Along with new iPhone 13 series and Apple Watch series 7, Apple also unveiled two new iPads at its special launch event- the entry level iPad and the totally new iPad Mini.
The 10.2-inch iPad got a modest update while the iPad Mini is completely redesigned following the footsteps of the iPad Air Apple released earlier in the year. Both these tablets are already up for pre-order in the UAE and Saudi Arabia with deliveries expected next week.
iPad mini (2021)
- iPad Mini starts at AED 2,212
- Now available to pre-order
- Pre-order on Apple.com
What's new with the new mini? Quite a lot actually. There's a Liquid Retina 8.3-inch display offering up to 500 nits of brightness, Touch ID in the lock button, an A13 Bionic chipset, a 40% CPU and 80% GPU upgrade, and a USB-C port. And, of course, there's 5G connectivity, making the iPad mini feel more like a tiny iPad Air.
The rear camera has been upgraded to 12MP and f/1.8, and it can record video in 4K, while the front-facing camera has been upgraded to a 12MP ultra-wide shooter with a 122-degree field of view, and gets the Center Stage feature found on the iPad Pro and the new iPad (2021).
The iPad Mini comes in Purple, Pink, and Space Gray finishes, along with a cream-like color that Apple is calling Starlight. It is available for pre-order in capacities of 64GB at AED 2,129 and 256GB at AED 2,729. That's for the Wi-Fi version and if you want to add 5G connectivity, the prices increase to AED 2,729 and AED 3,329 respectively.
Pre-orders are live with deliveries starting from next week onwards.
New iPad 10.2 (2021)
- iPad 2021 starts at AED 1,399
- Now available to pre-order
- Pre-order on Apple.com
The new iPad (2021) isn't exactly a reinvention of its predecessor – in fact, it's identical in most ways – but there are a few tweaks that might appeal to some. Plus, it starts at the same price as the 2020 iPad, even though it has double the base storage.
The new iPad's display is a 10.2-inch 1620 x 2160 LCD screen, just like on last year's model. Max brightness is 500 nits, which isn't amazing, but should be fine if you're not in direct sunlight.
The one change is the introduction of Apple's TrueTone tech, so the on-screen image will be adjusted to suit the ambient lighting; when you're outdoors, for example, the screen will become brighter, and the colors will be tweaked.
Apple says the front-facing camera has gotten a "big upgrade" over the camera on last year's model – it's a 12MP snapper with Apple's Center Stage feature, which adjusts the framing to keep you in the center of the picture when you're on video calls.
The new iPad has the A13 Bionic chipset, which isn't as powerful as the M1 chip in the new iPad Pro, but it means this slate is as powerful as the iPhone 11. According to Apple, this new tablet is 20% faster than its previous one.
It supports the first-gen Apple Pencil, which will be useful for note-taking and drawing, though you'll have to charge it by plugging it into the tablet's Lightning Port. This remains one of Apple's most head-scratching design decisions, as it means the stylus will be left dangling and elevated while it powers up.
You can get Wi-Fi or LTE versions of the new iPad, which means there's no 5G version. That's okay though, as it helps to keep the price down.
The iPad Mini comes in Silver Space Gray finishes. It is available for pre-order in capacities of 64GB at AED 1,399 and 256GB at AED1,999. That's for the Wi-Fi version and if you want to add LTE connectivity, the prices increase to AED 1,949 and AED 2,549 respectively.
Pre-orders are live with deliveries starting from next week onwards.
