Our Verdict
The raw iPad Air 2019 seems a worthy successor to the close workhorse that was the iPad Air 2 . upgrade to the processor , repositing options and accessory support , plus that larger display , all make it maybe the in force residual of cost and performance in the current iPad lineup . The king is dead . Long experience the king .
Best Prices Today: Apple iPad Air (2019)
Apple latterly announced it was resurrecting the iPad Air with a trade name - novel model for 2019 . We see how this compare to its herald , the iPad Air 2 , that made its debut way back in 2014 .
For a full breakdown of the new model , interpret ouriPad Air 2019 review .
Price and availability
The Modern iPad Air 2019 was revealed to the mankind on 18 March , with customer able to order the devicedirectly from Appleor through other popular retailer such asAmazon , Best BuyandCurrys / PCWorld .
It comes in two storage capacities , either of which is available with Wi - Fi or Wi - Fi and cellular connectivity . The Leontyne Price for these are as follows .
color choice are Silver , Space Grey , and Gold .
Since the iPad Air 2 was cease in March 2017 , and replaced with the plainly namediPad ( 2017)you ca n’t easy find them , especially if you need a raw one . They do sometimes appear in the Refurbished part of the Apple store , and if you ’re happy with a second - bridge player unit then invest likeSmartFoneStoreare a good origin .
bear to make up around £ 250/$250 for a 64 GB version in good circumstance .
Design and build
When the iPad Air 2 came out in 2014 it was an almost perfect combination of design and power . The lightweight figure shaved a few millimetres off the depth of the original iPad Air , make it the slimmest iPad at the prison term at 6.1 millimeter ( the same as theiPad mini 2019announced this week ) .
Touch ID was append to the Home button , and the slimmer frame meant that the 9.7 in showing was laminate , remove the slight melodic line gap that had appear on previous models . by and large , the iPad Air 2 was herald as a rightful refining of the tablet genre at that fourth dimension .
pass over forward five years and the new iPad Air 2019 is equally as slim , albeit tall , broad , and with a few more added grams . This could be down to the larger display , 10.5 in as opposed to the 9.7 in on the Air 2 , and the heft of powerful component that makes up its viscera .
Touch ID stay on the front panel , no notches or face up ID here , but the television camera on the front has step up a bit in the intervening half decade . apart from some thinner bezel though , the successor does n’t have too many outward difference of opinion to its older sib .
Dimensions :
Features and specifications
It ’s not surprising that the 2019 model has well good technology inside than the old Air 2 , but what are the main improvements ?
Display
As we ’ve already mentioned , the Air 2019 has a larger 10.5 in display , but that ’s not all . It also comes with Apple ’s True Tone technology that supervise the ambient luminousness in an surround and adjust the colour temperature of the screen to make thing easier on the centre . It also supports ( P3 ) wide colour display ranges and is nearly 20 % brighter than the Air 2 .
Processors
The A8X fleck that Apple placed in the Air 2 was a powerhouse in its twenty-four hour period . In fact , we ’ve heard many Air 2 owners tell us that they felt little need to kick upstairs their gadget as it kept on zipping along even years after the initial purchase .
That might well change now , as the A12 Bionic central processing unit in the Air 2019 is once again something of a heavyweight . It ’s the same chip used in the current iPhone flagships and should ensure that the new model divvy up the length of service that honours its heritage .
Storage
Even back in 2014 16 GB was a picayune tight for a base role model , but that was where the Air 2 started . Other options available were 32 GB , 64 GB , and 128 gigabyte . The iPad Air 2019 reduces these variables somewhat , offering either 64 GB or 256 GB .
Apple Pencil and Smart keyboard support
To be fair , when the Air 2 came out there was n’t anApple PencilorSmart Keyboardto worry about . Now , both are an increasingly crucial part of Apple ’s vision for the iPad as a do - it - all twist .
It ’s no surprise then that the Air 2019 can accommodate both , which does make the new model more various . It should be noted that the support is only for the first - generation Apple Pencil , and all of these accessories come with hefty price tags .
Cameras
When the Air 2 came out it was fitted with an 8Mp f/2.4 main crystalline lens and 1.2Mp f/2.2 FaceTime camera . The first was capable of 1080p video at 30fps and Slo - Mo ( 720p ) at 120fps .
It ’s interesting then that the Air 2019 feature the same spectacles for the rearward oculus , with the only seeming rise being a substitution to a 7Mp f/2.2 FaceTime camera that captures 1080p @ 30fps . Unless you shoot a pile of selfie video or want the highest quality videocalls , the iPad Air 2 is actually on par with the 2019 translation .
Here ’s a breakdown of the independent specification for both devices ;
Software
iOS 12 is available for both machine , which does illustrate how the Air 2 has give-up the ghost the test of time . While the Air 2019 help itself of most characteristic , minus the 1 such as Emojis that requires the Face ID cameras , the Air 2 can also manage with many of the delights of Apple ’s latest operating organization .
Of course , performance wo n’t be up to the speed of the Air 2019 , but it should still tick along nicely , especially as iOS 12 was part intend to enhance the experience on older devices . Read ouriOS 12 reviewfor more detail . What ’s unclear is whether the upcoming iOS 13 will be made available to the older machine . Some rumor have already begun doing the round that Apple might be more ruthless this time around , so keep an eye on ouriOS 13 handout date and rumoursroundup to see the modish word .
Verdict
The iPad Air 2 was a staggeringly impressive beast when it first arrived , but fourth dimension suffer still for no ironware and while it can deliver acceptable performance these days the older gadget ca n’t really take a standard candle to the iPad Air 2019 .
The upgrade in processors , storage options , appurtenance support , and the gravid lawful Tone display all make the Air 2019 a insurance premium package without the Pro toll .
If you could pick up an Air 2 chintzily , then it will still be an excellent Es - reader , video recording streamer , and ecumenical web browsing tool , but with the Air 2019 saucily out of the lab it ’s the easy choice to make if you could meet the cost .