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The Apple “Peek Performance” event brought us the new, much-anticipated update for the iPad Air. The new iPad Air 5th generation comes with a series of improvements, specifically in terms of performance and cameras. It will be available on Friday, March 18th.
TL;DR
- The new Apple iPad Air (2022) was unveiled today March 8th.
- It features a new M1 chip a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display.
- 5G compatible cellular models will also be available.
- Prices begin from $599 and availability begins on March 18th.
The unveiling of the new Apple iPad Air 5 (2022) was nothing unexpected but Apple still managed to deliver some surprises. The new Apple tablet will soon be among us and the Cupertino company put the finger to the pulse of users and made some minimal yet important changes.
In short, we get a new SoC that brings the Apple iPad Air to a similar performance range as the latest iPad Pro, while the new ultra-wide camera creates a uniform experience among the iPad line with the addition of Center Stage.
Other changes in connectivity are equally important and the iPad Air 5th gen receives support for 5G connectivity for the cellular models while all models will benefit from a faster USB port and Wi-Fi 6. In short, these changes were fairly similar between the two portable devices that were presented, the other being the iPhone SE 2022.
Design and display: Same old?
While the design of the new Apple iPad Air remains the same as the predecessor, we get a wide range of colors like Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple, and New Blue. The display seems to offer similar performance as the previous version with 500 nits of brightness and a size of 10.9-inches diagonally and a resolution of 2360 x 1640. Other features of the display include a wide P3 color gamut, True Tone support, and an anti-reflective coating.
Touch ID is present at the top button of the device while stereo speakers complement the viewing experience in landscape mode.
Performance: A strong boost with the M1 chip
In terms of performance, we find the most meaningful upgrade. The new iPad Air comes with the new M1 chip that is Apple claims to be 60% faster than the previous model. The M1 in this model includes an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU for two times better graphics performance when compared to the previous model. Now keep in mind that these are all claims made during the keynote so we will have to test the devices ourselves to verify those claims.
As an extra, the performance is further improved by a 16-core Neural Engine that promises advanced ML functions for better video editing and graphics rendering for games or AR applications.
Camera and Accessories: Incremental but meaningful?
iPad Air users were admittedly left behind when the company started releasing the Center Stage function. The wide camera that was included could simply not recreate the popular effect. So it is rational that Apple took the rational decision and added a 12MP Ultra Wide lens with Center Stage support to the latest iPad Air.
The device will be compatible with the second generation of Apple Pencil, the Magic Keyboard, and the Folio keyboard-case that comes in Black, White, Electric Orange, Dark Cherry, English lavender, and Marine Blue.
Prices, Models, and Availability:
The device will come in two different combinations. Wi-Fi, and Cellular with 5G support. As for the storage, we have a 64GB and 256GB version, and pricing will begin at $599 for the Wi-Fi-only models and at $749 for the cellular ones.
As for the availability you will have to restraint yourself until Friday the 11th of March. The device will be available from Friday, March 18th.
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