Apple has finally announced a replacement for the four-year-old iPad mini as well as a new 10.5-inch version of the standard iPad.
Instead of calling it just iPad likelast year’s version, Apple has brought the Air name back, possibly to reduce confusion as the iPad range expands.
Although both still feature Touch ID rather than theFace IDof theiPad Pro, they’re not lacking in other specs. Both feature Apple’s A12 Bionic platform and Apple says this gives the iPad Air a 70 percent boost in performance over the standard 9.7-inch iPad.
The 7.9-inch iPad mini 5 is a serious upgrade that also features the A12 Bionic chip. Both feature upgraded, brighter retina displays withTrue Toneand also haveApple Pencilsupport (the older type of Apple pencil rather than the magnetic, iPad Pro-type).
The displays are slightly different from those used in the iPad Pro as they lack the high refresh rate.
Both new models have the same Wi-Fi and Gigabit‑class LTE hardware as the iPad Pro lineup. Cellular connectivity isprovided by eSIM. Both models can shoot video up to 1080p and have Lightning ports for charging - USB-C is left to the iPad Pro lineup.
Apple also said today that it will be launching a major update to iWork for iOS next week, with better integration of Apple Pencil. You’ll be able to use new animation options in Keynote, while there’s also a new user interface, too.
The new iPads are available to order starting today and will be in stores next week.
The new iPad mini and iPad Air come in silver, space grey and gold in 64GB and 256GB configurations. Prices foriPad mini start at $399and£399 in the UKfor the Wi-Fi model and $529/£519 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular version.
The10.5-inch iPad Air starts at $499, or£479 in the UKfor the Wi-Fi model and $629/£599 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
