iPad Air M4 pre-orders are now live, and it's Best Buy and Apple out in front. With up to $670 off the device with trade-in or $50 off a new device for the former's members, these are your go-to retailers for discounts this week.
I'm expecting more retailers to launch their own stock over the course of the day, and we could even see additional savings on top of that. That's why I'm tracking all the latest iPad Air M4 pre-order deals live right here.
Apple's new iPad follows the same pricing structure as the previous generation, starting at $599 for the 128GB 11-inch model and moving up to $799 for the 13-inch device. With that boosted M4 processor at the helm, it's got its sights set on the best gaming tablets, promising up to 30% faster performance.
The latest model will start shipping from March 11, and you'll find all the early pre-order offers available below.
B&H Photo | From $599 B&H Photo's iPad Air M4 pre-orders are now open, though the retailer isn't offering any discounts. However, there are trade-in options now available, with the retailer taking a much wider range of tech compared to Best Buy and Apple.
Status: Live now
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Apple | Save up to $670 with trade-in Apple is also offering a trade-in discount for its own iPad Air M4 pre-orders this week. That full $670 is going to require quite the device, but with discounts starting at $40 it looks like the store is taking older iPads as well.
Status: Live now
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Best Buy | Starting from $249 with trade-in Best Buy is offering discounts up to $350 on the 11-inch iPad Air M4 with a qualifying trade-in this week. Those largest savings come when you swap in an iPad Air 11-inch M3 or iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th Gen), but an iPad Mini 6th Gen will also net you $200 off the new device.
Status: Coming soon, pre-orders start 9.15am ET
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Best Buy | $50 off for Plus and Total members Subscribers to Best Buy's Plus or Total service can shave $50 off their iPad Air M4 pre-order this week. The offer stands on both the 11-inch and 13-inch models, dropping that starting price down to $549.
Status: Coming soon, pre-orders start 9.15am ET
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Amazon | Check stock Amazon hasn't launched its iPad Air M4 pre-order listing pages just yet, which isn't surprising. This is a retailer that likes to take its time with new products, but it's often one of the first places to find discounts so I'd keep a close eye out here.
Status: No listing pages
Everything you need to know about the iPad Air M4
The iPad Air M4 is the latest generation Air device, launching at the same $599 / $799 price as the previous model.
The headline upgrade here is that M4 chip. The Apple silicon first made its way to the more expensive Pro models last year, but is now scaling down the price brackets to the brand's middle child. Apple claims the upgraded chip is 30% faster than the M3 powering its previous Air device, with the N1 and C1X chips boosting wireless connectivity to boot.
Gamers should also note that the M4 boasts nine GPU cores for ray tracing support. That means four times faster 3D rendering, though Apple is using the M1 processor in that comparison.
The design remains largely unchanged compared to the previous model, with the same spread of four color options and an identical flat-edge form factor.
The new device ships with iPadOS 26, though older models will also have access to the core software benefits, from new window systems for multitasking to the command-center 'menu bar'.
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A few hours to prepare
iPad Air M4 pre-orders kick off at 9.15am ET, so early birds still have a few hours to prepare. If you're looking to trade in an old device, it's time to get that model and IMEI number locked down so you have everything you need when it comes to registering your upgrade.
How to find your iPad's IMEI number
Best Buy and Apple are both already advertising early iPad Air M4 pre-order trade-in deals today, so if you've got an old device to hand you can score some extra savings on an upgrade. Best Buy caps out at $350 off, but Apple can give you up to $670 if you've got an iPad beefy enough.
You'll need to know exactly what kind of device you have to get the trade-in, though. Thankfully, all the information you need is already in your Settings.
1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap 'General'
3. Tap 'About'
This menu will give you information about the Model Name and Model Number of your device.
If you need an IMEI number to trade in your device, it will be located further down on this list.
Best Buy vs Apple
If you're already eyeing up those early iPad Air M4 pre-order deals, there are essentially two to choose from right now.
Best Buy isn't offering us much cash off as Apple, though you'll need to be sacrificing a pretty powerful tablet to get the full amount off. However, Plus and Total members would be best of sticking with their retailer for the extra $50 off at checkout.
If you're going for something a little more personal, it's worth clocking Apple's free personalization features. The brand can engrave your kit for free, which Best Buy won't be able to match.
Should you upgrade to the iPad Air M4?
The new iPad Air is an iterative update with a new processor and a few extra boosts under the hood. That means it's not going to be a must-have upgrade for everyone.
If you're still using the M3 device and get on just fine with the level of power on offer, you're not going to get anything revolutionary by taking this leap. The same can even be said for older M2 model, especially if you just use your device for streaming, web browsing, and the odd light game.
If, however, you use your tablet for heavier gaming, more complex productivity tasks, or day to day work the move from an M1 iPad Air or older is going to give you solid results.
Still just Best Buy and Apple
Best Buy and Apple are still your go-tos for iPad Air M4 pre-orders today, though B&H Photo does have listings up and ready to go for 9.15am ET. I'm not seeing any trade-in or discount opportunities available here, though, and Amazon is yet to drop its product pages as well.
How to get an iPad Air M4 for $250
Best Buy will give you $350 off an iPad Air M4 when you trade in your old device, but you'll need one of two iPads to get the full discount.
That's either the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (4th Gen) or the previous iPad Air M3. Both are pretty premium devices, but if you're upgrading to the newer chip it's certainly cheaper than paying for everything outright.
The $249 price applies to the $599 11-inch iPad Air 128GB, the cheapest entry in the new lineup.
iPad Air M4 pre-orders open in 2 minutes
Those looking to get an early pre-order will be lining up at retailers right now, with Apple's new device set to drop onto the shelves in just two minutes time. This is when we'll start to see if other retailers are coming armed with offers of their own, and Amazon might actually acknowledge the tablet in the first place.
B&H Photo might be the place for trade-ins
Don't have an iPad or other Apple device to trade in? B&H Photo is accepting a much wider range of devices for trade-in discounts on the new iPad Air M4 this week. That means you can swap in anything from smartwatches to phones from a whole roster of brands. With up to $2,550 available in savings, it's time to dig through the cupboard.
Still nothing from Amazon
Amazon still doesn't have the new iPad Air M4 available for pre-order, but the site is running discounts on the previous generation. The M3 tablet is set to be run off the shelves now that the new version is available, and when that happens I often see prices dropping particularly quickly.
The WiFi only model is already unavailable at Amazon, but if you need a cellular connection the 5G tablet is available for 20% off, down to $599 (was $749).
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