by Jeff Dunn from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics on (#6XDHW)
We think the iPad Air is the best blend of price, features and performance in Apple's tablet lineup, and the 13-inch version in particular is a fine buy if you want a roomier display for multitasking or streaming video without paying the iPad Pro's extravagant prices. If you've been waiting for a sale on the jumbo-sized slate, good news: The device is $100 off Apple's list price and back down to $699 at Amazon and B&H. That's a deal we've seen for much of the last few weeks, but it still matches the lowest price we've tracked for the most recent model, which was released in March and runs on Apple's M3 chip. This offer applies to the base model with 128GB of storage. If you need more space, the 256GB and 512GB variants are also $100 off at $799 and $999, respectively. The former is another all-time low, while the latter only fell about $25 lower during a brief dip at the start of the month. The one catch is that these discounts only apply to the Space Gray colorway. We gave the newest 13-inch iPad Air a score of 89 in our review. This year's model is a straightforward spec bump, with the only major upgrade being the faster chip. So if you're coming from a prior M2 or M1 model and are still happy with its performance, there's no real need to upgrade. The M2 version in particular is still worth buying if you see it on sale - right now Target has the 256GB version of that slate down to $699, so feel free to grab that instead if you don't mind buying something slightly less futureproof. Either way, the Air remains a fairly definitive upgrade over the entry-level iPad (A16). It's certainly more expensive, but its laminated display doesn't look as cheap, holds up better against glare and can pump out slightly bolder colors. Its speakers sound less compressed, and it works with superior Apple accessories like the Pencil Pro stylus and latest Magic Keyboard. The M3 chip is noticeably faster for more involved tasks like exporting high-res videos or playing new games as well. More importantly, it sets the Air up better going forward, as features like Apple Intelligence and the Stage Manager aren't available on the lower-cost model at all. Plus, the base model is only available with an 11-inch display; if you want that bigger screen, this is the most affordable way to get it. Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-13-inch-ipad-air-m3-is-100-off-for-memorial-day-133034317.html?src=rss