Apple’s New 10.5-inch iPad Air, 7.9-inch iPad Mini Officially Announced

It has been rumored for a while now that Apple could have a bunch of new iPads in the works. These aren’t the iPad Pros which were only recently refreshed last year, but rather the rumors are claiming that these are actually the budget iPads which could be launched in new 10.2-inch and 10.5-inch options.

Turns out that the rumors were sort of right because Apple has since launched a new 10.5-inch iPad Air and a refreshed 7.9-inch iPad mini, the latter of which has also been rumored for a refresh after years of Apple neglecting it.

Starting with the 10.5-inch iPad Air, it seems that Apple hasn’t really given it a new design like the iPad Pros. It will feature a 10.5-inch display, Touch ID for security, and will use the A12 Bionic chipset. Note that this is the A12 Bionic which can be found in the 2018 iPhones, and not the A12X Bionic which was used in the 2018 iPad Pros, so there will be some differences in performance.

The new iPad Air will also support the Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil so if you don’t need the performance and size of the iPad Pro, the new iPad Air could be a cheaper option with a starting price of $499.

Next up is the iPad mini which is a long overdue refresh of Apple’s smallest tablet. The tablet has been neglected for a while and at some point in time, it was even rumored that Apple might discontinue it, but this refresh proves otherwise. The iPad mini will continue to maintain its form factor and design and will also come with the A12 Bionic chipset, so in reality the changes aren’t particularly drastic.

It will also support the Apple Pencil so if you want something smaller and more portable, the new iPad mini could be worth your consideration. It will be priced starting at $399 and together with the new iPad Air, will be available for purchase starting today from Apple’s website.

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini