Apple iPad Air 5th gen now offers M1 silicon, optional 5G, and faster USB-C

Apple is giving the iPad Air some much needed love after the last iPad Air model that launched back in 2020. The new iPad Air now features the M1 chip like the iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 12.9 along with 5G (sub-6 GHz) and a faster USB-C port.

The new iPad Air is just about 0.24 inches thick and weighs about 462 g for the Wi-Fi + Cellular version. The device sports a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2360x1640 pixels, P3 wide-color gamut, 500 nits brightness, and support for Apple Pencil 2nd gen. 

Like the iPad Pro models, the new iPad Air's M1 chip also offers an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU together with a 16-core Neural Engine and 8 GB of RAM. Unlike the iPad Pros, however, the iPad Air 5th gen makes do with just a 12 MP ultra-wide f/2.4 front camera with Center Stage and a 12 MP f/1.8 wide camera at the back. 

Storage options are limited to 64 GB and 256 GB and there is no Thunderbolt 4 functionality in the USB-C port, though Apple did confirm that the USB-C port offers a 10 Gbps transfer rate. Also, you get just two speakers instead of the quad-speaker arrangement we've seen with the Pro models. The new iPad Air does not offer Face ID but uses Touch ID built into the top power button for biometric authentication. 

The Apple iPad Air 5th gen will be available for pre-order beginning March 11 starting from US$599 or ₹54,900 for the Wi-Fi only version and from US$749 or ₹68,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular version. Availability starts from March 18 in several color options including space gray, starlight, pink, purple, and blue.

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