Today, the new iPad Air 2020 was unveiled at Apple’s September 15 event alongside the new eighth-generation iPad, Apple Watch Series 6, and Apple Watch SE. This is the fourth generation of Apple’s mid-range ‘iPad Air’ line-up.
While most iPad Air tablets seem the higher-end versions of Apple’s entry-level tablets, the new iPad Air 4 seems like a ‘lite’ version of the iPad Pro models. Coupled with improved performance and a new display, the device also has a ton of new innovative features to offer.
The New 2020 iPad Air
The new iPad Air has a flat edge, an all-screen display, a single rear camera, and some subtle edge buttons. The tablet looks a lot like an iPad Pro, which is different from previous iPad Air models, which had big bezels and physical home buttons. The new device comes in 5 different finishes: silver, space gray, rose gold, green, and sky blue.
The screen uses Apple’s Liquid Retina display tech, which is a superior form of LCD. It has a resolution of 2360 x 1640 and it’s 10.9 inches across. There is plenty of screen technology features here to improve the visuals too, like True Tone display which subtly tweaks the display depending on what environment a user is in.
The iPad Air 4 is the first Apple tablet with a fingerprint sensor embedded into a button on the side, which is an unusual move from Apple. Some other tablets from the company had fingerprint sensors built into the home button on the front, but we have not seen side-mounted scanners from Apple before.
Apple is also switching to USB-C on the iPad Air, like in iPad Pro models, this will be great for professionals who want to plug external monitors or hard drives into the tablet. Additionally, the device will support 20W charging and 5Gbps data transfers. Wi-Fi 6 is also included, and optional LTE models will be available, with Apple promising 60 percent faster LTE connectivity.
The iPad Air 4 works with the Magic Keyboard and the second-generation Apple Pencil – that makes it the first tablet outside the Apple Pro range to use this newer stylus. It attaches to the top of the tablet magnetically, which is how it charges.
Inside the new tablet, Apple is making some big changes to the chips powering this tablet. It will be powered by Apple’s A14 Bionic, a 5nm chip with a six-core CPU (two high, four low), and 11.8 billion transistors. Apple is promising a 40 percent performance improvement over the last iPad Air and improved graphics support, thanks to a new four-core GPU.
For the camera, Apple is using the same 12-megapixel rear camera from the iPad Pro and upgrading it with improved video stabilization on the Air. A front-facing 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera is included on the Air, with smart HDR and support for 1080p 60fps video capture.
The new iPad Air’s price is $599 and will be available to buy from ‘next month’, meaning some time in October 2020.
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