Apple Launches 2024 iPad Air and iPad Pro; All You Need To Know

Apple has finally refreshed their tablet lineup after almost two years. These are the sixth-generation tablets and now these models are thinner, bigger, lighter and much more powerful than their predecessors. Apple has upgraded the iPads, and the accessories offered (Magic Keyboard and Pencil) have also been upgraded for a better user experience.

iPad Air

The iPad Air now comes with the powerful M2 chip instead of the M1, which significantly improves the performance and efficiency of the tablet. Further, the tablet now has an 11-inch and a new 13-inch screen size. Yes, the iPad Air now comes in two screen sizes and is 6.1mm thick.

The display technology however remains the same as before with the Liquid Retina displays on offer which are basically IPS LCD panels with 60Hz refresh rate. The 11-inch model has a peak brightness of 500 nits and the 13-inch model has a little higher brightness level at 600 nits. The overall design remains the same except for the front 12MP ultrawide camera placement which now sits on the side bezel instead of the top making the tablet’s laptop-like usage effortless. The rear camera too is a 12MP.

The iPad Air has the support of Touch ID which is embedded in the power button. There is a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer, and the cellular model of the iPads gets e-SIM support with all the necessary 5G bands. The operating system here is the latest iPadOS 17.

The iPad Air 11-inch and 13-inch get 28.93 watt-hours and 36.59 watt-hours rechargeable lithium‑polymer batteries respectively. The brand gives a 20-watt power adaptor and USB Type-C cable bundled with the product. The smaller tablet weighs in at 462g and 618g.

The 2024 iPad Air starts from Rs 59,990 for the base 128GB and Wi-Fi-only variant.

iPad Pro 

The iPad Pro has thoroughly been upgraded. There is a brand-new M4 chipset which is a nine-core chipset consisting of three performance cores and six efficiency cores. The device’s build quality has also been altered and it’s very slim now at just 5.3mm for the 11-inch and 5.1mm for the 13-inch model. The iPad Pro comes in two different display sizes, an 11-inch and a new slightly bigger 13-inch. The display tech is different from the iPad Air and its predecessor because it now gets OLED displays. The ProMotion high refresh rate of 120Hz is still there. 

The 2024 iPad Pro also gets a front 12MP ultrawide camera mounted on the side bezel and the rear camera is also a 12MP wide-angle unit. Unlike the iPad Air, the Pro model has not ditched the Face ID for the Touch ID. The battery capacity of the 11-inch model and the 13-inch models are 31.29-watt-hour and 38.99-watt-hour respectively and these are lithium-polymer batteries. USB-C charging cable and 20-watt power adaptor come bundled with the tablet. The smaller tablet weighs 446g and the big one weighs 582g. The cellular model has support for e-SIM with all the necessary 5G bands. The tablet is running on Apple's latest and greatest software for tablets, the iPadOS 17. The iPad Pro starts at Rs 99,900 for the base 256GB Wi-Fi-only variant.

Apple Pencil Pro

Apple has also upgraded the Apple Pencil rigorously and it's now called Apple Pencil Pro. The Pencil now has additional features like Squeeze, Barrel roll, Haptic feedback, Apple Pencil Hover, and Double tap for ease of use. This new Pencil is compatible only with the iPads launched this year. The Apple Pencil Pro is priced at Rs 11,900.

Magic Keyboard

The magic keyboard has been redesigned and it now has a metallic palm rest area, a bigger glass trackpad with haptic feedback, and a 14-button function keys row at the top for quick access to screen brightness, volume controls and other features. There is a USB-C port near the hinge for the pass-through charging feature. The keyboard is backlighted and built on the scissor key mechanism as some of the Macbooks to provide a silent and smooth typing experience. The 2024 Magic Keyboard is priced at Rs 29,900.