Compared to the iPad Pro, the changes Apple made to the iPad Air are more modest. Instead of a total redesign, the iPad Air is getting some long-awaited and slightly overdue changes: a new screen size, a new processor, and a front-facing camera placed on the horizontal side of the tablet.
Yes, it's low praise, but there are a lot of things to like about the new iPad Air. It's long been the best overall iPad, straddling the line between the budget entry-level model and the wildly powerful and expensive Pro line. That's the case here, again. But now that the 13-inch iPad Pro is even more expensive than before, it's nice to see a big-screen iPad that doesn't cost much more than $1,000.
The 11-inch iPad Air is identical in size and weight to the previous one, although this time the screen is 0.1 inch larger. So there's not much to say about it. The 13-inch Air, however, looks quite similar to the old 12.9-inch iPad Pro that was just replaced today. In fact, it's identical in every dimension, but a little lighter (1.36 pounds instead of 1.5).
That makes it a little more accessible as a handheld tablet, although I still feel like an iPad this size is better suited for use in a keyboard dock or on a table with an Apple Pencil. That said, Apple says that about half of iPad Pro sales were for the larger model, so there's clearly an appetite for this larger screen. There's definitely something luxurious about using such a large-screen tablet, as long as it's easy to handle, and that's the case with the iPad Air (at least in the limited time I've had so far to handle the device).
I was also able to try out the new Apple Pencil Pro, which is compatible with the new Air. As I said here, new tricks like rotating the barrel to change the shape of the brush and a squeeze feature to open tools like a brush selector are solid additions, and I'm glad Apple didn't increase the price of the pencil considering Take into account these new features.
These tablets may not have the wow factor I experienced when I reviewed the iPad Pro, but that's okay. From my first look, it looks like the iPad Air line offers the same experience you'll get with an iPad Pro, at least in ways that regular buyers will recognize. And I think Apple did well on pricing this time. The 11-inch iPad Air costs $599, the same as before, but now has a more reasonable 128GB of storage. The 13-inch model is priced at $799, an expected price increase for the larger screen. It's the first time you can get a large-screen iPad for under a grand, and I'm definitely curious to see if that helps improve iPad sales.
