iPad Air more powerful than ever thanks to Apple’s M1 chip

news hardware iPad Air more powerful than ever thanks to Apple’s M1 chip

iPad Air 2022: the characteristics

Design and screen: nothing very new

At the end of 2020, Apple completely renewed its iPad Air and gave it an iPad Pro look. Thin edges, no front button… Apple’s thinnest and lightest tablet had it all. This new version is mainly an internal update and keeps most of the design features. So we find a very thin iPad (6.1 mm) and very light (461 grams) that relies on thin edges and a 16:10 format. The screen diagonal remains the same: 10.9 inches. The panel is still of the IPS type but looks brighter than the 2020 model with a peak brightness of 500 cd/m2. The screen resolution goes up to 1640 x 264 pixels and the refresh rate is blocked at 60 Hz (the ProMotion technology, with which you can reach up to 120 Hz is reserved for the iPad Pro).

An Apple M1 chip that should give a serious boost

For this new iPad Air, abandon the A14 Bionic chip inherited from the iPhone 12 and welcome the M1 chip, inaugurated on the MacBooks and recently seen on the iPad Pro. This very powerful chip with a CPU and an 8-core GPU allows the iPad Air 2022 to be 60% more efficient on the CPU side and 2 times faster on the GPU side than the 2020 iPad Air, according to Apple The performance of this chip is no longer really to be demonstrated, so much so that one wonders if such excesses are not useless in a product of this type … But be it, the promise is to be able to use Lightroom without any slowdown Run Check out the latest 3D games and create its interior with an architect tool.

A new 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera on the front

On the front, Apple has added a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera that uses the “Center Frame” feature already found on the latest entry-level iPad. The camera lens thus follows the subject(s) so that it is always centered in the frame. More than ever, the iPad is a communication and video conferencing tool. On the back is a 12-megapixel “wide-angle” sensor that looks identical to that of the previous iPad Air. It allows you to shoot in 4K at 60 FPS.

Now with optional 5G

Another novelty that will interest most nomads: the iPad Air is now 5G compatible. An option that is of course paid and you have to add 170 to the bill. Otherwise, you can be satisfied with the “WiFi” model that supports WiFi 6.

Compatible accessories

During its presentation, Apple made it clear that the latest iPad accessories are compatible with this new iPad Air. So you can use the Magic Keyboard or the Smart Keyboard Folio (cheaper) and use the Apple Pencil stylus. You can also connect external storage devices via the USB-C port.

iPad Air 2022: price and release date

The new iPad Air is available at the following prices:

• $699 (64 GB/ WiFi)
• 869$ (64 GB/ WLAN + 5G)
• 869$ (256 Go / WiFi)
• 1039$ (256GB / WiFi + 5G)

Pre-orders begin Friday, March 11th and in-store availability is scheduled for March 18th.

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