We’re live with Apple’s highly-anticipated ‘Peek Performance’ event, where the company just unveiled a new version of its iPad Air. The new tablet features a number of upgrades, including an M1 chip, a 12MP ultrawide front camera, and 5G wireless support.
Here are some of the new Air’s top features:
- M1 processor — the same version used in the current iPad Pro
- 60% faster than previous iPad Air, with 2x graphic performance
- Display features 500 nits of brightness and anti-reflective coating
- Front-facing 12MP ultrawide camera with support for Center Stage
- 5G wireless connectivity support (although notably no support for the popular, yet slower, mmWave 5G bands)
- 2X performance USB-C port
And here is a quote from Apple’s Greg Joswiak:
“Whether it’s a college student taking elaborate notes, a content creator working on their latest project, or a gamer playing graphics-intensive titles, users love iPad Air for its amazing performance and versatility in such a portable design,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the breakthrough M1 chip, Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, and ultra-fast 5G, iPad Air is now more powerful, more capable, and simply more fun than ever.”
The new iPad Air supports the second generation Apple Pencil, and it’s compatible with both the Smart Keyboard Folio and Magic Keyboard. It will come in 5 colors, storage options of 64GB or 256GB, with the same $599 starting price tag. Pre-0rders start Friday and the new Air will be available March 18.