New to our range
An improved iPad at a lower price and a redesigned iPad mini
14.9.2021
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Everyone is waiting for the iPhone 13, but Apple has introduced new tablets first. The inexpensive iPad is getting new hardware from more expensive models, and the iPad mini has received a new look.
iPad: not new, but better
Apple has improved the iPad without any real innovations. That’s still good enough. The cheapest Cupertino tablet is getting components that have proven themselves in other Apple devices.
There’s the A13 Bionic, for example. The chip is also found in iPhone 11 models and the iPhone SE 2. It isn’t the latest Apple chip, but it’s supposed to make the iPad 20 per cent faster compared to its predecessor. Apple has doubled the internal storage to at least 64 gigabytes. The 10.2-inch Retina display gets TrueTone. It adjusts the colour of your screen to ambient light.
The 12-megapixel wide-angle camera next to the display is also an upgrade. It has a viewing angle of 122 degrees and still sits to the side of the display in landscape mode. Pretty impractical for video calls. But that’s why Apple came up with Center Stage. This service is already being used on the iPad Pro and aims to place you in the middle. So compensate for the disadvantage of having a camera on the side.
The iPad can be connected with keyboards and the first-generation Apple Pencil. IPadOS 15 is installed by default. There are two colours to choose from, Space Grey and Silver.
iPad mini: new design, new camera, 5G
Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised nothing less than the «biggest upgrade ever» for the iPad mini during his presentation. We start with a redesign for the iPad mini. It will be more angular, taking after the iPad Pro and the iPhone 13. Four colours are available to choose from: Space Gray, Pink, Purple und Starlight. There’s also five different variants of the fitting smart Folio Cover: Black, White, Dark Cherry, English Lavender and Electric Orange.
The 8.2-inch Retina display also supports TrueTone and has a brightness of 500 nits. The fingerprint sensor is located in the power button, just like the iPad Air. Apple has also said goodbye to the Lightning connector in the iPad mini. The tablet is equipped with USB-C as of now. This is said to make data transmission up to 10 times faster. In addition, other accessories can be used with Lightning. Apple mentioned cameras or an ultrasound machine for doctors outside of their practice, among other things.
It’s all being powered by the new A15 Bionic. The chip is also found in the iPhone 13. Compared to the previous iPad mini, it’s supposed to have 40 per cent more CPU and 80 per cent more graphics performance. The Neural Engine should double its speed. Machine learning can be used for translations, for example. By the way, the iPad mini now also supports 5G and can be used with the second-generation Apple Pencil.
The back of the iPad mini features a 12-megapixel camera and TrueTone flash. It can record 4K videos and uses SmartHDR for photos. The front camera is the same as on the iPad: 12 megapixels, a 122 degree viewing angle and Center Stage for good video calls in landscape mode. There are also new speakers to match, aiming to provide stereo sound in landscape mode.
Price and availability
Detailed information about availability will follow. But to start you off, here are the initial pricings according to Apple’s recommended retail price. The iPad starts at 359 francs/379 euros in the Wi-Fi variant and 499 francs/519 euros in the LTE version. The iPad mini starts at 549 francs/549 euros for the Wi-Fi model. If you want 5G, you have to budget at least 719 francs or 719 euros.
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When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.
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