Apple announces new iPad Air, now with M1 processor and 5G connectivity

The beloved iPad Air has gotten a massive upgrade this time around.

With the breakthrough M1 chip found in the previously announced iPad Pro now in the iPad Air, the new model now delivers a giant performance boost, incredible efficiency and all-day battery life. Boasting an eight-core CPU and eight-core GPU, the iPad Air can deliver up to 60 per cent faster performance and two times faster graphics performance compared to previous models.

The new M1 Chip also enables users to do more with the iPad Air from editing multiple streams of 4k video, playing graphics-intensive games, redesigning a room in 3D and more realistic augmented reality.

Plus, the iPad Air now comes with an Ultra Wide 12MP Front Camera with Centre Stage. As Apple lovers would know, Centre Stage automatically pans to keep users in view as they move around, making connecting with friends and family over calls more engaging than ever.

That’s not all, it is also equipped with a 12MP Wide camera on the back that captures sharp photos and 4K videos, can scan documents efficiently as well as allow users to enjoy amazing AR experiences.

Now with Ultra-Face 5G and Advanced Connectivity, users can access files, back up data and use SharePlay with greater flexibility and efficiency. The USB-C port is now up to two times faster than previous generations too, with quicker data transfers. The port also connects the iPad Air to a vast ecosystem of USB-C accessories, including cameras, external storage and displays with up to 6K resolution.

What Apple users love most about the iPad Air is its thin and light design — of which is kept consistent in the new model too. Coming in a gorgeous array of colours — space grey, starlight, pink, purple and new blue — the iPad Air features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, with 3.8 million pixels, 500 nits of brightness, full lamination, a P3 wide colour gamut, True Tone and an anti-reflective screen coating.

Seeing how light, thin and immersive the new iPad Air design is, the product can easily be turned into a digital journal and sketchbook users can take anywhere as it is compatible with the Apple Pencil Second Gen. It is also compatible with Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio too.

The new iPad Air is available in 65GB and 256GB storage options, with a starting price of $879 and $1,099 for Wi-Fi and Cellular models. Pre-orders begin on March 11, 2022 from Apple’s website and the Apple Store, with availability beginning March 18, 2022.

READ ALSO: Apple launches Mac Studio desktop with new M1 Ultra chip

This article was first published in Geek Culture.