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, at the autumn presentation, the company presented the thinnest device in the world - iPad Air 2, which did not revolutionize the world mobile technologies, but became no less popular than its predecessor. Despite the release of the new product, many users were in no hurry to change first-generation devices, because they did not see much point in it. Of course, the iPad Air 2 received several important changes that made it the flagship among tablet computers.

Comparing the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 will allow you to determine exactly what the advantages of the 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 is, rather, dictated not by the need to use advanced device functions, but by the desire to be one step ahead of the rest. If you value 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 sizes. If the length and width of the gadgets remained the same - 240 mm and 169.5 mm, then iPad Air 2 became the thinnest device in the world at the time of its 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 minor differences in the sizes 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 its reduced weight, iPad Air 2 is very comfortable to work with. After prolonged use, your arms and back will not get so tired. This was a significant transformation for users who prefer to hold the tablet in their hands rather than place 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 - in addition to the usual silver and space gray, a golden one has been added. This gives users more options to choose from. Some people prefer to buy smartphones and tablets in the same color scheme. Now you can purchase a similar device to go with your gold iPhone.

The first generation tablet is supplied to the market with an operating version iOS systems 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 Specifications

The screen resolution of the compared devices remains the same - 2048 by 1536 pixels. Has not changed - it is 9.7 inches, which ensures comfortable work. We believe that these sizes 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 screen lamination was used. The developers managed to remove the air gap between the glass and the matrix. This made the device thinner and led to the fact that the image in the iPad Air 2 visually seemed to lie on the surface of the glass. The device released earlier does not have similar visual effects. Another advantage of the second generation iPad Air was its 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 when 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 made it possible to capture the image. On the iPad Air 2, a similar option must be activated using user settings.

Camera

It is immediately worth noting that in the second generation iPad Air, significant changes affected the camera. The first thing that catches your eye is that 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 improves the quality of pictures and videos. For many, the presence of new functions 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, which can be conveniently emphasized using slow motion. In addition, the camera has other interesting and useful features.

When comparing photos taken on the two tablets, you will notice that the iPad Air 2 produces better photo quality. Images have improved color reproduction. At the same time, all colors look more natural. The noise level in the pictures has been reduced and the detail of objects has been improved. However, such improvements are only important for discerning users. The camera performance of the first generation device is quite satisfactory for a device of this level.

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

Technical Parameters

The 2013 tablet is equipped with an A7+M7 processor. Gadgets introduced in 2014 run on the A8X+M8 processor. iPad Air 2 has three cores, while its predecessor had two. The clock speed of the gadgets is 1.5 GHz and 1.4 GHz, respectively. According to the developers, such changes made it possible 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 RAM. At the same time, the 2013 model has built-in memory capacity of 16 and 32 GB. 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 is 8827 mAh. The developer stated that in the mode of searching information on the World Wide Web, watching videos and listening to audio, the battery of the 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 - these are the results shown by test tests.

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

In those distant times, when dinosaurs walked the earth, there was such a tablet as the iPad 1, which weighed 680 grams in the WiFi version and was 1.3 cm thick. 5 years later, proud Tim Cook showed us the iPad Air 2. The tablet, which can now be used to cut not only bread, but also sausage, has become even thinner (6.1 mm versus 7.5 mm for the first Air). The belly was flattened thanks to the laminated screen, and the rear lost weight due to the smaller battery capacity, which ultimately gave us minus 32 grams in weight (437 grams versus 469 grams in the WiFi version).

Batteries in iPads:

• iPad 1 – 6600 mAh (24.8 Wh)
• iPad 2 – 6930 mAh (25 Wh)
• iPad 3 – 11560 mAh (42.5 Wh)
• iPad 4 – 11560 mAh (42.5 Wh)
• iPad Air – 8820 mAh (32.9 Wh)
• iPad Air 2 – 7340 mAh (27.3 Wh)

Charging time for iPad Air 2 is approximately 4 hours. It took a long time to charge the last 10%.

• 0% – 23:00
• 31% – 0:00
• 86% – 2:00
• 100% – 3:00

iPad Air 2 battery test

YouTube ( 1 hour of operation, brightness 50%, dropped by 12%).
Opening hours 9 o'clock screen operation.

• 30% – 20:16
• 18% – 21:16

AVPlayer ( video 720p mkv, 1 hour of work, brightness 50%, dropped to 9%)
Opening hours 11 o'clock screen operation in case of 720p video and 10 o'clock 1080p screen operation.

• 18% – 21:16
• 9% – 22:16

Epic Citadel (game test, brightness 100%)
Opening hours 5 hours screen operation.

• 100% – 18:15
• 75% – 19:34
• 60% – 20:15

According to my feelings, Air 2 has become a little shorter in terms of battery life, and tests from other publications tell us that there is 1-2 hours less screen operation compared to the first Air, but we still have the promised 10 hours of operation.

• http://recode.net (iPad Air 2 – 10 hours 27 minutes, iPad Air – 12 hours 13 minutes).

The appearance of the iPad Air 2 has changed slightly. Those who like to fiddle with the lever may begin to feel sad, since it has disappeared and now mute mode or the screen lock can be changed using buttons on the screen.

The number of holes in the lower part has decreased, but they have become larger. The sound remained excellent as it was. Good highs and lows. Unfortunately, the small thickness of the tablet played a cruel joke on it... Rear panel There is noticeable vibration from the speakers, and vibration runs across the screen, but I didn’t notice this on the first Air. In general, listening to music, etc., holding the tablet with your hands is not very pleasant. On the other hand, there is a kind of tactile feedback, ardent Vilsakomites will say.

The Air 2 screen retained the dimensions and number of pixels, but became laminated, that is, three layers of the screen were combined into one - protective glass, a layer of sensors and an LCD. They promise better contrast and viewing angles, but in practice I didn’t notice any significant differences from the first Air. Both screens are good. Service owners are rubbing their hands, since replacing this screen will cost a good amount, and also in terms of maintainability new Air scored 2 out of 10 points according to iFixit. It is also worth noting the anti-reflective screen coating, which reduces glare by 56%. In practice the difference is noticeable.

But not everything is so wonderful with the Air 2 screen... If you simply take the tablet with your right hand by the right end, then gripping the back panel with your fingers may cause streaks on the screen. Judging by the reviews of other Air 2 owners, many people have similar problems, but they can manifest themselves to varying degrees. For some, they appear more noticeably and with less effort. Perhaps they will fix it in the next batches. Please note that the screen is subject to stains only with right side, where the motherboard is located, apparently it puts more pressure on the screen than the battery on the other side.

iPad Air 2 received a new Apple A8X chip (20 nm process technology), which includes a triple-core processor at 1.5 GHz and a GPU PowerVR GX6650.

For those who like to study the insides of the device, below is the data iFixit for iPad Air 2 tablet:

CPU performance has increased by 40%, and graphics have become 2.5 times faster. According to the tests, everything is just fine.

GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan test (onscreen)

The Apple A8X chip in the iPad Air 2 allowed this tablet to match the graphics performance of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S, which have a noticeably lower screen resolution. The first iPad Air actually turned out to be 2.5 times worse than the Air 2 in 3D.

If we compare the Apple A8X chip with the performance of the Tegra K1, the Air 2 is slightly faster.

• Xiaomi MiPad (2048×1536) – 19.7 fps
• Nexus 9 (2048x1440) – 22.5 fps
• iPad Air 2 (2048x1536) – 24.5 fps

The NVIDIA Shield tablet takes the lead due to its lower screen resolution.

Geekbench 3.0

If you don’t directly compare the first and second Air, then you won’t notice the difference in speed. Perhaps in future games Air 2 will show itself in all its glory, but at the moment in both cases everything is at the same level. The games run smoothly, the interface works quickly, but occasional stutters still occur, but most often they are just glitches, but this is the fault of the software, not the hardware. By the way, iOS 8.1 is not very stable. There are enough bugs... It's good that Jobs doesn't see what's going on with iOS.

Finally, the iPad received 2Gb of RAM, which had a positive effect on the operation of applications in the background. Pages in the browser no longer reload so often from any sneeze running in parallel.

The camera in the Air 2 has been updated to 8Mp f2.4 and now it shoots about as well as the iPhone 5.

After my vacation this summer, I dramatically changed my mind about the camera in tablets. Many people have taken photos on a tablet... You need a good camera on a tablet.

The first variation of the Air tablet and the latter are significantly different. These two devices are similar in design, but if you give a description of their “fillings”, the situation will be different. The second version of the iPad has almost every feature better - this applies to the display, camera, performance and many other parameters. Read more about this in our Air 2 iPad review.

To begin with, let’s look at the characteristics of the equipment. This is the first thing a user who purchases a device sees.

Having unpacked the iPad Air box, we will find there:

• The tablet itself.
• USB cable.
• Charging element.
• Documents.

This is neither more nor less – quite a normal set for Apple gadgets. The Air model does not stand out in this regard.

Apple iPad Air 2 design

In appearance, the second generation tablet is similar to the first. And this was hardly a surprise for experienced users. Apple doesn't like to change the design of its products - that's a fact. And this is completely justified: why invent something radically new if the old one is close to ideal.

• Touch ID technology.
• The new shade is golden.
• The hole for the microphone is now located near the camera, at the end.

The Apple company loves to compare new products with previous ones. And, by the way, users also like it. After all, this is the best way to identify the advantages of a new device model.

If the first generation of tablets weighed almost 700 grams, then Apple iPad Air 2 already weighs less than 450. The thickness of the new model is 2 times less. But, of course, now the dimensions of the first iPad look terrifying. At that time, this device was considered the height of perfection.

All this was said for those users who expect something revolutionary from Apple. But, in fact, this is what happens when a company makes excellent gadgets even more perfect every year. And if competitors are trying to make a tablet that folds 4 times, Apple is working on reducing the thickness of the devices, improving their performance, and the like.

Apple iPad Air 2 display characteristics

The diagonal of the device is 9.7 inches. The resolution is 2048 x 1536 pixels. There is also an anti-reflective coating. And if you look at the photographs taken by the camera—this is a tablet model—you can see how this technology works.

In appearance, the display looks matte, which is very good for visual perception. The less glare, the less inconvenience.

Among other things, the screen was assembled in a new way - there is no air gap, at the top there is a glass element for protection, then at the bottom there is a touch sensor, and even lower there is an LCD matrix. The developer’s resource says that thanks to all these innovations, the picture quality in this tablet model is much better than previous ones. However, many users note that they did not see much of a difference. And one of the main new products is anti-reflective coating.

Variations and cost

There are several modifications of the Air tablet. A user who is not very well versed in the products of the Apple company may get confused.

If we talk about such an indicator as the amount of built-in memory, then there are models with 16, 64 and 128 GB on board. The model marked A1566 is an option with WiFi. iPad Air 2 A1567 is a version that additionally includes LTE. Note that the iPad Air 2 A1567 is a universal gadget that supports the weight of the LTE model.

The cost of models varies depending on the amount of memory. Average price for each variation:

• 16 GB – from 30,000 rubles.
• 64 GB – from 37,000 rubles.
• 128 GB – from 42,000 rubles.

The prices are high, but Apple tablets are of excellent quality and the best in their niche. The cost of the devices can be considered quite adequate, especially for budget-conscious users. Firstly, the gadget will last for many years, surprising the owner with a variety of functions. Secondly, if you don’t need it or want to switch to a newer model, you can always sell it for decent money. And this despite the fact that the device was in operation for several years.

This absolutely cannot be said about similar devices from competitors. They depreciate very quickly on the used market. Users are afraid to purchase them because if they break down, it will be very difficult to find the right part. Or simply impossible. But more and more certified Apple centers are being added throughout the country every year.

Now let’s talk about how to choose a specific device option for yourself. We offer the following tips and recommendations:

1 The 16 GB model is good to buy as a gift. The functionality of the tablet is wide, but if you don’t have a memory card, you’ll hardly be able to use it 100%. You can buy this variation of the gadget for yourself if you plan to browse websites. For more complex tasks there will not be enough memory. Unfortunately, the manufacturer removed a good option with 32 GB, so you should take a closer look at the version with memory of at least 64 GB. 2 Many people are wondering whether to take the version with Wi-Fi, or whether it is better to purchase Wi-Fi + LTE. The choice here is very simple. If you want to use the tablet as a bedside video camera. LTE is of no use to you. After all, you can always go online by connecting via iPhone. But if you often move around the country and use a communication gadget in the city to check mail, it is better to take the second option of the gadget. And choose a tariff for the tablet from the communication company. 3 Let's give an example if the user chooses a model with 64 GB Wi-Fi + LTE. What will be at his disposal? There is enough memory to take a lot of videos with you. When visiting other cities or countries, a SIM card installed in the device helps out. In other cities of Russia, if you visit them, your device will serve you as a network access point. 4 You can buy tablets from Apple in any other country. LTE will work perfectly everywhere. But the iPad must be unlocked. And, of course, original. Unlocking an iPad made by Chinese craftsmen will be very difficult. 5 Of the entire color range, the dark gray shade of the device will suit the practical user. Cracks and chips on it will be less noticeable. White is the most spectacular. Golden also looks expensive. 6 Of the required accessories, you should buy a Lightning cord (necessarily original and preferably = two-meter version). This way you can recharge your gadget and lie in bed. In addition, it is a good idea to purchase the cover. An original Bluetooth keyboard will also come in handy. She will turn your tablet into a laptop.

Performance

According to research results, in comparison with the Air model, the second model comes with increased performance. And the differences are quite significant. In practice, this difference is also clearly visible. Especially when launching several types of software, the browser opens faster, the camera and maps start.

The processor in the model is 64-bit. There is also an M8 coprocessor. But all these technical details mean little to the average user. The main thing is that productivity has increased, and the work period has remained at the same level.

In addition to Touch ID technology, the device also contains other types of sensors - barometer, ambient light, etc. For geolocation, the user can use the functions of a digital compass, wireless network or iBeacon. The latest technology is notable in that the user will be able to receive push SMS when he is, for example, in a shopping center. These can be various promotions.

The tablet supports calls in audio and video format. We're talking about FaceTime and any gadgets from Apple. But this seems not enough to many users and they regret the inability to make calls directly from the iPad. Unfortunately, on tablets the SIM card is used exclusively for data transfer. But you can forward a call from iPhone to iPad. To do this, the user simply needs to connect the headset.

The selfie element of the iPad model in question is also quite good. You can take very decent photos or communicate via FaceTime. Compared to previous version, this one clearly wins.

Apple iPad Pro review of the largest tablet

The display is based on IPS technology. The diagonal size is almost 13 inches, with a resolution of 2732x2048 pixels. The latter indicator is the best of all Apple products. There are simply no analogues.

The Matrix is ​​simply magnificent. There is also adaptive backlight control. The image analyzer was introduced for the first time. When viewing static content, the display refresh rate is reduced by 2 times. By the way, other companies have been using similar technologies in their devices for several years in a row. And Apple started only with this gadget.

One of the cardinal innovations is a significantly increased memory capacity, amounting to 4 GB. Previously, the maximum value was 2 times less.

The processor has 2 cores, frequency - 2.26 GHz. Element version – A9.

According to reviews from ordinary users, the gadget works very quickly based on OS 9. It will not be wrong to say that this tablet is the fastest device from Apple. The software opens instantly, the menu flies, nothing freezes. According to the results of synthetic tests, the gadget also showed excellent results.

The old and new iPad Air are very similar to each other, but only in terms of appearance. The new model has received improved characteristics that put it at the forefront among numerous competitors. The manufacturer has improved the display, photographic capabilities, and performance. Every aspect of the device has been improved.

We don’t have to expect anything special; the standard set awaits us:

Design iPad Air 2

The appearance of the tablet in the second generation has remained virtually unchanged, which will not come as a surprise to anyone. The manufacturer has long established a tradition of inheriting the main design features from one generation to another and no one has complained yet; on the contrary, many lesser-known companies borrow design elements. Apple iPad Air 2 review showed that in new version Touch ID appeared on the tablet, the characteristics were improved, and prices remained at 30,000 rubles, which is quite a lot for a tablet. Other changes include the appearance of a hole for a microphone on the end near the camera. Buyers have several color options to choose from - classic white and gray, as well as a new golden color.

The iPad body is made from a monolithic piece of aluminum, and the Touch ID sensor is made up of several parts, to prevent damage to which sapphire is installed. The dimensions of the tablet are as follows - 240 x 169.5 x 6.1 mm, weight is 437 grams, if we talk about the standard modification. LTE weighs a little more - 444 grams. This is due to the fact that there is a plastic insert on the back side, under which the antenna is located.

Display

The display of the Apple iPad Air 2 tablet and its characteristics are at the highest level, as befits this manufacturer. The diagonal is 9.7 inches and the resolution is 2048 x 1536 pixels. There is an anti-reflective coating that performs its functions 100%, but unfortunately this cannot be shown in the photo. When using it, you get the impression that the display is matte, which has a positive effect on the perception of the picture. The screen is designed using new technology. It boasts the absence of an air gap, the presence protective glass, under which there is a touch sensor and an LCD matrix. Officially, there is an improvement in the image quality of the picture, but the differences are not noticeable by eye.

Modifications, as well as prices on the Russian market

The Apple iPad Air 2 tablet review demonstrates that the characteristics and prices are optimally selected. Each buyer has the opportunity to choose the most advantageous configuration for 16, 64 or 128 GB of internal memory. There is a version with support for Wi-Fi and LTE. The prices are as follows:

• 16 GB version – 24,990/30,990 rubles
• 64 GB – 29,490/35,990 rubles
• 128 GB – 34,490/40,990 rubles

Specifications Apple iPad Air 2

The main differences of the new iPad versions lie in his technical specifications, which have become more advanced in every way. The manufacturer still uses the 64-bit architecture represented by the Apple A8X processor. This is the top solution on the modern market, which even bypasses the graphics from the famous Tegra K1 platform. Despite the powerful hardware, the tablet hardly gets warm in games, and at the same time is well suited for multimedia entertainment. The characteristics of the Apple iPad Air 2 tablet in the 16gb, 64gb and 128gb versions will not differ. The tablet works noticeably faster than its predecessor, and the performance will be sufficient with a large margin for many years to come. This is the first time that a manufacturer has used a triple-core processor.

According to official data, the new chip is 40% more powerful than the previous one, and graphics performance has increased by 2.5 times. A review of the Apple iPad Air 2 128gb tablet makes it possible to understand that the characteristics will remain relevant for a long time to come. It is worth noting that the 32 GB version is no longer available, so you have to make a choice either towards a smaller volume or pay a fair amount. In the new model, the body has become thinner and lighter, the battery capacity has been reduced, but performance has noticeably increased. The tablet still works for about 10 hours.

While reviewing the Apple iPad Air 2 tablet, we were not very pleased with the 4:3 aspect ratio - not best solution to watch videos. But at the same time, given the large amounts of memory and the variety of available players, the iPad can turn into a real portable cinema. The tablet can easily stream movies in 1080p, and data from the display can be displayed in real time on the TV. The speaker is loud, the sound is high quality, which perfectly complements the multimedia capabilities.

Data transfer

The characteristics of the Apple iPad Air 2 16gb tablet have also improved in terms of communications, in particular the Wi-Fi module has been upgraded. The new model has support for Wi-Fi 802.11ac. The new iPad is not only faster with the right hardware, it's also more stable. Now there is support for up to 20 LTE bands. Now you can independently select the required options, and the card will already be installed in the device. True, for now this opportunity is available only to residents of the United States.

Fingerprint scanner

Apple makes every effort to ensure that users' personal data is protected as much as possible. The second generation of the tablet has a Touch ID fingerprint scanner. The new button has become more convenient and functional. The sensitivity of the scanner is at the highest level, the response occurs instantly. In the settings, you can set up to 10 fingerprints, and the data will be stored exclusively locally, without being transferred to any services.

Camera

The iPad Air 2 tablet technical characteristics are distinguished by excellent photographic capabilities, which is very rare for tablet technology. The main 8 megapixel camera module takes good pictures, but you shouldn’t expect quality from it at the level of the iPhone 5S. The pictures are more likely to be taken at level 5 of the iPhone model. Front camera FaceTime HD also works great. A slow motion function has appeared at a speed of 120 frames per second, as well as continuous shooting. One more distinctive feature- panoramas in 43-megapixel resolution, which can always be zoomed in and taken a closer look. But there is still no flash, so you can forget about shooting in the dark.

Examples of photos:

Autonomy

The autonomy of the iPad Air 2 tablet remained at the same level, which is confirmed by our test and user reviews. The Lightning port is used for charging, and a full charging cycle takes about 4 hours if you use a standard charger. In video viewing mode, the tablet lasted 10 hours, which cannot be called bad performance, although in new generations the manufacturer will certainly work on autonomy.

Conclusion

The Apple iPad Air 2 has many interesting innovations, including a larger amount of RAM, a powerful processor, Touch ID, an excellent camera and compact body dimensions, combined with other advantages of the new tablet, making it an extremely interesting offer on the modern technology market.

Advantages of Apple iPad Air 2:

• Stylish design and excellent build quality;
• Lightweight and thin body;
• Convenient and stable interface;
• High-quality display with anti-glare coating;
• 2 GB RAM combined with powerful processor make it ideal for gaming;
• Fingerprint scanner;
• Excellent autonomy;
• Almost limitless variety of software.

Disadvantages of Apple iPad Air 2:

• Overpriced;
• Lack of multi-screen mode;
• A small amount of built-in memory in the standard version.

Your rating for the smartphone:

I’m holding an iPad Air 2 in my hands. And I’m looking for reasons to change my favorite tablet, which is increasingly left at home, with a new budget novelty.

It is positioned as its continuation. But there is practically no point in replacing it.

iPad 2017 design is two or even three steps back

Apple has updated its range Apple Store, adding iPhone 7, iPhone SE with enlarged and budget iPad to the shelves of the virtual store, very unexpectedly.

Therefore, while working on the first look at the company’s latest tablet, I did not immediately pay attention to the changes in the design of the device.

I was sure that the company was offering us the same iPad Air 2 with new hardware. But he turned out to be wrong. In fact, she wants to transfer us to something between the first and second iPad Air. I'll explain now.

iPad 2017 is 20% thicker than iPad Air 2. In 2013, Apple made another revolution in the tablet market by releasing an ultra-compact solution, the thickness of which at that time was associated with a simple pencil - 7.5 mm.

But already in 2014, the manufacturer made the device even thinner, reducing its thickness to a record 6.1 mm. And the company left the same case for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro in 2016.

And today we take a step back, returning to 7.5 mm.

While maintaining battery life and most other characteristics, replacing the iPad Air 2 with the iPad 2017 does not seem justified because of this alone.

The 2017 iPad doesn't have the switch from the iPad Air. On the left side of every iPhone today there is still a silent mode switch, which Apple does not remove for the sake of tradition.

And this is the right step, because using a physical element, to activate which you do not need to unlock your smartphone, is very convenient.

Previously, the iPad had exactly the same lever. But with the release of the iPad Air 2 it was removed due to the small thickness of the tablet. After that, I realized the difference between a physical switch and a control point element, which is inconvenient to use.

It is very strange that when returning to the dimensions of the iPad Air, which had a lever, Apple decided not to return it.

And together with the increased thickness these are two simple marketing steps, so as not to distract attention from the iPad Pro, which is in a different price range.

Minimal increase in tablet performance

We live in 2017. At the same time, Apple is installing an A9 processor from 2015 in the new iPad. Of course, it beats the A8x from late 2014, but only slightly. And it can’t be compared with the A9x and especially the A10. And will not be comparable to A10x or A11 from the word at all.

Considering quiet announcement of a budget iPad in the spring of 2017, I assume that the new iPad Pro will be released in mid-autumn - after the release of the new iPhone, which will be powered by the A11 processor.

However, I doubt that Apple will install A11x processors in the 2017 iPad Pro. Then there will be too big a leap compared to the first generation proshek, which work on A9x.

I think we should count on A10x or A11. We assumed their performance based on the growth dynamics of the Geekbench 3 benchmark, the data of which were combined into one group chart for clarity.

And this graph clearly shows that against the backdrop of top performance, which developers of modern games and multifunctional applications will be equal to at the end of 2017, A8x and A9 look equally bad.

It turns out that there is no point in exchanging an awl for soap, right?

I don’t see any reason to pay extra > 15 thousand rubles.

iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 128 GB in good condition on our flea market today they offer it for almost 15 thousand rubles. At the same time, the iPad 2017 in the same configuration costs 32 thousand rubles.

It turns out that when replacing an iPad Air 2, which is superior in thickness and almost the same in performance, you will have to pay almost 17 thousand rubles. or more than 50% of the sale price.

At the same time, the iPad 2017 will not offer any new emotions - even the volume lever has not been returned to it. And I’m already silent about Apple support Pencil or Smart Keyboard, which would help you think about purchasing.

In the end Today I don't see any reason to change iPad Air 2 to iPad 2017.

However, owners of an iPad 2, 3, 4, or even a first-generation iPad Air who don't want to spend too much should still consider the purchase.

Perhaps they will appreciate it. But they can also look for the remains of the iPad Air 2 in gray retail or on the secondary market - this way they will get even more emotions.

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