something then somebody says "but why even want to do that?", that right there shows a lack of broad and open question asking. You are asking the wrong question.
 
Corefile said:
the iPad OS infra is the same code base as macOS is compiled from and the UI stack for iPad OS is nothing but another set of API building blocks presenting user facing information.
Click to expand...
this is where your misunderstanding lies

the differences are much deeper than just the UI stack (as I literally just explained)

once you comprehend that you will understand the error in your thinking


Corefile said:
Whenever somebody place restrictions on something then somebody says "but why even want to do that?", that right there shows a lack of broad and open question asking. You are asking the wrong question.
Click to expand...

nah

you can jump off of a bridge if you want to

I might ask "why would you even want to do that"?

would that be the wrong question? especially once I've already explained why you shouldn't and you can't comprehend it?
 
Last edited:
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I think this is a good opportunity to point out that Apple price gouges its Mac line and that the Neo while a good laptop is still a rip off. If Apple can sell this M4 equip iPad with 12gb ram and a retina display for less than the Neo then they could have easily included a better processor and more ram with profit to spare had they wanted. They deliberately gimped the Neo with 8gb ram because they knew it would be a bottleneck in the near future. Is it good enough now? Maybe but the point is that they could have used the same M4 12gb ram combo they have in this iPad but they chose to hurt the end user to protect their profits.
 
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Good price for a very good iPad. Can easily go for it provided one does not miss/require FaceID and ProMotion.
 
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mike2q said:
I think this is a good opportunity to point out that Apple price gouges its Mac line and that the Neo while a good laptop is still a rip off. If Apple can sell this M4 equip iPad with 12gb ram and a retina display for less than the Neo then they could have easily included a better processor and more ram with profit to spare had they wanted. They deliberately gimped the Neo with 8gb ram because they knew it would be a bottleneck in the near future. Is it good enough now? Maybe but the point is that they could have used the same M4 12gb ram combo they have in this iPad but they chose to hurt the end user to protect their profits.
Click to expand...
Also they want people to buy iPads for App store revenue.

Corefile said:
Why can't we run macOS on these? Apple is not playing fair.
Click to expand...
This gets brought up a lot but iPad OS is best for the ipad imo in terms of usability and system efficiency.
 
Corefile said:
Why can't we run macOS on these? Apple is not playing fair.
Click to expand...
This annoys the heck out of me. My M2 Pro has 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage. That chip runs circles around what the Neo is packing, but Apple refuses to allow us to load MacOS on them. It’s nuts.
 
Johnny907 said:
This annoys the heck out of me. My M2 Pro has 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage. That chip runs circles around what the Neo is packing, but Apple refuses to allow us to load MacOS on them. It’s nuts.
Click to expand...

It’s not nuts

A tablet is not a desktop computer

It’s more than just the cpu or SOC

Aside from the fact that it would overheat and thermal throttle like crazy, macOs is built for a desktop environment, with frameworks like appkit, broad file system access, persistent background processes, flexible multitasking, and the ability to run software from outside the app store.

iPad OS is designed around a mobile-first model, using uikit and swiftui, enforcing strict sandboxing, limiting background execution, and tightly controlling how apps access files and system resources.

this is why an ipad can’t simply run macos. it’s not just a thermal issue

(though that is also a major obstacle)

macOS apps are built against different frameworks and assume a completely different execution environment. they expect unrestricted process control, direct file system access, and precise mouse-driven interaction, none of which align with ipados’s touch-first, sandboxed, system-managed design. even though the underlying hardware is the same, the apis, security model, and user interactions are not the same

macOS and iPad share a common foundation but they aren't as much the same as you seem to think
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: Johnny907
Charlie Bonesx said:
It’s not nuts

A tablet is not a desktop computer

It’s more than just the cpu or SOC

Aside from the fact that it would overheat and thermal throttle like crazy, macOs is built for a desktop environment, with frameworks like appkit, broad file system access, persistent background processes, flexible multitasking, and the ability to run software from outside the app store.

iPad OS is designed around a mobile-first model, using uikit and swiftui, enforcing strict sandboxing, limiting background execution, and tightly controlling how apps access files and system resources.

this is why an ipad can’t simply run macos. it’s not just a thermal issue

(though that is also a major obstacle)

macOS apps are built against different frameworks and assume a completely different execution environment. they expect unrestricted process control, direct file system access, and precise mouse-driven interaction, none of which align with ipados’s touch-first, sandboxed, system-managed design. even though the underlying hardware is the same, the apis, security model, and user interactions are not the same

macOS and iPad share a common foundation but they aren't as much the same as you seem to think
Click to expand...
Everything you point out are all software hurdles. These are specific roadblocks put in at the OS level that could be removed. This is a specific choice not to.
And before you fire back that this is mobile hardware, I’ve seen the tear downs and board level analysis of the Neo… that’s an iPhone board through and through. If they can run MacOS natively on that board they could do the same on the Pro. It would not break anyone’s legs to just give users the choice of which OS to boot into or install.
That’s the thing though, isn’t it? Apple isn’t big on end user choice, especially when end users like you run defense better than any PR firm, but for free.
 
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