iPad Air A12 Bionic 2019

iPad Air A12 Bionic 2019

iPad Air

Discontinued
Released: March 18, 2019Discontinued on: September 15, 2020
United States: US$629, US$779Japan: N/A

Overview

It's important to know that this A2153 iPad Air (3rd Gen) model supports Gigabit-class LTE on bands 1-5, 7, 8, 11-14, 17-21, 25, 26, 29, 30, 34, 38-41, 46, 66, and 71, but not bands 28 or 42. While compatible with carriers worldwide, it is believed to have been sold exclusively in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.


Regardless of connectivity, the iPad Air 3rd Gen models are positioned as offering "high-end features and performance at a breakthrough price." They feature newer, faster internals than the iPad Pro 10.5" models they replaced, but have a lower-quality display, as well as inferior cameras and speakers.


All iPad Air 3rd Gen devices have a fully-laminated, antireflective 10.5-inch LED-backlit 2224x1668 (264 ppi, DCI-P3 color gamut) "Retina" display, but they do not support "ProMotion technology" and its 120 Hz refresh rate.


These models are powered by an Apple A12 Bionic processor, 3 GB of RAM, and come with either 64 GB or 256 GB of flash storage. They are available in Black and Space Gray, White and Silver, or White and Gold cases.


Other notable features include dual cameras, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with HT80 with MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, dual microphones, and a single set of stereo speakers. They also have a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack and Touch ID.


Connectivity and power are provided by a Lightning port. A "Smart Connector" supports the same small Apple Smart Keyboard as the earlier 10.5" iPad Pro models. It is also compatible with the original Apple Pencil.


Battery life is rated at 10 hours of Wi-Fi web surfing, video, or music, and 9 hours on cellular data. This model has an eSIM and a nano-SIM slot.

Evaluation

The iPad Air 3 with cellular for the North American market was praised for hitting a sweet spot of performance and price. It packed a powerful A12 Bionic chip, making it a fast and capable device for a wide range of uses. Support for the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, previously a Pro-only feature, significantly boosted its value as a productivity tool. The 10.5-inch laminated Retina display with True Tone was excellent. For users in the US and Canada, this model offered reliable and fast LTE connectivity, making it a great choice for students and mobile professionals. While it didn't have all the bells and whistles of the top-tier Pro models, its compelling blend of power, pro-level features, and connectivity made it an outstanding value and a highly recommended tablet.

Product Info

Product Info Table
Apple Model NoA2153 (EMC 3316*)
Apple Order NoMV162LL/A
Apple SubfamilyiPad Air 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi + Cellular)

Price

Price Table
United StatesUS$629, US$779
AustraliaA$979, A$1199
AustriaN/A
BelgiumN/A
BrazilN/A
CanadaC$819, C$1019
ChinaN/A
DenmarkN/A
FinlandN/A
FranceN/A
GermanyN/A
Hong KongN/A
IndiaN/A
IndonesiaN/A
IrelandN/A
ItalyN/A
JapanN/A
KoreaN/A
LuxembourgN/A
MalaysiaN/A
MexicoN/A
NetherlandsN/A
New ZealandNZ$1069, NZ$1319
NorwayN/A
PortugalN/A
SingaporeN/A
SpainN/A
SwedenN/A
SwitzerlandN/A
TaiwanN/A
ThailandN/A
The PhilippinesN/A
United KingdomN/A
VietnamN/A

Pricing Extras

Pricing Extras Table
Est. Current RetailUS$300-US$400

Body

Body Table
Form FactoriPad Air 3rd Gen
Case TypeTablet
Housing ColorBlack or White
Dimensions9.8 x 6.8 x 0.24
Avg. Weight1.02 lbs / 464 g

Platform

Platform Table
Processor TypeApple A12 Bionic
Processor Speed2.49 GHz
Processors1 (6 Cores)
Onboard RAM3 GB
Geekbench 2 (32)N/A
Geekbench 3 (32)N/A
Geekbench 3 (64)N/A
Geekbench 4 (SC)4799
Geekbench 4 (MC)11396
Geekbench 5 (SC)1112
Geekbench 5 (MC)2782

Storage

Storage Table
Storage Capacity64, 256 GB

Display

Display Table
Built-in Display10.5" Retina
Display Resolution2224x1668 (264 ppi)
Camera8 Megapixels

Connectivity

Connectivity Table
ConnectivityUSB 3
PortsLightning, Smart Connector, Headphone
USB SupportSync & Charge (Lightning)
Firewire SupportNone
Cell NetworkGSM/LTE
Standard Wireless802.11a/b/g/n/ac (HT80)
Standard Bluetooth5.0

Power

Power Table
Battery TypeLithium Polymer (30.2 Whr)
Battery Life (Music)9-10 Hours
Battery Life (Voice)N/A
Standby TimeN/A

Software

Software Table
Pre-Installed OSiOS 12.2 (16E227)
Maximum OSCurrent
Mac SupportOS X 10.11.6
Windows SupportWindows 7

Accessories

Accessories Table
ControllerMulti-touch