Apple has revealed a new range of tablets in a surprise announcement Monday. It includes the first new iPad mini in nearly four years, complete with support for the firm’s Apple Pencil stylus. The 10.5-inch iPad Air and 7.9-inch iPad mini 5 are now available to pre-order for US$399 and US$499, respectively.

The new Air models are available in silver, space grey and gold, and come with 64 GB and 256 GB storage. The devices have been upgraded to house Apple’s latest A12 Bionic chip, which the tech giant says has given it three times the performance power of the previous generation, as well as graphics processing that is nine times faster.

The Air is also fitted with a True Tone display screen, which Apple claims is 20 percent larger than previous models, despite being only 6.1 millimeters thick and weighing only 456 grams. The smaller tablet has been resurrected* at a time when smartphones are growing in size and phablets* are gaining popularity.

Apple’s Phil Schiller said the two new devices would give potential* tablet buyers greater choice. “The iPad continues to provide magical new experiences for a growing range of uses where it is the absolute best device, from playing games in augmented reality* to note-taking and drawing with Apple Pencil, from streaming high-definition* movies and editing 4K films to learning to develop apps with Swift Playgrounds,” he said.

Apple is also expected to announce a new TV and film streaming service to rival the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It is planning to launch a new gaming subscription service that will work like Netflix for games. (SD-Agencies)