In the six years of its existence, iPads have evolved from beautiful toys into serious gadgets that can easily compete with laptops. And more and more often people prefer these “thin” and mobile “apple” devices. Tablet Apple computer iPad Air 2 has become not only lighter and thinner than its predecessors, but also noticeably more powerful and productive. In general, Apple knows how to surprise its fans, and the next line of iPads is no exception.

So, the subject of today's review - Apple iPad Air 2. Characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, as well as the opinions of experts, along with reviews from ordinary users of the device, will be discussed in detail below.

The previous generation "Air" and the new one are similar only in appearance - the main differences lie inside: better performance, better camera, better screen almost everything got better...

Contents of delivery

The package bundle of the new device is similar to the previous lines. Strict white packaging made of high-quality cardboard with a few inscriptions and other information. Everything is spartan, but with a share of grace, so to call the box a simple language does not turn, rather, everything is done in a peculiar style.

Inside the package you will see:

• the device itself;
• USB cable for recharging and synchronization with PC;
• Charger;
• manual and warranty card;
• case for Apple iPad Air 2 (optional).

The bundle is standard - nothing more, because the gadget already costs a lot of money, and any accessory in the box raises the price tag well. There are more than enough individual branded items for iPads in stores, so it's a matter of taste. Otherwise, everything is beautiful and in its place. In addition, the company has put some cute brand-themed stickers in the box, so that ardent fans will be pleased.

Appearance

The brand changes the style of its devices not so often. The company can be called one of the most conservative manufacturers in the segment of mobile gadgets. Having carefully worked out the appearance of the next hit, the brand leaves patterns for the next generation of devices, or even for two at once.

If we take a close look at the design evolution of iPads, we will see that almost all generations of gadgets had the same features and chips. In fact, the whole difference came down to a change in the interfaces and the thickness of the case. The previous line was distinguished by a relatively thin bumper - only 7.5 mm, but in the case of the Apple iPad Air 2, the brand again set a record, and the device shrank to 6.1 mm. Moreover, it is worth noting separately that we do not have a smartphone in our hands, for which such dimensions are very good, but a full-fledged ten-inch tablet.

In addition to noticeable weight loss, the gadget received a slightly different placement of the main elements. Some owners are not very happy with this innovation in the Apple iPad Air 2. User reviews are full of bewilderment about the previously purchased Smart Case for previous generations. The new gadget fits perfectly in a branded case, but the camera lens does not match the regular hole. Therefore, especially careful owners will have to fork out for a new accessory for the Apple iPad Air 2.

Models from the assembly line have the usual colors - silver or gray. But the company made a gift to its fans by releasing a variable series in golden coloring. This was done exactly after the release of the iPhone of the same color.

Interfaces

Another difference between the novelty and its older counterparts was the "Home" button, which completely copies the design of the iPhone and received a built-in fingerprint sensor. Precisely in the center on the front panel is a FaceTime class camera eye. At the top end there is a “mini-jack” and a screen lock key. At the bottom we will see speaker grilles and a Lightning interface for synchronizing with a personal computer and recharging the device.

There is a volume rocker on the side, but the functional sound switch button is now missing from the new Apple iPad Air 2. User reviews on this matter are ambiguous, because many liked the additional functionality, albeit a little, but expanding the usability of the device, and for some it just bewildered. In any case, the company has abandoned this key and, most likely, we will not see it in the near future.

As for the general impressions of the arrangement of elements and the assembly of the device, there is nothing to complain about here - the Apple iPad Air 2 tablet is made to last and in due quality. Nothing creaks, does not play and does not stick out. Moreover, the matte finish does not collect fingerprints and other dirt.

Ergonomics

The Apple company firmly believes and strongly promotes its idea that the tablet should be light and thin. The Apple iPad Air 2 tablet fully meets the selected criteria. If we look at similar devices in this segment, we will see that the gadget is not only the thinnest device in its class, but also the lightest. If we compare it with the previous generation of Apple iPads, it can be seen that the new product has become 29 grams lighter and 18% thinner.

The rounded bumper is pleasant to hold in the hands, and it is equally convenient for the palms to clasp the device in both horizontal and vertical orientations. Despite the fact that the case seems frighteningly thin, in the hands of the gadget rotates surprisingly easily and with due convenience. In general, describing the ergonomics of Apple devices is a waste of time - suffice it to say that the brand traditionally occupies a leading position in the IT industry on this point.

Display

If we trace the history of iPads since 2012, we will see that the resolution of ten-inch gadgets has not changed and is firmly entrenched at around 1536 by 2048 pixels with 264 dpi. Today, the company offers the same screen, but without any air gaps and with lamination technology, which could not but affect the picture quality of the Apple iPad Air 2.

The review has become noticeably better, the picture looks more realistic, and direct sunlight is no longer a hindrance to work, because the screen glare is 56% less than its predecessors. In addition, intelligent automation almost perfectly adjusts the backlight and other display parameters based on environmental conditions.

In addition, all Apple iPad Air 2 models (gray/white/gold) are equipped with a very high quality oleophobic coating, which allows you to get rid of fingerprints and other contaminants in a matter of seconds.

As for color reproduction and other visual parameters, there are no noticeable differences from the previous generation: excellent calibration, natural gamut and juicy picture.

Hardware platform

The Apple iPad Air 2 tablet (64Gb/128Gb) runs on iOS version 8.1. Of course, it is far from the capabilities of the tenth version, but for an ordinary user, all the bells and whistles and "chips" available are more than enough. In any case, if you wish, you can always upgrade to the current platform.

All useful functionality is fully disclosed in conjunction with Yosemite. Take, for example, the same file transfer to Personal Computer: it will pass quickly and hassle-free with the help of AirDrop. And if you use the Apple iPad Air 2 (Wi-Fi) as a modem, let's say with a laptop, then the remaining battery charge of the mobile gadget will be visible on the latter. Many owners in their reviews thanked the company more than once for such a useful feature.

In addition, useful widgets appeared in the notification center, and the function of replacing the built-in keyboard with any other was added. For data storage, the same iCloud is used, where the owner has access to 5 GB of space for free, and in excess of the exceeded limit, you will have to pay extra. Russian language recognition and voice input work as it should, so typing without a keyboard should not be a problem. The only thing that Apple iPad Air 2 owners sometimes complain about in their reviews is the Siri assistant, who never bothered to learn Russian. Otherwise, everything is in place: it boils, works and functions as it should.

Performance

Among other similar gadgets from Apple, the Apple iPad Air 2 is also distinguished by the fact that it received 2 GB of RAM on board. Moreover, the tablet was equipped with a smart 64-bit process (A8X), running on three cores with a frequency of 1.5 GHz. An equally powerful chip is responsible for the graphics component - PowerVR from the G6650 series.

In addition, the engineers equipped the device with an additional set of chipsets (coprocessor), which is responsible for the operation of the compass, barometer and accelerometer. The company abandoned models with 32 GB of internal memory, so you can find more expensive gadgets with 64 and 128 GB in stores. If funds are running out for you, then you can always buy the basic version - Apple iPad Air 2 (16Gb). According to a well-established tradition, the brand does not equip its devices with memory cards, so we work with what is inside.

It was difficult to reproach the earlier Aira models for a lack of performance. Yes, there were some shortcomings, but it is difficult to call them critical. For example, the problem with the constant reloading of sites in the browser while opening resource-intensive applications has been completely resolved. The doubling of the amount of RAM / RAM played a significant role here.

In addition, viewing streaming video in Full HD-scan now takes place without any delays and other brakes, and you can scroll through the pages of sites with amazing speed, as well as scale to any pixelization, and all this happens smoothly and with due beauty.

One of the main differences between the Apple iPad Air 2 and its predecessors is smart multitasking, that is, comfortable work with several applications. You can safely keep Safari open with a dozen sites and work with other equally demanding utilities at the same time. This whole process takes place quite comfortably and without any lags, without requiring a restart of applications, as was the case with previous generations of gadgets.

As for games, everything is just fine here. And although the response speed of applications in the old and new "Air" differs slightly, but nevertheless, a lead of 2-3 seconds is felt.

touch ID

The presence of Touch ID has become one of the main features of the Apple iPad Air 2 tablet (16Gb / 64 Gb / 128Gb). Moreover, this functional easily defines new model. Touch ID is a kind of guarantee that keeps your personal data safe. The fingerprint sensor migrated to the device from the iPhone of the sixth series, which uses a more modern and intelligent sensor than the same 5S. The fingerprint scanner did not become an innovation on the market, but it is in Air 2 that its work is as comfortable as possible.

Up to 10 prints can be marked in the menu, and the sensor works very clearly and accurately, and recognition takes place in a fraction of a second. Every user who is more or less familiar with Apple products will understand the settings: a competent settings wizard will guide you through all the necessary items and in a couple of minutes your data will be perfectly protected.

Sound

It is difficult to find fault with the sound characteristics - high-quality and understandable sound. The only thing that tablet owners sometimes complain about is the insufficient maximum volume threshold, so to heighten the effect, it’s better to get a smart headset in advance.

However, home speakers are loud enough to adjust (automatically or manually) to different environments. The grilles sometimes overlap by hand while watching videos or games, but there were no critical subsidences in sound.

Camera

The front camera with a 1.2 megapixel matrix works on FaceTime HD technology and can record video in high (720p) resolution. In a normal environment, it is enough for normal selfies and video calls.

The company paid great attention to the rear iSight class camera with an 8 MP sensor matrix and f/2.4 aperture. The brand does not seek to equalize smartphones and tablets in terms of shooting, so Air 2, although it does good photos and video, but still inferior to the capabilities of iPhones of the sixth series. The device has a slightly smaller pixel size, a slightly lower aperture ratio and no automatic phase focusing.

Nevertheless, among the entire tablet fraternity, our respondent has the best camera. In addition, when compared with previous generations of Air, the new one has taken a clear step forward. In their reviews, users note intelligently made HDR shooting modes, face detection, slow motion video, competent work with panoramas and the availability of useful function timelapse.

Daytime shooting from a tablet is comparable in quality to similar capabilities of iPhones of the fifth series, but as soon as the lighting deteriorates, the capabilities of the Air-2 cameras drop sharply.

In general, 10-inch tablets are not the kind of devices that need to be filmed. Their purpose lies in a completely different area, so the capabilities of the cameras are not the argument that must be taken into account at the time of purchase, which means that we are satisfied with the already good capabilities of the matrices and weigh other characteristics.

Offline work

An extremely important nuance is that in the pursuit of "slimming" gadgets, the company stubbornly followed the autonomy of its devices. Even despite the more modest battery due to the reduced size of the tablet (32.4 Wh), the device is able to withstand more than nine hours of intensive use. For example, for an hour with a little time spent in gaming applications, the device lost only 7% of the battery charge.

Field tests have shown that even if the Apple iPad Air 2 is fully loaded (Wi-Fi, frequent conversations, texting, etc.), the battery will more than last all day. When watching videos in high resolution and at 100% brightness, the battery lasted a little more than ten hours. In general, you can discharge the device in one day, but then you just have to “rape” it hourly. If you use the tablet from time to time, for several hours in the evening, the battery will last for two or three days.

Summarizing

The brand new "Air-2" was improved in all respects: high performance, good cameras, an updated screen, an up-to-date fingerprint sensor, as well as increased RAM up to 2 GB. At a time similar to the predecessors battery life, the tablet has become thinner and lighter. The model will certainly interest all those who want to get an intelligent device with an excellent set of characteristics from a venerable brand.

The average model with 64 GB of internal memory costs about 40,000 rubles. Simpler or more serious gadgets (16/128 GB) differ by about 10,000 rubles. Although prices bite compared to Huawei, Samsung, Asus and other manufacturers, but if you want excellent quality, then it most likely will not work out differently.

The main advantages of the Apple iPad "Air-2" tablet:

• light and thin metal body;
• pleasant and stylish appearance;
• the fastest model in its segment;
• excellent battery life;
• the presence of a fingerprint sensor.

Flaws:

• the base model is equipped with too little internal memory;
• there is no possibility to work with external SD media.

In general, the gadget was a success, and fans of the brand will certainly appreciate all the advantages of the new device. And for those who are not familiar with the company's products, Air-2 will provide an excellent opportunity to get acquainted.

In 2013, the world was presented with a new creation from Apple - iPad Air. The tablet has won the recognition of millions of users around the world. And a year later autumn presentation the company presented the thinnest device in the world - iPad Air 2, which did not revolutionize the world of mobile technology, but became no less popular than its predecessor. Despite the release of the novelty, many users were in no hurry to change the first generation devices, because they did not see much point in it. Of course, the iPad Air 2 received several important transformations that made it the flagship among tablet computers.

Comparing the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 will allow you to establish exactly what the advantages of a newer gadget are. However, there is a category of users who, in any case, change their smartphones and tablets from Apple after the release of a new model. This, rather, is dictated not by the need to use advanced device features, but by the desire to be one step ahead of the rest. If you appreciate value for money, functionality, and also use a rational approach when buying gadgets, comparing two popular models will be useful and interesting for you.

Comparison and review of two tablet models: iPad Air and iPad Air 2

The differences between the two devices are appearance and body dimensions. If the length and width of the gadgets remained the same - 240 mm and 169.5 mm, then the iPad Air 2 became the thinnest device in the world at the time of release. Its thickness was 6.1 mm, which is 1.4 mm less than that of its predecessor. Many experts have come to the conclusion that insignificant differences in the size of the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 are practically not felt when using gadgets, which cannot be said about their weight.

The new device has become much lighter - its weight was only 437 grams, which is 36% less than the first generation device. Thanks to the reduced weight, iPad Air 2 is very comfortable to work with. After prolonged use, arms and back will not be so tired. This was a significant change for users who prefer to hold the tablet in their hands, rather than placing it on a horizontal surface.

It should be noted that the first generation iPad Air only comes in two colors - space gray and silver. The second-generation gadget is presented in three colors - gold has been added to the usual silver and space gray. This gives users more options to choose from. Some prefer to buy smartphones, tablets in the same color scheme. Now you can buy a similar device in the kit for the golden iPhone.

The first generation tablet comes to the market with iOS 7, and the second - iOS 8. Today, the characteristics of the device allow you to upgrade to iOS 9.2, which improves system performance and fixes some bugs.

Display characteristics

The screen resolution of the compared devices remained the same - 2048 by 1536 pixels. Has not changed - it is 9.7 inches, which ensures comfortable work. We believe that these dimensions are optimal for a tablet computer designed for a wide audience of consumers.

At the same time, the second-generation gadget is equipped with a completely different level. During its development, the technology of full lamination of the screen was applied. The developers managed to remove the air gap between the glass and the matrix. This made the device thinner and resulted in the image in the iPad Air 2 visually appearing to rest on the surface of the glass. The device released earlier does not have similar visual effects. Another advantage of the second-generation iPad Air device was a reliable anti-reflective coating, which ensured comfortable work with the gadget in bright light conditions.

Some users considered it a minus that in the new tablet, the developers removed the button for blocking automatic image rotations while changing the position of the gadget in space. It was located on the sidebar and was often used by gamers who like to read while lying down and often change their position. Auto-lock allowed to fix the image. In the iPad Air 2, this option must be activated using the user settings.

Camera

It is immediately worth noting that in the second iPad generation Air significant changes have affected the camera. The first thing that catches your eye - its resolution has increased to 8 megapixels. In the model released in 2013, it is 5 megapixels. At the same time, the iSight camera is equipped with a high-tech sensor and advanced optics, which made it possible to improve the quality of pictures and videos. For many, the presence of new features was a pleasant surprise. One of them is Slow Motion. It is designed to slow down video recording. Thanks to this function, you can shoot interesting videos, on which it is convenient to make accents using slow motion. In addition, the camera has other interesting and useful features.

When comparing photos taken with the two tablets, you'll notice that iPad Air 2 delivers better photo quality. Images have improved color rendering. In this case, all colors look more natural. The image noise has been reduced and object detail has been improved. However, such improvements are only relevant for discerning users. The camera performance of the first generation device is quite satisfactory for a device of this level.

The changes were not affected - its resolution is still 1.2 megapixels. However, it is not equipped with autofocus.

Technical specifications

The 2013 tablet is equipped with an A7 + M7 processor. Gadgets introduced in 2014 run on the A8X+M8 processor. The iPad Air 2 has three cores, while its predecessor had two. The clock frequency of gadgets is 1.5 GHz and 1.4 GHz, respectively. According to the developers, such changes allowed to increase the performance of the central processor by 40%. Power has been improved by 2.5 times.

The difference between iPad Air and iPad Air 2 lies in the amount of memory. If the first generation tablet has 1 GB of RAM, then the second generation device is equipped with 2 GB of RAM. At the same time, the 2013 model has 16 and 32 GB of internal memory. Various modifications of the later gadget allow you to purchase a tablet with 16, 64 or 128 GB of memory. This improvement is dictated by the development of a huge number of applications that require not only performance from a tablet computer, but also a sufficient amount of memory.

Battery life

The battery capacity of the device, released at the end of 2014, is 7184 mAh. Its predecessor has a larger battery capacity - it equals 8827 mAh. The developer stated that in the mode of searching for information on the World Wide Web, watching videos and listening to audio, the battery of a newer device will last for 10 hours of continuous operation. At the same time, its predecessor works for about 12-13 hours without recharging. In maximum brightness mode, while watching HD video, the time is reduced by 2 hours - such results show test tests.

We can conclude that Apple had to sacrifice battery capacity in order to fit it into the thin case of the iPad Air 2. It should be noted that no matter how long the battery life of any device is, it will always not suit certain categories of users. You always want your phone or tablet to last longer. In this regard, Apple has found an excellent compromise between the weight of the gadget, its size and duration.

Apple iPad Air 2 has become thinner, faster, appeared in gold color and acquired the function of scanning fingerprints. Android and Windows enthusiasts can criticize the iPhone for a number of reasons, and many of them are valid, but when it comes to tablets, it's hard to blame Apple for shortcomings.

Well, a very thin tablet, the new Apple iPad Air 2 - Review

Apple iPad Air 2 Reviews

Regardless of what features you want to see in your new device, buying a new Apple tablet model, you will be satisfied with the design, build quality, ease of interface control, camera quality and speed. The one area where Apple may not be happy with consumers is the iPad's price, which starts at $500 and goes up.

New Apple iPad Air 2

If the first four iPads were made to look like weight watchers, they would look like the iPad Air. If they were made for people on a weight loss program, they would look like the iPad Air 2.

AT iPad models Air 2 (or iPad 6, if you prefer) Apple delivered on its promises and made an "air tablet". You won't find a thinner tablet. Compared to the previous Apple tablet, the new one is even thinner and lighter. In this connection, it began to look even more beautiful.

Apple iPad Air 2

If you thought the iPad Air 2013 was a little “airy” inside, you were right: the LCD screen was located at a distance from the body, and as a result there was really little space inside. This year, Apple has done just that. All the components of the new gadget are squeezed into an unimaginably small space. Using the iPad Air 2 is undeniably fun, and it makes us wonder why we love miniature iPads so much?

Thanks to the slender body, liquid crystal display with high resolution the new iPad is more like a bright, colorful, moving magazine than a tablet. This screen is simply mesmerizing and will not let you remain indifferent.

Even thinner

Apple claims to have kept its standard 10-hour battery charge (and that seems to be the case).

With longing, we say goodbye to the Mute / Rotation switches, which were an integral part of all iPhones and iPads. This switch was useful for quick access to the screen and sound, and even a few Android and Windows devices come with this switch. Thankfully, you can now lock screen rotation in the control center, which you select by swiping from the bottom of the screen. It's certainly not as fun as it used to be (clicking the shutdown button), but it's made for ease of use.

New Apple iPad Air 2

Since the sound quality has gone down (again), there has been a logical decrease in audio playback, but the audio quality will be good if transmitted via Bluetooth.

So if you want to listen to high-quality sound, you will probably need wireless speakers or headphones. If you compare the sound of the iPad Air with other tablets, then the iPad Air will be ahead, but it still failed to bypass its predecessors.

But that's not all the changes. The iPad Air 2 has a fancy fingerprint ID sensor. We will return to this a little later.

iPad Air 2 specs

We just have to point out that the new Apple iPad Air 2 has a faster processor than the iPad mini 3 or iPad Air. Apple's new 64-bit A8X chip really makes the iPad Air 2 more powerful. Although it has become thinner than, for example, the iPhone 6 or iPad mini 3. Testing in 3D Mark showed that the performance of the new iPad Air 2 is 25 percent higher than that of the iPad Air.

Do these high scores matter? Not really. For most people, the new iPad Air 2 will be comfortable. In it, as well as in its predecessor, it will be possible to play good quality games and use all the programs that you are used to.

The only major problem is the internal memory of the device. Instead of 16 GB. You get only 10 - active. Apple did not begin to resolve this problem - it did not raise the figure of active memory. This is unfortunate as customers have to shell out an extra $100 to buy the 64GB version. And we strongly recommend that you pay extra for this version, otherwise you can run out of tablet memory pretty quickly, or in the future you will not have enough memory to install more recent software (for example, iOS 9 weighing 7 GB in a year).

iOS 8.1 and you can use Apple Pay

The new iOS 8 software is a modernized update to last year's iOS 7, and iOS 8.1 is an even bigger update to the previous one.

With the release of new software, a payment system appeared - Apple Pay. With the help of this system, owners will have a unique opportunity to easily and simply pay for goods in online stores. You enter your data into the device, connect to the touch security identification system. After that you can use this payment system.

As always, we must point out that apps on Apple tablets are better than on Android tablets and Windows. The reason is that Apple is demanding to create applications that are optimized for both phones and tablets. The app store has about 675,000 available apps. There are also a large number of applications for Android, but the downside is that not all of them are optimized for tablets.

iPad Air 2 photos and improved camera

In the iPad Air 2, I would like to note that the camera is very good quality. Perhaps there is no other such a large tablet that can boast such good pictures as the new Apple.

The Air 2 has an improved 8-megapixel camera, similar in many ways to the camera on the iPhone 6. The extra megapixels on the iPad Air 2 make photos richer and more vibrant. Even if there is not enough light, it will not greatly affect the quality of the pictures. The new camera allows you to shoot more slow motion and adjust the shooting intervals. The front camera is 1.2 megapixels, it is quite enough for video chats or selfies.

iPad Air 2 photo and camera

Should you buy an iPad Air or Air 2?

Apple is still selling last year's iPad Air at a $100 discount, which leads to the big question: is it worth it? We believe that there should be no hesitation - it should be taken if you want to purchase an inexpensive iPad. In fact, no matter which model you want to buy, we recommend that you do not skimp and pay a little more by purchasing the 64 or 32 GB version.

As for the rest? The only addition to the Apple iPad Air 2 is more powerful processor, the presence of a gold-colored model, an identification touch sensor (you don't need it, honestly). Are these upgrades really worth $100?

If you are looking for a competitor on Android, then the best is samsung galaxy Tab S with new Google connectivity 9. There are, of course, tablets for a lower price, but if you buy them, there is a good chance that you will regret the purchase in the future.

Summing up

Apple iPad Air 2 is a worthy tablet from the iPad line. It has received a number of improvements over its predecessor. Air 2 came as close as possible to Steve Jobs' vision of the perfect iPad.

The new iPad Air 2 is a fantastic tablet that outshines all other devices of its kind.

Of course, the meager 16 GB is not enough in the Air 2, but even with this amount of internal memory, it outshines all competitors.

iPad Air 2 will be the leader in its segment until at least next year.

Advantages

• The screen is brighter than the iPad Air
• New powerful processor
• Large selection of apps for Apple tablets
• improved camera

Flaws

• The 16 GB model has little storage space
• Sound quality is worse than Air 1
• Apple iPad Air $100 off
• Not waterproof
• No options for using MicroSD

Part 1: design, accessories, screens and software

Exactly one year ago, on November 3, 2013, we told you about the first iPad Air. It's time to return to Apple tablets, since this year Russian sales of new iPads started almost simultaneously with American ones. In addition, this time we have not one, but two new products at once: iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. And although both of these products are not revolutionary (the iPad mini 3 looks especially strange), they can still be considered role models and the main rivals for the entire army of Android tablets. Therefore, we have studied them with the utmost care.

Recall that both gadgets were presented at the presentation on October 16, which caused very conflicting reviews and opinions. I was confused by the leapfrog of names: like a few years ago with The New iPad, which then became iPad 3, Apple made confusion by renaming last year's iPad mini Retina to iPad mini 2 and giving the new iPad mini with a Retina display serial number 3. However, the main surprise was the fact that the changes in the iPad mini 3 compared to last year's version were limited to the appearance of the Touch ID sensor and the golden version of the case, as well as the disappearance of the version with 32 GB of internal flash memory. There have never been such strange updates in the history of Apple!

But the iPad Air 2 has been updated much more significantly. In addition to Touch ID and a gold-colored case, it boasts the new Apple A8X SoC and an even thinner case than the first iPad Air. In addition, the camera has been updated.

Video review

To get started, we suggest watching our video review of the Apple iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 tablets:

Now let's look at the characteristics of new products.

Specifications

Specifications Apple iPad Air 2:

• SoC Apple A8X 1.5 GHz 64-bit (3 cores, Cyclone architecture based on ARMv8)
• PowerVR GX6650 GPU
• Apple M8 motion co-processor including GPS, barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope and compass
• RAM 2 GB
• Flash memory 16 / 64 / 128 GB
• No memory card support
• Operating system iOS 8.1
• Touchscreen IPS, 9.7″, 2048×1536 (264 ppi), capacitive, multi-touch
• Cameras: front (1.2 MP, 720p FaceTime video) and rear (8 MP, 1080p video)
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz; MIMO support)
• Cellular (optional): UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), LTE Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Touch ID fingerprint scanner, NFC chip
• 3.5mm stereo headset jack, Lightning dock connector
• Li-polymer battery 7340 mAh
• A-GPS (in version with cellular module)
• Dimensions 240×170×6.1 mm
• Weight 437 g (manufacturer's declared weight of the version without cellular module) / 451 g (our measurement of the version with cellular module)

We won't include technical characteristics of iPad mini 3 in a separate list, but we will include them in a comparison table with competitors. However, first let's see how the characteristics of the iPad Air 2 compare with its predecessor and main competitors.

		iPad Air	Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5	Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet
Screen		IPS, 9.7″, 2048×1536 (264 ppi)	SuperAMOLED, 10.5″, 2560×1600 (287 ppi)	IPS, 10.1″, 1920×1200 (218 ppi)
SoC (processor)	Apple A8 1.5GHz 64bit (3 cores, Cyclone architecture based on ARMv8) + M8 coprocessor	Apple A7 1.4GHz 64bit (2 cores, Cyclone architecture based on ARMv8) + M7 coprocessor	Samsung Exynos 5 Octa (4 cores @1.9GHz & 4 cores @1.3GHz)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 @2.3GHz (4x Krait 400 cores)
GPU	PowerVR GX6650	PowerVR G6430	Mali-T628 MP6	Adreno 330
Flash memory	16 / 64 / 128 GB	16 / 32 / 64 / 128 GB	16 GB	16 to 32 GB
Connectors		Lightning dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack		Micro-USB (with OTG and MHL support), 3.5mm headphone jack
Memory card support	No	No	microSD (up to 128 GB)	microSD (up to 128 GB)
RAM	2 GB	1 GB	3 GB	3 GB
cameras	front (1.2 MP, 720p FaceTime video) and rear (8 MP, 1080p video)	front (1.2 MP, 720p FaceTime video) and rear (5 MP, 1080p video)	front (2.1 MP, 1080p video transmission) and rear (8 MP; 1080p video shooting)	front (2.2 MP, 1080p video transmission) and rear (8.1 MP; 1080p video shooting)
Internet		Wi-Fi (optional 3G, also 4G LTE)		Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO (optional 3G and LTE)
Battery capacity (mAh)	7340	8820	7900	6000
Operating system	Apple iOS 8.1	Apple iOS 7.0 (upgrade to iOS 8.1 available)	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4
Dimensions (mm)*	240×170×6.1	240×170×7.5	247×177×6.6	266×172×6.4
Weight (g)**	451	478	467	439
Average price***	T-11153497	T-10548616	T-10890859	T-10728784
iPad Air 2 deals	L-11153497-10

** version with cellular module
*** for version with minimum flash memory and communication capabilities

According to formal features (the number of CPU cores, the amount of RAM), Apple products have been inferior to top competitors from the Android camp for several years. However, we even had about the senselessness of any conclusions about this. The only figures that in this case are objective and available for comparison without reservations are weight and size parameters. And according to them, the iPad Air 2 really looks very good: it is distinguished by a record low thickness, coupled with a mass (only Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet surpasses the novelty in the last parameter).

On the other hand, one cannot say that the iPad Air 2 is radically thinner and lighter than its competitors. The difference is only a few percent. Don't forget, though, that unlike the competitors' plastic products, the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 are made from a single piece of aluminum.

Now let's take a look at the iPad mini 3's specs compared to the competition.

	iPad mini 3	Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact	Nvidia Shield Tablet	Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4
Screen	IPS, 7.9″, 2048×1536 (326 ppi)	IPS, 8″, 1920×1200 (283 ppi)	IPS, 8″, 1920×1200 (283 ppi)	SuperAMOLED, 8.4″, 2560×1600 (359 ppi)
SoC (processor)	Apple A7 @1.3 GHz (2 Cyclone cores, 64-bit)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4x Krait 400 @2.5GHz)	Nvidia Tegra K1 (4x Cortex-A15 @2.2GHz and an auxiliary companion core)	Exynos 5 Octa 5420 (4x Cortex-A15 @1.9GHz & 4x Cortex-A7 @1.3GHz)
GPU	PowerVR G6430	Adreno 330	Nvidia GK20A @950MHz	Mali-T628 MP6
Flash memory	16 to 128 GB	16 GB	16 / 32 GB	16 GB
Connectors	Lightning, 3.5mm headphone jack		Micro-USB, 3.5mm headphone jack, Mini-HDMI	Micro-USB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Memory card support	No	microSD (up to 128 GB)	microSD (up to 128 GB)	microSD (up to 128 GB)
RAM	1 GB	2 GB	2 GB	3 GB
cameras	front (1.2 MP) and rear (5 MP; 1080p video)	front (2.2 MP, 1080p video) and rear (8.1 MP; 1080p video)	front (5 MP, 720p video) and rear (5 MP; 1080p video)	front (2.1 MP, 1080p video) and rear (8 MP; 1080p video)
Internet		Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n MIMO (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz) (optional - 3G and LTE)	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n MIMO (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz) (32 GB version - 3G and LTE)	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac MIMO (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz) (optional - 3G and LTE)
Operating system	Apple iOS 7	Google Android 4.4.2	Google Android 4.4.2	Google Android 4.4.2
Battery capacity (mAh)	6471	4500	5338 (presumably)	4900
Dimensions* (mm)	200×134×7.5	213×124×6.4	221×126×9.2	213×125×6.6
Weight (g)	339	270	390	297
Average price**	T-11153500	T-11154285	T-10983937	T-10890863
iPad mini 3 deals	L-11153500-10

*according to the manufacturer
** for version with minimum flash memory and communication capabilities

For a year (and the iPad mini 3 is, in fact, the same last year's iPad mini retina) very serious competitors appeared in the camp of compact tablets: in particular, Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 with Super AMOLED display and Nvidia Shield Tablet with record-breaking performance (well above the performance of the Apple A7 found in the iPad mini 3). In general, the position of the iPad mini 3 in the top segment is far from being as cloudless as it was for its predecessor when it first appeared. Today, for almost any parameter (screen, performance, camera, weight, thickness), you can find a stronger solution.

However, in terms of the combination of properties, it still remains a very successful model, and the iPad mini 2 price drop by $100 (alas, eaten up in Russia by the change in the dollar exchange rate) makes it an even more attractive mid-budget solution.

But let's take a closer look at Apple's new products.

Packaging and equipment

The packaging of the iPad Air 2 is almost the same as the packaging of the previous generation tablet. Only the picture here is even more minimalistic, emphasizing the thickness of the updated device.

As for the bundle, everything here is also similar to the iPad Air: leaflets, a charger (10 W, 2.1 A, 5.1 V), a Lightning cable, stickers and a key to remove the SIM card cradle.

The design of the box and the equipment of the iPad mini 3 is similar to the iPad Air 2.

Design

Now let's look at the design. As already noted, the appearance of the iPad mini 3 does not differ from its predecessor, with the exception of the appearance of a golden color variant. And since the iPad Air 2 is thinner than the iPad Air and the iPad mini remains the same, the iPad Air 2 is noticeably thinner than the iPad mini 3.

As for the color (the iPad Air 2 also has a golden color), it looks noble and elegant. This is not deliberately “golden”, but a soft beautiful shade, which, depending on the external lighting, looks either light gray or bronze.

Alas, on the 4G versions of both tablets, the white plastic insert necessary for normal reception looks rather awkward and alien cellular signal. Well, on the other hand, everyone around will see that you have exactly the version with 4G, and not the cheaper one :)

In terms of placement of controls, the main difference between the iPad Air 2 and the original iPad Air is the lack of a lock lever (in the iPad Air, it was located above the volume keys). Well, the second distinguishing point is the expansion of the functionality of the Home button, which is now equipped with a fingerprint scanner.

The look of the button exactly matches that of the iPhone 5s / 6 / 6 Plus. The fingerprint scanner works perfectly: you can take the iPad in any convenient way, the fingerprint will be recognized instantly. According to subjective feelings, it is better than the iPhone 5s, where the percentage of unrecognized touches was still higher. True, we used the iPhone 5s for almost a year, and the iPad Air 2 - only a week. So, perhaps, over the year the statistics will be less positive.

The size of the frames around the screen, the width and height of the iPad Air 2 body remained unchanged. However, today it is one of the best indicators. And it's very interesting in what direction the design of the iPad will develop in the future, because now both the width of the side frames and the thickness are close to the threshold beyond which it will already begin to cause inconvenience.

And the thickness of the connectors leaves almost no room for maneuver: for example, only about 1 mm remains above the Lightning, which could be saved without affecting the connector itself. And a 3.5 mm mini-jack is unlikely to fit into a thinner case. This, of course, applies only to the iPad Air 2. Because the iPad mini 3 still has room to reduce in size.

Everything else in the iPad Air 2 has remained unchanged compared to the previous version: from the main points (body shape, rounded edges) to the details (the shape of the nanoSIM card tray in the 4G version).

In general, the changes, of course, cannot be called revolutionary. But does it really matter if the iPad Air 2, like its predecessor a year ago, just does not want to let go? For the first few days, you constantly want to take it, once again admire the thickness and low weight, twist it in your hands ... It would seem that Apple has not done anything radically new, and it is becoming more and more difficult to surprise the user. And yet, the products of the apple corporation have not lost their main property: the ability to please the user. It's that simple. This is something that you enjoy holding in your hands. And what could be more important than this?

Concluding the conversation about design, we note that Apple's PR service gave us an iPad Air 2 with a branded Smart Cover. Many Apple tablet users are well acquainted with this accessory, and for them it will not be a discovery. But to the rest, we can say that the cover is really very pleasant and comfortable: the polyurethane coating on the top and the microfiber inner surface (it comes into contact with the screen of the tablet when we close the cover) are extremely pleasant to the touch, and in general the accessory does not make the tablet bulky or thick, but it protects the screen well and helps to set it on the table at an angle.

In turn, the iPad mini 3 arrived for testing in a Smart Case. On the one hand, it has a big plus: it protects the tablet not only from the side of the screen, like Smart Cover, but in its entirety. In addition, the entire outer surface of the Smart Case is made of expensive aniline leather. But while knowing this warms the soul, from the point of view of everyday use it is a less practical solution: any small scratches on this leather are clearly visible (and such scratches will appear even with careful use). In addition, small folds are visible on the folds on the skin (whereas the Smart Cover remains like new even after a week of active use).

In addition, the cover makes the already quite voluminous gadget even more plump and weighty. Yes, and the tablet is removed from it with some difficulty. Therefore, between the more expensive Smart Case and the cheaper Smart Cover, we choose the latter, and not at all because of the price. However, these are subjective feelings. For users who are thinking about buying cases and covers, we advise you to go to the store and see them live in order to understand whether you want to walk with such a thing or not.

Screen

The declared parameters of the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 screens do not differ from those of their predecessors: in all cases we have an IPS-matrix with a resolution of 2048 × 1536, and the screen diagonal is 9.7″ and 7.9″, respectively. However, the fact that the key parameters are identical does not mean that the screens are exactly the same in all their properties. After all, even screens from different batches can vary slightly. In addition, it was interesting to compare the screens of the iPad mini 2 and iPad Air 2. As shown by testing performed according to our own methodology by the editor of the sections "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" Alexey Kudryavtsev, they differ not only in diagonal! Below is his conclusion.

The front surface of both screens is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the brightness of reflected objects, the Air 2's anti-glare properties are noticeably better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). In the case of the mini 3, these properties are comparable to our benchmark. For clarity, here are photos in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens of the tablets (Nexus 7 is on the left, then it can be distinguished from the tested tablets by the screen size, since it is smaller. Similarly, Air 2 is easy to distinguish from mini 3 in size). iPad Air 2:

The screen of the Air 2 is much darker - the brightness in the photo is 65 versus 106 for the Nexus 7. The tripling of the reflected objects in the screen of the Air 2 is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (it is also a touch sensor) and the surface of the matrix (screen type OGS - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of borders with very different refractive indices (such as glass-air), such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed.

On the contrary, the screen of the iPad mini 3 is slightly lighter - the brightness is 117 in the photo. The reflection in the screen triples, which suggests the presence of an air gap between the surface of the matrix and the outer glass. From the point of view of image perception, this is a minus, but a screen with a separate outer glass (it is also a touch panel) is easier and cheaper to repair.

In the case of both tested tablets, there is clearly a special anti-reflective coating on the outer surface of the screens (a slightly purple reflection tone indirectly indicates this), and the surface of the LCD matrix itself is slightly matte - the reflection is slightly hazy.

On the outer surface of the screens there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating, so fingerprints are removed more easily and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass. At the same time, the effectiveness of this coverage is noticeably higher for the iPad mini 3, but in both cases it is significantly lower than for the Nexus 7.

iPad Air 2 manual control brightness, its maximum value was about 410 cd / m², and the minimum - 4.5 cd / m². For iPad mini 3, the values ​​are: 445 and 8 cd/m². The maximum values ​​are quite high, and, given the good anti-glare properties, in bright daylight, the image on both screens should be clearly distinguishable. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. The automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (sensors). The iPad Air has 2 sensors, two, they are located under the front panel in the upper right and left. They work on the priority of maximum brightness, so an accidentally covered corner will not suddenly lower the brightness of the screen during the day on the street. AT automatic mode when external lighting conditions change, the brightness of the screen both increases and (well, wow!) Decreases. If you do not touch the brightness slider, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 4.5 cd / m² (very dim, but at night during a sleep break it’s normal to peep), in an office lit by artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets to 100 -120 cd/m² (suitable), in a very bright environment (corresponding to a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lx or a little more) increases to the maximum, i.e. to 410 cd/m² (as it should be) . In general, this function works adequately. There are legends that by setting the brightness slider with your hands to the desired level with automatic brightness control turned on, Apple tablets and smartphones (as well as monoblocks and monitors) can be trained to set the desired brightness level, but we were unable to comprehend the logic of training, since after our intervention we received strange and poorly reproducible results. Automatic adjustment The brightness of the iPad mini 3 is not fundamentally different from this function of its predecessor. In this mode, the brightness can only increase - when the ambient light level decreases, we did not wait for the corresponding decrease in screen brightness. However, if you put the tablet into sleep mode and turn it on again, the brightness will be set in accordance with the external conditions. In complete darkness - 8 cd / m² (dim), in the office - 90-130 cd / m² (suitable), in bright light - 445 cd / m² (logical). Both Air 2 and mini 3 have practically no backlight modulation at any brightness level, so there is no screen flicker.

The tablets use an IPS type matrix. Micrographs show a typical IPS sub-pixel structure. iPad Air 2:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screens have excellent viewing angles without color inversion and without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here are photos in which the same images are displayed on the Nexus 7 and the tested tablets, while the screen brightness is set to about 200 cd / m², and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. Perpendicular to the screens is a test picture, iPad Air 2:

Color rendition is good on all screens, the color balance differs slightly, but if you look closely, in the case of mini 3 you can see a slight decrease in the saturation of bright colors close to the primary ones. And a white box, iPad Air 2:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen, iPad Air 2:

It can be seen that the colors and brightness balance have not changed much for both tablets. Then a white box, iPad Air 2:

The brightness at an angle for the tablets has noticeably decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of both iPads, the screen brightness at this angle is still slightly higher. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is lightened weakly, and acquires a purple or red-violet hue. A photo from the Nexus 7 for comparison shows this (the brightness of the white areas in the perpendicular direction is approximately the same for both tablets!), iPad Air 2:

And from another angle:

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the black uniformity of the iPad Air 2 is not ideal, as there are areas with slightly increased black brightness along the edge:

In contrast, the iPad mini 3 does well with black uniformity:

But the contrast ratio is lower - 600:1 versus a very good 930:1 for the iPad Air 2. The latter has a black-white-black transition time of 23ms (13ms on + 10ms off). The transition between 25% and 75% grayscale (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 36 ms. For mini 3, the values ​​are: 22ms (13ms on + 9ms off) and 33ms, respectively. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.21 and 2.25 (iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3), which is close to the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve almost coincides with the power law:

This technique allows you to increase the brightness of the screen with the same energy consumption for backlighting. As a result, the colors of images - drawings, photos and movies - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) on the iPad mini 3 screen have slightly reduced saturation.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is slightly higher than the standard 6500 K and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered acceptable for a consumer device. At the same time, the variation in color temperature and ΔE is small, which has a positive effect on the visual perception of color balance. (The dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Let's summarize. iPad screen Air 2 has a sufficiently high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems even on a sunny summer day. The screen of the iPad mini 3 is a little worse in this regard - the anti-glare properties are not so outstanding - but its screen will not “blind” in the sun either. In complete darkness, the brightness of both screens can be lowered to a comfortable value. It is also acceptable to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately (plus some possibility of manual correction of this function, and the iPad Air 2 can now even lower the brightness itself!). The advantages of the iPad Air 2 include: the absence of an air gap in the layers of the screen, high contrast and sRGB color gamut, both screens do not flicker, they are distinguished by high black stability to deviation of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen surface and are characterized by good color balance. Significant drawbacks in the case of the older model include a weak oleophobic coating, and in the case of the iPad mini 3 - a narrowed color gamut. Nevertheless, given the importance of properties for this class of devices, the screen quality of both the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 should be recognized as high. We can't help but reiterate the iPad Air 2's outstanding anti-glare properties, resulting from the combination of OGS technology and a special anti-glare coating. None of the screens have this. mobile device from those who visited us for testing.

To the above, we can add that fat-repellent iPad cover Air 2 really leaves much to be desired - the screen "slams" quickly enough. But otherwise the display is excellent. Feels like one of the best we've seen. Which, in general, is confirmed by detailed tests.

OS and software

Both new iPads ship with the latest version of the iOS operating system, 8.1. The main changes that have appeared in it are related to the deepening and expansion of the relationship within the Apple ecosystem: between iOS devices, as well as iOS devices and computers running OS X 10.10 Yosemite. Here Apple introduces two new concepts: Handoff (transfer) and Continuity (continuity). Without going into terminological and marketing nuances, here are just a few examples that are very revealing in terms of user experience.

By clicking on it, you will see the same page that was opened on the iPad. Mail works the same way. If you started typing in Mail and then switched to a Mac, you can pick up where you left off. Of course, all this only works in Apple applications, so if you prefer an alternative email client or browser, then Handoff will not work.

Another example is the ability to receive calls coming to the iPhone from a tablet, even without a SIM card in it. Let's say you're sitting in a chair with an iPad, and there's an iPhone on a table in the other corner of the room. If someone calls you, you used to have to go to your smartphone. Now you can take a call right on your iPad.

A very convenient feature, although it has one drawback: when you get a call, all your Apple devices start to scream at once :) Similarly with SMS: now you can receive and respond to ordinary text messages using not only iPhone, but also iPad and Mac (we are talking about SMS, because iMessage messages could be received on all these devices for a long time).

We'll cover more about Continuity and Handoff in our review of the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display - detailed testing of this computer will appear on the site soon. Here we note that now the connection between the iPad, iPhone and Mac is stronger than ever. And for those who are inside this ecosystem (which implies the use of not only hardware, but also software products of a single company), such opportunities are available that, perhaps, users of competitors' products do not have. More precisely, a little different: these features are available out of the box and work by default.

And lastly, as before, new iPads sold already pre-installed office suite(Pages, Numbers and Keynote), which gives it a big advantage over Android and Windows tablets, where we can't always find a decent free office solution. On the other hand, again, for the most effective work with Pages, Numbers and Keynote, you will also need versions for Mac (fortunately, they are now free, but far from all iPad owners have Macs themselves).

In the second part of the article, we will tell you about iPad performance Air 2 and iPad mini 3, games, battery life, 4G performance and cameras.

finish

• Silver
• space gray

Capacity 1

• 128GB

Size and Weight 2

• WiFi
  • Height: 9.4 inches (240 mm)
  • Width: 6.6 inches (169.5 mm)
  • Depth: 0.24 inch (6.1 mm)
  • Weight: 0.96 pounds (437 g)
• WiFi + Cellular
  • Height: 9.4 inches (240 mm)
  • Width: 6.6 inches (169.5 mm)
  • Depth: 0.24 inch (6.1 mm)
  • Weight: 0.98 pounds (444 g)

Buttons and Connectors

• Home/​Touch ID sensor
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Lightning connector
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Dual microphones
• On/Off - Sleep/Wake
• Volume up/down
• Nano-SIM tray (cellular models)

Connector

• Lightning

In the box

• iPad Air 2
• Lightning to USB Cable
• USB power Adapter

display

• retina display
• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
• 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution at 264 ppi
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Fully laminated display
• antireflective coating

chip

• A8X chip with 64‑bit architecture
• M8 motion processor

iSight Camera

• 8MP iSight camera
• auto focus
• Panorama (up to 43MP)
• Auto HDR for photos
• exposure control
• burst mode
• Tap to focus
• timer mode
• ƒ/2.4 aperture
• five-element lens
• Hybrid IR filter
• backside illumination
• Auto image stabilization
• face detection
• Photo geotagging

video recording

• 1080p HD video recording (30 fps)
• Slo-mo (120 fps)
• Time-lapse video with stabilization
• Video image stabilization
• Improved face detection
• 3x video zoom
• Video geotagging

FaceTime HD Camera

• 1.2MP photos
• ƒ/2.2 aperture
• 720p HD video recording
• backside illumination
• HDR photos and videos
• Improved face detection
• burst mode
• exposure control
• timer mode

Video Calling 3

• WiFi
  • facetime video
• WiFi + Cellular
  • facetime video

Audio Calling 3

• WiFi
  • facetime audio
  • iPad Air to any FaceTime-enabled device over Wi‑Fi
• WiFi + Cellular
  • facetime audio
  • iPad Air to any FaceTime-enabled device over Wi‑Fi or cellular

Cellular and Wireless

• WiFi model
  • Bluetooth 4.2 technology
• WiFi + Cellular model
  • Wi‑Fi (802.11a/​b/​g/​n/​ac); dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO
  • Bluetooth 4.2 technology
  • UMTS/​HSPA/​HSPA+/​DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
  • CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz)
  • LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 38, 39, 40, 41) 4
  • Data only 5
  • WiFi calling 4
  • Includes Apple SIM
    Learn more about Apple SIM

SIM card

• Nano‑SIM (supports Apple SIM)

location

• WiFi
  • digital compass
  • WiFi
  • iBeacon microlocation
• WiFi + Cellular
  • digital compass
  • WiFi
  • Assisted GPS and GLONASS
  • Cellular
  • iBeacon microlocation

Sensors

• touch ID
• three-axis gyro
• Accelerometer
• Barometer
• ambient light sensor

touch ID

• Fingerprint identity sensor built into the Home button

Apple Pay

• Pay with your iPad using Touch ID within apps and on the web

Siri 6

• Siri - Use your voice to send messages, set reminders, and more
• use hands-free
• Listen and identify songs

Power and Battery 7

• WiFi
• WiFi + Cellular
  • Built-in 27.3-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
  • Up to 10 hours of surf the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
  • Up to 9 hours of surf the web using cellular data network
  • Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

operating system

iOS 10
With an all-new design and all-new features, iOS 10 is the world's most advanced mobile OS. It brings your iPad to life in more intelligent and expressive ways than ever. See what's new in iOS 10

iOS 10 includes:

• AirDrop
• Airplay
• AirPrint
• Control Center
• Notification Center
• Spotlight Search
• Apple Music
• family sharing
• iCloud Drive
• Multitasking
• Quick Type Keyboard
• night shift

accessibility

Accessibility features help people with disabilities get the most out of their new iPad Air 2. With built-in support for vision, hearing, physical and motor skills, and learning and literacy, you can create and do amazing things. learn more

Features include:

• VoiceOver
• Magnifier
• Siri and Dictation
• switch control
• Closed Captions
• AssistiveTouch
• Speak Screen

Built-in Apps

Built-in apps are an essential part of your iPad experience and are efficiently designed to use less than 200MB of storage.

• Camera
• Photos
• messages
• face time
• music
• safari
• Calendar
• iTunes Store
• App Store
• notes
• Contacts
• iBooks
• Reminders
• clock
• Photo Booth
• Podcasts
• Find My iPhone
• Find My Friends
• iCloud Drive

Free Apps from Apple 8

Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iMovie, GarageBand, and iTunes U are preinstalled on iPad models with a capacity of 32GB or higher.

• Pages
• numbers
• keynote
• iMovie
• Garage Band
• iTunes U
• Apple Store
• Trailers
• iTunes Remote
• Music memos

System Requirements

• Apple ID (required for some features)
• Internet Access 9

Syncing with iTunes on a Mac or PC requires:

• Mac: OS X v10.8.5 or later
• PC: Windows 7 or later
• iTunes 12.3 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)

Languages

• Language support
  English (Australia, Canada, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Catalan , Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
• QuickType keyboard support
  English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), Chinese - Simplified (Handwriting, Pinyin, Stroke), Chinese - Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Pinyin, Stroke, Sucheng, Zhuyin), French (Belgium, Canada, France , Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Kana, Romaji), Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cherokee, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Emoji, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, Flemish, Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari, Transliteration), Hinglish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Marathi, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic, Latin), Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, Tamil (Script, Transliteration), Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese
• QuickType keyboard support with predictive input 10
  English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Thai, Turkish
• Siri languages
  English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Chile, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany , Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Belgium , Netherlands), Finnish (Finland), Hebrew (Israel), Malay (Malaysia), Norwegian (Norway), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Turkish (Turkey), Thai (Thailand), Portuguese (Brazil)
• Dictation languages
  English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, UAE, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada , France, Luxembourg, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (Hong Kong), Arabic (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar , UAE), Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands), Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovakian, Swedish, Turkish, Thai, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
• Definition dictionary support
  English, Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
• Bilingual dictionary support
  Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish
• Spell check
  English (Australia, Canada, UK, U.S.), French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Russian, Swedish, Turkish

Audio Playback

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC -3), Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• User-configurable maximum volume limit

TV and Video

• AirPlay Mirroring, photos, audio, and video out to Apple TV (2nd generation or later)
• Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p through Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately)
• Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 4K, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.2 with AAC‑LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio or Dolby Audio up to 1008 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo or multichannel audio, in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG‑4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC‑LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio or Dolby Audio up to 1008 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo or multichannel audio, in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M‑JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Mail Attachment Support

• Viewable document types
  .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx ( Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key(Keynote); .numbers(numbers); .pages(Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt(text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel); .zip .ics

environmental requirements

• Operating ambient temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
• Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
• Operating altitude: tested up to 10,000 feet (3000 m)

iPad Air 2 may ship with iOS 9. iOS 10 will be available as a free download beginning September 13.

1. Available space is less and varies due to many factors. A standard configuration uses approximately 4GB to 6GB of space (including iOS and built-in apps) depending on the model and settings.
2. Size and weight vary by configuration and manufacturing process.
3. FaceTime calling requires a FaceTime-enabled device for the caller and recipient and a Wi‑Fi connection. Availability over a cellular network depends on carrier policies; data charges may apply.
4. Data plan required. LTE and Wi-Fi calling are available in select markets and through select carriers. Speeds are based on theoretical throughput and vary based on site conditions and carrier. For details on LTE support, contact your carrier and see www.apple.com/ipad/LTE .
5. Cellular data plan sold separately. The model you purchase is configured to work with a particular cellular network technology. Check with your carrier for compatibility and cellular data plan availability.
6. Siri may not be available in all languages ​​or in all areas, and features may vary by area. Internet access required. Cellular data charges may apply.
7. Testing conducted by Apple in October 2014 using preproduction iPad Air 2 units and software. Testing consisted of full battery discharge while performing each of the following tasks: video playback, audio playback, and Internet browsing using Wi‑Fi or cellular data network. Video content was a repeated 2-hour 23-minute movie purchased from the iTunes Store. Audio content was a playlist of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store. Internet over Wi‑Fi and cellular data network tests were conducted using dedicated web and mail servers, browsing snapshot versions of 20 popular web pages, and receiving mail once an hour. All settings were default except: Wi‑Fi was associated with a network (except for Internet browsing over cellular data network); the Wi‑Fi feature Ask to Join Networks and Auto-Brightness were turned off; Brightness was set to 50%; and WPA2 encryption was enabled. Battery life depends on device settings, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPad units; actual results may vary.
8. iMovie, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are free on the App Store for qualifying devices with initial activation on or after September 1, 2013. GarageBand is free on the App Store for qualifying devices with initial activation on or after September 1, 2014. Downloading apps requires an Apple ID and a device that is compatible with the iOS version required for each app.
9. Wireless broadband recommended; fees may apply.
10. Customized suggestions based on recipient and app are not available for Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), Japanese, Korean, and Thai.

Some features may not be available for all countries or all areas. .