Forget the iPhone Duo — the M4 iPad Air is a lot cheaper even at full price but it's now 21% off

Pre-orders for the much-anticipated iPhone Duo are set to start later tonight (11pm AEDT, October 16), but with the base 256GB model costing an eye-watering AU$3,499, it’s a big ask even for the most loyal of Apple fans.

<![CDATA[ <article> <p>Pre-orders for the much-anticipated iPhone Duo are set to start later tonight (11pm AEDT, October 16), but with the base 256GB model costing an eye-watering AU$3,499, it’s a big ask even for the most loyal of Apple fans.</p><p>Given the fact the iPhone Duo can feasibly be compared to an iPad when unfolded, in my mind, the better value alternative is to get an actual iPad and pair it with your current iPhone. And a great example is the 2026 model iPad Air, especially now it’s been given <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Apple-11-inch-Wi-Fi-Cellular-128GB/dp/B0GQWVY6WP">a rare 21% discount on Amazon Australia</a>. That drops the price of the 128GB model to AU$987 and that's excellent value for a tablet that we called the “pro model tablet for most people”.</p><div class="product"><a data-dimension112="4f330232-c919-11f1-b667-0dbba71bd9f3" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="iPad Air 2026 11-inch (128GB, WiFi)" data-dimension48="iPad Air 2026 11-inch (128GB, WiFi)" data-dimension25="$987" href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Apple-11-inch-Wi-Fi-Cellular-128GB/dp/B0GQWVY6WP" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><figure class="van-image-figure " ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:500px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:100.00%;"><img id="TtJ3eH3KvFm5hcgdVWmh9k" name="Apple iPad Air (M4) deal block" caption="" alt="" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TtJ3eH3KvFm5hcgdVWmh9k-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="500" height="500" attribution="" endorsement="" credit="" class=""></p></div></div></figure></a><p><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Apple-11-inch-Wi-Fi-Cellular-128GB/dp/B0GQWVY6WP" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="4f330232-c919-11f1-b667-0dbba71bd9f3" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="iPad Air 2026 11-inch (128GB, WiFi)" data-dimension48="iPad Air 2026 11-inch (128GB, WiFi)" data-dimension25="$987">iPad Air 2026 11-inch (128GB, WiFi): was $1249 now $987</a></strong><br>Having just been released this year, this 21% discount on the 11-inch iPad Air with the Apple M4 chipset is the biggest we’ve seen since <a href="https://www.techradar.com/computing/macbooks/apple-price-hikes-have-hit-australia">the recent price hike</a> in July. Purple and Starlight are available for this price, while Space Grey and Blue costs AU$1 more. The <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Apple-11-inch-Wi-Fi-Cellular-128GB/dp/B0GQWRZG9H" target="_blank">256GB model is AU$200 more</a>, while <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Apple-2026-13-inch-Wi-Fi-128GB/dp/B0GQW5W6NQ" target="_blank">the 13-inch starts at AU$1,287</a>, also 20% off.<a class="view-deal button" href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Apple-11-inch-Wi-Fi-Cellular-128GB/dp/B0GQWVY6WP" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="4f330232-c919-11f1-b667-0dbba71bd9f3" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="iPad Air 2026 11-inch (128GB, WiFi)" data-dimension48="iPad Air 2026 11-inch (128GB, WiFi)" data-dimension25="$987">View Deal</a></p></div><p>While our <a href="https://www.techradar.com/tablets/ipad/embargoed-i-tested-the-ipad-air-with-m4-and-apple-just-stretched-the-value-of-the-air-even-further">iPad Air review</a> noted that there were no real design changes from the previous model, getting the M4 chip, extra RAM and improved connectivity make the 2026 release a much more powerful tablet than previous generations.</p><p>These upgrades should make photo and video editing, gaming, multitasking or general computing tasks a breeze, although the display’s frame rate is still, annoyingly, capped at 60Hz (compared to the iPad Pro’s 120Hz ProMotion display).</p><p>Admittedly, the 11-inch screen means this iPad is much less portable than the iPhone Duo, even when it’s unfolded, but the extra screen real estate provides the added benefit of a large, vibrant canvas for entertainment, and Apple Pencil note-taking.</p><p>While this iPad Air isn’t going to be a must-have upgrade if you already own the M3 or M2 versions from recent years, you’ll see a massive performance boost over an older iPad Air, base model iPads, and even some older iPad Pros.</p><p>And let's also do some maths, shall we? With this discount on the latest iPad Air and purchasing the <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Apple-iPhone-Pro-Max-256GB/dp/B0HJ9V256N">256GB iPhone 18 Pro Max for AU$2,297</a> is a total of AU$3,287 — that's cheaper than the starting price of the iPhone Duo! 'Nuff said!</p><div data-widget-type="review" data-model-name="Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4"></div> </article> ]]>