iPad Air M3 11-inch price hits record low at $449

Apple's 11-inch iPad Air with the M3 chip has returned to a record low price, with major retailers offering the base 128GB WiFi model for $449, a $150 or roughly 25 percent discount off the $599 list price. The sale, available at Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart as of mid-September, also extends to higher-capacity and cellular configurations, with some 13-inch and LTE models cut by similar amounts.

Retail tracking and deal sites say the price matches the lowest seen since the tablet's March release and echoes discounts that briefly appeared during earlier seasonal sales. The reduction applies across color options and is available on both WiFi and certain cellular variants, with the 256GB 11-inch model dropping to about $549 from $699 and select 128GB cellular models reduced to similar record lows.

The current price pull is drawing attention because the iPad Air M3 is the newest Air model. Review coverage has emphasized the significance of the M3 system on a chip, which reviewers say delivers a meaningful performance boost over prior generations. Estimates of the gain vary: some reviewers cite about a 20 to 25 percent CPU improvement over the M2, while graphics performance has been...