Apple today announced that cellular versions of the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 will be available in China this week. Wi-Fi only models of the two tablets have been in the country since launch, but the cellular editions had to be approved by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The two new iPads will support TD-LTE and FDD-LTE standards, as well as TD-SCDMA, DC-HSDPA, HSPA+ and other network technology. Prices will begin at 4,488 (RMB) for the 16GB iPad Air 2, 3,788 (RMB) for the 16GB iPad mini 3, and top out at 5,888 (RMB) for the 128GB iPad Air 2.
Apple® today announced that models of iPad Air™ 2 and iPad mini™ 3 with cellular networking will be available in China starting this week. TD-LTE and FDD-LTE standards, as well as TD-SCDMA, DC-HSDPA, HSPA+ and other fast networks, are all available in a single model, giving iPad Air 2 customers in China the ability to stay connected on advanced cellular data networks in China and around the world so they can go more places and do more things.
Announced at an event in October, the iPad Air 2 features an ultra thin (6.1 mm) profile, the powerful A8X processor, M8 co-processor and Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint reader. The iPad mini 3 also sports Touch ID, but it is powered by last year’s A7 and M7 chips, and is noticeably thicker at 7.5 mm.
[Apple]