Apple's iPad Air M3 is cheaper than ever right now
The iPad we consider to be the best iPad for most people is on sale for a record-low price at the moment. You can pick up the new iPad Air M3 for $499 right now, which is $100 off its regular price.
You'll find the 17-percent discount on the 128GB models of the M3 Air in all color options. We gave the new iPad Air (M3) an 89 in our review, thanks, in part, to that M3 chip. Its single- and multi-core scores came in 16 percent higher compared to its predecessor when tested with Geekbench.
The iPad Air M3 also has a much better screen and multitasking abilities this time around. Plus, it's compatible with a much improved Magic Keyboard. The add-on is akin to the one you'd get with Apple's iPad Pro M4 while also dropping by $30 from the previous model. But, it will still cost you $269 for the 11-inch model and $319 for the 13-inch one.
Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
This $450 iPad Pro is proof that you can have it all
Discover startups, services, products and more from our partner StackCommerce. New York Post edits this content, and may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you buy through our links. TL;DR: You do not want to miss getting this near-mint 3rd Gen iPad Pro for just $449.99 (reg. $849). Want the power of a laptop, the convenience of a tablet, and a price that doesn't make you flinch? Meet the grade-A refurbished Apple iPad Pro 12.9″ (3rd Gen, 2018)—yours right now for just $449.99 (regularly $849). This iPad isn't just about good looks (though with its edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display, it definitely has them). It's powered by Apple's mighty A12X Bionic chip, which means fast, fluid performance whether you're editing 4K video, sketching your next big idea, or breezing through emails. The 12.9″ display is seriously impressive, featuring ProMotion technology for up to 120Hz refresh rate, True Tone for more comfortable viewing, and a wide P3 color gamut that makes everything pop. Whether you're working on client projects, binge-watching your favorite series, or just admiring your own digital artwork, it all looks stunning here. And because this device is Grade-A refurbished, it arrives in near-mint condition—clean, tested, and ready to go. It's fully compatible with the 2nd Gen Apple Pencil (not included), has a 12MP rear camera with 4K video support, and weighs just 1.39 pounds—perfect for tossing in a tote and heading out the door. This isn't just a tablet. It's your 256GB digital sketchbook, mobile workstation, personal theater, and productivity sidekick—all rolled into one beautifully engineered package. So yes, you can have it all. High performance. Gorgeous display. Trusted Apple quality. And a price that doesn't come with monthly payments or heart palpitations. But like all good things, this deal won't stick around forever. Get a like-new iPad Pro for just $449.99 (regularly $849) while you still can. StackSocial prices subject to change.
Atlantic
2 hours ago
- Atlantic
The Perverse Pride of Having Never Owned a Smartphone
This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here. Unlike nearly 98 percent of Americans under the age of 50, I don't have a smartphone. Actually, I've never had a smartphone. I've never called an Uber, never 'dropped a pin,' never used Venmo or Spotify or a dating app, never been in a group chat, never been jealous of someone on Instagram (because I've never been on Instagram). I used to feel ashamed of this, or rather, I was made to feel ashamed. For a long time, people either didn't believe me when I told them that I didn't have a smartphone, or reacted with a sort of embarrassed disdain, like they'd just realized I was the source of an unpleasant odor they'd been ignoring. But over the past two years, the reaction has changed. As the costs of being always online have become more apparent, the offline, air-gapped, inaccessible person has become an object of fascination, even envy. I have to confess that I've become a little smug about being a Never-Phoner—a holdout who somehow went from being left behind to ahead of the curve. How far ahead is difficult to say. I think I've avoided the worst effects of the smartphone: the stunned, preoccupied affect; the social atrophy; the hunched posture and long horizontal neck creases of the power scroller. I'm pretty sure my attention span is better than many others', based on the number of people I've observed in movie theaters who either check their phone every few minutes (about half) or scroll throughout the entire movie (always a handful). I will, by the way, let you know if I witness you engaging in similar behavior: If you look at your phone more than once an hour, I will call you an 'iPad baby'; if you put on an auto-generated Spotify playlist, I'll call you 'a hog at the slop trough.' Being phoneless has definitely had downsides. The pockets of every jacket I own are filled with maps scrawled on napkins, receipts, and utility bills torn in half to get me to unfamiliar places. I once missed an important job interview because I'd mislabeled the streets on my hastily sketched map. At the end of group dinners, when someone says, 'Everyone Venmo me $37.50,' the two 20s I offer are taken up like a severed ear. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't occasionally get wistful about all the banter I'm probably missing out on in group chats. Still, I've held out, though it's hard to articulate exactly why. The common anti-smartphone angles don't really land with me. The cranky 'Get off your darn phone!' seems a little too close to 'Get off my lawn!'—a knee-jerk aversion to new things is, if not the root of all evil, then the root of all dullness. The popular exhortations to 'be fully present in the moment' also seem misguided. I think the person utterly absorbed in an Instagram Reel as they shuffle into the crosswalk against the light, narrowly saved by the 'Ahem, excuse me' double-tap on the horn that bus drivers use to tell you that you're a split second from being reunited with your childhood dog, is probably living in the moment to a degree usually achieved only by Buddhist monks; the problem is just that it's the wrong moment. Read: Why are there so many 'alternative devices' all of a sudden? Mostly, I think the reason I don't opt for the more frictionless phone life is that I can't help noticing how much people have changed in the decade or so since smartphones have become ubiquitous. I used to marvel at the walking scroller's ability to sightlessly navigate the crowd, possibly using some kind of batlike sonar. But then, on occasion, whether out of a vague antisocial impulse (not infrequent) or simple necessity (as in navigating a narrow aisle at the grocery store), I'd play a game of chicken with one of these people, walking directly toward them to see when they'd veer off. A surprising percentage of the time, they didn't, and after the collision, they'd always blame me. Eventually, I realized they're not navigating anything; they've just outsourced responsibility for their corporeal self to everyone else around them, much as many people have outsourced their memory to their phone. You're probably saying, well, at least they're on foot, and not driving a car. But many people look at their phones behind the wheel too. At a four-way stop, oftentimes the driver who yields to the crossing vehicle will steal a half-second look at their phone while they wait. At red lights, I see people all the time who don't look up from their phone when the light turns green—they just depress the gas when the car in front of them moves. Less hazardous but somehow more disturbing are the people I see scrolling in parked cars late at night. When I glance over—startled by the sudden appearance of a disembodied, underlit face on an otherwise deserted block—these people typically glare back, looking aggrieved and put-upon, as if I've broken a contract I didn't know I'd agreed to. I try to give them the benefit of the doubt; maybe they share a bed with a light sleeper, or have six annoying kids bouncing off the walls at home. But it happens often enough that I've come to think of them as the embodiment of contemporary alienation. Twenty-five years ago, we had Bowling Alone; today, we have scrolling alone. Of course, a phone is just a medium, no different on some level from a laptop or a book, and the blanket 'phone bad' position elides the fact that people could be doing a nearly infinite number of things on them, many of them productive. The guy hunched intently over his phone at the gym might be reading the latest research on novel cancer treatments. But probably not. Once, a guy at my gym, whose shoulder I looked over as he used the stationary bike in front of me, was talking to an AI-anime-schoolgirl chatbot on his phone. She was telling him, in a very small, breathy voice, how she'd been in line at the store earlier, and when someone had cut in front of her, she'd politely spoken up and asked them to go to the back of the line. 'That's great, baby,' he said. 'I'm so proud of you for standing up for yourself.' This is more or less typical of the stuff I spy people doing on their phone—self-abasing, a devitalized substitute for some real-life activity, and incredibly demoralizing, at least in the eyes of a phoneless naif. Many times, I've watched friends open a group chat, sigh, and go through a huge backlog of unread messages, mechanically dispensing heart eyes and laughing emoji—friendship as a data-entry gig you aren't paid for, yet can't quit. I have a girlfriend, but one of my friends often lets me watch as he uses the dating apps. Like most men (including myself), he overestimates his attractiveness while underestimating the attractiveness of the women he swipes on. 'I guess I'll give her a chance,' he'll say, swiping right on a woman whom ancient civilizations would've gone to war over. As long as this friend does his daily quota of swipes, he's 'out there and on the market,' he tells me, and there's 'nothing more he can do.' Yet we go to the same coffee shop, and several times a week, we see a woman who seems to be his perfect match. Each day, he comes in, reads his little autofiction book, then takes out his laptop to peck away at a little autofiction manuscript. Each day, she comes in, reads her little autofiction book, then takes out her laptop to peck away at what we've theorized must also be a little autofiction manuscript. Sometimes they sit, by chance, at adjacent tables, so close that I'm sure he can smell her perfume. On these occasions, I try to encourage him from across the room—I raise my eyebrows suggestively, I subtly thrust my hips under the table. After she leaves, I go over and ask why he didn't talk to her; he reacts as if I suggested a self-appendectomy. 'Maybe I'll see her on the apps,' he says, of the woman he's just seen in real life for the 300th time. I don't blame him. He's 36 and has only ever dated through apps. Meeting people in public does seem exponentially harder than it was just 10 years ago. The bars seem mostly full of insular friend groups and people nervously awaiting their app dates. (Few things are more depressing than witnessing the initial meeting of app users. 'Taylor … ? Hi, Riley.' The firm salesmanlike handshake, the leaning hug with feet kept at maximum distance, both speaking over each other in their job-interview voices.) I often see people come into a bar, order a single drink, sit looking at their phone for 20 to 30 minutes, and then leave. Maybe they're being ghosted. Or maybe they're doing exactly what they intended to do. But they frequently look disappointed; I imagine that their visit was an attempt at something—giving serendipity an opportunity to tap them on the shoulder and say, Here you go, here's the encounter that will fix you. Witnessing all of this, I sense that a huge amount of social and libidinal energy has been withdrawn from the real world. Where has it all gone? Data centers? The comments? Many critics of smartphones say that phones have made people narcissists, but I don't think that's right. Narcissists need other people; the emotional charge of engagement is their lifeblood. What the oblivious walking scroller, the driving texter, the unrealistic dating-app swiper have in common is almost the opposite—a quality closer to the insularity of solipsism, the belief that you're the one person who actually exists and that other people are fundamentally unreal. Solipsism, though, is a form of isolation, and to become accustomed to it is to make yourself a kind of recluse, capable of mimicking normalcy yet only truly comfortable shuffling among your feeds, muttering darkly to yourself. I know that my refusal to get a smartphone is an implicit admission that I would become just as addicted to it as anyone else. Recently, my girlfriend handed me her phone and told me to put on music for sex; a few minutes later, she leaned over to see what was taking so long. I had been looking at the Wikipedia page for soft-serve ice cream. I have no idea why I was looking at that or even how I'd gotten there. It's like the sudden availability of unlimited information had sent me into a fugue state, and I just started swiping and scrolling. I guess I looked into the void and fell in. I won't lie; it felt kind of nice, giving up.
CNET
2 hours ago
- CNET
Apple's MagSafe Charging Explained: Qi2, Faster Charging and Android Compatibility
Apple's MagSafe for phones has evolved quite a bit since its debut on the 2020 iPhone 12 line, bringing magnetic wireless charging from the iPhone to the AirPods. Since Apple's MagSafe is compatible with the Qi2 wireless charging standard and has proven popular, we're starting to see Samsung, Google and OnePlus provide support for similar magnetic accessories. Even better, these wireless charging accessories are cheaper now than when MagSafe debuted, with companies such as Anker and Belkin making Qi2 magnetic charging pads and stands that support 15-watt speeds without Apple's certification and approval. But if you get a new iPhone 16 and use it with one of Apple's MagSafe chargers and a 30-watt power adapter, you can get even faster 25-watt charging speeds. Read more: iPhone 16: What We Know About the Release Date, Leaks and More But it's not just about charging. Apple's MagSafe for iPhone allows for all sorts of magnetic cases, wallets, stands, grips and other accessories that can be quickly attached to the back of an iPhone using built-in magnets. This has led to an assortment of accessories -- some officially licensed by Apple and others that are simply magnetic -- that take advantage of the feature to provide plenty of customizable options. So, as MagSafe grows, and hopefully starts coming to non-iPhone devices as the Qi2 standard, let's decipher what Apple's MagSafe for iPhone exactly is and how to tell the difference between that, nonmagnetic Qi2 chargers and accessories that simply magnetically attach to your phone. David Carnoy/CNET Watch this: iPhone Features You Need to Try On Your Next Trip 07:29 What is MagSafe for iPhone? Apple's MagSafe for iPhone standard refers to both a series of magnets that have been installed in most new iPhone models since 2020 -- outside of the iPhone SE and iPhone 16E -- and a wireless charging standard that can recharge an iPhone faster than the original Qi standard. Apple's MagSafe allows for accessories that can be attached to an iPhone using magnets. These include MagSafe phone cases, wallets, mounts, grips, chargers, stands and many other options. Before the launch of the Qi2 standard, Apple's MagSafe wireless charger was also the only way to get faster 15-watt wireless charging to work on an iPhone, with Apple citing that the magnets allowed a secure fit to help hit those speeds. Now, Qi2 chargers provide the same 15-watt speeds for earlier iPhone models, while the iPhone 16 series can hit 25 watts over Apple's MagSafe chargers when used with a 30-watt adapter. When using a standard Qi charger, the iPhone caps the rate at half that speed, offering 7.5-watt wireless charging. The Belkin Boost Charge Pro 3-in-1 Qi2 charger David Carnoy/CNET What is Qi2 charging, and how is it different from MagSafe? Qi2 is an open standard and iterates on top of the prior Qi wireless charging standard while incorporating elements of Apple's MagSafe standard. This includes both magnetic compatibility and a 15-watt wireless charging speed, meaning that any phone that supports Qi2 could potentially support magnetic accessories along with faster wireless charging. As of right now, however, the only Android phone that natively supports Qi2 is the HMD Skyline, but there are already several companies making Qi2 accessories that work across both the Skyline and Apple's iPhone. For its new Galaxy S25 phones, Samsung is now selling first-party cases that are "Qi2 Ready" -- meaning that the cases include the magnets needed to support magnetic accessories. OnePlus is selling a similar magnetic case for its OnePlus 13, and Google's so far announced that it will provide support for the Qi2 standard by contributing toward its development. While Google isn't making magnetic cases for the Pixel 9 line, the company is selling such cases made by other accessory makers on its website. Apple has also updated all of its MagSafe-compatible iPhones to support Qi2, meaning that if you buy a Qi2 wireless charger, it should support faster 15-watt wireless charging. Plus, Qi2 phones that include magnets should support the plethora of magnetic accessories that were first released with MagSafe in mind, likely bringing compatibility to docks, mounts, grips and wallet accessories. Some of these Qi2 accessories are also slightly cheaper than MagSafe-certified accessories, which require certification by Apple in order to get the MagSafe branding. Belkin's iPhone mount attaches with MagSafe. David Carnoy/CNET Which MagSafe accessories can I use? With the launch of Qi2, there are now several different types of magnetic accessories that could work with your phone. This can get a bit confusing, but if you buy a magnetic phone accessory and your phone supports either MagSafe or Qi2, it should attach and function to varying degrees. If you buy a MagSafe or Qi2-certified wireless charger, you should be able to use it to get the maximum 15-watt wireless charging speed when you've attached it to your phone. This includes charging docks and stands which also include MagSafe or Qi2 branding. If you have an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro, you can get faster 25-watt charging using a MagSafe charger that's connected to a 30-watt or faster power adapter. If you buy a magnetic wireless charger that does not specify whether it's MagSafe or Qi2-certified, that likely means that while the charger will attach to your phone, it will probably charge at the original Qi standard that is limited to a 7.5-watt speed when using it with an iPhone. Results could vary when using one with an Android phone, since some phones do support 15-watt wireless charging over the prior Qi standard. And if you're buying a noncharging magnetic accessory -- like a wallet or a dock for using your phone as a webcam -- that accessory will likely work with any MagSafe-compatible phone regardless of its branding. These accessories are created with the magnets inside the phone in mind and will largely attach regardless of their certification. However, I have noticed -- in my own personal experience -- that the strength of the magnets can vary between accessory-makers. If you're buying a magnetic grip, for example, test it out a bit after buying to make sure it fits your needs like you would a pair of shoes, and don't destroy the box in case you decide to return it. Patrick Holland/CNET Which iPhones are compatible with MagSafe? Every iPhone that's been released since 2020 -- barring the iPhone SE line -- is compatible with MagSafe and the Qi2 standard. This includes the iPhone 12 line and later. The iPhone 11 is not compatible with MagSafe, but it does work with the original Qi wireless standard for charging. It just won't be as fast nor involve magnets. The HMD Skyline is one of the first Android phones with Qi2 support, including the ability to use magnetic attachments. HMD/Viva Tung/CNET Which Android phones are compatible with MagSafe or Qi2 wireless charging? The HMD Skyline is the first Android phone to support the Qi2 wireless standard, with integrated magnets for attaching magnetic accessories. Outside of that device though, you can often add a "MagSafe-like" experience to an Android phone using magnetic cases that some accessory-makers create. As mentioned earlier, Samsung and OnePlus are starting to provide first-party support with magnetic cases, but there are often third-party options for adding magnets to phones that support wireless charging. Your success may vary greatly with these options, since you'd be using MagSafe or Qi2 accessories with phones that don't officially support it. Again, you should treat it like a pair of shoes and be prepared to return it if it doesn't work for you. The AirPods 3 feature wireless charging with MagSafe. Apple Can I charge my Apple Watch or AirPods over MagSafe charging? The Apple Watch does not support MagSafe charging: It uses a different type of magnetic wireless charger to refill its battery. Apple's AirPods are much more flexible, however, as depending on the model, you might be able to recharge with either an Apple Watch charger or a MagSafe-compatible wireless charger. All AirPods Pro cases support Qi wireless charging using a MagSafe charger or a standard Qi wireless charger. This also extends to the second- and third-generation standard AirPods cases. The new AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation and the AirPods Pro 2 both include Qi/MagSafe wireless charging and can use an Apple Watch charger. The standard AirPods 4, however, lack wireless charging and instead only use wired USB-C charging. Dan Ackerman/CNET What about MagSafe on Apple's MacBook laptops? MagSafe on Apple's MacBook line is separate from the line of MagSafe accessories for the iPhone. These proprietary laptop chargers -- which briefly went into retirement when the MacBook line adopted USB-C charging -- attach quickly to compatible MacBook laptops using a magnet and can easily detach in the event the cord is accidentally pulled from the laptop. This is particularly suitable for anyone who has a tendency to trip over power cords. Should your MacBook include both a MagSafe port and USB-C ports, you can choose either method for recharging your laptop. Just don't try to slap an iPhone's MagSafe charger against the computer, as that will do nothing.
