Apple makes the surprise announcement of a pair of tablet refreshes-- the 2019 iPad Air and Mini models feature the A12 Bionic chip, as well as stylus input through Pencil support.

The iPad Air gets an increase in size to 10.5-inch, as well as the A12 Bionic chip promising a 70% performance boost and twice the graphics capability compared to the previous model. Connectivity comes through a Lightning connector (as opposed to a USB-C port), while Touch ID remains the security system of choice. The update also brings support for the (first generation) Pencil and the Smart Keyboard, allowing one to use the tablet for light productivity purposes.

Qualcomm uses MWC 2019 to announce the Snapdragon 8cx platform-- the chip designed by the company to power the "always on, always connected" laptops of the near future-- will feature 5G connectivity.

Announced back in December 2018, the now imaginatively titled Snapdragon 8cx 5G Compute Platform promises to do nothing less than "lead the PC ecosystem into the 5G era." To do so the chip integrates the Snapdragon X55 5G modem, and will allow enterprises to build private 5G small-cell networks providing a more secure and high-performance data link for next generation connected applications.

Samsung announces the Galaxy Tab S5e ahead of MWC 2019-- a more affordable alternative to the flagship Galaxy Tab S4, featuring a metal unibody the company says is the thinnest and lightest yet, being 5.5mm thin and weighing 400g.

The tablet promises a big 10.5-inch display, with an 81.8% screen-to-body ratio comparable to the 82.9% offered by the 11-inch iPad Pro. The display features a 2560 x 1600 resolution Super AMOLED panel with 16:10 aspect ratio, but features no S Pen stylus support. As for further specs, the tablet carries an octa-core Snapdragon 670 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage (expandable via microSD slot), 6150mAh battery, 8MP front-/13MP back-facing cameras and quad AKG speakers.

Apple is set to launch a number of iPad models in H1 2019, DigiTimes reports, with Japanese blog Mac Otakara claiming the lineup will include the so-called iPad mini 5, a device apparently very similar to the previous iPad mini 4.

According to Mac Otakara, the iPad mini 5 will be identical in terms of size as the iPad mini 4, down to the same 6.1mm thickness. As such, it will probably have the same 7.9-inch display, at least if the bezels remain unchanged. It should also retain the Lightning connector (no USB-C here), Touch ID and 3.5mm jack, while the rear microphone gets a change of position to the top-centre, in line with the 6th generation iPad.