In Apple’s 37-minute long “Let Loose” keynote today, they unveiled two new iPad Air models with screen sizes of 11-inch and 13-inch. Previously, the iPad Air came with only one screen size option, with it being 10.9-inch.
What else is new?
- Powered by the M2 Chip: The all-new iPad Air is powered by the M2 chip featuring a 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU for all your demanding tasks. According to Apple’s claims, “When combined with faster memory bandwidth, the new iPad Air is nearly 50 percent faster than the previous iPad Air with M1 for a wide range of productivity and creative tasks.1 And compared to iPad Air with A14 Bionic, the new iPad Air delivers up to 3x faster performance.” Moreover, the 16-core Neural engine on the M2 chip is 40% faster than M1, according to Apple.
Image: Apple Newsroom - Better Display: Not only does Apple offer two new screen size options for the iPad Air, but they are also better in terms of brightness. The new Air supports up to 600 nits of SDR Brightness, up from 500 nits in the previous generation.
Image: Apple Newsroom - Better WiFi and Bluetooth Connectivity: The new iPad Air comes with support for WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, up from WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 respectively.
- Landscape Front-Facing Camera: The position of the Front Facing Ultra Wide camera on the iPad has finally shifted from portrait to landscape.
- Better sound on the 13-inch iPad Air: Apple claims that the larger 13-inch iPad Air has an “even better sound quality with double the bass”
- Storage: The iPad Air comes with double the base storage, coming in at 128GB, up from just 64GB in the previous generation. This was a much needed change to the iPad Air. Moreover, the new Air comes with four storage options: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The iPad Air 5th generation only came with two storage options, being 64GB and 256GB.
- Support for the Apple Pencil Pro: Apple today also introduced a new Apple Pencil Pro which comes in at $129 with a ton of new features. Here’s a brief summary of what’s new with this pencil according to Apple:“A new sensor in the barrel can sense a user’s squeeze, bringing up a tool palette to quickly switch tools, line weights, and colors, all without interrupting the creative process. A custom haptic engine delivers a light tap that provides confirmation when users squeeze, use double-tap, or snap to a Smart Shape for a remarkably intuitive experience. A gyroscope allows users to roll Apple Pencil Pro for precise control of the tool they’re using. Rotating the barrel changes the orientation of shaped pen and brush tools, just like pen and paper. And with Apple Pencil hover, users can visualize the exact orientation of a tool before making a mark.”
Colors, Pricing, and Availability: The new 11-inch iPad Air has the same starting price of $599 for the WiFi model and $749 for the WiFi+Cellular model. The 13-inch iPad Air has a starting price of $799 for WiFi and $949 for the WiFi + Cellular model. Apple is providing a $50 discount for education customers, with the 11-inch model starting at $549 and the 13-inch model starting at $749. Here are the four color options being offered with the iPad Air: Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, and Blue.
The new Air can be ordered starting today itself, with availability beginning on May 15. Will you be getting a new iPad Air? Let us know down in the comments or tweet to us on @appleosophy! Be sure to download the Appleosophy App from the App Store or visit our website to stay updated with the latest Apple news!
Author: Pururaj Dutta
Pururaj is the Vice President of Appleosophy and Silicon Report, in addition to being the Manager of popular Redfruit Media platforms such as TechPod Social and Apple Summit. His seasoned experience plays a pivotal role in the success of Redfruit Media, contributing significantly to shaping the ever-evolving tech landscape. As a tech aficionado, he enjoys exploring & reviewing new products, and sharing his insights with the community. With an unwavering passion for technology, Pururaj is committed to delivering accurate and insightful information to his readers.
