If
you need a portable, quick and efficient way to browse the internet,
access your documents, take notes, a gadget can do everything you
need to do on a laptop computer but don't want to keep lugging around
a heavy laptop. Just slip this light weight tablet into your handbag
or briefcase and you'll have a nice, easy to carry product ready for
all your business needs. You may be thinking “Apple already have
an iPad out what's the difference between this one and that one?”
Well, Apple have improved their technology for their already superb
iPad Air from 2013.
It
is a fantastic piece of technology but don't expect it to do anything
new or anything different. The iPad Air 2 is still a tablet, not a
tablet/laptop hybrid, and so it won't be capable to do as many things
as a laptop or desktop is capable of doing for obvious reasons. It is
a mobile device of which is identical to the iPhone except for the
fact that its larger and able to hold more storage. On the other
hand it's a lot cheaper, and the Apple app store has a superb array
of quality apps that let you do pretty much anything you want. Pair
the iPad Air 2 with one of the better third party keyboards and it
becomes a shapeshifter of tablets with its multi functions.
The
iPad Air 2 is a beautifully made tablet with swift operational usage
and design. Its much thinner and lighter than its previous models.
Apple has managed to pack blistering performance and 10-hour battery
life in a this tiny package. The screen has been improved too, in
ways that make it a joy to use. The screen is of retina display
giving a clearer, crisp picture.
The
headline feature on the iPad Air 2 and the iPad
mini 3 is
Touch ID – a feature that lets you unlock the tablet using your
fingerprint. This acts as a form of photographic identification of
the technology world. The fingerprint ID is not just an unlocking
feature. It is a lot more than that. Touch ID on the iPad Air 2 is
all about Apple
Pay and
making it easy for you to purchase securely online at the touch of a
button. Apple Pay is only available in the UK and US only at the
moment.
The
first iPad Air looks grand – the slick aluminium design a change
from its chunkier versions prior to it. It’s a tablet that's
effortless to handle, but that also has a refined air of attribute.
No
rational motive to change what's working, so Apple has kept a similar
design for the iPad Air 2 – only it's even finer.
The
iPad Air 2 is preposterously thin at just 6.1mm, and
lighter-than-air, too, at 437g. That’s a entire 1.4mm thinner and
32g lighter than last year’s tablet. It’s not an unhealthy
skinny, like some Sony tablet. The iPad Air 2 is solid – the
aluminium back feels strong and has a little grain that makes it easy
to grasp.
There has been one fatality in Apple’s pursuit of a supermodel figure. The iPad Air 2 is the first iPad without a mute/rotation-lock switch. It’s a sacrifice we’re not bothered about much. You can still easily mute the Air 2 by pushing the volume down button for a second, and lock the screen rotation via the settings menu.
Other
than that, the controls are similar to previous models. You get the
volume buttons on the right edge and the power button at the top –
easy enough to access and use.
The
Lightning port for charging and data transportation is at the bottom,
flanked by the stereo speaker grilles. It’s not the best location
for the speakers, as you can stifle them with your hand while holding
holding the iPad Air 2 in landscape mode. We’d opt for front-facing
speakers like the ones on the Nexus
9,
although in every other respects the iPad is a much better tablet.
There’s been a brand-new colour added to the space grey and silver versions and it's gold. It’s not a blinging back-of-an-old-mercedes-tissue-box gold, though. It's a light gold, almost champagne in color, and the front bezels are white. Our best-loved colour remains the space grey, but it's a matter of preference only.
Touch
ID is Apple’s fingerprint reviewer. It works by securely storing
your fingerprint on the device, so you can unlock the iPad Air 2 with
a easy touch. It’s super-slick but it’s less useful on the iPad
than it is on the iPhone
6 or
iPhone
6 Plus.
Phones are unlocked a lot more often and are used one-handed, so it’s
a refined feature on the iPad Air 2 rather than a necessary one.
Apple
has now allowed developers to hook into Touch ID so these days you
can secure all your data on Evernote, for example, behind the peace
of mind of your own, incomparable, biometrics.
Apple’s fundamental reason behind adding Touch ID it to its latest tablets, though, is Apple Pay. Unlike on the iPhones, which come with NFC, you won’t be capable of using an iPad to tap and pay in a physical store. You can use it to buy things online, though.
Add
your credit card details to the iPad Air 2 and you'll be able to use
Touch ID to make purchasing dead simple. There are some limitations,
though. Currently Apple Pay only works via apps, so you won’t be
able to make purchases through a browser.
The
other problem is that it’s not available in all regions yet,
although you can now use it in the UK as well as the US.
Some
observers have shook a finger at Apple, citing a lack of recent
invention. Looking at specs alone, it also looks like its devices
delay behind Android ones. Specs can be deceptive, though – Apple
champions user experience. To this end it's made the sort of
improvements to the IPS LCD screen that we like to see.
There’s
no gain in the 2048 x 1536 resolution. It’s the same Retina pixel
spacing the iPad
3 wowed
us with in 2012 and it’s still more than competent. You’ll have
to put the iPad a distance from your face to notice any pixelation.
But having the same resolution doesn’t mean that this is the same
screen. Apple has made some significant changes to it since the iPad
3 to amend colors and contrast ratios, particularly this year.
A number of panels combine to make the final display. Most screens have small air gaps between each panel, but on the iPad Air 2 these are united together. Not only does this make the screen thinner, which assists the design of the tablet, but it also helps to cut down reflections. And this is where Apple's really made inroads.
Apple
claims a 56% reduction in reflectivity of the iPad Air 2 by bonding
the display and adding an antireflective coating to it. It’s an
transformation that we didn’t realize we needed until we got it.
It makes a huge difference. Whether you’re using the iPad Air 2 on a sunny day in the park or just in a room with graceless lighting, the screen manages to keep reflections to a minimum. This helps you enjoy reading content online or watching a movie more than ever before.
The
iPad Air 2 trumps previous versions with its colors, too. They're
bright, accurate and vivid, while contrast is greater, too, with
deeper blacks and more detail in dark scenes. There’s only one area
where the iPad Air wins out, and that’s with the whites. The Air 2
we monitored had a light pinkish tinge. It was faint, though – just
a little worse than its predecessor, and only a minor issue.
Apple
also claims that the reactivity of the display has improved, leading
to quicker reaction speeds. iPads have never had a issue in this area
and we haven’t been able to observe any difference between the iPad
Air 2 and the Air before it.
All
in all the iPad Air 2’s screen is superb, with the bonded display
looking almost painted onto the glass. This is a big step up from
previous iPads and only the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and its Super
AMOLED screen can eclipse it.
Supporting
the iPad Air 2’s credentials as a superb multimedia tablet are its
stereo speakers. These pack a punch and are much louder than those on
last year’s model. They’re better in other ways, too. Dialogue is
richer, voices sound accurate and there’s a mite more bass. Stereo
separation remains poor, though, because the speakers are so close
together.
The
64-bit A7 processor introduced on the iPhone 5S was altered to
provide a power boost to last year’s iPad Air. Called the A7X this
chip was similar in performance to the A7 – up 5-10% in our
benchmark tests.
This
year Apple has gone further and designed a processor specifically for
the iPad Air 2. The A8X has a tri-core CPU running at 1.5GHz and a
quad-core graphics processing unit coupled, for the first time, to
2GB of RAM.
If
we play Specs Top Trumps the iPad Air 2 looks a shadow of top-end
Android tablets such as the Samsung
Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and
its 2.3GHz quad-core processor. Don’t let that fool you, though.
The iPad Air 2 is the most powerful tablet we’ve ever tested –
and that’s including Nvidia’s
Shield Tablet that
packs the great new Tegra K1.
And
while the processor is key to that performance, Apple has also
ensured that iOS 8 can make the most of it. Metal lets developers
take full advantage of the quad-core GPU, while the new iOS
programming language, Swift, means apps can hook into certain
features such as Touch ID.
Some observers have even compared the iPad Air 2's performance to a desktop PC. In some respects they’re right. The A8X processor performs a few tasks faster than PCs just a few years old, but the question is: do you need all that power? If you intend to use your iPad as a productivity device then you’ll appreciate it. Even if you don’t, you may find yourself using it more as a laptop replacement than you anticipated.
During
the launch of the Air 2, Apple showed off a video-editing app called
Replay that lets you create slick-looking videos with ease. The iPad
Air 2 powered through the edits.
There
are clear benefits to be had from the extra performance, but let’s
see how it stacks up against the competition.
The
iPad Air 2 scores an excellent 4,509 on Geekbench 3. To put that in
some context, the next fastest tablet we’ve reviewed, the Nvidia
Shield, scored 3220 – that’s 40% faster. That also makes the iPad
Air 2 almost 70% faster than the iPad Air. That’s some impressive
work in just a year.
And
the wins keep coming with a 3D Mark Ice Storm Unlimited score of
21,797. That’s 33% higher than the Shield and almost 50% better
than the first-generation iPad Air.
The
iPad Air 2 is astonishingly fast – so fast, in fact, that you might
not know what to do with all that power. Not that we’re
complaining, of course. The extra grunt means that this is a tablet
you can use for more than just checking out the latest memes and
Facebook. It future-proofs the Air 2 to some degree.
There’s
also been an upgrade to the co-processor, now called the M8. This
handles all the sensor data from the iPad Air 2, such as the
accelerometer and the new barometer. The reason that Apple favours a
co-processor is that it uses much less power than the main processor,
helping the battery to last longer.
iPad Air 2: Connectivity and Features
Except
for Touch ID and Apple Pay, there’s not much to differentiate the
iPad Air 2 from its predecessor in terms of connectivity.
You
get a 3.5mm headphone jack along the top edge, while the Lightning
connector port, which charges the iPad Air 2 and transfers data, is
at the bottom. Bluetooth 4.0, AirDrop and AirPlay are all present and
the Wi-Fi has had a boost.
The
iPad Air 2 has two antennae to the first-gen’s one and uses
802.11ac technology, leading to Wi-Fi that’s twice as fast as
before.
The
64-bit A7 processor introduced on the iPhone 5S was altered to
provide a power boost to last year’s iPad Air. Called the A7X this
chip was similar in performance to the A7 – up 5-10% in our
benchmark tests.
This
year Apple has gone further and designed a processor specifically
for the iPad Air 2. The A8X has a tri-core CPU running at 1.5GHz and
a quad-core graphics processing unit coupled, for the first time, to
2GB of RAM.
If
we play Specs Top Trumps the iPad Air 2 looks a shadow of top-end
Android tablets such as the Samsung
Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and
its 2.3GHz quad-core processor. Don’t let that fool you, though.
The iPad Air 2 is the most powerful tablet we’ve ever tested –
and that’s including Nvidia’s
Shield Tablet that
packs the great new Tegra K1.
And
while the processor is key to that performance, Apple has also
ensured that iOS 8 can make the most of it. Metal lets developers
take full advantage of the quad-core GPU, while the new iOS
programming language, Swift, means apps can hook into certain
features such as Touch ID.
Some
observers have even compared the iPad Air 2's performance to a
desktop PC. In some respects they’re right. The A8X processor
performs a few tasks faster than PCs just a few years old, but the
question is: do you need all that power? If you intend to use your
iPad as a productivity device then you’ll appreciate it. Even if
you don’t, you may find yourself using it more as a laptop
replacement than you anticipated.
During
the launch of the Air 2, Apple showed off a video-editing app called
Replay that lets you create slick-looking videos with ease. The iPad
Air 2 powered through the edits.
There
are clear benefits to be had from the extra performance, but let’s
see how it stacks up against the competition.
The
iPad Air 2 scores an excellent 4,509 on Geekbench 3. To put that in
some context, the next fastest tablet we’ve reviewed, the Nvidia
Shield, scored 3220 – that’s 40% faster. That also makes the
iPad Air 2 almost 70% faster than the iPad Air. That’s some
awesome work in just a year.
And
the wins keep coming with a 3D Mark Ice Storm Unlimited score of
21,797. That’s 33% higher than the Shield and almost 50% better
than the first-generation iPad Air.
The
iPad Air 2 is astonishingly fast – so fast, in fact, that you may
not know what to do with all that power. Not that we’re whining,
of course. The bonus grunt means that this is a tablet you can use
for more than just checking out the latest memes and Facebook. It
future-proofs the Air 2 to some degree.
There’s
also been an upgrade to the co-processor, now called the M8. This
handles all the sensor data from the iPad Air 2, such as the
accelerometer and the new barometer. The reason that Apple favours a
co-processor is that it uses much less power than the main
processor, serving the battery to last longer.
Except
for Touch ID and Apple Pay, there’s not much to distinguish the
iPad Air 2 from its predecessor in terms of connectivity.
You
get a 3.5mm headphone jack along the top edge, while the Lightning
connector port, which charges the iPad Air 2 and transfers data, is
at the bottom. Bluetooth 4.0, AirDrop and AirPlay are all present
and the Wi-Fi has had a boost.
The
iPad Air 2 has two antennae to the first-gen’s one and uses
802.11ac technology, leading to Wi-Fi that’s twice as fast as
before.
If
you’re out and about you can opt for the 4G/LTE version. The iPad
Air 2 comes with support for 20 bands, so you’ll be able to use it
pretty much anywhere in the world.
Of
course, you can forget a microSD card slot – Apple's never
included one in a product and wasn’t about to start with its
flagship tablet. That means that if you want extra storage for all
your favourite songs, pictures and films, you need to choose the
right storage option at the time of purchase.
As
with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple has dropped the 32GB option for
the iPad Air 2. Instead you get 64GB and 128GB, or you can opt for
the meagre 16GB model. If you do plump for the latter, be aware that
iOS 8 takes up 5GB of the 16, leaving you with just 11GB to play
with.
The
iPad Air 2 comes with Apple’s latest version of its mobile
operating system – iOS 8.1.
iOS
8 has had a bit of a troubled launch. Some users have
experienced Wi-Fi and battery life issues, but the pick of the bunch
was a bug that deleted iCloud data when resetting a device.
Thankfully
iOS 8.1 appears to have resolved most of these glitches, and the
additions have changed it for the better.
Even
though iOS 8 looks almost identical to iOS 7, it comes with a bevy
of new features. Here’s the whistle stop tour.
The
messaging app has had a makeover, and now lets you send voice
messages as well as using third-party keyboards such as SwiftKey.
Group messaging has also had a nip-and-tuck, letting you leave a
conversation or choose not to be disturbed by it.
AirDrop
lets you easily share files with other nearby iOS devices that are
using iOS 7 and above. AirPlay requires you to have bought into
another part of the Apple ecosystem – Apple TV. You can wirelessly
stream from your iPad Air 2 to your home entertainment system via
Apple TV.
A
brand-new feature of iOS 8 is Family Sharing. This lets members of
the same household browse and download each other’s iTunes, iBooks
and App Store purchases. You can have up to six family members
participating, each with their own Apple ID. In a nod towards user
profiles, parents can create Apple IDs for children with an Ask to
Buy feature. This ensures mums and dads don’t get lumbered with
hefty app purchasing bills. You can add more restrictions via the
Settings menu to keep them away from inappropriate content.
Like
most cloud storage solutions, iCloud Drive enables you to back up
all the important information on the iPad Air 2 online. This makes
it accessible from any device, including your PC.
Continuity
is the most interesting new iOS 8 feature, but to take full
advantage of it you’ll need an iPhone and Mac computer with
Apple’s latest OS
X Yosemite.
Not only can you pick up calls from your iPad Air 2 or MacBook when
it’s on the same Wi-Fi network, but you can also use Handoff. This
is a feature that lets you easily start work on one device and
continue on another in an instant.
Finally
we need to consider the App Store. There are now more than 675,000
apps made for the iPad – no other tablet ecosystem comes close.
Whether you enjoy gaming, working on a tablet or have a niche need
then the iPad delivers.
Apple
claims that iPad users really value the camera. During iPad Air 2’s
launch Tim Cook explained that the iPad is perfect for photography
because the large screen makes for a great viewfinder. He has a
point, but we still can’t help feel like photographing with such a
large device is ridiculous.
Still,
if taking photos on your iPad is something you like to do, you’ll
be very pleased to hear that the iPad Air 2 now comes with an
8-megapixel iSight camera. It's similar, but not identical, to the
one on the iPhone
6.
This makes it a big step up from the 5-megapixel affair on the iPad
Air,
and the photos tell the story
In
good light the higher resolution provides more detail than before but
the real benefit comes when the lights go down.
As you can see from the pictures of the trees, the Air 2 shot (left) shows a great deal more detail and vibrance in the leaves and branches. Our low-light test shot below also shows that the iPad Air 2 handles dingy conditions better – colours are more vivid and there’s less noise around the text.
Aside
from the improved picture quality, the iPad Air 2’s camera comes
with a few new tricks. You can now use burst mode, which takes
continuous shots so you don't miss that fast-moving action picture.
But the pick of the bunch is the slo-mo video that takes Full HD
video at 1080p. It’s slick, easy to use and delivers fantastic
results. Dual microphones also mean that captured audio is better
than before.
The
front-facing FaceTime camera is the same as the one on the iPhone 6
and 6
Plus.
It’s still 1.2 megapixels, but Apple claims it's improved the
low-light performance by more than 80%. It works. Video calling, even
in a dark room, works well.
Some
of that incredible 6.1mm thinness has come by reducing the size of
the battery. It's gone from 8,600mAh to 7,340mAh in the iPad Air 2.
Apple claims that battery life hasn't dropped because it's made key
improvements to the efficiency of the processor. We put it to our own
tests to find out if it still lasts 10 hours of constant use.
We
conducted like-for-like tests and found that the iPad Air 2 lasted
almost the same time as its predecessor, despite the smaller battery.
We played the same standard-definition video on both tablets. After
three hours of use, the iPad Air 2 dropped 22% battery compared to
21% on the first-gen Air. So battery life has taken a minor hit, but
it’s nowhere near as bad as the large reduction in capacity had led
us to believe.
In normal day-to-day use the iPad Air 2 lasts the advertised 10 hours. That included two hours of gaming, three hours of video streaming over Wi-Fi, and five hours of Wi-Fi web browsing, with some hours of standby in between. Screen brightness was set to around 60%, which we found to be adequate both indoors and out.
One
hour’s charge provides 30% of the battery, two hours gives 60%, and
the battery was fully charged after three and a half hours. This is
on par with the previous iPad
Air.
The
battery life on the iPad Air 2 is solid, rather than outstanding.
Would we have traded a little of that thinness for some extra
stamina? Probably, but it still lasts long enough for most people,
and as long as competitor tablets.
Buying
an iPad Air 2 depends on which iPad you currently own. If you have a
first- or second-generation iPad then it’s a no-brainer – the
iPad Air 2 is miles better in every respect. It’s also much lighter
and faster than the iPad 3 or 4, even if the screen improvements are
less marked.
If
you have an iPad Air, though, it’s unlikely you’ll appreciate the
Air 2 that much more. Yes, it’s faster, thinner, lighter and comes
with Touch ID, but the iPad Air is still an excellent tablet.
Then
there’s the question of price. The 16GB model costs £399/$499, the
64GB £479/$599 and the 128GB £559/$699. Add £100/$129 on top of
those prices if you want 4G connectivity. The lack of a microSD slot
means the best option for most will be the 64GB iPad Air 2.
There
are cheaper 10-inch tablets around, but none offer such a rich app
marketplace. You can do more with the iPad Air 2 than with any other
tablet on the market.
Verdict
The
iPad Air 2 is another triumph for Apple. The design and screen have
improved in all the right ways, and the new A8X processor is nothing
short of astonishing. This is still the best large tablet around.