Apple announces new iPad Air with 5G, improved performance, Center Stage camera, and more

Apple has unveiled its newest iPad Air, featuring 5G support, a new front camera with Center Stage, the M1 chip, a USB-C port with up to 2x faster transfer speeds, and more.

Announced at today’s “Peek performance” special event, the new iPad Air will be available to order beginning Friday, March 11, in 29 countries and regions, with availability beginning Friday, March 18. The device is available with a starting price of $599 (US) and Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at $749 (US). The new iPad Air, in 64GB and 256GB configurations, comes in space gray, starlight, pink, purple, and blue finishes.

Apple touts that with 5G connectivity on the new iPad Air, users can reach peak speeds of up to 3.5Gbps. The USB-C port is now up to 2x faster than the previous generation, with data transfers up to 10Gbps. The 8-core CPU delivers up to 60 percent faster performance, and the 8-core GPU delivers up to 2x faster graphics performance compared to the previous iPad Air.

The Ultra Wide 12MP front camera with Center Stage on the iPad Air automatically pans to keep users in view as they move around during video calls, completing Apple’s lineup so that all iPad models now feature this improved experience.

Image: Apple

“Whether it’s a college student taking elaborate notes, a content creator working on their latest project, or a gamer playing graphics-intensive titles, users love iPad Air for its amazing performance and versatility in such a portable design,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the breakthrough M1 chip, Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, and ultra-fast 5G, iPad Air is now more powerful, more capable, and simply more fun than ever.”

The new iPad Air features a 100 percent recycled aluminum enclosure, 100 percent recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board, and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in the enclosure and audio magnets.

As expected, the overall design of the new iPad Air remains the same as the previous generation, with the exception of the new purple, and blue finishes.