iPad Air (3rd generation)

iPad Air (3rd generation)

Also known as	iPad Air 3
Developer	Apple Inc.
Manufacturer	Apple Inc.
Product family	iPad Air
Type	Tablet computer
Generation	3rd
Release date	March 18, 2019
Lifespan	March 18, 2019 - September 15, 2020
Introductory price	$499 USD £479 GBP $649 CAD $779 AUD €549 EUR
Discontinued	September 15, 2020
Operating system	Original: iOS 12.2 Current: iPadOS 15.3, released January 26, 2022
System on a chip	Apple A12 Bionic with 64-bit architecture and Apple M12 motion co-processor
CPU	2.49 GHz Hexa-core (2x high performance Vortex + 4x high efficiency Tempest)
Memory	3 GB LPDDR4X RAM (LPDDR4X)
Storage	64 or 256 GB flash memory
Display	10.5 inches (270 mm) (2,224 x 1,668) px (264 ppi), 500-nits Max Brightness, Wide-Color Display (P3), True Tone Display, Fully Laminated Display, 1.8% Reflectivity and Apple Pencil (1st generation) support
Graphics	Apple-Designed 4-Core
Sound	Stereo (both at bottom)
Input	Multi-touch screen, headset controls, M12 motion co-processor, proximity and ambient light sensors, 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, digital compass, dual microphone, Touch ID fingerprint reader, barometer
Camera	Front: 7 MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture, burst mode, exposure control, face detection, auto-HDR, auto image stabilization, Retina flash, 1080p HD video recording Rear: 8 MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture, five-element lens, Hybrid IR filter, Live Photos, face detection, HDR, panorama, wide-color capture, timer mode, burst mode, 1080p HD 30fps video recording, video stabilization, slo-mo, time-lapse
Connectivity	Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz and MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi + Cellular: GPS & GLONASS GSM UMTS / HSDPA 850, 1700, 1800, 1900 MHz LTE Multiple bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 66, 71
Power	30.2 W·h, up to 10 hours of battery life.
Online services	App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Books, iCloud, Game Center
Dimensions	250.6 mm (9.87 in) (h) 174.1 mm (6.85 in) (w) 6.1 mm (0.24 in) (d)
Mass	Wi-Fi: 456 g (1.005 lb) Wi-Fi + Cellular: 464 g (1.023 lb)
Predecessor	iPad Air 2
Successor	iPad Air (4th generation)
Related articles	iPad Mini (5th generation) iPad (8th generation)
Website	https://www.apple.com/ipad-air/

The iPad Air (3rd generation)^[1] (colloquially referred to as iPad Air 3) is a tablet computer developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. It was announced on March 18, 2019, alongside the 5th-generation iPad Mini.

It resembles a design identical to the IPad Pro 10.5 inch; overall updates include an upgraded Apple A12 Bionic, a slightly wider 10.5-inch Retina Display, faster memory (3GB of LPDDR4X, and supports for Bluetooth 5.0 and Apple Pencil (first generation).^[2]

It was discontinued on September 15, 2020 following the introduction of the iPad Air (4th generation).^[3]

Features[]

Hardware[]

The third-generation iPad Air features an upgraded, 7MP front camera (used first in the iPhone 7 and up to the iPhone XS), compared to the 1.2MP camera found in the previous generation. However, it retains the same, older 8MP rear camera.^[4]

The third-generation iPad Air has a 2.49GHz six-core processor, the Apple A12 Bionic chip. That chip has a 66% faster clock speed than the 1.5GHz triple-core Apple A8X in the second-gen. It also has a True Tone display, which allows the LCD to adapt to ambient lighting to change its color and intensity in different environments, and P3 wide color gamut to allow the LCD shows more vibrant colors.

This iPad Air retains the Lightning port, keeps the headphone jack, and has a slightly larger battery of 30.2 watt-hours (up from 27.6 W·h), rated by Apple to provide the same "10 hours" of active use.^[5] The third-generation iPad Air is the final model to include a home button; the fourth-generation iPad Air does not.

Software[]

The third-generation iPad Air first shipped with iOS 12.2. In September 2019 it received an iPadOS 13 update. In September 2020, third-generation iPad Air was listed as one of the devices that can be updated to iPadOS 14.

Reception[]

The third-generation iPad Air received positive reviews. It was praised for its laminated screen, Smart Keyboard case capability, as well as a speedy SoC. However, it only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, uses the 2017's 10.5-inch iPad Pro design and only has two speakers compared to four on the Pro models.^[6] In addition, while the current Pro models provide some support for HDR, the Air 3 does not.

Hardware issues[]

Some devices of this model, which were manufactured between March 2019 and October 2019, have issues where the screen may flicker or flash before permanently dying.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} As a result of this Apple released a recall program which allows users to send in their device for replacement up to 2 years from the date of purchase.^[7]

Timeline[]

Apple products use the convention 1 GB = one gigabyte (one billion bytes), meaning that 16, 32, 64 and 128 GB storage devices contain a total of 14.9, 29.8, 59.6 and 119.2 GiB, respectively. Formatting and apps take up some of this total storage, leaving 11.5, 27.5, 56.5 and 114 GiB available to the user.^[13]

References[]