iPad User Magazine - UK (2019-04)

From£479 FROMApple,apple.com/uk FEATURES10.5inRetinadisplay,

A12Bionicchip,64GBor256GBstorage,Wi-Fi(add£120formobileconnectivity)

P

leasewelcomethethird-geniPad

Air,themiddlechildofApple’s

tabletline-up.No,it’snotascute

asthenew7.9iniPadmini,anditstraditional

looksmakeit a wallf lowercomparedtolast

year’sredesigned,third-geniPadPro,butthe

iPadAirnowhasa 10.5indisplay,thinner

bezels,a fasterchipsetanda higher-resolution

front-facingcamera.

Ifyou’regoingforWi-Fionly,the64GB

modelis£479andthe256GBoptionis£629.

Mobileconnectivityaddsa further£120.

ThethinnerbezelsandRetinascreen

reallymakea difference,andthenewfully

laminateddisplaymeansthere’salmostno

gapbetweenthethinnerglassontopandLCD

panelunderneath.Thankstothewidecolour

display(P3)and2224x1668resolution,colours

reallypopandit’shardtounseethedifference

nexttoa cheaperiPad.Thescreennowalso

usesApple’sTrueTonedisplaytechnology,so

usingthetabletiseasierontheeyeandcolour

feelsmorenatural.Outside,weappreciated

thescreen’santi-ref lectivecoatingthat’s

exclusivetothisnewAirandallPromodels.

ThenewAirisalsoApple’sthinnest

non-ProiPadat6.1mm(theminimatchesit,

theProsare5.9mm,buttheentry-level9.7in

tabletis7.5mm),andit weighsjust456g.

Thethird-geniPadAirstickswiththe

fingerprint-sensingTouchIDbutton,so

there’snomovetoFaceID.And,whilethe

neweriPadProshaveadoptedUSB-C,the

iPadAirhasalsoretainedthetraditional

Lightningport,whichcouldproveannoying

fornewMacBookownerswhoaregearedup

f f hil h i d

Fantasticdisplay,

serioushorsepower

andfuture-proofing

plusconnectivitywith

Appleadd-ons

++++++

A12Bionicchip

WorkswithSmar

KeyboardandApplePenc

Fa s tc h a r g i n gw i t h

LightningtoUSB-C

Tra diti o na ld esi g n

VERDICT

alsoboastfour-speaker audio, there are still

justtwospeakerson the Air. You also get

a 3.5mmheadphone jack here, though.

Compatibilitywith Apple’s Smart

Keyboardisa goodreason to spring for the

newiPadAiroverthe temptingly priced 9.7in

iPad(whichonlyworks with Bluetooth

keyboards).TheiPad Air is now Apple’s

cheapesttabletwith a Smart Connector,

whichmagneticallyfastens the Smart

Keyboardcovertothe bottom of the device

(wheninlandscape). The keyboard has a

one-piececustom-woven fabric design with a

tri-foldback,andthe laser-etched fabric keys

arewater-andstain-resistant. Annoyingly,

consideringits£159price, it’s not backlit.

ApplePencilsupport

ThisisthefirstiPad Air to be compatible

withApplePencil,which is great news – but

it onlyworkswiththe first-generation model

andLogitechCrayon. That means you don’t

getthemagneticcharging, f lat-sided design,

automaticpairing,or the time-saving ability

todouble-taptoswitch tools. Charging the

first-genApplePencil remains awkward,

withitscappedendcontaining a Lightning

connectorthatplugs in (and sticks out of )

theiPadAir.

Thef lipsidehere is that the original

ApplePencilisa little cheaper at £89, and it

workswell– weexperienced no lag, and were

abletocreatethicker lines by applying more

pressureandtiltthe Pencil for shading.

ThelatestiPadAir actually takes

respectablephotosfora tablet; the rear

photos with an

ture, the same as

y-level 9.7in iPad.

7MP front-facing

raof the iPad Air

’sa meaningful

grade (compared to

he1.2MP FaceTime

camera on the 9.7in

Pad) for better selfies,

and its superior 1080p

Apple’slightweight powerhouse of a tablet

iPad Air

, for aUSB-Cfuture.Whilethe newiPadPros

h

s.

+

p

t

il

h

C

cameracaptures8MPp

f/2. 4 apert

theentry

It’sthe

camer

that

up

t

c

i

GEAR iPad Air

The iPad Air now packs in a whole lot more – you get a big boost to processing power,

plus a bigger, more colour-popping display.