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Title: Hands-On With Apple's New iPad Air 3 and iPad Mini 5 Post by: HCK on April 03, 2019, 04:05:06 pm Hands-On With Apple's New iPad Air 3 and iPad Mini 5
Apple last week surprised us with a brand new iPad (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ipad/) in the <!---->iPad<!----> Air family and a new iPad mini 5 (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ipad-mini/), both of which are outfitted with Apple's latest chip technology. Both the <!---->iPad mini 5<!----> and the <!---->iPad<!----> Air 3 began shipping out to customers, and, as of today, are available in stores. We picked up both tablets to give MacRumors readers a look at Apple's new middle-tier iPads. <center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yu-BwzoTjgQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><center>Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/macrumors?sub_confirmation=1) for more videos.</center> Priced at $399 for the <!---->iPad<!----> mini and $499 for the <!---->iPad<!----> Air, Apple's refreshed iPads are not as expensive as the iPad Pro (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ipad-pro/) (starts at $799) nor as affordable as the 6th-generation 2018 <!---->iPad<!----> (starts at $329), and the hardware and design match up with a middle-of-the-road tablet. The <!---->iPad<!----> Air is using the same design as the 10.5-inch <!---->iPad Pro<!---->, while the <!---->iPad mini 5<!----> uses the same design as the previous-generation <!---->iPad<!----> mini 4. Both tablets feature thick top and bottom bezels, with the bottom bezel housing a Touch ID (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/touch-id/) Home button for biometric authentication purposes. <img src="(http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2019/03/ipadairipadmini-1-800x450.jpg)" alt="" width="800" height="450" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-687114" /> In comparison, the <!---->iPad Pro<!----> has much slimmer bezels thanks to the removal of <!---->Touch ID<!----> in favor of Face ID, while the $329 <!---->iPad<!----> has the same general design but a body that's not as slim. When it comes to the screen, both of these tablets are using a laminated Retina display that supports wide color for vivid, true to life images and True Tone for adjusting the white balance to match the ambient lighting in the room. It's a better display than the non-laminated display on Apple's cheapest <!---->iPad<!---->, but lacks the ProMotion technology used in the <!---->iPad Pro<!----> for a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz. <img src="(http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2019/03/ipadmini-800x450.jpg)" alt="" width="800" height="450" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-687115" /> The <!---->iPad<!----> Air and the <!---->iPad<!----> mini support the original Apple Pencil (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/apple-pencil/), so for the first time, Apple's entire <!---->iPad<!----> lineup works with either the original <!---->Apple Pencil<!----> or the <!---->Apple Pencil<!----> 2. Inside, the <!---->iPad<!----> Air and the <!---->iPad<!----> mini are using the A12 Bionic chip, which is the same chip that's in the 2018 iPhone lineup. The $329 <!---->iPad<!----> is still using an A10 Fusion chip from the iPhone 7 (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/iphone-7/) era, while the <!---->iPad Pro<!----> models use a faster A12X chip. <img src="(http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2019/03/ipadair-800x450.jpg)" alt="" width="800" height="450" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-687116" /> Functionally, both the <!---->iPad<!----> Air 3 and the <!---->iPad mini 5<!----> are the same tablet with the same specs, with the only difference between the two being screen size and Smart Keyboard (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/smart-keyboard/) compatibility. The <!---->iPad<!----> Air has a Smart Connector (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/smart-connector/) that can be used with a Smart Keyboard (https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MPTL2LL/A/smart-keyboard-for-105%E2%80%91inch-ipad-air-us-english?fnode=3e), which costs $159. There's no <!---->Smart Keyboard<!----> for <!---->iPad<!----> mini because it lacks a <!---->Smart Connector<!---->. The two iPads have mediocre 8-megapixel rear cameras, the same camera that's in the $329 <!---->iPad<!---->, but the 7-megapixel front-facing camera is the same camera (minus Face ID technology) used in the <!---->iPad Pro<!---->. It's odd to have front and rear cameras that are nearly on par, but it makes sense if you think of the <!---->iPad<!----> as a FaceTiming device more so than a photography device. Both of these iPads offer significant performance improvements over their predecessors. The <!---->iPad mini 5<!----> is a good deal faster than the <!---->iPad<!----> mini 4, and the <!---->iPad<!----> Air is faster than the 10.5-inch <!---->iPad Pro<!----> (though it lacks the same ProMotion technology). It's also leagues faster than any previous <!---->iPad<!----> Air model as that was a line that was last refreshed in 2014 before being revived in 2019. <img src="(http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2019/03/ipadairoldvsnew-800x450.jpg)" alt="" width="800" height="450" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-687117" /><center>Old <!---->iPad<!----> Air on left, new <!---->iPad<!----> Air on right</center> If you're using an older <!---->iPad<!----> and are in need of an upgrade, you're not going to go wrong with the <!---->iPad mini 5<!----> or the <!---->iPad<!----> Air 3 given the incredible speed boosts these tablets bring thanks to the A12 chip. As everyday tablets, the <!---->iPad<!----> mini and <!---->iPad<!----> Air are a solid value and a welcome addition to Apple's <!---->iPad<!----> lineup, which was previously split between high end (<!---->iPad Pro<!---->) and low end (<!---->iPad<!---->). Check out our iPad Buyer's Guide (https://www.macrumors.com/guide/best-ipad-to-buy/) for help choosing an <!---->iPad<!----> if you're not sure which one is right for you. You can get the <!---->iPad<!----> mini for $399 (https://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/) for 64GB of storage, and 256GB is available for $549. The iPad Air (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ipad-air/)starts at $499 (https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-ipad/ipad-air) for 64GB of storage, with 256GB available for $649. Cellular models are available too, for an extra $130 over each base price. What do you think of the new <!---->iPad<!----> mini and the new <!---->iPad<!----> Air? Have you purchased one or are you planning to get one? Let us know in the comments. <div class="linkback">Related Roundups: iPad mini 5 (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ipad-mini/), iPad Air (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ipad-air/)</div><div class="linkback">Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Buy Now) (https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iPad_Mini), iPad Air (Buy Now) (https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iPad-Air)</div> This article, "Hands-On With Apple's New iPad Air 3 and iPad Mini 5 (https://www.macrumors.com/2019/03/29/ipad-air-ipad-mini-hands-on/)" first appeared on MacRumors.com (https://www.macrumors.com) Discuss this article (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ipad-air-ipad-mini-hands-on.2175679/) in our forums <div class="feedflare"> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img> (http://feeds.macrumors.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?a=Hj0L906GY-I:cC98AH4sCVg:yIl2AUoC8zA) <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=6W8y8wAjSf4" border="0"></img> (http://feeds.macrumors.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?a=Hj0L906GY-I:cC98AH4sCVg:6W8y8wAjSf4) <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img> (http://feeds.macrumors.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?a=Hj0L906GY-I:cC98AH4sCVg:qj6IDK7rITs) </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MacRumors-Front/~4/Hj0L906GY-I" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> Source: Hands-On With Apple's New iPad Air 3 and iPad Mini 5 (https://www.macrumors.com/2019/03/29/ipad-air-ipad-mini-hands-on/) |