iPad Air and iPad mini 2019 review: Apple’s tablets strike an ideal balance

These are clearly more appealing to most people than Apple's 2018 iPad or iPad Pro.

Read the whole story

 

[fluorogrol]

Title of the spec box refers to iPhones rather than iPads.

 

[NinjaNerd56]

Small rant approved !


I have a new Pro, and it’s amazing BUT with keyboard case it’s not svelte or as light.

Also have an iPhone 8, which is too big. I’d like an SE size phone....but to your point...with all the latest.

Given that, and I’m likely not alone, a Mini ‘Pro’ would be something I’d probably buy.

 

[Mk.II]

> 64GB is not enough for most people

I find that very much untrue. I’m an iPad power user with a 256GB 12.9’’ iPad Pro, and while I’m using close to 200GB at the moment, I would be way below 64GB if I diligently removed watched TV shows from Infuse, which I have at least three more copies (desktop, NAS, Google Drive). I’d say 64GB is enough for most people at least at the moment.

 

[a5ehren]

I don't really understand how these are more appealing than the previous models. They're both expensive and dated designs. Perhaps it's just me, but unless you're replacing a proper laptop with one of these, the prices have ways been excessive. The
USB C is welcome, but as the author points out the use of lightning still is more obnoxious than convenient.

My first thought when these were announced was that the $329 base iPad was still the only one that made any sense for non-artist types. I don't see $170 of added value in this package.

 

[Zoolook]

Nice review and agreed on most points. It's interesting that in the very first paragraph you mentioned that the low-end iPad has a relatively slow processor (even compared to iPhones) but conclude with something we can all agree on, which is the software is really what holds the iPad back - specifically the OS, not apps.

I have the 2017 iPad Pro with the A10X, which is now 2 generations old, I certainly never feel like I am waiting for it to do anything - my wife has the iPad from 2017 (so no pencil support unfortunately) which 'only' has the A9 and again, it's no slouch. The biggest hindrance seems to be RAM (2GB), preventing 3 apps from running at once rather than CPU grunt.

I am really not sure how much faster iOS can be that makes a perceptible difference, unless it becomes radically more capable.

 

[pitmonster]

Minor rant incoming!

The benchmarks are great but one major iPad model is missing : the 2017 10.5" Pro that the new Air is mostly based upon.

Why is it relevant? Because a refurbished 10.5" Pro can be picked up from Apple for $469, which is $30 less than a new Air.

Sure, the the two aren't identical, and each model has specific advantages over the other :

Advantages of the Air :
* Newer A12 processor
* Neural engine
* May get iOS updates for longer
* Bluetooth 5.0

Advantages of the refurbished Pro :
* ProMotion display with up to 120Hz
* More RAM
* 4 speakers (specifically mentioned in the review)
* Better rear camera
* Camera flash

But the two are similar enough (same dimensions, same laminated screen, same keyboard connector etc) that some buyers will genuinely consider a refurbished Pro 10.5 over a brand new Air 10.5, or at least will want to compare benchmarks before making a decision.

When Samuel posted the teardown story, I actually asked for the 10.5 Pro to be included in the comparisons, and plenty of people agreed with me:

So is there any chance that the article can be updated with benchmarks for the 10.5" Pro?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ivan256]

I don't really understand how these are more appealing than the previous models. They're both expensive and dated designs. Perhaps it's just me, but unless you're replacing a proper laptop with one of these, the prices have ways been excessive. The
USB C is welcome, but as the author points out the use of lightning still is more obnoxious than convenient.

Probably close to nobody is replacing the previous model with these. They're for new sales, and people upgrading from more than one generation ago.

If you're already bought into the Apple ecosystem, a switch to USB-C from Lightning is a major negative, because you already have a zillion Lightning cords and some accessories, and you'd have to re-buy all your charging cables. For most users that's a big additional expense for literally zero additional functionality.

 

[uhuznaa]

As someone using the iPad mini 3 since ages and looking for a new iPad since a while I have to say the bezel situation is overrated.

The bezels just look bigger because the iPad mini is smaller. In fact the bezels on the long sides on the mini are thinner than the all-around bezels on the "bezel-less" iPad Pro. And they're all around considerably thinner than the bezels on the 2018 iPad. Even with FaceID and the same bezel widths as on the Pro the bezels still would look fat on the mini just because it is so much smaller. To get really thin bezels (like on the iPhones) it would need to grow a notch.

Edit: What I was actually going to say: The bezels on the mini are totally fine. Other than the bigger iPads you very often use the mini one-handed and especially in landscape orientation the bezels offer a perfect place to plant your thumb. It may look not as sexy on pictures but you're not going to use a picture.

 

[Zoolook]

Minor rant incoming!

The benchmarks are great but one major iPad model is missing : the 2017 10.5" Pro that the new Air is mostly based upon.

Why is it relevant? Because a refurbished 10.5" Pro can be picked up from Apple for $469, which is $30 less than a new Air.

Sure, the the two aren't identical, and each model has specific advantages over the other :

Advantages of the Air :
* Newer A12 processor
* Likely will get iOS updates for longer

Advantages of the refurbished Pro :
* ProMotion display with up to 120Hz
* More RAM
* 4 speakers
* Camera flash

I agree with your ask to include the 2017 iPad Pro (I have that device too), but I'm not sure the A12 with 3GB of RAM will necessarily get updates for longer than the A10X with 4GB of RAM. In the iOS world, support for devices has dropped according to how much memory the device had and while that has always lined up nicely with incremental processors, this is the first time older processors have had more memory than newer ones in a product lineup.

The iPhone 6S keeps up quite well with iPhones that are 2 or 3 years newer, because it has 2GBs of RAM. The iPhone 6 always felt much much slower than the 6S despite being only one year older.

I guess we'll see!

 

[Mk.II]

I don't really understand how these are more appealing than the previous models. They're both expensive and dated designs. Perhaps it's just me, but unless you're replacing a proper laptop with one of these, the prices have ways been excessive. The
USB C is welcome, but as the author points out the use of lightning still is more obnoxious than convenient.

Probably close to nobody is replacing the previous model with these. They're for new sales, and people upgrading from more than one generation ago.

If you're already bought into the Apple ecosystem, a switch to USB-C from Lightning is a major negative, because you already have a zillion Lightning cords and some accessories, and you'd have to re-buy all your charging cables. For most users that's a big additional expense for literally zero additional functionality.

Hmm, I can’t speak for anyone else, but since I got my USB-C iPad Pro, the only additional cord I purchased was a USB-C to USB-A cable to connect to the Mid-2015 15’’ MBP, in order to debug iOS Safari from the Mac (as far as I can tell there’s no wireless option). Excluding that extremely niche use case, I invested a grand total of $0 on cables and accessories (and about $20 if you count that niche use case).

 

[solomonrex]

I don't really understand how these are more appealing than the previous models. They're both expensive and dated designs. Perhaps it's just me, but unless you're replacing a proper laptop with one of these, the prices have ways been excessive. The
USB C is welcome, but as the author points out the use of lightning still is more obnoxious than convenient.

My first thought when these were announced was that the $329 base iPad was still the only one that made any sense for non-artist types. I don't see $170 of added value in this package.

Yes, this. Given what iPads are usually used for, the entry level one is perfectly adequate. The chips have been overkill for years now, the base storage is fine and the screens are quite good already. How many of us are digital artists really?

And furthermore, they added the wrong features. The Pogo pin keyboards are more useful on iPads than pencils and face ID makes more sense when you have to reach across a table otherwise, while fingerprint makes more sense in a handheld. And yes, bezels less in iPad mini is long overdue. Add in the pencil confusion and limited software and Apple is just holding itself back.

 

[amyklai]

I bought an iPad Mini 5.
IMO, it's the best damn Apple Product of the recent years.

Now give me an updated SE, and I'll be almost completely happy.

 

[uhuznaa]

I don't really understand how these are more appealing than the previous models. They're both expensive and dated designs. Perhaps it's just me, but unless you're replacing a proper laptop with one of these, the prices have ways been excessive. The
USB C is welcome, but as the author points out the use of lightning still is more obnoxious than convenient.

Edit: what I'm getting at is that, unless you're using the Air's additional capabilities, why not stick with the existing iPad? It's way cheaper and not exactly a slouch.

If you already have one there's indeed hardly any good reason to update. But if you're on a much older iPad or iPad mini (or are looking for your first iPad) the new ones are worth a look.

The plain 2018 iPad gets you a lot of value for your money right now, but with its 2 GB of RAM things may look very different in two years or so while these newer ones will easily work nicely for four or five years. Which would make them cheaper per year in the long run.

 

[TheNewShiny]

Relevant info mentioned in a benchmarks photo caption but not in the main article: the multi-core performance of the Pro's A12X is WAY better (at least 50% faster) than that of the A12 in the new iPad Air. If you run apps that can make use of that, the Pro may be the better choice.

Next up: how does the average user find out if their favorite apps would benefit from that?

 

[thebonafortuna]

When the iPad Pro was announced without a headphone jack, I resolved myself to stick with my aging Air 2 until it finally died. And then leave the tablet category all together and live only with a phone and computer.

I wasn't willing to take a hit on screen quality with the new base iPad. The price of the Pro isn't really a deterrent - I keep these things for many years - but again, I'm completely unwilling to buy a consumption machine that omits a damn headphone jack.

This new Air is a breath of fresh....air. It gets us back to the "too many naming conventions", which we'd finally left behind. But oh well, it's worth it: the Air is a worthy successor to the Air 2.

Finally.

But how does Apple justify selling their most expensive device as the only one without a headphone jack??? I have to assume they've been selling poorly, which drove the decision to put it back in the new Air. Hopefully they remedy that soon for whoever is left as the Pro audience.

 

[ChefJeff789]

I don't really understand how these are more appealing than the previous models. They're both expensive and dated designs. Perhaps it's just me, but unless you're replacing a proper laptop with one of these, the prices have ways been excessive. The
USB C is welcome, but as the author points out the use of lightning still is more obnoxious than convenient.

Edit: what I'm getting at is that, unless you're using the Air's additional capabilities, why not stick with the existing iPad? It's way cheaper and not exactly a slouch.

If you already have one there's indeed hardly any good reason to update. But if you're on a much older iPad or iPad mini (or are looking for your first iPad) the new ones are worth a look.

The plain 2018 iPad gets you a lot of value for your money right now, but with its 2 GB of RAM things may look very different in two years or so while these newer ones will easily work nicely for four or five years. Which would make them cheaper per year in the long run.

I suppose that's true - I was under the impression the iPad had 3GB of RAM like these. 2 could become a problem.

 

[CoRaMo]

I can live with 64 GB and the (vintage?) bezels do offer my clumsy meat claws some purchase, but the lack of stereo sound in landscape mode is absolutely disappointing for me. What year are they living in?

 

[amyklai]

Some users want small devices with high-end features, and they would be willing to pay for it. But Apple's not giving them all of its best here.

Yeah, but then there are also people who *DON'T* need ever more pro-ish features for ever-higher prices and just want to get an updated version of what they bought a few years ago.

For me, the iPhone SE as it was is good enough - it's just getting old. Just update the tech to what is current standard (while keeping the headphone jack) and I'm a-ok. I'm not planning to run Photoshop on it or have it replace my Laptop.

IMO, the current problem with Apple is that too many of their design decisions in recent years seemed to be revenue-driven instead of usability-driven. They need ever higher prices to increase revenue and that's why everything has to be bigger and "Pro" (and absoutely non-upgradeable in the Mac space).

The great thing about the Mini 5 is that it absolutely feels like a throwback to the times before Apple products jumped the shark.

Maybe they'll get back on track after all. We'll see.

 

[gnwiii]

As someone using the iPad mini 3 since ages and looking for a new iPad since a while I have to say the bezel situation is overrated.

[...]

Edit: What I was actually going to say: The bezels on the mini are totally fine. Other than the bigger iPads you very often use the mini one-handed and especially in landscape orientation the bezels offer a perfect place to plant your thumb. It may look not as sexy on pictures but you're not going to use a picture.

I agree that the bezels on the mini are not bad. I'm sure there are engineering tradoffs with smaller screens, as you still need space for the hardware and battery, as well as surface area for cooling. Extra space may allow sharing more of the internal layout with larger screen models, saving costs. If the wider bezels give you lower costs, more performance, and longer battery life than you could get with skinny bezels, they make sense.

 

[fondacio]

Like many previous commenters, I was also looking forward to a benchmark and performance comparison between the iPad Pro 2017 and the new Air. The only source I have found online, so far, is this one: https://www.macworld.co.uk/review/ipad/ ... 9-3694865/. The results appear to be mixed.

 

[amyklai]

Those bezels though...

You don't even notice them when using it.

 

[uhuznaa]

But how does Apple justify selling their most expensive device as the only one without a headphone jack??? I have to assume they've been selling poorly, which drove the decision to put it back in the new Air. Hopefully they remedy that soon for whoever is left as the Pro audience.

There is just no room in the Pros for a headphone jack. The plug is 3.5 mm while the Pro is 5.9 mm thick, this would leave just 1.2 mm on each side of the plug. Since the bezels are thinner than a headphone plug is long, these 1.2 mm would have to include the display. Doesn't fit.

 

[OccasionallyLeftHanded]

The way I hold the Mini when reading means that smaller bezels might actually be problematic, as my thumb would almost necessarily occlude part of the display; I've had to disable edge-based paging even with the larger bezels.

My uses for the Mini are mostly book reading, watching movies on flights and some casual games (nearly always using headphones; I get the gripes about speaker placement but I've just never found it that big a deal). I've been using 64 GB models for years and really haven't found that to be restrictive -- providing I rotate my media as I finish it rather than simply accumulating it.

I continue to prefer Touch ID over Face ID, so the new Mini is just fine in that regard.

I'm also disappointed that the new Mini doesn't support v2 of the Pencil. But then again, with the v2 Pencil I'm not having any problems unlocking my car either

I'd love to see an SE-sized iPhone 8. Maybe an "iPhone 8 Mini".

 

[ivan256]

But how does Apple justify selling their most expensive device as the only one without a headphone jack??? I have to assume they've been selling poorly, which drove the decision to put it back in the new Air. Hopefully they remedy that soon for whoever is left as the Pro audience.

There is just no room in the Pros for a headphone jack. The plug is 3.5 mm while the Pro is 5.9 mm thick, this would leave just 1.2 mm on each side of the plug. Since the bezels are thinner than a headphone plug is long, these 1.2 mm would have to include the display. Doesn't fit.

Except the bezel doesn't need to be as thick as the headphone plug is long. It only needs to be as thick as the headphone plug is wide.

 

[andyallcorn]

Amen to the screen size rant. I’d cheerfully pay *more* for a small device with top specs that made the best possible use of its physical size by cramming more screen in - and we’re far from alone.

Big iPads/iPhones are completely different devices to the small ones some of us love, and not everyone is interested in switching.

 

[panton41]

Those bezels though...

Literally, no one cares about the size of bezels other than tech journalists trying to nitpick an otherwise perfectly decent product.

 

[Burgernaut]

I'm not sure the A12 with 3GB of RAM will necessarily get updates for longer than the A10X with 4GB of RAM.

The day will come when Apple drops support for anything without a Neural Engine.

 

[IntellectualThug]

Amen to the screen size rant. I’d cheerfully pay *more* for a small device with top specs that made the best possible use of its physical size by cramming more screen in - and we’re far from alone.

Big iPads/iPhones are completely different devices to the small ones some of us love, and not everyone is interested in switching.

The iPhone SE 2 is the device that would get me to jump to iOS. I've gotten pretty sick of Android's shit and my income has gotten to where the Apple premium is something I can stomach. If it came with FaceID I'd probably buy it Day 1.

 

[uhuznaa]

But how does Apple justify selling their most expensive device as the only one without a headphone jack??? I have to assume they've been selling poorly, which drove the decision to put it back in the new Air. Hopefully they remedy that soon for whoever is left as the Pro audience.

There is just no room in the Pros for a headphone jack. The plug is 3.5 mm while the Pro is 5.9 mm thick, this would leave just 1.2 mm on each side of the plug. Since the bezels are thinner than a headphone plug is long, these 1.2 mm would have to include the display. Doesn't fit.

Except the bezel doesn't need to be as thick as the headphone plug is long. It only needs to be as thick as the headphone plug is wide.

If you have square corners and put the jack right at the edge, yes.

 

[TigerAway]

The iPad Pro 2017 is much better than the iPad 2018 (6th gen.) The iPad Air 2019 is basically identical to the iPad Pro 2017 except faster.

The laminated screen makes a huge difference. So the iPad Air should be a great device. But for 256GB, it costs $649 without shipping and tax.

The iPad Pro 10.5” 256GB, I got refurbished for $500 after tax and shipping from Apple.

Not worth an extra $150+ over the 2017 iPad Pro..

 

[ivan256]

Amen to the screen size rant. I’d cheerfully pay *more* for a small device with top specs that made the best possible use of its physical size by cramming more screen in - and we’re far from alone.

Big iPads/iPhones are completely different devices to the small ones some of us love, and not everyone is interested in switching.

The iPhone SE 2 is the device that would get me to jump to iOS. I've gotten pretty sick of Android's shit and my income has gotten to where the Apple premium is something I can stomach. If it came with FaceID I'd probably buy it Day 1.

There really isn't even a premium anymore. iPhones cost about the same as feature phones from other manufacturers. And there isn't even a story for Android in the iPad market. If you're looking for an Android tablet that runs the latest version, and that you can upgrade to the next version when it comes out, there is literally nothing available. The three flagship tablets run Oreo (Samsung), Marshmallow (nvidia) or Lollipop (Sony) and none guarantee update availbility. Insult to injury: they cost as much iPads anyway.

 

[ScooterComputer]

The new models strike –a– balance, but I do not agree that it is an –ideal– balance. IMHO, an IDEAL balance would have been for Apple to FINALLY show some longer-term chassis-design sense and make both "new" chassises the slightly-bit-thicker necessary to support a non-laminated display and digitizer. (Since neither chassis is new, I put new in quotes.)

With a mere .05 inches (1.25mm), Apple could have produced a lower-end non-laminated mini that would have been a significantly greater value for children/families/education markets, while increasing the value-proposition of the more expensive model with laminated display for those who want the quality and storage. (For bonus, make it so that a laminated model could be "downgraded" at repair time for a cheaper repair for a cracked screen.) No one would have decried a ~1mm increase in thickness.

And by incorporating the thickness for the non-laminated display into the Air chassis now, it would telegraph what is inevitable for the full-sized iPad models: a common chassis with common cases. The case differentiation has again made for a retail nightmare. Again again.

Also, I'd like to see the $329 iPad sharing the iPad mini motherboard. If we're talking "IDEAL balances".

 

[ivan256]

But how does Apple justify selling their most expensive device as the only one without a headphone jack??? I have to assume they've been selling poorly, which drove the decision to put it back in the new Air. Hopefully they remedy that soon for whoever is left as the Pro audience.

There is just no room in the Pros for a headphone jack. The plug is 3.5 mm while the Pro is 5.9 mm thick, this would leave just 1.2 mm on each side of the plug. Since the bezels are thinner than a headphone plug is long, these 1.2 mm would have to include the display. Doesn't fit.

Except the bezel doesn't need to be as thick as the headphone plug is long. It only needs to be as thick as the headphone plug is wide.

If you have square corners and put the jack right at the edge, yes.

The bottom bezel is way more than wide enough because of the home button. They wouldn't need to square off the corners any more. All they would have to do is put the jack out the side. Which... Seems perfectly fine. What's wrong with that?

Also, they have a camera bump, so if they wanted to go bezel-less they could still fit a headphone jack with less bump than for the rear camera.

 

[IntellectualThug]

Amen to the screen size rant. I’d cheerfully pay *more* for a small device with top specs that made the best possible use of its physical size by cramming more screen in - and we’re far from alone.

Big iPads/iPhones are completely different devices to the small ones some of us love, and not everyone is interested in switching.

The iPhone SE 2 is the device that would get me to jump to iOS. I've gotten pretty sick of Android's shit and my income has gotten to where the Apple premium is something I can stomach. If it came with FaceID I'd probably buy it Day 1.

There really isn't even a premium anymore. iPhones cost about the same as feature phones from other manufacturers. And there isn't even a story for Android in the iPad market. If you're looking for an Android tablet that runs the latest version, and that you can upgrade to the next version when it comes out, there is literally nothing available. The three flagship tablets run Oreo (Samsung), Marshmallow (nvidia) or Lollipop (Sony) and none guarantee update availbility. Insult to injury: they cost as much iPads anyway.

My phone is my only mobile device, and I really don't want $1000 riding around in my pocket daily in the form of a phone that barely fits in my pocket. My last phone died because I dropped a 22mm nyloc nut on it while changing the shocks on a truck.

Tablets really aren't a huge priority for me, to be honest, although for offroading & overlanding I've been thinking about getting an iOS tablet for precisely the reasons you're describing.

 

[jeffhot]

I’m confused by some of the logic in this review.
USB-C is touted as better and more common, then the next paragraph remembers that actually Lightning is.

The bezeled design is acceptable for the Air but somehow not for the Mini, but why or how? Also a discussion of larger devices having bezel-less designs without any mention of the concept of internal volume seems willfully ignorant.

Lastly, good point about the speakers on the bottom, but use-case is presumed here and not examined except with a throwaway comment about the mini being too small to draw on. Use-case would have been a very interesting review angle considering the large size differences in these two models reviewed together. Apparently the author only watches video on iPads with audio blaring for all to hear and we’re presumed to do no different?

 

[CaptainGARS]

I know reviewers sometimes get flak for focusing more on bezels than is really necessary

A certain Android reviewer maybe? Joking aside, I'd rather have bezels on a tablet. Until they invent a display coating that never attracts finger prints, I'd rather have them on parts of a device that aren't screen.

 

[jaberg]

When the iPad Pro was announced without a headphone jack, I resolved myself to stick with my aging Air 2 until it finally died. And then leave the tablet category all together and live only with a phone and computer.

I wasn't willing to take a hit on screen quality with the new base iPad. The price of the Pro isn't really a deterrent - I keep these things for many years - but again, I'm completely unwilling to buy a consumption machine that omits a damn headphone jack.

This new Air is a breath of fresh....air. It gets us back to the "too many naming conventions", which we'd finally left behind. But oh well, it's worth it: the Air is a worthy successor to the Air 2.

Finally.

But how does Apple justify selling their most expensive device as the only one without a headphone jack??? I have to assume they've been selling poorly, which drove the decision to put it back in the new Air. Hopefully they remedy that soon for whoever is left as the Pro audience.

OR the new Air was based on a chassis/design that already featured a jack and they didn’t so much put it back as leave it in.

I don’t pretend to speak for the market but I am one pro user with zero f’s left to give on the jack issue. I’ve been using (and keeping safe) audio adaptors for my entire career. The headphone jack adaptor is a minor burden at worst. My new Hyperdock HyperDrive for the iPad Pro also provides a jack, though I’ve yet to use it “professionally”.

I don’t believe that sales, or lack there of, of iPads Pro hinge on the headphone jack.

Edit: changed “at best” to “at worst” regarding the “burden” of the headphone adapter.