Apple’s new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are up for pre-order today and they should be available starting October 23rd. But they’re not the only new Apple products up for pre-order today.
They’re not even the only other Apple devices with A14 Bionic chips available for pre-order today.
The 4th-gen iPad Air is also up for pre-order today and it also ships next week.
First unveiled a month ago, the iPad Air is a 1 pound tablet featuring a 10.9 inch, 2360 x 1640 pixel display, stereo speakers, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor in the power button, 20W USB-C fast charging, and up to 256GB of storage.
It’s also the first device Apple announced to feature the A14 Bionic processor… one reason Apple may have waited a month after introducing the tablet to begin actually selling it is because the company didn’t want to ship a tablet with that chip before you could by a phone powered by one.
Price start at $599 for a WiFi-only iPad Air with 64GB of storage or $749 for a 256GB model. You can also add 4G LTE cellular support to either configuration for an extra $130.
big deal
The iPhone 12 mini isn’t available for preorder until the 6th of November. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are up for preorder now. The 12 Mini and 12 Pro Max are up on the 6th of November.
Whoops, you’re right. I updated the article to reflect that.
I could have gone either way with an IOS tablet or Android since I’m equally invested in both ecosystems. This time I went with the Galaxy S7. I know I gave up amoled with the S7+ but the size and the weight of the 12.4 larger model was too much after holding it, and this is coming from someone that still currently owns a 2nd gen 2017 iPad pro 12.9 which on paper is heavier but in reality feels lighter. Weight distribution is obviously better with Apple’s iPads as even this S7 feels heavier than what I was expecting.
Point is I could have gone for the Air. Would have been close to $800 with tax. The S7 256gb version, I paid $579 plus tax and the pen came with it, unlike the air. I also picked up the S7 keyboard and an Amazon prime special deal for a 512 gb micro SD card for around $60. So all total with the keyboard book cover close to $840.
The Air obviously has its pro’s, Apple build quality, IOS app ecosystem and excellent resale value, but the S7 is an excellent bang for your buck machine. Display quality, even though just LCD, is excellent as is the bonus of having a 120 hz screen which one ups the Air as does having a Micro SD card.
As far as apps go, I’m not a heavy user of the kind of apps that would give the iPad an advantage. The equivalent android apps do what I need them to perfectly well. The other advantage for me is that Android is just so customizable rather than the rigid control you have with Apple. I know ios 14 is improving in the right direction, but if we’re honest, nothing close to Android.
I like the build quality of the S7 and the screen quality. It feels a little bit heavy for a tablet with a 8000mah batter installed. Battery life is decent, but not brilliant. After close to a week of battery results accurately has the screen on time around 12 hours. I personally think that’s optimistic, but I’ll keep monitoring it with time.
My conclusion is I have no reservations in recommending the S7 over the Air, especially if you can get the reduced price. Samsung offered a $500 trade in value for my iPad pro 12.9 during prime day. Probably should have considered it as they were advertising the same price for the S7 as Amazon and I think I’m starting to collect too many tablets and need to offload a few. I know, first world problems indeed.
Sorry, posted that, didn’t fully check the spelling as autocorrect took over and no edit option.
Accubattery is the Android app I’m using to measure battery longevity showing 12 hours of on screen time.
I’m buying an iPad Air for my mother, to replace her now-almost 7-year old one… Only reason I can convince her to take the new one is because it will share a USB-C port with her Galaxy Note. I do wish they kept the $499 starting price, but I’ll pay the extra $100.
I thought about an S7, but she seems happy with the iPad, and it will be good for another 5+ years. I know Samsung pledged to at least 3-years upgrades and more for security patches, but the iPad still has it beat.
It would be a different discussion if it were for me, but I’m going Surface, so…
Three excellent options to have with the ipad air, the S7 and Microsoft’s surface. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of them, but completely agree, an ipad is the way to go for your mom. I just bought an 8th gen ipad for my dad, to upgrade the original iPad Air he’s had since 2013. I once attempted to teach him how to use an Android tablet. Will not be doing that again anytime soon. He was not a fan. I Thought about the Air for him. Would have considered it at $499, but $650 after tax. For that, I would definitely need to trade in or sell my 2017 pro to get the cost down.
Long term updates, excellent reliability and ease of use is why the iPad is the success it is and it would be the tablet I’d recommend to most people. I just thought I’d just try something different this year and so far I’ve got no complaints.
I’ve never owned a Surface, but have always had my eye on one, It’s still the king of productivity. I’m still using my old Dell Venue pro, because with Windows 10 on it, it still can do things the S7 and ipad can only dream of.
Yup, that’s essentially the same calculus I did, but I figured that the extra $$$ to consolidate on USB-C was worth it.
(If she used an iPhone, would’ve gone with a standard iPad, but she’s going to keep using her Note.)
Surface is going to be my laptop / tablet, so it’s the only real option there; hoping to grab it soon.