Technically, Apple’s just-unveiled iPad Air (M4) duo is still on pre-order, with actual availability set to kick off next Wednesday, March 11, but incredibly enough, that’s not stopping a major US retailer from selling the new 11-inch powerhouse at reduced prices in multiple storage variants and colorways.
The most affordable iPad Air 11 (2026) model, for instance, is available at Walmart for $559 instead of its $599 list price in blue, purple, space gray, and starlight hues, which actually represents Apple’s entire color palette for the 11-inch slate (and its 13-inch sibling, for that matter).
Of course, you’ll have to be okay with a relatively modest 128 gigs of internal storage space and no cellular connectivity if you want to minimize your spending for this powerful new tablet, but if you’re looking to get more digital hoarding room, the Wi-Fi-only 256GB and 512GB configurations are also nicely marked down by $50 and $60, respectively, from their “regular” prices of $699 and $899.
The problem with those two variants is that the chromatic selection is already pretty limited, which almost certainly means Walmart will very soon run out of inventory, just as it apparently has been the case for the slate’s 1TB configuration, which was discounted by $80 from a list price of $1,099.
Now, I realize that these discounts might not sound mind-blowing or life-altering for a lot of professional bargain hunters out there, but you have to remember that the iPad Air (2026) family is only a few days old. And significantly speedier than the iPad Air (2025) duo thanks to an Apple M4 processor. And equipped with more “unified memory” to better handle the AI needs of today and tomorrow.
I know, I know, you’d have all liked to see the Liquid Retina IPS LCD panel upgraded to support 120Hz refresh rate technology as well, but… it is what it is, and despite that obvious cost-cutting move from Apple, I still think you’re looking at one of the best tablets in the world here, especially if you don’t reckon you need the extra screen real estate of its 13-inch brother.
