Apple Eighth-Generation iPad All-New iPad Air

Apple

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Apple officially announced the eighth-generation of its standard 10.2 iPad tablet, updating it with an A12 chipset while maintaining its standard price point. The new iPad utilizes Apple’s “Neutral Engine” processing power for the first time, boasting twice the performance as its predecessor.

It will also run iPadOS 14 and introduce new features include the Apple Pencil’s hand-written text input. The basic iPad will still utilize a Lightning port instead of a USB-C port, which has been co-opted for the newly announced iPad Air.

Apple

The new iPad Air has a new design that highlights its slim profile, thinner bezels, and bigger 10.9-inch (2360 x 1640) Liquid Retina display. It features True Tone Support, utilizes anti-reflective coating, and has moved the Touch ID sensor into the power button up top. It’s all powered by Apple’s new A14 Bionic chip, the “most advance chip” ever made by the company. Apple boasts 40 percent performance improvement over the last iPad Air and improved graphics support.

Thanks to its USB-C port, the new iPad Air will support 20W charging and 5Gbps data transfers alongside Wi-Fi 6 and 60 percent faster LTE connectivity. It uses a 12-megapixel rear camera from the iPad Pro with improved video stabilization, and a front-facing 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera with smart HDR and support for 1080p 60fps video capture. Finally, the iPad Air will support the new magnetic Apple Pencil ($129 USD) and a new magnetic Magic Keyboard ($299 USD), both of which attach directly onto the device.

The new iPad will be available in space gray, silver, and gold in both 32GB and 128GB options. An LTE version will also be available starting at $459 USD. The new iPad Air will be available in space gray, silver, rose gold, green, and sky blue for $599 USD next month. Preorders for the eighth-generation iPad are available now and set to ship September 18.