Apple makes the surprise announcement of a pair of tablet refreshes-- the 2019 iPad Air and Mini models feature the A12 Bionic chip, as well as stylus input through Pencil support.
The iPad Air gets an increase in size to 10.5-inch, as well as the A12 Bionic chip promising a 70% performance boost and twice the graphics capability compared to the previous model. Connectivity comes through a Lightning connector (as opposed to a USB-C port), while Touch ID remains the security system of choice. The update also brings support for the (first generation) Pencil and the Smart Keyboard, allowing one to use the tablet for light productivity purposes.
As for the iPad mini, the smaller Apple tablet option remains 7.9-inch, if with a display offering a 25% bump in brightness and True Tone technology to automatically shift colour temperature according to the environment. The front-facing camera gets a 7MP sensor, and Pencil support is also for the first generation tablet, with charging taking place via Lightning port.
“iPad continues to provide magical new experiences for a growing range of uses where it is the absolute best device, from playing games in augmented reality to note-taking and drawing with Apple Pencil, from streaming HD movies and editing 4K films to learning to develop apps with Swift Playgrounds,” the company says. “Today the iPad family takes two big leaps forward with an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Air that brings high-end size, features and performance at a breakthrough price, and a major upgrade to the 7.9-inch iPad mini, which also brings Apple Pencil, Retina display and the A12 Bionic chip to the many customers that love its compact size.”
The iPad Air and mini ship in a choice of silver, space gray and gold finishes in 64 and 256GB configurations and either wifi or wifi + LTE connectivity.