Apple’s mid-range iPad Air was updated with an additional larger 13-inch model for the first time; however, despite several solid improvements over the previous model such as the M2 chip, both sizes of the iPad Air still lack the True Tone flash that the iPad Pro models have had.
What makes this a bit more bizarre is that the iPad mini (6th generation, introduced in 2021), got the True Tone flash that the 5th-generation model (2019) lacked, yet that small tablet sits below the iPad Air in both price and size. Here’s what the new lineup of iPads looks like when comparing the camera specs and starting price:
- iPad mini ($499) – 12MP Wide camera, True Tone flash
- iPad ($349) – 12MP Wide camera, lacks True Tone flash
- iPad Air ($599) – 12MP Wide camera, lacks True Tone flash
- iPad Pro ($999) – 12MP Wide camera, Adaptive True Tone flash
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro (2016) was the first iPad model to feature a True Tone flash for additional light in low-light settings. That LED flash became the standard on both sizes of the iPad Pro starting with the 2017 models, and it has been a feature since. Since its original introduction in 2013, the iPad Air has never received the True Tone flash. Since the iPad mini got that feature, we hoped that Apple would later bring that feature to the higher-end Air, but now that the newest models have been announced, it looks like we won’t see the feature coming to the Air anytime soon.
It’s possible that Apple still wants to differentiate the Air models from its bigger Pro models or that Apple wants to save expenses by reusing the same design and schematics that the 2020 iPad Air models have used.
Both the iPad Air (M2) and iPad Pro (M4) are available to order today, and they’ll be out to customers on May 15.
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