It's that time of year again when the latest iPhones hit shelves, prompting many to wonder if they should take the plunge into iOS for the first time, or upgrade to a new handset. Apple announced four new iPhones this week at its hardware event, mirroring the last year's offerings. The new iPhone 13 and 13 mini feature smaller notches at the top of their touchscreens, the new A15 Bionic processor and longer battery lives. The higher-end iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max smartphones have fancy finishes, 120Hz Super Retina XDR displays, and improved cameras along with the A15 Bionic chipset and better battery lives. Here's how to order the iPhone 13 series and the iPhone 13 Pro series.

iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini

Apple

The iPhone 13 and 13 mini will be available for pre-order starting at 5am PT (8am ET) on September 17 and will be widely available on September 24. The iPhone 13 starts at $799 while the iPhone 13 mini starts at $699.

Apple focused on refining the iPhone 13 series this year, trickling down some advanced features from last year's Pro line to the standard models. Both the iPhone 13 and 13 mini have a nearly identical design to last year's iPhone 12s, but they have a 20-percent small notch at the top and screens that are 28-percent brighter. Screen sizes have remained the same, too, measuring 6.1-inches on the iPhone 13 and 5.4-inches on the 13 mini. Apple managed to pack larger batteries in both handsets, so iPhone 13 users will get about 2.5 hours of extra use when compared to the iPhone 12, while iPhone 13 mini users will get about 1.5 extra hours. 

Inside both smartphones is the new A15 Bionic chipset and neural engine and Apple promises 50-percent better performance than the competition. The cameras have been upgraded as well: the dual system has a new wide camera sensor and lens along with the sensor-shift optical image stabilization system that we saw on the iPhone 12 Pro Max last year. Both the iPhone 13 and the 13 mini support expanded 5G as well, which will be available on 200 carriers in 60 countries by the end of this year.

As far as configurations go, the iPhone 13 and 13 mini are both available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage capacities. Apple has a new lineup of colors as well: pink, blue, midnight, starlight and Product Red.

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

Apple

The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max will be available for pre-order starting at 5am PT (8am ET) on September 17 and will be widely available on September 24. The iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will start at $1,099.

It's all about the screens and the cameras for these smartphones. While screen sizes haven't changed, both the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max have new Super Retina XDR displays with ProMotion, 1,000 nits of brightness and refresh rates up to 120Hz. We first saw this technology on the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and now it's been brought down to the higher-end iPhones.

The triple-rear camera system also got a big boost this year. It now features a new 77mm telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, along with a new ultra wide camera that has a f/1.8 aperture and autofocus. The primary "wide" camera is the largest Apple has even put in an iPhone and it features a f/1.5 aperture and 1.9-micron pixels. Apple also made it possible to shoot at up to 6x optical zoom, enabling macro photography, and it added new features like Cinematic Mode for videos, which uses machine learning to get things like better focus, better low-light performance, Time-lapse and Slo-mo video and more.

Inside the Pros is the A15 Bionic chipset with a 16-core neural engine, which Apple says will help the iPhones run 50 percent faster than the competition. The company also touts the handsets' enhanced durability and battery life. The iPhone 13 Pro series includes a surgical-grade stainless steel band and finishes that are resistant to abrasions and corrosions, and the lineup is IP68 water-resistant. As far as battery life goes, the iPhone 13 Pro should last 1.5 hours more than the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will last up to 2.5 hours longer than its predecessor.

As for configurations, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max come in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage capacities and both are available in four colors: sierra blue, silver, gold and graphite.

Amazon has a good bundle deal going on right now for Samsung fans. You can get a free SmartTag when you buy the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 from the online retailer, with the final cost being $150. That's $30 off the normal price of the bundle, so those looking to add a few new accessories to their setup can do so for a bit less.

Samsung only just came out with the Galaxy Buds 2 in August, and they act as the company's affordable option in its wireless earbud lineup. We gave them a score of 84 because they pack a lot of value for $150. They have good sound quality with active noise-cancellation and an adjustable ambient sound mode. Unsurprisingly, the ANC isn't as powerful here as it is on pricier earbuds, but that's to be expected. However, the Buds 2 will do a decent job blocking out environmental noise around you. They also support wireless charging with their included case, and you should get five hours of use with ANC turned on before they need more juice.

As for the SmartTag, it's Samsung's answer to Tile trackers and Apple's AirTags. You probably won't use it to keep track of the Galaxy Buds 2, as it's better suited as a keychain attachment or something you slip into your wallet or backpack. You can then monitor the location of your things from your smartphone and force the SmartTag to chime whenever you need to find a misplaced item.

It goes without saying that this bundle is best for Android users, particularly those with Samsung smartphones. SmartTags aren't compatible with iOS devices, and while you could use the Galaxy Buds 2 with an iPhone, you won't get all of the customizable features in the companion app that you get when using them with an Android device.

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Apple kicked off its hardware event today by revealing two updated iPads that improve upon existing models. The base, 10.2-inch iPad may look the same as the previous version, but it packs better performance and a more advanced camera. The new iPad mini, on the other hand, has been completely redesigned to look like a smaller iPad Pro. Here's how you can pre-order both the new 10.2-inch iPad and the new iPad mini.

10.2-inch iPad

Apple

The updated 10.2-inch iPad is available to pre-order today from Apple starting at $329 and will be widely available on September 24.

Similarly to last year, Apple focused on updating the internals of this iPad rather than its design. Inside is a A13 Bionic chipset with neural engine, which the company claims will provide 20 percent better performance than the previous tablet. The other major update is the new 12MP ultra wide, front-facing camera that supports Apple's Center Stage feature. This allows the camera to automatically pan and zoom to keep you in focus during video calls even as you move around. Apple debuted this feature on the latest iPad Pros and now even those opting for the most budget-friendly iPad can get that advanced feature.

The base iPad still has 10.2-inch Retina display but it now supports TrueTone, which will make it easier on the eyes. It still has a physical Home button on its bottom edge and it still supports the first-generation Apple Pencil for those that want to doodle and take notes with the tablet. Notably, the base configuration comes with double the storage than the previous model — 64GB instead of 32GB — which was a much-needed update.

iPad mini

Apple

The updated iPad mini is available to pre-order today from Apple starting at $499 and will be widely available on September 24.

Apple needed to give the iPad mini some love. The company's smallest tablet received a minor update two years ago, and hadn't received a big update for three years before that. So the 2021 iPad mini represents the biggest change for the compact tablet in roughly five years, and Apple essentially made it look like a tiny version of its iPad Pros. It has an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display that extends almost edge-to-edge, and that means the physical Home button is gone. Apple move its TouchID technology to the top button on this tablet, which makes it similar to the iPad Air. It also supports the second-generation Apple Pencil and the accessory can magnetically attach to the mini's side, just as it does with the iPad Pros.

The new iPad mini also has the 12MP ultra wide, front-facing camera found on the base iPad, which means Center Stage calls will be available on this device, too. The rear camera is a new 12MP shooter with Focus Pixels, True Tone flash and the ability to take Smart HDR photos.

Inside the iPad mini is the A15 Bionic chip, which has a six-core CPU and a five-core GPU, and Apple promises 40 percent better performance out of this slab than the previous version. It also has the neural engine which makes for more efficient machine-learning experiences. It'll come in WiFi and WiFi + Cellular versions and it now supports WiFi 6 and 5G connectivity. Another small yet important change is in the iPad mini's charging method — gone is the old Lightning port, as it's been replaced with a USB-C port for faster, more efficient charging.

Apple's fitness subscription service will soon make it easier for you to take a virtual class with friends and family. The new feature, dubbed Group Workouts, will arrive on Apple Fitness+ later this fall and it will be powered by Apple's SharePlay feature in iOS 15.

Apple announced SharePlay when it previewed iOS 15 a few months ago and it allows you to do things like watch a video with friends while on a call. Similarly, the feature will allow Apple Fitness+ users to take exercise classes with contacts, regardless of their location. During the class, you'll see some of your friends' fitness data on your screen as well as when they close their activity rings. And the feature will support up to 32 people at once, so you could have a yoga party with all of your extended family.

Apple's bringing a handful of smaller updates to Fitness+ this fall as well. Pilates workouts will come to the service, as well as guided meditation routines that will also be available in audio-only format. Winter sports fans may want to check out Apple's collection of workouts dubbed "getting ready for snow season," which appear to prep the body for activities like skiing and snowboarding.

Most new features will be available when watchOS 8 and iOS 15 launch, although we may have to wait a bit longer for Group Workouts because it's unclear if SharePlay will be fully available in the first version of iOS 15. Apple stated in August that SharePlay viewing would likely be delayed until later in the fall. Apple Fitness+ will also be available in 15 new countries this fall, with workouts available in English with subtitles in six different languages.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s iPhone event right here.

Samsung may not have added to the Galaxy Note lineup this year, but you can still get last year's excellent Note 20 series if you prefer big, slab-like phones to foldables. Amazon's running a sale right now on the entire series, knocking the Galaxy Note 20 5G down to $750 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G to $900. That's an all-time-low price on the Note 20 and only $25 more than the record-low on the Note 20 Ultra. The online retailer also has a daily deal today on Samsung SmartTags, so you could pick up one of the company's tiny Bluetooth trackers for only $20 to go with your new smartphone.

These are some of the biggest and boldest smartphones Samsung has made in recent years, with the Note 20 including a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED touchscreen and the Note 20 Ultra sporting a 6.9-inch Quad HD+ AMOLED screen. Both run on the same octa-core processor and support 5G connectivity, but the Note 20 Ultra has 12GB of RAM while the standard Note 20 has 8GB. Both also come with the Note series' signature S Pen for drawing, doodling and note-taking and that's one of the biggest selling point for these devices. The S Pen, while it hasn't changed much over the past few years, continues to be a solid stylus for Note handsets, with little lag time when writing on the smartphone's screen and gesture controls with features like Anywhere Actions.

While the Note series isn't for everyone, the Note 20 Ultra earned a score of 86 from us and we considered it to be Samsung's best big phone when it came out last year. It has excellent performance, a fantastic screen, a battery that lasted at least 12 hours on a single charge and a more thoughtful S Pen experience than previous generations. It's over the top in many ways, but a device like that is easier to justify when you can get it for much less than usual.

As for Samsung's SmartTags, they're the company's version of Tiles trackers and Apple's AirTags. You can attach one to things like your keys or slip one into your wallet to keep track of things via your smartphone. The companion app will show the tracker's last location and you can also use to to force the SmartTag to ring so you can follow the sound to your lost item. SmartTags are water-resistant and, unlike AirTags, they have a keyring hole so you can easily attach them to your things without buying additional accessories.

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Sony's true wireless earbuds are some of the best you can buy, if you're willing to pay premium prices. The latest WF-1000XM4 come in at $280, so they're not exactly budget-friendly. If you're willing to invest in the previous-generation buds, you can grab Sony's WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds for only $150 during a Best Buy one-day flash sale. That's $80 off their original price and just about the lowest we've seen. Amazon's matching the sale price and actually comes in a couple dollars cheaper at $148.

These buds took the top spot in our best wireless earbuds guide when they came out in 2019, and they've recently been replaced by the XM4. The XM3 have excellent sound quality with booming bass that isn't overpowering, bright highs and overall solid performance across a bunch of genres. Their active noise-cancellation is stellar, blocking out most background noises, and they'll last about six hours with ANC turned on. We also like Sony's comprehensive companion app that lets you customize the buds' settings.

Our biggest gripe with the XM3 was is design. The buds themselves are bulkier than most and their charging case is, admittedly, huge. Sony tried to fix this with the XM4, and it succeeded in doing so more with the charging case than with the earbuds. The latest buds remain on the larger side, although they have a more modern design, and the wireless charging case 40 percent smaller than that of the XM3. Sony also improved upon the ANC in the XM4 and increased the battery life to eight hours with ANC turned on. Those changes were enough to push the XM4 to the top spot on our favorites list, but you'll pay $280 to get all of that new tech.

Best Buy's flash sale has a few more gems to consider. Lenovo's original Smart Clock is on sale for $35, or $45 off its normal price. It's a good option for Google Assistant users who want a small, subtle smart display that works well as an alarm clock. It earned a score of 87 from us for its charming design, sunrise alarm feature and lack of camera, the latter of which will be attractive to the most privacy-conscious among us. The sale also includes the AeroGarden Elite Slim for $100, which is $80 off and one of the best prices we've seen it. If you want to try your hand at indoor gardening, AeroGarden's devices are one of the best ways to do so. It can grow up to six plants at once and won't take up too much space on a countertop.

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If you missed last week's sale on AirPods Pro, you have another opportunity to grab them at close to a record-low price. Apple's advanced wireless earbuds are down to $180 again on Amazon thanks to an automatically applied coupon that knocks $17.01 off the buds' $197 sale price. While we do expect to learn more about new regular AirPods during Apple's event tomorrow, it's unclear if we'll see a brand new version of the Pros.

These are Apple's most powerful earbuds and we gave them a score of 87 when they first came out. Yes, it's been nearly two years since then, but the AirPods Pro remain the best wireless earbuds for those with iPhones. That's due in part to how easily they pair and switch between Apple devices thanks to the H1 chip inside the buds, a piece of tech that also enables hands-free Siri access. Connecting the AirPods Pro to your iPhone for the first time is a quick and seamless process, and after that, you can go from listening to music on your Mac to taking a call on your iPhone with little hassle.

The AirPods Pro also have a better fitting design than standard AirPods, although that could change if Apple announces an updated model of its standard buds tomorrow. The Pros support ANC and Transparency Mode, which lets you hop in and out of conversations easily, and they support spatial audio along with Apple Music's new Dolby Atmos format. And if you want a pair of AirPods with wireless charging, the Pros are a good option because, unlike regular AirPods, their case has wireless charging support by default.

If you're more concerned about getting the latest earbuds Apple has to offer, it's worth it to wait until after tomorrow's event to see what the company has in store. However, if you're more concerned about your budget, this sale on the AirPods Pro is one of the best we've seen in recent months.

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Labor Day weekend may be over, but some of the sales that came with it are still ongoing. A number of Apple products have been discounted ahead of the company's event next week, including the iPad Air and the MacBook Air M1. Amazon has a bunch of deals onFire tablets, knocking the Fire HD 10 tablet down to $100 and the Fire HD 8 down to $60. Plus, you can still save a ton on things like Samsung portable drives, eero 6 WiFi systems, Pixel smartphones and more. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

iPad Air

Dana Wollman/Engadget

Apple's iPad Air is $100 off right now, bringing it down to $500. All five colors are on sale at Amazon. thanks to automatically applied coupons, although with various shipping times. We gave the Air a score of 90 for its speedy performance and WiFi, healthy battery life and support for the second-gen Apple Pencil.

Apple Watch SE

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The Apple Watch SE is on sale for $240 right now on Amazon thanks to a few automatically applied coupons for certain color options. We gave the Watch SE a score of 88 for its comfortable, familiar design, solid performance and comprehensive feature set for the price.

MacBook Air M1

Apple's MacBook Air M1 is back down to an all-time low of $850 thanks to an automatically applied coupon. It earned a score of 94 from us for its stellar performance, attractive, fanless design and its comfortable keyboard and trackpad.

Mac Mini M1

Apple's Mac Mini M1 returned to its all-time-low price of $600 thanks to a sale and an automatically applied coupon. You're getting all of the performance boosts provided by the M1 chipset in a compact desktop package. This is a good machine to get if you have an older desktop that needs replacing, but you don't want to spend a ton of money.

Eufy SpaceView baby monitor

Will Lipman Photography

Eufy's SpaceView baby monitor with one camera is down to $125 thanks to a clippable coupon and the code eufybbm20 that you can use at checkout. The camera can pan 330 degrees and tilt 110 degrees to give you a full view of your baby's room, and you can expand the field of view up to 110 degrees thanks to the included extra lens. It also uses a FHSS connection instead of WiFi, which lets you check out your kids' activities in real time in a more secure way.

Eero 6 WiFi systems

Amazon

Amazon's Labor Day sale on eero 6 systems is still ongoing so you can pick up a pack with one router and two extenders for $195, or $84 off its normal price. A pack of three routers is also down to $244. These gadgets support a peak bandwidth of 900Mbps and they include a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, so you can connect things like smart lights directly to it.

Amazon Fire tablets

Valentina Palladino / Engadget

A number of Fire tablets are still on sale after the Labor Day holiday. The top-tier Fire HD 10 is $50 off, bringing it down to $100, while you can grab the Fire HD 8 for $60 or the Fire 7 for only $40. These devices make good starter tablets for kids as well as good couch devices for email-checking, web-surfing, online shopping and more.

Echo Show 5

Both the first- and second-generation Echo Show 5s are on sale right now — the original is down to $45 while the updated version is only $10 more. These stand out as excellent smart alarm clocks thanks to their compact size, sunrise alarm feature and tap-to-snooze function. The main difference between the two is the improved, 2MP camera on the second-gen version, which will make for slightly better video calls.

Google Pixel 4

Google's Pixel 4 smartphone is down to a new low of $379 at B&H Photo. We believe the launch of the Pixel 6 to be right around the corner, so you may want to wait if you want the latest phone from Google. However, the Pixel 4 remains a solid handset — we liked its speedy performance, lovely display and stellar camera experience.

Samsung T7 Touch SSD (1TB)

Samsung's T7 Touch portable SSD in 1TB is down to $170, or $10 off its normal price. It has dropped to $160 in the past, but this is the best price we've seen in a number of months. In addition to read speeds up to 1,050 MB/s and write speeds up to 1,000 MB/s, this tiny SSD has a shock-resistant body and a built-in fingerprint reader for an extra layer of security.

Google Nest WiFi (2 pack)

Google's Nest WiFi pack with one router and one access point is down to $199 right now at Best Buy. That's $70 off its normal price and a great deal on one of our favorite mesh systems. We gave it a score of 84 for its minimalist design, simple installation and built-in smart speaker.

Samsung Premiere projector

Samsung's Premiere Projector is $1,000 cheaper both at Amazon and Samsung's own site. The 4.2.2 sound channel model is down to $5,498, which is still quite expensive, but much better than its normal $6,500 price. We included this in our best projectors guide for its separate red, green and blue lasers that cover the full Rec.2020 color range, maximum 2,800 lumens of brightness and 4K resolution.

Gaming PC sweepstakes

Through September 18, Omaze is giving away another $20,000 to build your ultimate gaming PC. This sweepstakes is free to enter, but funds donated with purchased entries will benefit Schools on Wheels, an organization that provides free tutoring and mentoring services to children experiencing homelessness across Southern California.

Comic-Con 2022 sweepstakes

Through December 8, you can enter to win four-day passes to San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Along with the passes, you'll get access to a special preview night, reserved seating in Hall H, a personal concierge, a private tour of the Comic-Con Museum, dinner in Balboa Park and tickets to the "Night at the Comic-Con Museum" event. It's free to enter, but funds from this sweepstakes will go to the San Diego Comic Convention.

New tech deals

Dyson Labor Day sale

A few Dyson cordless vacuums are still on sale even after the Labor Day holiday. Of note are the Dyson Outsize for $700, or $100 off its normal price, and the Dyson V8 Animal for $350, which is $50 off. Although both models are a few years old at this point, they remains solid cordless vacuums made even better by these sale prices.

Weber grills

Weber knocked hundreds off its high-end SmokeFire grills — both the EX6 and EX4 are $200 off, bringing them down to $999 and $799, respectively. These WiFi-connected grills are some of our favorites because they're relatively easy for even grilling novices to use and their companion mobile app gives you a number of convenient features like remote temperature adjustment and SmokeBoost activation.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2

The new Galaxy Buds 2 are on sale for $125 at Woot, which is $25 off their normal price. These buds earned a score of 84 from us for their improved sound quality, small and comfortable design and wireless charging capabilities. A note: Woot's return policy is not the same as Amazon's, despite being owned by the retail giant, so check it out before you make a purchase.

Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 (one-day deal)

Woot also has a one-day sale on the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2, knocking it down to $270. This is a great deal considering this Chromebook is usually prices between $375 and $500. You're getting a lightweight 2-in-1 design here with an Intel Celeron 3965Y processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 12.2-inch FHD display and a built-in stylus. A note: Woot's return policy is not the same as Amazon's, despite being owned by the retail giant, so check it out before you make a purchase.

Garmin smartwatches

Wellbots is having a sale on a bunch of Garmin smartwatches — you can get $100 off the Fenix 6 series using the code GARMIN100 at checkout, $75 off the Garmin Venu with the code GARMIN75 at checkout and $50 off the Garmin Lily with the code GARMIN50. These are some of Garmin's latest wearables and they serve most types of people — the Fenix 6 will be best for the most outdoorsy among us, while the Venu and the Lily are good options for those that want an alternative to an Apple Watch or a Wear OS device.

NordVPN

One of our recommended VPNs is running a decent sale on a two-year subscription. You can sign up for NordVPN for $99 for the first two years, which comes out to $49.50 per year, and get three additional months of access for free. We like NordVPN for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices.

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Apple struck a good balance with its Watch SE, combining all of its core wearable features into a relatively affordable package. Those who don't want to shell out $400 or more on a Series 6 have the $279 Apple Watch SE as an alternative. Now, you can spend even less and get the Watch SE — Amazon has a couple of colors of the 40mm GPS version for $240, or about $40 off its normal price. We've seen the Watch SE drop to $230 in the past, but this is the best price we've seen in months. Most discounted models have automatically applied coupons, so you'll see the final price at checkout rather than on the product page.

We gave the Apple Watch SE a score of 88 when it came out last year thanks to its familiar design, solid performance and comprehensive feature set. It looks nearly identical to the Series 6, and although it's has a slightly older SiP on the inside, it still runs smoothly. But arguably the most important thing is that the Watch SE gives you all of the major features you'd want from an Apple Watch including all-day heart rate monitoring with high and low heart rate alerts, built-in GPS, fall detection, Apple Pay support, Emergency SOS and more.

So where did Apple make cuts to bring down the Watch SE's cost? Mostly in advanced features. You won't find a blood oxygen sensor or an ECG tool on this wearable, and you also won't get the always-on display that the Series 6 has. Admittedly, those features will mean more to some users than others, so you may be able to safely skip them in order to save some money and get the same essential Apple Watch experience.

But it's worth noting that Apple's next event is scheduled for September 14. While the new iPhone will likely be the headliner, we could see an updated Apple Watch as well. If you want the newest Watch, it may be worth it to wait and see what the company announces next week.

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While Apple's entry-level iPad is ideal for those with strict budgets, we consider the iPad Air to be the best tablet in the company's lineup for most people. Those on the fence about shelling out $800 or more for an iPad Pro may find all their needs met by the $599 iPad Air. And now, thanks to a sale on Amazon, the tablet is cheaper than ever before. All five color options of the iPad Air are down to $500, or $100 off their normal price. We've seen this discount before a couple of times, but it's rare to see all colors on sale at once. While some like the rose gold model have the $100 discount outright, others like the silver and blue models are priced at $539, but an automatically applied coupon will bring the final price down to $500.

The iPad Air earned a score of 90 from us when it came out in October last year. Apple revamped the design to make it look more like the iPad Pros, featuring flat edges, a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display, a USB-C port for charging and a side button with TouchID technology built in. Inside is Apple's A14 Bionic chipset, which includes a six-core CPU and a four-core GPU, as well as WiFi 6 technology. Both of these things help the iPad Air feel much zippier than previous models, and you'll be able to reap the benefits for a long time each day as the Air's battery lasted between 10 and 12 hours in our testing.

Like the iPad Pro, the Air is compatible with the second-generation Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard. While those accessories drive the price of your whole system up, it also means that you could use the Air as a laptop replacement if you wish. However, there are some notable differences between the Air and the latest iPad Pros, namely the M1 chipset found in the latter. If you're going to push your machine to its limits on a regular basis, or just want a device that's slightly more future-proof, one of the new iPad Pros may be the way to go (the base 12.9-inch model is $100 off right now, too). But most people will find that the iPad Air hits a sweet spot — it's speedy, lightweight and versatile, with just the right number of pro-level features for the price.

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