During today’s Apple event, the company has introduced the iPad Air 5. The refreshed 2022 model will replace the iPad Air 4 of two years ago and is packed with new features including the M1 chip.
The M1 chip is here
The rumors are true, Apple has added the M1 chip to the new product following last year with the iPad Pro. The M1 chip is a major breakthrough for an iPad this user-friendly, mainly due to the massive amount of power users will have when they play with it. These are the specs of the silicon chip Apple has added:
- 8-core CPU
- 8-core GPU
- 16-core Neural Engine
The cores powering the M1 chip as well as iPadOS will give the tablet a very massive boost of performance, striking the previous model with 60 percent faster performance and 2x faster graphics performance. The M1 chip will give users more tasks to do faster such as editing a 4K video or making computer-generated 3D models. Finally, the RAM has been doubled from 4GB to 8GB.
Unfortunately, just like the iPad Pro, the M1 chip will not be taken with its absolute power due to the software limitations that iPadOS imposes on the hardware. With that being said, for most users, the device with its performance will be enough for them.
Camera improvements
iPad Air 5 features a much better 12MP ultra-wide front camera that now sports Center Stage ”“ a feature borrowed from iPad mini that keeps users in view of the camera as well as detection for more people and zooms out to fit them on the viewfinder. The rear camera is still 12MP with 4K video capabilities with up to 60fps, Smart HDR 3, and more.
5G Connectivity
Consumers can buy an iPad Air 5 with cellular connectivity that now supports 5G, bringing one more iPad to the 5G club. Speeds can reach 3.5Gbps “in ideal conditions” as well as other features like eSIM and support for Wi-Fi 6. The USB-C port is also 2x faster with data transfers up to 10Gbps as well as the capability of connecting the tablet with a 6K display.
Accessories
Accessories supporting the new iPad Air 5 are pretty much the same such as the second-generation Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard, just like the prevoius model. There is also support for Smart Keyboard Folio that is a case with a small keyboard; and a Smart Folio covers ”“ all come in the colors black, white, electric orange, dark cherry, English lavender, and marine blue.
Pricing
The iPad Air 5 starts at $599 while the cellular model starts at $749 and has storage configurations of 64GB and 256GB (unlike what the rumors stated, which was starting configutations of 128GB) and the colors of space gray, starlight, pink, purple, and blue finishes.
