The iPad Air , which debuted in 2013, was originally positioned by Apple as a flagship device, but after only one update, it lost this title to the iPad Pro . Nevertheless, Apple did not forget about this line of tablets and this year introduced the iPad Air 2019, the third generation of the model, which is no longer positioned as a flagship, but has a good set of features and a more affordable price than the Pro version.
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Models in the line: 12
iPad Air 2019 Package Contents
The contents of an Apple tablet box have not changed since the very first iPad, so this case was no exception. Along with the iPad Air 2019, the manufacturer ships a Lightning cable and a 12W charger.
Design and materials
Apple does not often make significant changes to the design of its devices, preferring to change their characteristics. And although last year it radically changed the look of the iPad Pro line, the new iPad Air did not touch this fate.
The tablet essentially received a case from the iPad Pro 10.5 , released in 2017, which at that time was only a cosmetic update of the first iPad Pro 9.7 . Therefore, those who are familiar with the appearance of Apple tablets will not see anything new in the model. But I can’t say that this is a minus, since 90% of the time the user will look at the screen of the tablet, and not at its back cover. In addition, as the story with the “bending” iPad Pro showed, the old proven tablet chassis is not so bad.
In any case, I note that the design of the iPad Air 2019, although not original, but still looks good. Last but not least, this is achieved due to the small case thickness, which is only 6.1 mm, as well as a 10.5-inch display that occupies almost the entire front panel of the tablet.
The main body materials of the iPad Air 2019 are aluminum and glass. The latter covers the screen, and the entire back is made from the former. Therefore, despite the small thickness of the case, it does not seem flimsy.
The weight of the tablet in the Wi-Fi version is 456 grams (the model with LTE is slightly heavier – 464 grams), which in general allows you to hold it with one hand.
iPad Air 2019 display
iPad Air 2019 is equipped with a 10.5-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 2224×1668 pixels (226 ppi) with a brightness of 500 cd/m2 and DCI-P3 color space display.
The picture quality of the display is really excellent, according to our measurements, the color gamut is larger than the sRGB triangle with a slight green bias, the color temperature and gamma are at the level of the reference values, and the backlight is uniform.
There is no air gap between the glass and the screen matrix in the iPad Air 2019, and the image itself does not invert or fade when viewed from an angle.
The display in the tablet supports True Tone mode, in which the white balance changes automatically depending on the ambient light, making the picture “warmer” or “cooler”.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that the design and diagonal of the iPad Air 2019 completely repeats the iPad Pro 10.5, its display does not support a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. But it is possible to connect an Apple Pencil pen to the tablet and draw or make handwritten notes on its screen. But here there is a nuance, only the first generation pen is supported, so you have to be content with its capabilities.
Performance and Software
iPad Air 2019 is powered by Apple’s own platform with the A12 Bionic processor, the company’s latest and fastest chip, also used in the latest generation of iPhones. In addition, the tablet has 3 GB of RAM, and the amount of built-in storage, depending on the version, can be 64 or 256 GB.
Other features of the iPad Air 2019 platform include dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS positioning modules, as well as the ability to choose a model with LTE. The set of sensors in the tablet includes a three-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer and light sensor.
Despite the 3 GB of “RAM”, which in the world of Android smartphones have long been classified as middle-class and even state employees, this is quite enough for the high speed of the tablet. Even heavy games and applications run and work on the iPad Air 2019 without problems. A good system optimization allows you to quickly switch between open programs. So with the tablet it is quite comfortable to work and play games.
The new iPad Air is running the iOS 12 operating system.
In addition to the interface designed with large tablet displays in mind, it also differs from the iPhone version in multitasking mode. The latter allows you to place two applications on the same screen, placing them side by side, or one on top of the other.
On any screen, swiping up from the bottom of the display brings up the Dock menu, which contains pinned applications, as well as recently launched ones.
In general, iOS 12 lacks only an open file system that would allow you to work with any type of file, as well as the ability to change default programs. But to solve basic tasks, the functionality of iOS 12 will be enough.
Fingerprint Scanner iPad Air 2019
Below the iPad Air 2019 display is the TouchID fingerprint scanner. The company used a second-generation sensor, so it works quickly, opening access to the tablet’s desktop in just a second.
Camera
Unlike the flagship iPad Pro 11 , in which Apple uses a Sony IMX315 module that can take quite high-quality pictures, the Air 2019 has a simpler camera. It is equipped with a 12-megapixel sensor with f/2.4 aperture.
In good light, the tablet can take more or less good pictures, especially in HDR mode, which helps the camera to better cope with the exposure.
On the left is a shot in automatic mode, on the right in HDR
When the lighting deteriorates, the detail of the pictures on the iPad Air 2019 drops dramatically, the f / 2.4 aperture is not able to transmit enough light to the matrix in such conditions.
In addition, the lack of optical stabilization also does not play into the hands of the camera in low light conditions.
Speakers
Another difference between the iPad Air 2019 and the Pro models is the smaller number of external speakers, there are two of them, and they are located on the same side of the case.
They sound quite loud, but without a noticeable stereo effect. Considering that the case of the new Air is actually the same as the iPad Pro 10.5, Apple had the opportunity to place the speakers on different sides of the case, which would make it more comfortable to watch videos and play games without connecting headphones.
It’s good that the latter can at least be connected by wire, for this there was a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the top of the tablet. They can be connected wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.0.
Autonomy iPad Air 2019
Built-in iPad Air 2019 battery has a capacity of 8134 mAh. In the Geekbench 4 test, under maximum processor load and at a display brightness of 200 cd / m2, the tablet lasted a little more than 11 hours. Accordingly, this is enough for several days of active use.
The tablet is recharged only by wire and for this you can use the supplied 12 W power supply. The only problem is that the tablet is charged from it by modern standards for a very long time – almost 4 hours. While this model supports fast charging, and Apple has faster chargers, but the company decided that if users need to charge the tablet faster, they will buy them separately.
