Apple launches 10.5-inch iPad Air and iPad mini with Pencil support

A week ahead of a scheduled services-focused event in Cupertino, Apple has launched two new iPad models: a 10.5-inch iPad Air and a 7.9-inch iPad mini, both with Pencil support and Apple’s A12 Bionic chip, the same one used in the company’s iPhone XS and XS Max phones. 

The duo of devices are a sort of throwback to the past. The original iPad Air was a 9.7-inch tablet that lived to see one iteration (the iPad Air 2) before it was replaced by the somewhat confusingly named iPad. The return of the “Air” moniker (no number this time) is an interesting twist for Apple, as it establishes a new mid-range line of devices in the company’s tablet lineup. 

The iPad mini’s name isn’t any less confusing. A logical successor to the five-year-old iPad mini 4 would be the iPad mini 5, but Apple decided to drop the numbers and just call the new one “iPad mini.”

Truth be told, the company’s lineup now does make a bit more sense as it now goes like this, from smaller to bigger: iPad mini, iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro. Got all that? Let’s check the specs. 

The new iPad Air retained the “old” iPad design — bigger bezels on top and bottom, Touch ID button beneath the screen — but the big difference is its size. At 10.5 inches, it’s bigger than the iPad and just a tad smaller than the 11-inch iPad Pro. The A12 Bionic chip makes it pretty fast, though not as fast as the Pro, which sport the A12x chip. And support for Pencil is nice if you’re into that sort of thing. 

The iPad Air’s screen has a 2,224×1,668 resolution with True Tone and 500 nits of brightness. The rear camera has a an 8-megapixel resolution, while the FaceTime camera on the front has a 7-megapixel resolution and allows for 1080p HD video recording. It comes in two flavors: Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + Cellular, and comes with either 64 or 256GB of storage memory. 

The iPad mini didn’t change in size; it’s still a 7.9-inch tablet with a Touch ID beneath the display. But it also got the A12 chip and Pencil support. Just like the Air, it comes with 8/7-megapixel cameras, and is available as Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + Cellular, with either 64GB or 256GB of storage memory. 

Three finishes are available for both the new Air and the mini: Silver, Space Gray, and Gold. Note that both the iPad mini and iPad Air still use Apple’s Lightning connector, while the company’s new iPad Pro models have a USB-C connector. 

The new iPad Air starts at $499, while the iPad mini starts at $399.