Apple’s latest product unveiling may have skipped over the upcoming iPhone 12, but the Californian company still packed plenty of announcements into the hour-long livestream. Alongside two new Apple Watches, Apple confirmed the 8th-generation iPad and that a new iPad Air will be hitting stores soon, with the standard iPad available from Friday, September 18.
The 2020 iPad is Apple’s entry-level tablet, suitable for users wanting a more affordable device that’s fairly lightweight, portable and great for everyday browsing. The iPad Air is the mid-point between the new iPad and the premium iPad Pro, offering a larger display, faster chipset and an all-new screen.
iPad 8th gen: features, price and availability
Apple’s 8th-generation iPad offers a 10.2-inch Retina display, along with a physical home button and Apple Pencil integration. The tablet is powered by Apple’s A12 Bionic chip, and is the first standard iPad to feature Neural Engine machine learning.
The A12 chip promises a processing performance up to 40% faster than previous generations, with twice the graphics capability. Apple also claims that the new iPad is up to twice as fast as top-selling Windows laptops, three times faster than the most popular Android tablet, six times faster than the best-selling Chromebook.
Aside from a powerful performance, the iPad offers support for high-speed internet and up to 10 hours of WiFi use between charges. You’ll also get Touch ID and popular features such as Apple Pay and Siri.
Camera-wise, the iPad includes an 8-megapixel lens in back with 1080p video recording, plus a front-facing HD FaceTime camera for 1.2-megapixel photos. You’ll also get the full suite of Apple’s Photo features, such as Live Photos, Retina Flash, slow-mo, time lapse and Burst Mode.
The new iPad will run Apple’s iPadOS 14, which offers redesigned apps and widgets, improved search, and easy note-taking via Scribble and the Apple Pencil. The iPad is available in 32GB and 128GB sizes, with prices below; you can order the device from Apple from September 16, with delivery commencing September 18.
iPad with WiFi:
- 32GB: $499
- 128GB: $649
iPad with Wifi + cellular:
- 32GB: $699
- 128GB: $849
iPad Air: features, price and availability
The new iPad Air offers many of the same features as the iPad – including the new iPad OS 14 operating system – but in an upgraded and larger size. With a 10.2-inch Liquid Retina display and new integrated Touch ID sensor built into the top button, the Air is a great new full-screen device that’s compatible with the second-gen Apple Pencil, plus the Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio.
Apple has included its A14 Bionic chip on the new iPad Air, making it the most powerful Air tablet available and giving users a 40% performance boost, plus a 30% improvement in graphics. Essentially, if you rely on your iPad for work, gaming, or content creation, the Air has you covered with a faster-than-ever performance.
The Air will also feature the same 12-megapixel rear camera found in the iPad Pro, offering high-resolution photography and video up to 4K. You’ll also get a FaceTime HD camera in the front, plus all the features of Apple’s iPadOS 14 Photos and Camera apps.
Like the standard iPad, the new Air offers up to 10 hours of WiFi use on one single charge, including Web browsing and streaming video. The Air also takes entertainment up a notch with the inclusion of two-speaker audio in landscape mode, perfect for an immersive audio experience when you’re catching up on Netflix or YouTube.
Apple will offer the iPad Air in 64GB and 256GB storage sizes, and in a variety of colours including Rose Gold and Sky Blue. You’ll be able to order the Air in both WiFi and WiFi/cellular versions from October.
iPad Air with WiFi:
- 64GB: $899
- 256GB: $1,129
iPad Air with Wifi + cellular:
- 64GB: $1,099
- 256GB: $1,329
Tablet plans for the Apple iPad range
If you’re looking for an easy, flexible way to access the internet on your iPad – even when you’re out and about – a SIM-only data plan is your best bet. You can pair these plans below with any iPad with cellular connectivity, giving you guaranteed browsing, streaming and social networking when you’re away from WiFi or your home broadband.
Telstra Mobile Broadband Plans
The following table shows a selection of published Telstra mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $15 over one month |
5GB | $15 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $25 over one month |
10GB | $25 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $50 over one month |
50GB | $50 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $75 over one month |
100GB | $75 | Go To Site |
 View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Vodafone Mobile Broadband Plans
The following table shows a selection of published Vodafone mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $180 over 12 months |
5GB | $15 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $360 over 12 months |
25GB | $30 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $540 over 12 months |
60GB | $45 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $720 over 12 months |
100GB | $60 | Go To Site |
| View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Amaysim Mobile Broadband Plans
The following table shows a selection of published Amaysim mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $15 over 28 day billing period |
2GB | $15 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $25 over 28 day billing period |
5GB | $25 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $45 over 28 day billing period |
20GB | $45 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $60 over 28 day billing period |
50GB | $60 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $70 over 28 day billing period |
100GB | $70 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $90 over 28 day billing period |
150GB | $90 | Go To Site |
| View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Southern Phone Mobile Broadband Plans
The following table shows a selection of published Southern Phone mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $180 over 12 month plan period |
7GB | $15 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $300 over 12 month plan period |
15GB | $25 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $480 over 12 month plan period |
50GB | $40 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $780 over 12 month plan period |
100GB | $65 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $1,320 over 12 month plan period |
250GB | $110 | Go To Site |
| View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Mobile Broadband Plans Compared
The following table shows a selection of published 100GB mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
min. cost $720 over 12 months |
100GB | $60 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $780 over 12 month plan period |
100GB | $65 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $70 over 28 day billing period |
100GB | $70 | Go To Site |
|
min. cost $75 over one month |
100GB | $75 | Go To Site |
| View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
iPad, iPad Air and iPad Pro compared
| iPad | iPad Air | iPad Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From $499 | From $899 | From $1,649 |
| Screen size | 10.2-inch Retina display | 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with TrueTone | 12.9-inch Liquid Retina display with ProMotion and TrueTone |
| Battery | Up to 10 hours of WiFi use | Up to 10 hours of WiFi use | Up to 10 hours of WiFi use |
| Chipset | A12 Bionic Chip with Neural Engine | A14 Bionic Chip with Neural Engine | A12Z Bionic Chip with Neural Engine |
| Storage | 32GB, 128GB | 64GB, 256GB, | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Rear camera | 8-megapixel wide camera with 1080p video | 12-megapixel wide camera with 4K video | 12-megapixel wide and 10-megapixel ultra wide cameras with 4K video |
| Front camera | FaceTime HD camera | FaceTime HD camera | TrueDepth camera |
| Compatible accessories | Smart Keyboard, Apple Pencil 1st gen | Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, Apple Pencil 2nd gen | Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, Apple Pencil 2nd gen |
| Colours | Rose Gold, Space Grey, Silver | Rose Gold, Space Grey, Silver, Green, Sky Blue | Silver, Space Grey |
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