Design and Build

The iPad Air 3 (2019) is designed in an aluminum case with rounded corners, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.24 inches (250.6 x 174.1 x 6.1 mm) in size and 1.0 pound (456g Wi-Fi, 464g Cellular) in weight. It is available in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold colors and comes with a Home button with Touch ID and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The device is compatible with the 1st-gen Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard peripherals, but it does not support a Smart Connector. There is no IP rating and it is not resistant to water or dust. The Lightning port is seen as a cons as it is old-fashioned hence does not support the Air 4's USB-C port. The consumers are fans of the old design style yet they disapprove of the thick bezels and lack of such advanced features as Face ID.

• Aluminum chassis, rounded edges
• Home button with Touch ID
• Lightning port, 3.5mm headphone jack
• Supports 1st-gen Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard
• No water/dust resistance

Display

The iPad Air 3 is equipped with a 10.5-inch Retina IPS LCD having 2224 x 1668 resolution (264 PPI), True Tone, and P3 wide color support, so as to be able to provide 500 nits brightness. A 60Hz refresh rate is a standard thing, and the laminated display has reduced parallax compared to the iPad 9th Gen. It is able to use the 1st-gen Apple Pencil, a good feature for taking notes. However, the air gap and the absence of ProMotion make it look somewhat outdated when compared to the Air 4. The device is comfortable outdoors. At the same time, it can still be seen well, but the brightness is not exceptionally high.

• 10.5-inch Retina IPS LCD
• 2224 x 1668 resolution, 264 PPI
• 500 nits brightness
• True Tone, P3 wide color
• 60Hz refresh rate
• Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating

Performance and Software

The Apple A12 Bionic chip (a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, and 8-core Neural Engine) powers the iPad Air 3 with 3GB of RAM and two storage choices: 64GB ($499) and 256GB ($649). The storage is not expandable. The device is compatible with iPadOS 12 (and will be updated to iPadOS 17, but iPadOS 18 will not be supported). Its period of updates will end (2024), and this leaves iPadOS 17 (2024) as the last possible updating version. It is good with basic uses and light gaming but can get a little slow with multitasking. The A14 of the Air 4 is better at this point. Occasional users find it reliable, whereas most of the users find it old-fashioned and inadequately equipped for today's apps.

• Apple A12 Bionic chip, 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU
• 3GB RAM
• Storage: 64GB, 256GB
• iPadOS 12 (up to iPadOS 17)
• No Apple Intelligence support

The A12 Bionic is decent for its age, but 3GB RAM and no iPadOS 18 support limit its longevity. It’s a budget option for basic tasks but not for power users.

Camera System

The iPad Air 3 comes with a 5x digital zoom 8-megapixel back camera (f/2.4) that seems to lack flash and a 7-megapixel front camera (f/2.2). It can capture 1080p @ 30fps video with both of them.

• Rear: 8MP (f/2.4, 5x digital zoom)
• Front: 7MP (f/2.2)
• Video: 1080p 30fps
• Features: HDR, Burst mode

Battery and Charging

The iPad Air 3’s 8134mAh battery can go on for nearly 10 hours of video playback or last for 8–10 hours of the real world. The 10W charging via Lightning (50% in ~60 minutes) is supported, with a 10W charger included. Wireless charging is not an option. The battery life is almost the same as the one with the Air 4 but below the one with the Air 5 which is 12 hours. The users have shared their experience, that the usage of it with light tasks is reasonable, and the charging process is definitely slow.

• 8134mAh battery
• ~10 hours video playback, 8–10 hours real-world
• 10W wired charging (50% in ~60 min)
• No wireless charging
• 10W Lightning charger included

Connectivity

The iPad Air 3 is compatible with Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.0, and optional 4G LTE on cellular models ($629+). It carries a nano-SIM, eSIM, and GPS (A-GPS, GLONASS on cellular). The lack of 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connections to it makes it less ideal in the future compared to the Air 4. The device was released in the time of healthy connectivity, but the wi-fi is unsettlingly slower for those who own newer models.

• Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
• Bluetooth 5.0
• 4G LTE (cellular models)
• Nano-SIM, eSIM
• GPS: A-GPS, GLONASS (cellular)
• No 5G or Wi-Fi 6

Pricing and Availability

When the iPad Air 3 was launched, in the versions Wi-Fi 64GB and $499 and 256GB as well as Cellular for $649 were released. Apple and retailers made the gadgets available on March 18, 2019. Cellular models come with an upcharge of $130. The computer was officially out of the market in March 2022, and a refurbished one with around $250–$350 can be found as the lowest price. The Air 4 ($599) is the one that comes with a new look and USB-C, so, the Air 3 will lose its appeal if the budget is not so tight.