Apple iPad Air (M3) - The Only Change Is Everything

2025 seems to be a landmark year for Apple already.

We’ve seen the launch of a phone, several computers and now a new iPad. And it’s still only March.

Some of these have been breakthrough devices; the iPhone 16e effectively creating a whole new product category for Apple.

Other 2025 updates seem less significant. After all, if the only difference is a new chip, is it really that different?

Let’s find out.

Because the 2024 iPad Pro became the first Apple device to ship with Apple's M4 processor, this year’s iPad Air is the first iPad run by the M3. If you think that’s confusing enough, don’t even get me started about the various iterations of the M3 and M4 chips. Rest assured, even if it’s not an Ultra, Pro or Max version of Apple’s in-house CPU, you’ll still be treated to a superbly smooth, efficient and powerful computing experience.

The same can definitely be said for the new iPad Air, which, admittedly, looks pretty much identical to the previous model. And I do mean exactly; both 11-inch and 13-inch models are precisely the same size and shape as their predecessors and are a mere gram or two lighter.

But Apple (quite reasonably) is under no illusion about how often people upgrade their devices. Which is why the default comparison devices on the website tend to be nothing later than the M1 iPad Air from 2022.

A lot has happened since then, not least of which, Apple Intelligence. The M1-powered iPad Air was future-proofed enough to be able to juggle the neural processing required to use Apple Intelligence features like Image Playground, Writing Tools and Clean Up for your photos. However, it goes without saying, the new iPad Air chews through this kind of work even more smoothly.

The camera setup on this year’s iPad Air seems to be the same on paper; a 12MP Wide sensor on the back, paired with a 12MP CentreStage selfie-cam. And yet, the photos and videos are just better. They’re certainly better than what you get from just about any other built-in laptop or tablet camera out there - check out the video at the bottom of this review if you need further convincing.

But it’s the little things I’ve noticed and appreciated even more.

For example, I’m writing this review using the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (backwards compatible with several previous generations). This is the Air version of the Magic Keyboard that has been available for iPad Pro for a while now. I consider the Magic Keyboard to be one of the the best-designed accessories ever produced and I’ve said as much in previous reviews. Not only do you get a surprising amount of travel from what is essentially a flat keyboard but also a wonderfully responsive touchpad and a full row of dedicated function keys, including brightness and media controls.

But perhaps the best thing about the Magic Keyboard is it literally adds another USB-C port to your iPad, with a pass-through charging option built into its spine. This means you can keep the iPad Air charging while you work (or play) simultaneously using the USB-C for something else; perhaps transferring files at up to 10Gbps or even connecting to an external display.

The Magic Keyboard is damn expensive though; starting from NZ$549.00 - but I’ve used it quite a bit and it really is that good. Especially when paired with the power of M3 in this latest iPad Air. As I type, I’m literally using the new 11-inch iPad Air as a mini laptop and it’s a sublime pleasure.

This is always a temptation for those of us who aren’t regular tablet users and are more likely to tap out their work on a laptop or desktop machine. Every time I swear I’m not going to get sucked into the “laptop comparison” and yet, when the Magic Keyboard is so full-featured and the power of M3 means a task like filling in the appropriate fields on the back-end of a website works exactly as it should, I start to wonder if I even need a laptop. Especially since no MacBook yet features a touch display. Meanwhile, iPads were born to be touched.

Certainly there aren’t too many laptops out there that can compete with the iPad Air’s legendary ten hours of battery life. This hasn’t changed since the last model but remember, the M3 iPad Air is now doing a lot more. If anything, I’ve found Apple’s ten-hour claim somewhat undersells what this device actually delivers - and that NEVER happens in tech.

But seriously… why would you choose the iPad Air over a laptop or even the iPad Pro? For a start, it’s smaller and lighter than a laptop. Even with the addition of the 355gram Magic Keyboard, the 460gram 11-inch iPad Air still weighs substantially less than a MacBook Air at 1.24kg.

Of course, price is a major consideration too. iPad Pro starts at NZ$1,999 while the new iPad Air kicks off at NZ$1,199. I’ve used (and reviewed) the M4 iPad Pro and yes, it’s a genuine powerhouse of a machine but given I’m not trying to render 3D movie projects on a regular basis, for a user like me, there’s not a lot the M3 iPad Air can’t do.

Take the app Morpholio Board, for example. This is a tool that lets you visualise interior design options by combining real images of your space taken with the iPad Air cameras with images of products, furniture, appliances and art you’ve yet to purchase. You can literally create a 3D walk-through to give you a solid idea of what will work and what won’t.

Gaming is another area where I think a lot of users would be surprised by how well the new iPad Air performs. You can pair pretty much any controller and jump into a game like Horizon Chase 2 to waste a few hours racing, upgrading and crashing your car. The laminated Liquid Retina display is nice and bright and also sports an anti-reflective coating, meaning you’ll get all the details, even outside.

Meanwhile, the sound provided by the stereo speakers built into the short edges of the device is surprisingly full and powerful. That doesn’t just add to an immersive gaming experience but also makes the iPad Air a fairly passable mobile music machine. Somehow these speakers, although small and hidden, create a genuine illusion of space - the music seems to surround the iPad Air rather than emanate from it.

Is it weird they didn’t go straight to a variant of the M4 chip with this device? Presumably that’ll happen next year or soon thereafter. I mean, the M4 exists. I have an M4-powered Mac Mini. And as good as the M3 iPad Air is, I can tell you when it comes to high-demand actions like rendering video, the M4 absolutely creams the M3. (I’m talking about the standard variants of the chips here of course - not Pros, Ultras or Maxes).

If the answer is to keep the price down, that’s a pretty good answer.

Although I tried not to, because I was sent the Magic Keyboard with my review device, I found it impossible not to compare this iPad with the laptops I’ve used lately. When I’ve done this with other tablets in the past, they generally do an okay job but start to fall down when it comes to browser-based interfaces and editing apps.

Not this time.

There’s something about the maturity of iPadOS and the streamlined performance of the M3 chip that has ironed out most (if not all) of those compatibility bugs. You’ll have to take my word for it but I really did create this entire review on the iPad Air, not using my Mac Mini as I normally would. That includes all the formatting, adding photos from my cloud storage, then transferring and reformatting it all for the Newstalk ZB website. The M3 iPad Air never even blinked. What a pleasure.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPad Air (M3).

HP OmniBook Ultra Laptop - I Need More Than Just Great AI

Today I'm going to do something I never thought I'd do.

I'm going to let AI write my review.

Don't worry... it hasn't started yet. I'll let you know when.

The HP OmniBook Ultra Laptop is all about AI. So much so it comes with two different AI apps installed by default. As one of the new breed of Microsoft Copilot PC's, it has a dedicated Copilot button to launch Microsoft's latest attempt at an all-encompassing AI helper.

The OmniBook Ultra also features HP's own AI Companion. With a device-specific shortcut to tweak the settings and performance of the laptop itself, this AI appears to be a natural evolution of the previous HP Support Assistant app. Although, that comes installed too. In fact, there are a lot of pre-installed apps, many of them doubling up on certain tasks.

It's confusing and certainly feels like AI overkill.

Anyway, I decided to put it all to the test. First, I asked HP AI Companion to write my review. It refused but then went on to summarise all the features pretty well anyway.

Microsoft Copilot was much more accommodating - although I couldn't get it to insert photos so the ones below I took myself. Have a read and see what you think...

The HP OmniBook Ultra is a sleek and powerful ultraportable laptop that has garnered attention for its impressive performance and design. Here’s a detailed review of this device, covering various aspects such as design, performance, battery life, and more.

Design and Build Quality

The HP OmniBook Ultra boasts a minimalist design that is both elegant and functional. The laptop features an aluminum chassis with a polished HP logo on the lid, giving it a premium look. The lid is simple and finished in aluminum, while the keyboard deck is dark gray with a lighter shade of gray for the top function row. The only design embellishment is the pale blue power button, which doubles as a fingerprint reader. The display is covered in glossy glass, which enhances color fidelity but can amplify reflections. The bezels are minimal along the sides, but more sizable at the top and bottom.

Display

The HP OmniBook Ultra comes with a 14-inch IPS touch screen with a resolution of 2240 by 1400 pixels. While the display offers good color accuracy and brightness, it falls short compared to OLED rivals. The glossy glass covering the display can be a double-edged sword, as it improves color fidelity but also increases reflections. The bezels are minimal along the sides, but more sizable at the top and bottom.

Performance

Under the hood, the HP OmniBook Ultra is powered by AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 processor, which delivers class-leading performance. The laptop also features AMD Radeon 890M integrated graphics, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD. This combination ensures smooth multitasking and fast performance, making it suitable for both work and entertainment. The OmniBook Ultra proved to be a swift performer in benchmark tests, putting it in contention among the best ultrabooks.

Battery Life

One of the standout features of the HP OmniBook Ultra is its impressive battery life. The laptop can last up to 21 hours and 28 minutes on a single charge, making it ideal for users who need a reliable device for long workdays or travel. The efficient AMD Ryzen AI chipset plays a significant role in extending the battery life.

Connectivity

The HP OmniBook Ultra offers a decent range of connectivity options, including Thunderbolt 4 ports, which are a great addition for an AMD-powered device. However, the laptop falls short in terms of connectivity compared to some competitors, as it only has one USB-A port and lacks HDMI and Ethernet ports. This limitation might be a drawback for users who require multiple connectivity options.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on the HP OmniBook Ultra is functional but not exceptional. The keys are well-spaced and offer a decent typing experience, but the overall feel is somewhat disappointing compared to other premium laptops. The touchpad is responsive and accurate, making it easy to navigate through tasks.

Software and Security

The HP OmniBook Ultra comes with Windows 11 Home pre-installed, offering a smooth and user-friendly experience. Additionally, the laptop features HP’s Wolf Security suite, which provides enhanced security features to protect user data. This makes the OmniBook Ultra a secure choice for both personal and professional use.

Pricing and Value

The HP OmniBook Ultra is priced competitively, starting at $1,349.99. While it offers excellent performance and battery life, the laptop’s design and display quality might not justify the premium price for some users. However, the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4 ports and HP’s Wolf Security suite adds value to the device.

Conclusion

In summary, the HP OmniBook Ultra is a solid ultraportable laptop that excels in performance and battery life. Its minimalist design and premium build quality make it an attractive choice for users who prioritize aesthetics and functionality. However, the laptop’s connectivity options and display quality might be a drawback for some users. Overall, the HP OmniBook Ultra is a reliable and powerful device that offers great value for its price.

Right, back to me. To be honest, this is a pretty good roundup of the device although, to be really honest, when I formatted it, I took out the links to the source material. And that's the thing with AI... it doesn't have its own opinion, it just "borrows" other people's.

Although what it has regurgitated here is largely accurate, my review device only has a 1TB SSD, not 2TB as stated above. It talks about HP's Wolf Security suite but that's nowhere to be found on my device. (To be fair, the New Zealand HP website promises this software too, so I'm confused).

The battery life claims are outrageous of course and it's this kind of lack of insight that makes me feel pretty secure as a tech reviewer, if not a human being. Nobody sets a video going on their laptop without being connected to Wi-Fi, with the brightness turned down and with no other apps working in the background. If you did, you might get double-digit battery life. On the other hand, I was playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on battery the other day and I could literally see the battery level draining before my eyes.

Oh, and the price is totally wrong - sorry if I got your hopes up. Here in New Zealand the OmniBook Ultra Laptop starts at NZ$3,439.00 - and that's on special. 

If you thought AI was smart enough to figure out what country it's in, I've got bad news for you.

Look, obviously what it gave me was a great starting point and I actually totally agree with a lot of the other points; there aren't enough ports, the keyboard and trackpad are fabulous, the display is top notch although is a bit too reflecty and the graphics, neural processing and sheer grunt of this machine are truly awesome. Just don't expect AI to put it quite that way... Unless it's read this review.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the HP OmniBook Ultra Laptop.

Samsung Galaxy Ring - Smarts Without the Bulk

I like to think of myself as an early adopter.

When mobile phones got smart, I upgraded.

I've been wearing smartwatches since before most big brands were even making them.

But when it comes to smart rings, I've completely missed the boat.

So much so, I don't even really know how long they've been around. I guess I was vaguely aware people were wearing them overseas but until very recently, I certainly didn't know anybody who used one regularly.

Turns out, I'm a complete Luddite. The first mass-produced smart ring appeared back in 2013, although this was more of an NFC payment device without any of the health-tracking features you'd expect of such a ring today; kind of like PayWave wrapped around your finger.

Turns out things have evolved somewhat over the last decade or so.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring is the latest of these devices to hit New Zealand shores, although it's been on sale in other markets since July last year.

I imagine it's a bit of a risk, bringing a product like this to such a small, remote market. Not only is the Galaxy Ring available in three colours; Titanium Black, Titanium Silver and Titanium Gold, it also comes in 11 different sizes - so essentially, for every ring someone buys, there are 32 others left waiting in the stock room.

Obviously you'll need to order the right size, so when you order, Samsung will send out a sizing kit first. They recommend you wear your preferred sizing ring for a full 24 hours to make sure it's right. This is great advice as I know my fingers definitely swell up at different times of the day and night and because the Galaxy Ring has three raised sensors on the inside surface, it'll feel slightly different to any other ring you're used to.

I don't know much about jewellery but in my humble opinion I think the Galaxy Ring is attractive enough - the scratch-resistant titanium finish is matte rather than shiny, while the band itself is slightly concave - again to help avoid cosmetic damage. In the time I was wearing my review sample, it definitely lived up to Samsung's wear-and-tear-proof claims. I wore it pretty much nonstop; gardening, cooking, exercising and sleeping. Even the bright yellow turmeric I added as I rolled my lamb kofta meatballs didn't manage to stain my Titanium Silver ring. Just a small note; all three colour options are black on the inside, so the silver and gold versions are are two-tone affair.

The other recommendation from Samsung is to wear the Galaxy Ring on your forefinger. This is mainly because you can use a double-tap gesture to stop alarms on your phone or as a remote to shoot pictures with your phone's camera. There's a raised "indicator" line on the outside of the ring. This helps you position it correctly, with the sensors pressed underneath your finger and you perform the double-tap against this indicator line.

Personally, I feel like a complete knob wearing a ring on my forefinger so I went for my middle one instead. I found I was still able to double-tap my alarms away and this is actually quite handy for me because I have a backup alarm on my phone that doesn't go off until I'm driving to work. Thanks to the Galaxy Ring, I could silence it without taking my hands off the wheel.

I was surprised how much light spills out from the Galaxy Ring's three sensors in a dark room in the middle of the night. I don't know why I was surprised - these are the same sort of heart monitoring and skin temperature sensors you'll find on a smartwatch and most smartwatches will light up a bedroom too. At least the Galaxy Ring is likely to be dimmed by a closed fist or when your hand is against another surface.

The tracking itself is limited but truly excellent.

I've been using Samsung Galaxy Watches for years so I expected great heart monitoring and effective sleep-tracking. What I hadn't anticipated is how well the Galaxy Ring records walking and running too. That's right; you no longer need a watch to track exercise - in fact, you don't even need to take your phone with you. Somehow the Galaxy Ring automatically detects your workouts and syncs them with the Samsung Health app when it gets back within bluetooth range.

It's a shame it can't detect other workouts at this stage. Perhaps future firmware updates will enable this, if not the next generation of ring.

Thanks to its skin temperature sensor, the Galaxy Ring is also capable of tracking your menstrual cycle which is bound to help make life a little more predictable.

You can keep an eye on the Galaxy Ring's battery level via the Samsung Wear app, or you can just pop it in the charging case where an LED indicator shows you how much charge is left. The case itself charges via USB-C and also, even more conveniently, on wireless charging pads too. Although Samsung suggests you might get up to 14 days wear between charges, I found I was getting low battery notifications via my phone after 6 or 7 days. No great drama though as the ring usually charged back to 100% in just an hour or so.

This is one big reason why I can see many people opting for the Galaxy Ring over a smartwatch. Most smartwatches only last a day or two on a single charge. That means if you want to use it for sleep tracking, you have to find some other time during the day to juice it up. That problem simply doesn't exist with the Galaxy Ring. And it's definitely a lot more comfortable to wear to bed than a bulky device like the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

Not that it has to be an either/or scenario. Supposedly, if you use the Galaxy Ring and a Samsung smartwatch simultaneously, they'll talk with each other to provide more consistent and accurate readings than either device will on its own.

This is hard to assess but I've certainly appreciated Samsung Health's new Energy Score, an AI-generated stat that basically accumulates all the health data any of your devices can provide. This comes in the form of a constructively-worded notification - full of praise and reinforcement if the score is good, or including some helpful suggestions on better sleep and exercise habits if the total is a little sub-par.

The Galaxy Ring is an attractive, easy-to-setup tracking device that's durable, comfortable to wear and has good battery life. Unless you're a complete Samsung ecosystem junkie, I doubt very much most people would see the value in owning both a Galaxy Ring and a Galaxy Watch and that's fine - because if it's just general health monitoring, sleep-tracking and running or walking you want to keep an eye on, maybe a ring is more your style than a watch anyway.

At least now New Zealanders have the option.

    

Click here for more information on the Samsung Galaxy Ring.

Samsung 9100 Pro SSD - Never Underestimate What a New Drive Can Do

Have you ever taken your computer to bits?

It's a lot of fun. It's also quite terrifying - especially the first time.

Over the years I've had computers come and go and I've successfully managed to eek out a bit more life from most of them by performing a few simple upgrades.

And I do mean simple; I'm more than happy to unscrew the bottom of my laptop or slide off an access panel on a PC. But once you get into soldering or anything like that, I'm out.

Luckily, upgrades like storage, RAM and graphics cards are usually just a matter of undoing a few screws and slotting the new bit into place.

Well, if you're prepared to give it a go Samsung has a new bit that'll get you a lot more space and maybe even speed things up at the same time.

With the launch of the 9100 Pro, Samsung has unveiled its first 8TB SSD. That's not a typo. From the second half of this year, you'll be able to replace your existing SSD module with an unprecedented 8 terabytes - on a single card.

Of course, because I'm a total nerd, I couldn't wait that long so I got them to send me a 4TB one, which is available right now, along with the 1TB and 2TB versions.

Luckily, my test laptop can accomodate the PCIe 5.0 x 4 NVEMe M.2 model, although there are also heatsink options available for powerful gaming rigs and PS5 consoles.

I've given this speech before, but it's been a while so it bears repeating... A larger capacity SSD doesn't just mean more storage space - although given most new laptops ship with a maximum of 512GB (if you're lucky) the prospect of doubling, quadrupling or even octupling the room for photos, videos and games is probably tempting enough.

A bigger internal drive also means your computer can work more efficiently because it's less likely to have to split data up to fit into whatever space there is available. This is especially important when manipulating large audio and video files. 

I've just finished editing another year's radio award entries. Although the final mixdown is only ten minutes long, my Adobe Audition file contains hours and hours of audio. If you're trying to move dozens of large files like that around your computer, decent RAM certainly helps in terms of sheer power but the more empty space you have to scatter the files over, the less that RAM has to think about.

But all that's before we get to the fact the Samsung 9100 Pro reads and writes faster too. Much faster. Well, much faster than what I was currently using, anyway.

The SSD I was using in my test laptop was rated to read/write at about 3,000MB/s. Not too shabby. The Samsung 9100 Pro I've replaced it with is rated up to 14,800MB/s. That's one scorching upgrade.

Obviously, you'll need the appropriate hardware to work with the 9100 Pro to achieve those speeds. The poor little five year-old CPU in my laptop wasn't designed for such things and yet I've noticed a significant jump in basic operations already.

The computer starts slightly quicker, games and apps launch much faster and the time spent on loading screens between levels on many games has reduced dramatically.

And I now have more actual storage than I know what to do with. Literally. I back up all the family photos I've ever taken on a couple of external hard drives for safety. They'd easily fit on 4TB. What's more, thanks to the colossal read-write speeds of the 9100 Pro and the much higher capacity of the recent Thunderbolt 4 and 5 USB cables and ports, such media backups take next to no time.

Samsung's Magician disk management software is also extremely efficient. By plugging in the new SSD via an external enclosure, I was able to migrate around 400GB on my test laptop in about two hours, which includes formatting the new drive and making it bootable.

There was a short period of unease when the laptop didn't start first time after I'd installed the 9100 Pro but that was due to operator error on my part. Like I say, I haven't done this in a while and I'm a bit rusty. Turns out you can push an SSD card too far in which might cause the locking screw to lose contact when it's tightened up. Rookie (or out-of-practice-geezer) mistake. I simply loosened things up a bit and everything started working again. And boy did it start working faster than ever before. It's like a whole new laptop. But a whole lot cheaper.

    

Click here for more information on the Samsung 9100 Pro PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 SSD.