New iPad Air, the iPad for almost everyone

A few days ago Apple surprised us with the launch, without prior notice, without any presentation, of a new iPad, which also It was not a successor to the iPad 2018, as many expected, but a new iPad Air. Apple resurrected the model that it had abandoned five years ago and also does so with improvements such as a larger screen or a next-generation processor.

We present the new Apple mid-range, an iPad designed for those who want more than what the iPad 2018 offers, but do not want to pay the high price of an iPad Pro which they are not going to take advantage of. The new iPad Air 3 is Apple's new all-rounder, and we show it to you below.

Occupying land that was abandoned

Apple launched the cheapest iPad in its history in 2017, and it did so with very interesting specifications, but recovering a design from too many years ago, and also returning to a non-laminated screen that did not convince many. A year later it launched the iPad 2018, with a renewed processor, but the same design and the same screen, although this time compatible with Apple Pencil. It was a fantastic iPad for anyone who wanted to enter the company's ecosystem with a product with enough power at a very reasonable price.

iPad Pro 2018, is the Post-PC era really beginning?

From there we went to the iPad Pro, which has progressively increased its price until it reached the current models, redesigned, super powerful and with USB-C but with very high pricesAt the level of Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro if we take into account that it is almost essential to buy the keyboard and the Apple Pencil is highly recommended. Exceptional displays, more power than some of the company's laptops ... too many features for many, and too much money.

That is why the company, in my view rightly, has decided to fill the large space between the two models with a device that has a more refined design than 2018, with a better screen and a power almost at the same level as that of the latest generation of iPhone. And all this at a fairly contained price, € 549 the most basic model that includes 64GB of capacity, suitable for the vast majority of users.

Specifications "almost" Pro

The internal specifications of the new iPad Air are really good, with the A12 Bionic processor and the M12 co-processor with Neural Engine, which it does not use for the FaceID and the True Depth camera (because it does not have it) but for the rest of the tasks. . For those who don't know exactly what I'm talking about, it is the same processor as the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, that is, power will not be lacking for several years. The current iPad Pro have a processor derived from this, the A12X, something more powerful. As for RAM, this iPad Air has 3GB, the same as the iPhone XR, while the iPhonbe XS and XS Max as well as the iPad Pro have 4GB (except for the 12,9 ”1TB model that has 6GB).

The screen increases in size compared to the previous Air, up to 10,5 ”, and is laminated, that is, there is no space between the glass and the screen, which makes it look better and, above all, that when you touch it it does not seem like it is hollow, a feeling that you do have with the iPad 2018. This screen has the same pixel density as the rest of the iPad range, and it's True Tone, but it's not ProMotion (120Hz refresh rate) but stays at 60Hz. Despite that, it looks really good and has a DCI-P3 color gamut, so working with photos is a pleasure.

As it is work with the Apple Pencil, yes, the first generation, or the Logitech Crayon. Why work with the first generation of the Apple Pencil? Because to be able to use the new model, they should have opted for the same design of the current iPad Pro, since it is charged by induction on one of its sides, not like the first generation Apple Pencil that does it through a Lightning connector. The good news is that if you had an Apple Pencil you don't need to buy another one, and for all practical purposes the only thing you miss is the double tap of the new model to change tools.

But since everything cannot be good news in a mid-range, we have to talk about its shortcomings. The first is something personal, and that surely many of you do not share: it does not have FaceID. After more than a year using FaceID on the iPhone and for a few months on the iPad Pro, returning to TouchID is hard work. Being able to see notifications just by looking at the locked screen, without having to touch the fingerprint sensor, or unlocking your iPad Pro by pressing the space key on the keyboard without having to reach out to touch the home button were already things perfectly integrated into my routines. daily, and I miss it.

The second shortcoming: the four speakers. This iPad Air 3 inherits the design of the iPad Pro 10,5 ", it is aesthetically identical to it except because it only has the classic two lower speakers. The iPad Pro has four speakers, which also vary the sound depending on the orientation of the device, and the experience when consuming multimedia content is frankly good. I miss the four speakers much more than the 120Hz refresh rate. It is what happens when the price is reduced, totally logical. By the way, having the same size as the iPad Pro 10,5 and Smart Connector means that it is compatible with your Smart Keyboard.

Then there are elements that can generate discrepancies as to whether it is good or not so good. Apple has kept the headphone jack, which will be to the liking of many people who want to continue using their wired headphones without the need to buy an adapter. It also maintains the Lightning connector, which will be very good for those who have many compatible accessories, but not so good for those who wanted to be able to use cameras, Extremadura memories, card readers ... compatible with the USB-C standard that iPad Pro have.

The cameras, one of lime and one of sand

It is one of the most negative aspects in my opinion along with the absence of Face ID, but even more inexplicable than this. The third-generation iPad Air released in March 2019 has a 8MP f / 2.4 1080p rear camera no flash, like the iPad Air 2 that was released almost 5 years ago. It is true that the new processor will help capture better than then, but still that camera goes too far back in time.

On the other hand, the camera that has been surprisingly improved has been the front, which has become 7Mpx 1080p, making it great for video calling with FaceTime or Skype. To get an idea of the improvement, the iPad 2018 has a 1,2Mpx 720p front camera, which seems quite short for almost everything.

Editor's opinion

Starting at € 549 the new iPad Air is closer to the iPad Pro than the iPad 2018, which is great news. Obviously the price reduction means having to give up features such as FaceID, four speakers and a ProMotion screen, but if these details are not essential for you, thanks to the latest generation processor and its 3GB of RAM, you are guaranteed several years of full operation. faculties. Compatibility with the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard brings it even closer to the iPad Pro, and the 10,5 ”screen is really good for enjoying multimedia content. or work with photos thanks to its wide color gamut. It is available in silver, gold and space gray, in capacities of 64GB (€ 549) and 256GB (€ 719), with LTE models of the same capacity (€ 689 and € 859). You already have them available in the Apple Store.