Preparing for the review of iPad Air 2019 we cannot help but rethink what was said more or less explicitly about this model at launch.
According to some it is the natural evolution of the iPad model dedicated to more classic users, who do not need the potential of the iPad Pro 2018, according to someone else it is simply a rehash of the iPad Pro 2017, with a (slightly) different package at a price lower. In both cases we would be faced with a routine launch, devoid of technical reasons of real interest.
iPad Air 2019, the review
But in reality, as often happens for Apple, a product with the Apple brand must be considered in its entirety , including the intersection where places in the global and internal offer, in the remix of the components and in the target market. Doing a review of the iPad Air is therefore to take into account everything that came before like the iPad Pro 2018, much more powerful but clearly designed for other uses, and the one it joins , or the iPad 2018, from which it detaches, fleeing forward, as you will notice from from the first approach. And also the one with which he debuted : iPad mini 2019, a product with a totally different concept. But let's go by order
As before, more than before
The new iPad Air 2019 pulled out of the box comes with a mixture of novelties that, however, pass on the sly, if you do not have the careful eye. The box, first of all … That of the iPad mini was completely identical to the previous model, without any reference to the version or year, and also in this case the word “Air” does not allow to date it in any way, it does not even if it is the first Air model to have such a large display.
The shape , identical in all respects to that of the iPad Pro 2017, is however a nice news for those who had a 9.7 model . Once picked up, you realize almost immediately that the size is different, even if the difference from the point of view of ergonomics management is very little.
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The iPad Air 2019 packaging 
No surprises inside the box … 
… not even for the power supply
The thing that you notice immediately is the display, larger (especially in height) and with thinner edges: the connector present laterally on the side long, suitable for hosting the Smart Keyboard, can be seen later, as it is perfectly profiled for the edge.
The iPad Air 2019 holds up very well, because 464 grams can be managed without problems even in one hand. In the bag it almost disappears: we are talking about 6.1 mm thick, perfect for a “throw in and forget it” transport. If we want to make a usability comparison with the 9.7 iPad, which at this point becomes the entry level of the price list, the difference is minimal, because with an extra inch in size and a handful of grams of weight the usability remains practically unchanged, but the performance is quite another thing as we will see.
iPad Air 2019, here with Smart Keyboard connected
The display, the first impact
The ignition reveals, as obvious, the operating system is iOS. This is iOS 12 but as we have seen between September and October iPadOS will arrive, which could change the use of a device like this massively. While we waited, we were immediately amazed by the new display: it will be a little the reduced frame, a little the quality of the retina technology or the brightness, but the impression is that the screen is much larger than the (poor) thumb. compared to iPad 9.7.
Family photo: the iPad mini (left), the original Air (center) and the new 10.5 Air (right)
This is purely our impression, because we have no tangible feedback but during the game, watching movies with Netflix or Plex or even simply browsing some web page what it seems is to have a much larger display and a much better experience.
To this we add that it is a True Tone display, a function that if activated (and is activated by default) adjusts the white balance based on the ambient light, showing for example slightly warmer tones in the evening, so as to tire less. the sight.
To this is added a wider color range: compared to a 9.7 iPad it undoubtedly improves the contrast, the resolution even if the brightness remains unchanged.
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The three iPads in comparison 
iPad mini against iPad Air 2019 
The smart cover also acts as a support
The space: an unsuitable scissors
The model we tested was the top of the range, with 256 GB of space, a respectable size for a device that is not a computer (but we will come back to this definition later) and which, by exploiting a lot of cloud services, can virtually use a lot papers.
But needless to deny it, 256 GB is a really convenient amount of space for everything, both for those who want to use a lot of Apps, and for those who maybe use the iPad to manage photos through some third-party App.
The only perplexity that we can advance, which is also the only negative point, is the choice of Apple to propose only two cuts of space with a very large gap, 64 and 256 GB, without an intermediate cut of 128 GB (also replacing the 64) which we are sure would have certainly been the most appreciated. It is clear that we are faced with a marketing choice: to propose a basic product at an attractive price (549 €), only to push because of the reduced capacity to purchase the much more expensive model, from 739 €. This strategy (which the Americans call upsell and which Apple applies to many products), coupled with the fact that the disparity in the cost of the components is far less than the € 190 difference between the two models, allows for better margins.
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Power from XS
The heart of the new iPad Air 2019 is an A12 Bionic processor with Neural Engine, the same as the iPhone XS so to speak and second in power only to that A12X that equips the Pro models.
The difference with the A10 Fusion that equips the 9.7-inch iPad is remarkable, a step that, although not immediately evident in some games and in the most common Apps, can be glimpsed in internet browsing, especially on sites that use many advertisements or elements. dynamic but above all in the use of programs that make extensive use of VR and AR.
In this case we have had great satisfaction, with fluid results and limited only by the fact that some Apps are still quite immature; but when their maturity arrives, this iPad could be a very interesting “stage”.
Apart from the screen, which makes a lot of difference, from the point of view of pure benchmarks data, we are on the same level as the iPad mini 2019, which shares its hardware. If the comparison moves to the iPad 2018, the advantage of the iPad Air is very evident and marked.
Also interesting is the support for Apple Pencil (first version), which as we know will improve with iPadOS this fall, for all the Apps that supported its use, soft and effective.
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Battery
Despite the increase in display size, the obvious higher resolution (2224 × 1668 pixels against 2048 × 1536 pixels) compared to the iPad 2018 and a potentially more “expensive” display in terms of energy, the impression is that the duration battery has remained the same.
Apple claims 10 hours of use, it seemed even more to us. Used in daily life we had three days of “real” activity (moments of intense use interspersed with others with display off and iPad in stand-by) without problems, and then returned to 100% with a quick charge via Lightning.
It could be said that wireless charging is also missing for iPads, but opinions are different in the editorial office. There are those who imagine it as a necessary evolutionary step and those who consider it superfluous and probably problematic, given the battery capacity of an iPad and the still slow energy transfer speed in touch devices. However, we all agree that the idea, assuming it was also Apple's, will take a few more years to implement.
Camera
The camera of the iPad, like that of the iPad mini, has a relative importance in judgment: unlike what happens in iPhones, the purpose of an iPad is rarely to photograph, but it becomes interesting for both office tasks (scans for example) both for applications or games that make heavy use of VR and AR.
The data talking about an 8 megapixel rear camera with aperture with ƒ / 2.4 aperture, Autofocus, HDR, automatic image stabilization and obviously also GPS: characteristics identical to iPad mini and substantially very similar to iPad too, towards which, however, the differences emerge to the most attentive eyes.
Comparison to the hand, in fact, we can see a more marked contrast and the ability to detect more information in the dark or in the darkest areas.
Ditto for videos, with recording capacity up to FullHD (1080p), Time-lapse and stabilizer: also in this case identical to the iPad mini and very similar to the iPad. The front camera is very different, FaceTime HD with 7 megapixel sensor and aperture with ƒ / 2.2 aperture, also in this case with the ability to generate videos in FullHD (1080p). Quite different from that of the iPad (which stops at 1.2 megapixels) and more similar, for example, to the TrueDepth front of the iPad Pro (although in this case it is not used to activate the FaceID since the TouchID has been maintained in this model ).
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the photographic sector of the iPad 2018 is not bad, perhaps the contrast is sometimes excessive 
The new iPad Air 2019 is more balanced than its brother
Conclusions
The considerations on this iPad can only be positive, as we wrote previously. In the opinion of this writer, if there are no problems of price or of complex and specific functions of a (super) pro audience, iPad Air is the best Apple iPad you can buy. It offers performance almost similar to that of an iPad Pro at a fraction of the price and sending in at all from all points of view, performance and usability of the contents thanks to the excellent screen, iPad 2018. If we want to move the comparison to iPad mini, which shares the same hardware, offers a much more satisfying glance on games, a very different enjoyable movie and much more comfortable web browsing, given the 1/3 larger screen. This at the same speed and with only a hundred euros more in cost (less if we consider the discounts that are on the iPad Air and which for now are not available on the iPad mini 5)
In reality, in this scenario we must also take into consideration what we saw at the last WWDC: the market is changing and Apple is guiding it. do or following, but the presentation of iPadOS, just a month after the launch of this model, cannot fail to leave us indifferent. If it is true that as we wrote Apple is raising the bar in the Mac market, with a redefinition of the pro sector, then it is true that as far as the more consumer sector is concerned, for Apple this iPad defines the identity of the next iPad. decade out of the category of “Pros”. With iPad OS, iPad Air and its niche will become capable of doing all the things that old computers did, only faster, leaner and without the problem of power. And without the costs of the iPad Pro range.
The available colors: Silver, Space Gray and Gold
Pro:
• Very large computing power • Screen with True Tone • Despite the increase in power, it remains light and discreet
Cons:
• The price range between the two models is too wide
Price:
• 569.00 Euro (64 GB Wi-Fi only) • 739.00 Euro (256 GB Wi-Fi only) • 709.00 Euro (64 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular) • 879.00 Euro (256 GB Wi-Fi) Fi + Cellular)
Available in three colors (Silver, Space Gray and Gold), two space cuts (64 and 256 GB) and two types of connection (Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular), the new iPad is already available in large-scale distribution, at the Apple Stores and APR stores on the peninsula and obviously also on Amazon.it
