New 13-Inch iPad Air Lacks Audio Feature Found in Last-Gen Model

Apple on Tuesday announced new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models with the M3 chip, and while the processor upgrade and updated Magic Keyboard are the biggest changes, there’s another difference in the larger model compared to its predecessor that may have gone unnoticed.

For the new 13-inch iPad Air, Apple has mysteriously removed the “2x bass” feature from the device’s landscape stereo speakers.

Double bass was introduced in the previous-generation 13-inch iPad Air with M2 chip in May 2024. Apple said at the time that the 13-inch model delivers “even better sound quality” with double the bass, which is “great for enjoying music and videos.” However, there is no mention of the feature in Apple’s device specifications for the new M3 variant. In fact, the 13-inch iPad Air with M2 chip is the only iPad that has ever included a mention of “2x bass.”

Apple has never provided specific technical details about the audio effect in the 13-inch M2 iPad Air, so we don’t yet know if its removal in the successor device is due to a hardware change or something else. Perhaps a future device teardown will provide some clues.

With the M3 chip, the new iPad Air should offer up to 20% faster performance compared to the previous-generation model. The M3 chip also brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing to the iPad Air for the first time, providing improved graphics rendering in games. The new iPad Air is available to pre-order, and it will launch on March 12. In the U.S., the 11-inch model continues to start at $599, and the 13-inch model continues to start at $799.

This article, “New 13-Inch iPad Air Lacks Audio Feature Found in Last-Gen Model” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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