Apple iPad Air & iPad Mini Review: The iPads for Most People

So Apple has launched the new iPad Air 2019 (starting from SG$749) and iPad Mini 2019 (starting from SG$599), to complement the iPad (starting from SG$498) and iPad Pro (starting from SG$1,199) that was launched in 2018. So are these two models worth the money? Let’s take a look.

Starting off with the 10.5-inch display iPad Air, it essentially is the iPad Pro from a few years ago, but combined with the new four core A12 Bionic chip processor. Utilising the True Tone Retina display, this tablet is very much suitable for photo editing thanks to the P3 colour gamut and fully laminated display.

Even though it doesn’t have the same 120 hertz refresh rate that the Pro has, the 60 hertz refresh rate is still more than suitable for most situations in which you would use the iPad Air.

While there still is a bezel on the iPad Air, it’s not without its benefits as compared to the edge-to-edge display on the Pro, with accidental edge presses more common on the Pro.

Overall, the iPad Air is fast and handles apps like Affinity Photo and Photoshop with ease, showing no signs of lag. If you’re looking for a tablet that can handle photo editing, maybe a little video editing and still looking to spend under SG$1000, the iPad Air is the tablet for you.

As for the iPad Mini, while it’s also usable for web browsing and photo editing, what really makes it shine is its portability. Bring the Apple Pencil into the mix, and you’ve got a truly versatile tablet that you can bring out on the go, write notes on, and even do precise photo editing with.

Retaining the same form factor as the previous iPad Mini, Apple has managed to keep it around the same weight, 298.8g for the iPad Mini 2015 and 300.5g for the iPad Mini 2019. That’s impressive considering the jump in specs.

The same A12 Bionic chip from the iPad Air is also used in the 2019 model, providing a 66% higher clock speed than the 1.5GHz dual-core processor in the 2015 variant. This means videos load faster, games are smoother and you just generally have an overall better experience.

One of the two quibbles we have about the iPad Mini is that the bezels are still a bit thick. If the bezels were shaved a little, it could result in a bigger screen and better watching experience.

The other issue we have is applicable to the iPad Air too, and it’s that both the 2019 iPads have gone back to using the Lightning connector even after Apple moved to USB-C on the iPad Pro. Instead of forcing new iPad buyers to have individual dongles for Lightning and USB-C, it would have been good if Apple had stuck to just USB-C after implementing it on the Macbook, Macbook Air and Macbook Pros.

But aside from that, Apple has done a great job with the new iPads, and as mentioned in the video review above, Apple has now completely dominated the tablet arena.

To know more about Apple https://www.apple.com/sg/

To know more about the iPad Air https://www.apple.com/sg/ipad-air/

To know more about the iPad Mini https://www.apple.com/sg/ipad-mini/

Shop for iPad accessories https://www.apple.com/sg/shop/ipad/ipad-accessories

Five Reasons to Buy the iPad (2018) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkF-Jal_Ftw

Apple iPad Pro Review: Is This The Future of Macbooks? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikLfo3vGvXI&t=428s