Apple iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 available for pre-order starting at Rs 35,900 & Rs 28,900 in India; to be launched on Nov 29

Within a month of being launched in the US, Apple's new iPads are now available for pre-order in India. While one of them is the successor to the original iPad Air, the other one is a third generation iPad mini. Both the tablets are up for pre-order on e-commerce sites like Flipkart.com and Infibeam.com in the country. White Flipkart has mentioned end of November as the delivery date for the tablets, Infibeam claims 'assured delivery' on November 29, 2014.

In terms of pricing, the Wi-Fi only version of iPad Air 2 is priced at Rs 35,900, Rs 42,900 and Rs 49,900 for the 16, 64, and 128GB models respectively. In addition, the Wi-Fi + Cellular version is available for Rs 45,900, Rs 52,900 and Rs 59,900 for the 16, 64 and 128GB models.

In comparison, the Wi-Fi only version of iPad mini 3 is priced slightly lower at Rs 28,900, Rs 35,900 and Rs 42,900 for the 16, 64, and 128GB models respectively. In addition, the Wi-Fi + Cellular version is available for Rs 38,900, Rs 45,900 and Rs 52,900 for the 16, 64 and 128GB models.

Here is a look at the specifications of the devices.

iPad Air 2 starting at Rs 35,900

iPad Air 2The latest addition to the iPad family features a 9.7 inch IPS LED-backlit multi-touch retina display (2048×1536 resolution) and 264 ppi pixel density and is powered by Apple's A8X processor with M8 motion co-processor. It runs on the iOS 8 operating system and will be offered in 16GB, 64 and 128GB internal memory options.

iPad Air 2 sports an 8 megapixel auto focus iSight camera that can record full HD videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second as well as slo-mo videos at 120fps. It also has a 1.2MP front-facing FaceTime camera that can also record HD videos (720p). The rear camera comes with five-element lens, backside illumination, and f/2.4 aperture. Additional features of the camera include time-lapse video, video image stabilisation, photo & video geotagging, panorama (up to 43MP), and burst mode, among others.

On the connectivity front, it has Bluetooth 4.0 and comes in a Wi-Fi and a Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The dimensions of the tablet are 240mm x 169.5mm x 7.5mm and it weighs 437 gm (444 gm for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model), making it 1.4mm thinner and 32 gm lighter than its predecessor. Apple claims that the tablet's battery can provide up to 10 hours of web surfing (on Wi‑Fi), video watching and music. It is available in silver, gold and space grey colours. Also, similar to the iPhone 5S and later models, a fingerprint identity sensor has been built into the home button of the tablet.

iPad mini 3 starting at Rs 28,900

iPad mini 3The iPad mini 3 features a 7.9 inch IPS LED-backlit multi-touch retina display (2048×1536 resolution) and 326 ppi pixel density and is powered by Apple's A7 processor with M7 motion coprocessor. It will run on the iOS 8 operating system and users can opt between 16, 64 and 128GB of internal memory that is non-expandable.

The device sports a 5MP auto focus iSight camera that can record full HD videos (1080p), and a 1.2MP front-facing FaceTime camera that can also record HD videos (720p). The rear camera comes with five-element lens, backside illumination, and f/2.4 aperture. On the connectivity front, it has Bluetooth 4.0 and comes in a Wi-Fi and a Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

The iPad mini 3 measures 200mm x 134.7mm x 7.5mm and weighs 331 gm (341 gm for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model). According to the company, its battery can provide up to 10 hours of web surfing (on Wi‑Fi), video watching and music. A fingerprint identity sensor has also been built into the home button of the tablet, and it is also available in silver, gold and space grey colours.