Screenshot by Josh Goldman/CNET
Getting out ahead of whatever surprises it has planned for its event on March 25, Apple announced two new iPads on Monday.
Along with a new Pencil-enabled $399 (£399, AU$599) iPad Mini, there’s a 10.5-inch iPad Air that, for the most part, is the now discontinued older 10.5-inch iPad Pro from 2017. Starting at $499 (£479, AU$779), the new iPad Air is built around a 10.5-inch Retina display like the 2017 Pro, but has an updated A12 Bionic processor like the one powering the iPhone XS.
In addition to the processor change, the Air has a handful of other changes from the 2017 iPad Pro such as a lower-resolution 8-megapixel rear camera that records video in 1080p instead of 4K and two speakers instead of the Pro’s four. The Air supports the first-gen Apple Pencil as well as a Smart Keyboard for the Air that looks like the one sold for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and not the newer Smart Keyboard Folio for the 2018 iPad Pro models.
The 2019 iPad Air fits in between the regular iPad announced this time last year and the 11-inch iPad Pro that appeared toward the end of 2018.
iPad Air 2019 vs. iPad Pro 2018 vs. iPad 2018 specs
| iPad 2018 | iPad Air 2019 (10.5) | iPad Pro 2018 (11) | |
| Display resolution | 9.7-inch; 2,048 x 1,536-pixel resolution | 2,224 x 1,668-pixel resolution | 2,388 x 1,668-pixel resolution |
| Pixel density (ppi) | 264ppi | 264ppi | 264ppi |
| Rear camera | 8-megapixel with 5-element lens | 8-megapixel with 5-element lens | 12-megapixel with 5-element lens |
| Video recording | 1080p | 1080p | 4K |
| FaceTime front-facing camera | 1.2-megapixel | 7-megapixel | 7-megapixel |
| Processor | A10 | A12 | A12X |
| Dimensions | 9.4×6.6×0.29 inches | 9.8×6.8×0.24 inches | 9.7x7x0.23 inches |
| Weight | 1.03 lbs (Wi-Fi); 1.05 lbs (LTE) | 1 lbs (Wi-Fi); 1.02 lbs (LTE) | 1.03 (both models) |
| Battery | Up to 10 hours strenuous use over Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours over cellular | Up to 10 hours use over Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours over cellular | Up to 10 hours strenuous use over Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours over cellular |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes | No |
| Connector port | Lightning | Lightning; Apple Smart Connector | USB-C; Apple Smart Connector |
| Apple Pencil-compatibility | Yes; original Apple Pencil | Yes; original Apple Pencil | Yes; 2nd generation |
| Unlock with | Touch ID | Touch ID | Face ID |
| SIM card support for cellular model | Nano-SIM; included | Nano-SIM; eSIM | Nano-SIM; eSIM |
| Works with Smart Keyboard Folio? | No; works with Bluetooth keyboard | Works with Smart Keyboard | Yes |
| Audio | Two-speaker | Two-speaker | Four-speaker |
| Capacity and price: Wi-Fi models | $329 (32GB) / $429 (128GB) | $499 (64GB) / $649 (256GB) | $799 (64GB) / $949 (256GB) / $1,149 (512GB) / $1,549 (1T) |
| Capacity and price: LTE models | $459 (32GB) / $559 (128GB) | $629 (64GB) / $779 (256GB) | $949 (64GB) / $1,099 (256GB) / $1,299 (512GB) / $1,699 (1T) |
Apple often introduces new products in March. At last year’s event, Apple delivered a refreshed edition of its entry-level iPad in addition to some education-friendly software initiatives. That today’s announcement was made by press release suggests that the company wants to keep the focus of next week’s event solely on its new video streaming service.
Watch this:
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CNET editor Justin Jaffe contributed to this story.