Apple debuts 2019 iPad Air with A12 Bionic chip and enhanced 10.5-inch display

Posted:
in iPad edited March 2019
Apple has revealed its latest iteration of the iPad of 2019 in the form of the iPad Air, with the latest version of the "budget" model retaining Touch ID and a specifications bump, but also seeing the signature 9.7-inch display changed for a 10.5-inch version.




Unveiled as part of an online Apple Store update ahead of the March 25 event, the 2019 iPad Air takes on the same general external form as the previous version, but with that larger screen. A major change to the iPad in this generation, the switch is from the standard 9.7-inch display to a 10.5-inch version.

The LED-backlit display is a fully-laminated panel with support for True Tone and P3 wide color gamut, and a resolution of 2,224 by 1,668, giving it a pixel density of 264ppi. Offering 500 nits of brightness, it also has anti-reflective and oleophobic coatings.

The seventh-generation devices start from $499 for the 64-gigabyte WiFi version, rising to $629 for the WiFi + Cellular iteration. A 256-gigabyte configuration is also available.

Keeping largely to the same design also involves retaining Touch ID for biometric authentication, instead of switching it for Face ID. Also staying the same is physical connectivity for charging and data, which has stuck with Lightning for the moment rather than moving to USB-C, a shift the iPad Pro range has also made.

Apple has also elected to keep the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack in the model, making it an unusual item in Apple's product lineup. The headphone jack has slowly been disappearing from Apple's mobile ecosystem, with it no longer available on iPhones since 2016 and being removed from the iPad Pro in 2018.

The main change for the 2019 iPad Air is performance, with Apple upgrading from the A10 Fusion to the A12 Bionic, with its 64-bit architecture, Neural Engine, and embedded M12 coprocessor.

The ability to use the Apple Pencil makes a reappearance, after being introduced last year. For this model, the stylus supports the first-generation Apple Pencil rather than the second-generation release.

The cameras remain unchanged on the iPad, consisting of a rear 8-megapixel shooter capable of 1080p video capture, as well as a front-facing 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera. Battery life is claimed to last for around 10 hours of usage, in line with the usage time for the last two models.

Customers can order the 2019 iPad Air today in a choice of silver, gold, and space gray finishes, and is expected to start arriving in stores and being delivered to customers later this week.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 59
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,142member
    Not being picky but it's a small but important distinction, I don't think this is the successor to the 'budget' iPad - they're still selling that alongside it, and this gains the Air name. 

    So I'm assuming this brings back the laminated and antireflective screen to gain the name back? 

    Edit: Page confirms antireflective screen is back. I'm assuming laminated but not sure yet. 
    edited March 2019 gilly33
  • Reply 2 of 59
    And Smart Connector support! (not mentioned in the original version of the article...)
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 59
    NY1822NY1822 Posts: 621member
    so i assume with true tone display, the display is no longer laminated? correct?
  • Reply 4 of 59
    deminsddeminsd Posts: 143member
    iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, iPad mini, 7.9, 9.7, 10.5, 11, 12.9.  Laminated screen, not laminated, Apple pencil and not.  Not confusing at all.  
    designrcaladaniandoozydozencurtis hannahuraharawilliamlondon
  • Reply 5 of 59
    racerhomie3racerhomie3 Posts: 1,264member
    deminsd said:
    iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, iPad mini, 7.9, 9.7, 10.5, 11, 12.9.  Laminated screen, not laminated, Apple pencil and not.  Not confusing at all.  
    Most people decide on price. The iPad is 9 years old. People who want the best iPad will get the pro. People who want just an iPad can get the 9.7 inch one. But in other markets like India, Brazil where top end iPad Pros cost a tonne of money due to tariffs ,people can get the ‘Pro’ experience by getting the iPad Mini or iPad Air.
    thtStrangeDaysmacplusplusronndoozydozengilly33curtis hannahwilliamlondonpscooter63eggsforgalaxy
  • Reply 6 of 59
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,142member
    NY1822 said:
    so i assume with true tone display, the display is no longer laminated? correct?

    Don't see why those are related. Since it gains the "Air" back and isn't a successor to the 329 iPad, I was assuming the opposite, but I can't see it listed on their page. Guess a hands on will have to tell. 


    Edit: Yup! 
    • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
    • Fully laminated display
    • Antireflective coating
    edited March 2019 curtis hannahwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 59
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    NY1822 said:
    so i assume with true tone display, the display is no longer laminated? correct?
    The displays are laminated.
    ronncurtis hannahwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 59
    NY1822NY1822 Posts: 621member
    tipoo said:
    NY1822 said:
    so i assume with true tone display, the display is no longer laminated? correct?

    Don't see why those are related. Since it gains the "Air" back and isn't a successor to the 329 iPad, I was assuming the opposite, but I can't see it listed on their page. Guess a hands on will have to tell. 
    I misspoke....i meant to say, the display is not non-laminated anymore like the budget ipad. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 59
    HAHAHA. I knew it. Of course they did not update the low end iPad with a compelling offering. Nope. Just invented a new price point to gouge people even more.
    tomjunior39williamlondonbrucemc
  • Reply 10 of 59
    tipoo said:
    Not being picky but it's a small but important distinction, I don't think this is the successor to the 'budget' iPad - they're still selling that alongside it, and this gains the Air name. 

    So I'm assuming this brings back the laminated and antireflective screen to gain the name back? 

    Edit: Page confirms antireflective screen is back. I'm assuming laminated but not sure yet. 
    It is just a more expensive iPad. Nothing else to see here.
    lkruppwilliamlondonbrucemc
  • Reply 11 of 59
    petripetri Posts: 118member
    So this is basically a slightly lower rent iPad Pro 10.5 with a thicker case but newer processor.  Amirite?
    urashid
  • Reply 12 of 59
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    So the iPad lineup gets confusing again. Why the need for iPad and iPad Air? Just so they can fill a price point at $499? And why aren’t they moving all iPads to Pencil 2 support? And the new mini starts at $399 while the bigger iPad is $329. So confusing.
    caladanianharry wildcurtis hannahentropyswilliamlondonbrucemc
  • Reply 13 of 59
    Hey nice, a another price increase for a new model, apple gets moremgreedy every year😂
    tomjunior39williamlondonbrucemc
  • Reply 14 of 59
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,358member
    Metriacanthosaurus said:
    It is just a more expensive iPad. Nothing else to see here.
    What bullshit. Nothing to see ^
    StrangeDaysronndoozydozengilly33williamlondonpscooter63brucemcwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 59
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,358member

    HAHAHA. I knew it. Of course they did not update the low end iPad with a compelling offering. Nope. Just invented a new price point to gouge people even more.
    Bullshit and FUD.
    StrangeDaysronndoozydozenwilliamlondonpscooter63brucemcwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 59
    Thinking about this in terms of what our school did last year, this makes a ton of sense. We bought the cheaper iPad for the students and the 10.5 pro for the teachers. We could have saved a ton of money had this been available last year and when we upgrade as long as this setup is still going we will save a ton of money. 
    frantisekgilly33watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 59
    They should rebrand this as the iPad Plus. The 'Air' branding doesn't really make sense any more IMHO. 'Plus' would make it easier to see the good, better, best product lineup Apple has created. (iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro)
    randominternetpersoncurtis hannahwatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 59
    iOS_Guy80iOS_Guy80 Posts: 813member
    Like the new tablet line up; new Mini, 9.7” and new 10.5”.  Then the Pro models. Why bother though with 64 gb as the entry level on any model? I know, marketing and profit margins.
    harry wild
  • Reply 19 of 59
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,358member
    Fucking idiots and crybabies on parade.

    2013 — iPad Air, 64G, WiFi – $699; 128G, WiFi – $799
    2014 — iPad Air 2, 64G, WiFi – $599; 128G, WiFi – $699 
    2019 — iPad Air, 64G, WiFi –$499; 256G, WiFi – $649

    This without even chronicling the added features with each new version.

    You can spend more or less to balance screen size against features. If you're too stupid or lazy to grok the pricing and features, get a Surface, ream your rectum and pull your collective heads out of your asses.


    iOS_Guy80 said:
    Like the new tablet line up; new Mini, 9.7” and new 10.5”.  Then the Pro models. Why bother though with 64 gb as the entry level on any model? I know, marketing and profit margins.
    There's also the fact that some people will be using iCloud and no computer, and 64G leaves a fair amount of room and keeps the price low. A LOT of people will buy the 256G and never come close to using it all. Maybe you should be asking why no 128G.
    muthuk_vanalingamericthehalfbeeSolirandominternetpersonthtStrangeDaysronndoozydozencreateriourahara
  • Reply 20 of 59
    No RAM mention so it remain the same as the 9.7” budget aka education model at 2 GB!  Ugh!
    williamlondon
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