Over the six years of its existence, iPads have turned from a beautiful toy into serious gadgets that easily compete with laptops. Moreover, more and more often people give preference to these “thin” and mobile “Apple” devices. Tablet PC Apple 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 is Apple iPad Air 2. Characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, as well as the opinions of experts, along with reviews of ordinary users of the device, will be discussed in detail below.

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

Contents of delivery

The equipment 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 bit of grace, so it’s hard to call the box simple; rather, everything is done in a unique style.

Inside the package you will see:

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

The equipment is standard - nothing extra, because the gadget already costs a lot of money, and any accessory in the box raises the price tag. 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 included some cute brand-themed stickers in the box, so die-hard fans will be happy.

Appearance

The brand does not change the style of its devices very often. The company can be called one of the most conservative manufacturers in the mobile gadgets segment. Having worked carefully appearance another hit, the brand is leaving patterns for the next generation of devices, or even two at once.

If we take a particularly close look at the design evolution of iPads, we will see that almost all generations of gadgets had the same features and features. In fact, the whole difference came down to changes in 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 that we are not holding a smartphone, 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 confusion about the previously purchased Smart Case for previous generations. The new gadget fits perfectly in the branded case, but the camera lens does not match the standard 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 gave a gift to its fans by releasing a variable series in golden coloring. This was done exactly after the release of an iPhone of the same color.

Interfaces

Another difference between the new product and its older brothers is the Home button, which completely copies the design of the iPhone and has a built-in fingerprint sensor. The FaceTime-class camera eye is located exactly in the center on the front panel. At the top end there is a “mini-jack” and a screen lock key. At the bottom we will see speaker grilles and the Lightning interface for synchronizing with a personal computer and charging the device.

There is a volume rocker on the side, but the functional sound switching button is now missing from the new Apple iPad Air 2. User reviews on this matter are mixed, because many liked the additional functionality, albeit a little, but it expands the usability of the device, while for some it It was just confusing. In any case, the company 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 conscientiously and in the proper quality. Nothing creaks, plays or sticks out. Moreover, the matte finish does not attract fingerprints or other dirt.

Ergonomics

The Apple company is firmly convinced 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, we can see that the new product has become 29 grams lighter and 18% thinner.

The round-shaped bumper is pleasant to hold in your hands, and it is equally comfortable for your palms to grasp the device in both horizontal and vertical orientations. Despite the fact that the body seems frighteningly thin, the gadget rotates surprisingly easily and with proper comfort in your hands. In general, describe ergonomics Apple devices a waste of time - suffice it to say that on this point the brand traditionally occupies a leading position in the IT industry.

Display

If we trace the history of iPads since 2012, we will see that the layout of ten-inch gadgets has not changed and is firmly established at 1536 by 2048 pixels with 264 dots per inch. 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 overview has become noticeably better, the picture looks more realistic, and direct Sun rays Now it’s not 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 rendition and other visual parameters, there are no noticeable differences from the previous generation: excellent calibration, natural gamma and rich picture.

Hardware platform

Apple iPad Air 2 (64Gb/128Gb) tablet runs on the platform iOS versions 8.1. Of course, it is far from the capabilities of the tenth version, but for the average user all the available bells and whistles will be more than enough. In any case, if you wish, you can always update to the latest platform.

All useful functionality is fully revealed in conjunction with Yosemite. Take, for example, the same file transfer to a personal computer: it will happen quickly and seamlessly using AirDrop. And if you use the Apple iPad Air 2 (Wi-Fi) as a modem, say with a laptop, then the remaining charge will be visible on the latter battery mobile gadget. Many owners in their reviews have repeatedly thanked the company for such a useful feature.

In addition, useful widgets appeared in the notification center, and a function was added to replace the built-in keyboard with any other one. The same “iCloud” is used to store data, where the owner has 5 GB of space available for free, and beyond the exceeded limit you will have to pay additionally. Russian language recognition and voice input of information work as they 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: seething, working and functioning as it should.

Performance

Among other similar gadgets from Apple, the Apple iPad Air 2 also stands out because it has 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, PowerVR from the G6650 series, is responsible for the graphics component.

In addition, 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 in stores you can find more expensive gadgets with 64 and 128 GB. If you are running out of money, you can always buy the basic version - Apple iPad Air 2 (16Gb). According to an already firmly established tradition, the brand does not equip its devices with memory cards, so we work with what is inside.

It was difficult to blame earlier Aira models for lack of performance. Yes, there were some shortcomings, but it’s difficult to call them critical. For example, the problem with websites constantly reloading in the browser while opening resource-intensive applications has been completely resolved. Doubling the amount of RAM/RAM played an important role here.

In addition, watching streaming video in Full HD now takes place without any delays or other brakes, and you can scroll through website pages with amazing speed, as well as scale to any pixelation, and all this happens smoothly and with due beauty.

One of the main Apple differences The iPad Air 2 from its predecessors is a smart multitasking device, that is, comfortable work with several applications. You can safely keep Safari open with a dozen sites and simultaneously work with other, no less demanding utilities. This whole process occurs quite comfortably and without any lags, without requiring restarting 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, nevertheless, an advance 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/64Gb/128Gb). Moreover, this functionality easily defines a new model. Touch ID is a kind of guarantee that ensures the safety of your personal data. The fingerprint sensor was migrated to the device from the iPhone 6 series, which uses a more modern and intelligent sensor than that of the same 5S. The fingerprint scanner has not become an innovation on the market, but it is in Air 2 that its operation is as comfortable as possible.

You can designate up to 10 prints in the menu, and the sensor works very clearly and accurately, and recognition occurs in a few fractions 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 points and in a couple of minutes your data will be perfectly protected.

Sound

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

However, home speakers are quite loud and can adjust (automatically or manually) to suit different environments. The grilles are sometimes blocked by hand while watching videos or games, but no critical drops in sound were observed.

Camera

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

The company paid great attention to the iSight-class rear camera with an 8-megapixel sensor matrix and f/2.4 aperture. The brand does not strive to equalize smartphones and tablets in terms of shooting quality, so the Air 2, although it takes good photos and videos, is still inferior to the capabilities of the sixth series iPhones. The device has slightly smaller pixels, a slightly lower aperture ratio, and lacks 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 made a clear step forward. Users in their reviews note well-made HDR shooting modes, face detection, slow-mo video, competent work with panoramas and the presence of a useful Timelapses function.

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

In general, 10-inch tablets are not the devices you need to shoot with. Their purpose lies in a completely different area, so the capabilities of the cameras are not an argument that needs to be taken into account during the purchase, which means we are content with the already good capabilities of the matrices and weigh other characteristics.

Autonomous operation

Extremely important nuance- this is that in pursuit of “thinner” gadgets, the company stubbornly monitored the autonomy of its devices. Even despite the more modest battery due to the reduced size of the tablet (32.4 Wh), the device can withstand more than nine hours of intensive use. For example, in just over an hour of spending time in gaming applications, the device lost only 7% of its battery charge.

Field tests have shown that even if the Apple iPad Air 2 is fully loaded (Wi-Fi, frequent conversations, SMS correspondence, etc.), the battery will more than last the whole day. When watching a video 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 will just have to “rape” it every hour. If you use the tablet from time to time, for a few hours in the evening, the battery will last for two to three days.

Summarizing

The new Air-2 has been improved on all counts: high performance, good cameras, an updated screen, an up-to-date fingerprint sensor, and RAM increased to 2 GB. At a time similar to its predecessors battery life, the tablet has become thinner and lighter. The model will certainly be of interest to all those who want to get a smart 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 the prices are steep compared to Huawei, Samsung, Asus and other manufacturers, if you want excellent quality, then most likely you won’t be able to do it any other way.

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;
• presence of a fingerprint sensor.

Flaws:

• the base model is equipped with too little built-in memory;
• There is no ability 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.

iPad Air (iPad 5) tablet - review

To be honest, I somehow missed the fourth iPad - I didn’t review it. Here's the third iPad, I won't lie, I waited and reviewed it. There, at least, at least Retina display appeared. And the fourth, which they released six months after the third, was distinguished by such unworthy little things that the users, who from the cool owners of the latest iPad at that time instantly turned into suckers with an outdated piece of hardware in their hands, burst out with incredibly funny comments, which I read with great pleasure. But even this did not make me want to study hardware number four. Well, now hardware number five has come out, which Apple, in the glorious tradition of confusing customers as much as possible, has called iPad Air. Why iPad Air when Air is a brand of ultra-thin MacBook Air laptops? Because confusion is the key to progress. First there was the iPad. Then, as expected, there was iPad 2, which was not much different from the first. Then they released iPad 3, which was already noticeably different in having a Retina display, but they called it The New iPad. Then Apple realized that the name The New iPad would look very stupid when the fourth generation iPad came out, after which they named the third iPad - watch your hands - iPad with Retina Display (unofficially, though, but it was often called that on sale).Next iPad was released fourth generation, which featured performance and a new cable connector that allowed Apple to make a fortune in cables alone. The fourth iPad was given an extremely original name - watch your hands - iPad with Retina Display. Well, now the fifth iPad has come out. I expected them to call it The New iPad with Retina Display, but they called it iPad Air. The sixth iPad, I’m sure, will be called iPad Pro, mark my words! This iPad arrived in Moscow through the “Banderolka” service. (With its help, you can order goods in the USA to an American address, and from it "Banderolka" already sends the goods to any country, including Russia. This is for cases when the seller on Amazon, eBay and somewhere else refuses to accept an order for delivery to Russia.) The service is interesting and useful, I will write about it later, but now we will focus on the fifth iPad they sent, since it was decided to find out what it is. So, iPad Air (fifth generation iPad).

Specifications operating system: iOS 7.0
CPU: Apple A7 1.4 GHz 64 bit (dual core), M7 coprocessor
Flash memory: 16 GB (can be 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB)
RAM: 1 GB
Display: IPS, 9.7", Retina 2048×1536 (264 ppi)
Net: Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 (models with 3G and LTE available)
Input Output: Lightning dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack
Battery: built-in, 8820 mAh
Cameras: on back cover 5 megapixels, front - 1.2 megapixels
Additionally: 3D gyroscope, accelerometer, light sensor, digital compass
GPS: There is
Dimensions: 240×170×7.5 mm
Weight: 480 g What do we have here? The processor is almost the same as the iPhone 5S. The display is the same as the iPad 3 and iPad 4 - nothing has changed here. But even there the display was gorgeous, so there’s no need to find fault. The battery is 8820 mAh, the iPad 4 has 11560 mAh. But this may not mean anything; we need to test it. The most important thing in the characteristics is the size (the tablet is clearly smaller and thinner than the previous one, and with the same display) and weight (480 grams versus 652 grams for the iPad 4). Contents of delivery Classic box: the design has not changed since the first iPad.
The equipment is also classic: tablet, USB cable, power adapter, brochures, stickers and a paperclip for removing the SIM card insert (for versions with 3G or LTE support).
Appearance and features The design is traditional for an iPad, only the aluminum part of the case began to “float” onto the bevels of the top cover - it looks very stylish. Rear end. At the bottom there are speakers (stereo) and the output of the Lightning dock connector.
The left side has two volume buttons (like the iPad mini) and a switch button (it blocks screen rotation or turns off the sound, depending on the settings). The camera is traditionally located in the upper left corner when looking at the back cover.
The top end has a headset output and a power button.
In general, it must be said that in terms of design style, the iPad Air is much more reminiscent of a seven-inch rather than a ten-inch iPad. And this is very correct - the iPad mini looks very elegant. But first, let’s compare the iPad Air with another 10-inch iPad, namely the iPad 2 (I simply don’t have another one at hand). Do you see the difference in linear dimensions (with the same display)?
This looks even clearer when both tablets are aligned in the lower right corner - look how much smaller the iPad Air is.
Well, now all three “girls”: iPad Air, iPad 2 and iPad mini.
And now let’s put Air and mini next to each other: well, they’re just twins, only Air is bigger.
In general, the iPad Air looks just great: given its display size, it is really small, elegant, and at the same time lightweight. Now you can easily hold it in one hand; previous iPads were still a bit heavy. Device operation I don’t see any point in discussing the work of the iPad Air at length and in detail. I talked about this Retina display in the review of the iPad 3, I talked about the iOS 7 operating system in the review of the iPhone 5S. Therefore, let's go into a very coarse grind, focusing on the characteristic features of the iPad Air. All basic programs fit on one desktop.

The notification area, which is brought up by sliding from the top of the screen.

A control panel triggered by a sliding motion from the bottom of the screen.

A lock screen on which a variety of messages can be displayed: missed FaceTime calls, received letters, and so on.

List of recent running programs, where you can remove some programs by simply swiping them up.

For iPad Air (and iPad 4, as far as I understand) users, Apple offers a free download of the entire package useful programs, some of which were previously paid. So we can assume that this iPad is immediately equipped with a whole set of office and other programs: creation of documents, presentations, spreadsheets, photo editing, music production and reading books and documents.

iPhoto is a program that allows you to seriously process images on the iPad.

A British man named Kyle Lambert, using a similar program (called Procreate), drew a hyper-realistic portrait of Morgan Freeman with his finger on an iPad, which required 285 thousand strokes and about 200 hours. You can see this whole process in the video. (“How people have to suffer without a camera,” noted the cat Bublik.) I also installed the iMovie program to watch - it was also downloaded for free. The program can process home videos quite effectively and even make trailers for this video - it's very funny. Here are screenshots of creating a trailer.

Performance I measured the performance of the processor and memory using the Geekbench 3 test. It gave the following (for some reason this test identifies the iPad as iPad 4.1).

For comparison, the iPad 4 has 781 points in the single-core test (that is, exactly two times less), in the multi-core test - 1421 (also almost two times less). 3D Mark gave Maxed Out in two tests, and showed 14900 in the third For comparison, on the iPad 4 it showed an index of 9197.

Well, practically speaking, the tablet is really, really fast. Everything loads almost instantly and just flies while in use. Camera The camera here, as far as I understand, is the same as on the iPad 4: 5 megapixels on the rear and 1.2 megapixels on the front. Its interface is extremely simple. (Which, in general, is good). Photo, video, select camera, enable HDR mode. That's it.
I drove the camera, analyzed the parameters of the pictures and their quality. What happened here? Well, the quality is more or less decent (for a tablet). White balance is generally tolerable. He rarely misses focusing, but he often sets the shutter speed to a critically high speed, so when shooting handheld there is often some “shuffling.” Therefore, it is advisable to take each frame 2-3 times. The matrix is ​​very “noisy”. Even at low ISOs there is noise, and when the ISO rises to 400-600, the “noise” is already very noticeable. Judge for yourself. (All photos are clickable, EXIF ​​is saved.) Here is ISO 400.
ISO 500 is absolutely terrible.
Apparently, knowing this, the camera tries not to increase the ISO too much, while increasing the shutter speed. But when, in more or less decent lighting, the ISO is set to 125 and the shutter speed is 1/24, this, in my opinion, is still somehow wrong.
I saw the lower limit of ISO here as much as 32 - here in this frame.
Well, for example, the ISO is 50, and the shutter speed is set to 1/24.
Well, a few more shots.








In general, the camera is very so-so, but for a tablet it will do. Battery life Apple has always been famous for the fact that new, more powerful tablets showed battery life parameters that were clearly no worse than those of previous models. I conducted the following tests with this tablet. Internet. Comfortable level at 40% brightness (without auto-adjustment), wireless networks are turned on, the page reloads in the browser every 30 seconds. The result was simply amazing - 13 hours 30 minutes! I have never seen this on any other tablet! The third had less than 11 hours. For those interested, here is a line of control marks by time and battery percentage: 8:10 start. 11:10 - 81%, 12:10 - 73%, 13:10 - 66%, 14:10 - 58%, 15:10 - 51%, 16:10 - 43%, 21:10 - 4%, - 21:40 - zero. It turned out to be 13 hours 30 minutes.Video. Comfortable brightness level of 60% (without auto-adjustment), airplane mode is on, a series is playing in the player in a loop. And here I only got 8 hours and 30 minutes. It’s strange, the previous ones reached up to 10. But maybe they should have set the brightness to 40%, then they probably would have made it? conclusions It turned out to be a very nice tablet, in my opinion. This is the case when size and weight really matter. In my opinion, it makes sense to switch to it from models from iPad to iPad 3. Well, and maybe from iPad 4, if someone suddenly bought it. But with iPad mini, that’s a different question. It might make sense to switch from the old iPad mini to the new iPad mini, which finally has a Retina display. Thus, the iPad Air and the second iPad mini are just twins and brothers, just having different sizes. As for me, I don’t want to change the iPad mini even to the iPad Air. And I’m unlikely to change it to a new iPad mini, because I’m more than happy with the first iPad mini. It turned out to be an extremely successful tablet, just extremely. And I especially like that it fits into my regular bag with documents, which I always carry with me. But with the iPad Air this number no longer works.

IN "tablet manufacturing" Apple is following the same path trodden by the example of the iPhone: minimum large-scale changes, more productivity. In the case of the iPad Air, we also received an updated appearance. Now full-length "apple" The tablet is made in the same design as , and the filling of the device is as close as possible to . Except that there is no fingerprint scanner in the tablet button.

iPad Air and iPad mini

Apple has unified the appearance of its tablets. Whether this is good or bad is up to the buyer to decide. Be that as it may, the iPad Air is now different from the iPad mini second generations only in size. Some market analysts express concern that such a strategy could "blur" audience of potential iPad buyers. However, it is too early to judge this, and we have no choice but to take a closer look at the new product.

Appearance

If you've seen the iPad mini, then you know what the iPad Air is. Of course, the new product is wider and longer than its compact brother. But compared to its predecessor, the device looks like a model of elegance. Judge for yourself, the dimensions of the fourth generation iPad were 241 * 186 * 9.4 mm. The new product has become a millimeter shorter, one and a half centimeters narrower (some manage to grasp the device with one hand!) and almost 2 mm thinner (7.5 mm - just like the updated iPad mini).

iPad Air and first generation iPad

But the most important thing is that the tablet is about 200 g lighter. This is very significant when it comes to a portable device that often has to be held in one or two hands. The 9.7-inch Air is only 100g heavier with a 7-inch display.

iPad Air and fourth generation iPad

So, the metal iPad has become, strange as it may sound, even more metal. In accordance with the mini concept, all buttons and the lever for switching to silent mode (or locking the screen orientation) are now also made of metal. Traditionally, the insert in the upper part is made of plastic - this is a feature of all models with support cellular communications. On the same insert you can see a pair of holes for two microphones.

Unlike previous full-length iPads, in Air engineers were able to significantly reduce the distance from the edges of the screen to the ends of the device. Please note that this does not cause any inconvenience. While testing the tablet, we didn't have any problems with erroneous presses or anything like that.

On the right side, almost at the very bottom, there is a slot for a nanoSIM card. For some reason, the iPad mini is a little higher. The kit comes with a tool for removing the tray, but there are no headphones included.

The new iPad is primarily attractive due to its reduced size and weight. Perhaps the word air really suits the new model best as a name.

Display

The technical specifications of the display installed in the iPad Air have not changed. We are still offered a 9.7-inch matrix with Retina resolution of 2048*1536 pixels. Today, not even the most famous tablet manufacturers can boast of similar ppi, and Samsung has even released a model with a resolution of 2560*1600 pixels.

In fact, all major changes are hidden from the eyes of users. The screen became one of the two main elements, due to which the developers managed to reduce the thickness and weight of the tablet.

For the first time in Apple products The iPad Air matrix is ​​made using IGZO technology. The name of the new semiconductor material is an abbreviation of its underlying chemical elements: In-Ga-Zn-O (indium gallium zinc oxide). This semiconductor is just coming to replace amorphous silicon, from which the transistors of most current displays are created. The advantage of IGZO is that this technology provides electron mobility that is 50 times higher compared to conventional solutions.

Thanks to the increased mobility of electrons, it has become possible to reduce the size of the transistors responsible for turning on and off each pixel in the matrix. This, in turn, led to an increase in pixel density, an increase in the switching speed of transistors, and due to their transparency, there was no need for powerful backlighting.

In general, IGZO allows you to make the screen thinner, increase contrast and color accuracy, and also cut power consumption in half compared to the fourth-generation iPad matrices. More economical energy consumption is associated with a reduction in the number of LEDs required to backlight the display. In the previous tablet there were 84 of them, but only 36 remain. At the same time, the brightness even increased slightly, but the load on the battery was significantly reduced.

So far, Sharp and LG are engaged in mass production of IGZO panels. Most likely, our copy had a matrix installed from a Korean company. Judging by messages on the Internet, defects are typical for LG displays. Unfortunately, we also encountered a problem. In the test iPad Air, a gray stripe is visible on a white background, stretching from the bottom to the top edge. To be fair, it is worth noting that the defect is almost invisible. We are sure that 90% of users simply will not see it, and the remaining 10% will not pay attention.

There is still an air gap between the matrix and the protective glass. Because of this, the screen glares in the sun, but this solution does not cause any particular inconvenience. The oleophobic coating seemed too weak to us - marks appear on the screen instantly, which cannot be said about the rough metal body.

Problems

The iPad we tested originally ran iOS 7.0.3 and was later updated to iOS 7.0.4. With one and the other firmware, we have encountered the same bugs more than once.

With enviable persistence, our test subject often crashed while surfing the web. It is curious that both the iPhone 5 on iOS 7.0.4, and the fourth generation iPad, and even the very first "apple" The tablet didn’t even think of stumbling on pages, the transition to which for some reason led to a crash to the desktop in the case of Air.

Updating the firmware, closing applications manually, rebooting - none of this helped, Safari still crashed.
More rare "glitch" met only twice. Both times, for some reason, the tablet refused to change the orientation of the desktop on the display, no matter how we turned the iPad Air. Let us clarify that the lever on the right side was responsible for switching to silent mode, so there is no need to blame it. In both cases, it was possible to get rid of the hanging misunderstanding only with the help of a reboot.

This is what the desktop looked like when the tablet was oriented vertically

It seems like a small thing, but encountering such problems when it comes to Apple products is unusual and therefore doubly unpleasant. Well, we are counting on another batch of fixes in the next mobile OS update.

Camera

Apple, not without reason, believes that the camera in tablets is an auxiliary function. The 5-megapixel photo module, judging by the quality of the images, has not been changed since the third generation iPad. The Air does not have any more or less interesting modes, like in the iPhone 5s. All you can do is press the shutter button and activate HDR.

The flash never showed up, so it’s unlikely to be possible to shoot anything visible in the twilight. At daylight can be done nice photos, macro photography is good. In general, 5 megapixels are fair, at the level of smartphones from two years ago.

Performance and battery life

This time, Apple didn’t bother with the indexes and installed almost the same processor in the iPad Air as the iPhone 5s is equipped with. Dual-core 64-bit A7 clocks at up to 1.4 GHz (100 MHz more than iPhone 5s), with 1 GB of storage space random access memory and PowerVR G6430 graphics chip.

In the era of 8-core mobile processors that have crossed 2 GHz frequencies and 4 GB of RAM, the Air's specifications seem mediocre. But this is exactly the case when quality (hardware, software, etc.) decides, not quantity. The new iPad is for once incredibly fast and works no slower than the recently released iPhone.

It’s a pity that there is nowhere to use all this power yet. Even the camera, unlike "apple" smartphone, does not know how to shoot slow-motion video. M7 coprocessor, which processes data from the gyroscope, compass and accelerometer and at the same time reduces the load on CPU, is also out of work for now. But what a good reserve for the future!

There was an interesting story with the battery. In order to further reduce the thickness of the tablet, the manufacturer was forced to reduce the battery capacity from 42.5 to 32.4 Wh - by almost a quarter! The loss was compensated by the IGZO display, which is not greedy for electricity, thanks to which the battery life indicators did not change - the new product can withstand its 10 hours on the Internet.

Conclusion

The iPad Air is definitely a success. Many people say that this is the best tablet from Apple. Perhaps this is so. The device turned out to be incredibly light, compact and convenient for a full-size tablet with a 9.7-inch display. Finally, the iPad has not just enough, but even excessive performance, while maintaining long battery life. Those who like to take evening pictures for Instagram may find the built-in photo module modest. We do not rule out that this is the basis for the next iPad.

But with software problems and the “overexposed” display needs to be done something now. We are confident that Apple will cope with the first one. There will only be "tighten the nuts" at partner factories that produce matrices for Air.
A source of information:

The previous Air model and the new Apple iPad Air 2 tablet are similar to each other only in their appearance, otherwise the differences are very significant: better screen, excellent performance, good camera, in general, almost everything has improved. Although the brand’s prices are high, they, by and large, look acceptable compared to the technical characteristics and capabilities of the gadget.

So, the hero of today's review is the Apple iPad Air 2 tablet. Let's try to outline everything strengths the device along with its shortcomings, taking into account the opinions of experts and reviews of ordinary users.

Design

The second generation of Air, as mentioned above, looks almost the same as the first. The company very often uses successful developments in terms of design, as they say, to the last - and why give up something that will still serve well?

The Apple iPad Air 2 has a new Touch ID module, a microphone hole on the end next to the camera, and a new color option - gold, in addition to the traditional gray and white shades.

The company really likes to compare new and old at presentations of its lines, so we will not deviate from the usual indicators for the brand. The first Air weighed almost 700 grams with a thickness of 13.5 mm, the new Apple iPad Air 2 weighs 440 grams with a thickness of 6 mm. Agree, the difference is colossal, and if you take both tablets in your hands, you will immediately feel where everything is.

You shouldn't expect any revolutionary or original design steps from the company. A real revolution is when the device is improved year after year, and there is no need to pay attention to criticism or the market situation. Let the same Samsung make a quad-folding gadget, while the Apple company will release a model familiar to the eye, but a little lighter, thinner and more productive - thanks to it for its stability.

Design Features

The body of the Apple iPad Air 2 is made of a single piece of aluminum, and the Touch ID sensor is assembled from several parts. Sapphire is used as additional protection measures. On the back of the model there is an insert made of very high quality plastic, under which the antenna is located.

The dimensions of the device are 240x169.5x6.1 mm and weighs 437 grams. The modification with the LTE module weighs a little more - 444 grams. It’s worth noting right away that due to technical characteristics and design, using the Apple iPad Air 2 in the cold (< -20⁰С) не стоит, пожалейте аккумуляторную батарею.

Display

The display diagonal of the gadget is 9.7 inches with a resolution of 2048 by 1536 pixels. There is an anti-reflective coating, which looks and works very effectively on a matte screen: less glare - less nerves.

The screen itself of the new Apple iPad Air 2 Cellular has been assembled and completely revised: the engineers have abandoned the air gap, the top layer is then the touch sensor, and behind it is the matrix itself. Testing has shown that image quality has improved markedly over the previous generation, and based on user feedback, it appears to be so, and the anti-glare coating is a great find.

Modifications

There are several basic modifications in which a person ignorant of Apple technology can easily get confused. It’s worth clarifying right away that the standard variation of the gadget - Apple iPad Air 2 64Gb WiFi Cellular - will cost about 50,000 rubles.

Depending on the options, prices also change: from 40,000 for 16 GB of memory and 60,000 for 128 GB. The cost may also vary due to additionally installed modules. For example, an Apple iPad Air 2 Wi Fi Cellular with an LTE adapter installed will cost 1500-2000 more than without it.

Surely someone will think that 50,000 rubles is high price for a tablet, but it’s worth noting that the model simply has no competitors on the market in terms of all its characteristics, so the money invested will be more than justified. If you don’t want to overpay for a large volume, then stop at the middle option - Apple iPad Air 2 64Gb Cellular - a little cheaper, but still just as angry.

Even looking at market statistics for gadgets, you can see that devices from Samsung or Sony instantly depreciate in value on the secondary market, while Apple products always maintain both their brand and price. Over the many years that the Apple company has been on the market, it has acquired a huge number of branded service centers, which are located literally at every step, which cannot be said about other brands.

Performance

Performance characteristics were tested on the Apple iPad Air 2 64Gb model, and, according to AnTuTu indicators, the increase in power compared to the previous generation Air is quite significant, approximately one and a half times. This is especially noticeable when working with several different applications simultaneously: the browser, camera, maps and similar programs load quickly.

The filling consists of an A8X chip in synchronization with an M8 processor running under 64-bit architecture. The entire process is quite energy efficient, so the user gets improved performance with the same battery life.

Battery

The device has a built-in lithium battery with a polymer electrolyte with a total capacity of 27.3 Wh. This is enough for 10 hours of high-format HD video playback or for web surfing. The performance compared to similar devices is quite good, especially since the company plans to improve them in future lines.

Camera

It’s worth saying right away that the 8-megapixel camera on the Air 2 is excellent, and the quality of the images is close to the level of the sixth version of the iPhone. It is equipped with five lenses, automatic and fast autofocus, and a light saturation sensor on the rear panel. The camera supports spatial geotags and has a timer mode.

Video recording is available in HD mode, which is already quite good. The quality itself is also at the level: there is no twitching, blurring, artifacts or other ripples, even with high magnification, and slow motion is available as an auxiliary tool for creating videos.

Summarizing

The new gadget from the venerable company is very good, both in appearance and in its internal filling. Although many will not see the visual difference between the two generations, in fact, “Air” and “Air 2” differ like heaven and earth. New model has an improved display, a lighter and smaller body, a significant increase in performance, a new Touch ID module, a different color and an excellent camera.

Generally speaking, the tablet is worth the money invested in it, but whether it makes sense to replace previous generations with new ones is another question, it seems like good things are not sought after. It all depends on the goals you are counting on and your financial situation: if you can afford it, buy it, you won’t regret it for sure. In any case, if you do not have Apple devices, Air 2 is great option, in order to start getting acquainted with the company's products.

The only thing worth warning the future owner of the device about is the counterfeits that have flooded the market for premium gadgets, and sometimes it’s very difficult to figure out where the original is and where the Chinese consumer goods are. Therefore, try to give preference to reputable Internet sites or branded communication shops that care about their reputation.

Now that Apple is at the peak of its fame, almost every one of its devices, long before its official announcement, becomes a kind of construction kit from rumors and leaks, according to which you can independently put all the pieces into a single whole and get an almost complete image of the final product. Moreover, both in appearance and in the hardware components used, although without specific details. Therefore, each presentation of devices, in fact, is primarily a confirmation or refutation of all previously appeared rumors. This happened, for example, with new iPhones, and the same thing happened with new iPad, which, however, still managed to present several pleasant surprises. One of them is the new name of the device - .

Specifications

Manufacturer	Apple
	iPad Air (A1475)
Type, form factor	tablet, monoblock
Communication standards		GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
		UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 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)
High speed data transfer	GPRS (32-48 Kbps), EDGE (236 Kbps), HSDPA (up to 42.2 Mbps), HSUPA (up to 5.76 Mbps), CDMA EV-DO (up to 14.7 Mbps /s) LTE cat.4 (up to 150 Mbit/s)
SIM card type
CPU	Apple A7: dual 64-bit ARM cores (ARMv8), up to 1.4 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache, 28 nm HKMG process
Graphics adapter	IT PowerVR G6430: 4 cores (clusters), up to 650 MHz, OpenGL support ES 3.0, OpenGL 3.2 and DirectX 10.0
Coprocessor	Apple M7: single core Cortex-M3 (ARMv7-M), up to 150 MHz, 90 nm process technology
	Retina: 9.7", 2048 x 1536 pixels (264 ppi), IPS+IGZO, touch (capacitive), multi-touch up to 5 touches, protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3
RAM	1 GB LPDDR3-1600
Card reader
	1 x 3.5mm mini-jack audio jack
Multimedia
	Microphone
	Main		iSight: 5 MP, BSI sensor, 5-element optics, f/2.4 aperture, autofocus, 1080p video recording
	Frontal		FaceTime HD: 1.2 MP, fixed focus, 720p video recording
Communication capabilities			802.11a/b/g/n, dual band (2.4 / 5 GHz) and MIMO
	Navigation		GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
	3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass
Battery	Lithium polymer, non-removable: 8827 mAh, 32.9 Wh, 3.73 V
Charger	Output parameters: 5.2 V DC e.g. 2.4 A, 12 W Input parameters: 100~240 V AC eg at 50/60 Hz
	240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm
	"Space Gray"
operating system	(update to iOS 7.0.6 available)
Official guarantee	12 months
Products webpage

Delivery and configuration

The tablet comes in a relatively small box made of thick cardboard and is characterized by a traditionally attractive design with a minimal amount of visual information. The front side allows you to get acquainted with the “portrait” of the device, and the back side - with very brief technical characteristics. The sidewalls bear the model name and several silver manufacturer logos.

The delivery set is beautifully arranged in compartments, but it cannot boast of anything special. During the unpacking process you will find: a compact power supply with a removable plug, a Lightning ↔ USB adapter cable for connecting to a power supply and synchronizing with a Mac/PC, a special clip for removing the SIM card slide, several small information brochures and two logo stickers manufacturer.

Appearance, design

The visual design of the California manufacturer's tablet line, unlike smartphones and media players, has remained virtually unchanged since 2011, when Apple officially introduced its highly successful second iPad generation. Since then, the tablet has been updated twice, but its appearance has hardly changed. The situation changed only with the advent of its “younger brother” in the form of the Apple iPad mini, which not only brought fresh design ideas, but also determined the further development of the full-size version of the tablet.

As expected, the appearance of the Apple iPad Air almost completely follows the outlines of the mini version, only with reference to slightly larger dimensions, which, by the way, fully justify the new “Air” prefix, borrowed from the line of laptops. It has changed significantly compared to the previous generation, becoming thinner, more compact and lighter, and its shape has become more elongated and generally more neat and modern due to a significant reduction in the side frames (especially on the long side). The Apple iPad Air no longer evokes strong associations with a simple square photo frame.

The body of the device has acquired a more strict design: the corners are less rounded, the edges have lost their “sharpness” and become almost even, and the transition from the back to the sides has taken on quite sharp outlines. The now familiar chrome chamfer along the contour of the front panel has also appeared. The color scheme of the tablet began to correspond to the latest solutions from Apple. It includes two options: Silver and Space Gray, which now differ not only in the color of the front side.

On the design side, the Apple iPad Air has not undergone any changes. The tablet is made of durable anodized aluminum, providing a high level of rigidity, and is complemented by tempered Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which covers the entire front side. In the 4G version of the device, in the upper part of the case you can also find a small plastic insert, under which the antennas of the communication modules are hidden.

The materials used leave a very pleasant tactile sensation, but their condition must be constantly monitored. Every now and then the tablet becomes covered with multiple fingerprints, and the aluminum “back” tends to leave a couple of scratches as a souvenir if handled carelessly. However, all these shortcomings pale in comparison with the main advantage of the 5th generation of Apple tablets, namely weight. The Apple iPad Air has dropped a lot in this regard - only 478 grams versus 662 grams for the 4th generation Apple iPad. Even the main competing model represented by Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) it is larger - 544 grams, and this despite the fact that the “galaxy” body is made of plastic.

The build quality is traditionally at the highest level: there are no backlashes, no gaps, no creaks when twisting and pressure is within reasonable limits - everything fits together very well. However, the glass, which has become thinner to reduce the weight of the device, still presses a little, and when tapped it creates a kind of dull sound, as if the tablet inside is completely empty.

The location of all elements on the body remains in the same places, only the sizes of the control buttons have changed - now they are metal and have a slightly smaller thickness. In the upper part of the front side, almost entirely dedicated to the 9.7-inch screen, there is front-camera with a resolution of 1.2 megapixels and an ambient light sensor. At the bottom is the traditional Home button, which, unlike Apple iPhone 5s did not receive a Touch ID fingerprint scanner.

Most of the top edge is occupied by a black plastic insert, in the center of which there are holes for a paired microphone (the second microphone goes out to the back of the tablet, as does, to a small extent, the insert itself). In addition, at the top there is a power/lock button and a 3.5 mm audio jack. On the bottom edge there is a proprietary Lightning port and two perforated grilles that hide the stereo speakers.

The left side of the tablet remains empty, while on the right there are volume buttons, a small lever that, by default, blocks changing the screen orientation, as well as a slot for a Nano-SIM format SIM card.

Exactly in the center of the back of the Apple iPad Air you can see a relatively large mirrored manufacturer’s logo, and in the upper part of it you can see the main camera with a resolution of 5 megapixels and a fragment of a plastic insert. At the bottom there is a laser print of the device name (without the “Air” prefix) and a very short Technical information, including the exact model name, country of manufacture, certification marks and several identification and serial numbers.

The Apple iPad Air, like the two previous generations of tablets, is equipped with a proprietary 9.7-inch Retina screen, which is based on an IPS matrix with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. The pixel density is 264 ppi. This is quite enough for of this type devices. Used to protect the display strained glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which has an effective anti-reflective filter and high-quality oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating. In this case, there is an air gap between the glass and the surface of the matrix.

At first glance, all the characteristics remained unchanged, but the technology of its production, namely parts of the active liquid crystal layer, has changed significantly. Now used relatively new technology IGZO (derived from the main components - indium, gallium and zinc oxide), developed by the Japanese JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency). Unlike traditional a-Si technology based on amorphous silicon, it allows not only to create transparent thin-film transistors, which have much smaller sizes, but also significantly increase the pixel density. It also helps reduce power consumption by eliminating the need to constantly update transistor states when displaying a static image.

Overall, the display is very good and leaves an extremely pleasant impression. Viewing angles are maximum both vertically and horizontally, and the color distortion characteristic of IPS matrices in extreme diagonal positions is practically absent. The color rendering quality of the screen can please you with bright colors with a natural level of saturation, despite the extremely slight shift in color temperature to “cool” shades. The contrast level, although not record-breaking, is quite high and provides an acceptable display of the black field.

The display backlight has a very wide range and is adjustable both manually and automatically. True, there are also some peculiarities: the automation only works to increase and does not adjust the degree of illumination when manually setting the maximum brightness level. Therefore, most optimal solution is to set the brightness control at 30-50%. When choosing the maximum brightness value, reaching about 360 cd/m2, you can work outdoors without any problems, even under very bright sun. At the minimum value, which is about 10 cd/m2, you can safely read your favorite books without fear of excessive eye strain. The backlight uniformity is good: in some places there are very slight highlights only at the very edge of the display.

The capacitive touch substrate has very good sensitivity and is capable of processing a number of familiar applications without problems. operating system gestures It is worth noting the very smooth sliding of the finger along the protective glass. But there is no way to work with gloves, even thin ones.

Among the display parameter settings, there are only a couple of functions: brightness adjustment and change background image for desktop and lock mode.

With the advent of the Apple iPad Air, the full-length version of the tablet finally acquired two stereo speakers capable of providing quite noticeable surround sound. True, you can only hear it in portrait orientation of the device, since both speakers are located on the bottom edge of the case. The sound itself is loud and clear even at maximum level. Low frequencies practically none, but there is a hint of them. The mids and highs are well balanced and have decent detail, thanks to which you can watch a movie or listen to music without the need to connect headphones or external speakers.

The tablet's sound settings are not rich. They are limited to selecting sounds for various types of notifications and adjusting the volume level, and only for calls and reminders (the overall level is adjusted using the volume control buttons or through the panel quick settings). In addition, you can enable playback of the device locking sound and keyboard clicks. Additional settings (such as an equalizer, sound check, or volume limiter) can be found in the music player settings.

The Apple iPad Air is equipped with two quite familiar cameras, which have already been found in previous generations of the tablet. The rear iSight camera is based on a 5-megapixel module with a back-illuminated sensor and is complemented by a five-lens optical system with an f/2.4 aperture. There is also support for fairly fast autofocus and electronic image stabilization (only during video recording). The maximum photo resolution is 3264 x 2448 (5 MP) with an aspect ratio of 4:3. Video recording is carried out in MPEG-4 format with a resolution of up to 1080p.

The front FaceTime HD camera is also based on a module with a back-illuminated sensor, but with a more modest resolution (only 1.2 megapixels) and a fixed focal length. The camera's viewing angle is not very wide, but quite sufficient for comfortable video communication. The maximum photo resolution is 1280 x 960, and the video is 720p.

The camera application has a very simple and intuitive interface, however, it does not provide a rich set of different functions and settings (for this you need to use third party applications). It is only possible to activate the HDR mode and change the shooting mode using a vertical swipe - one for shooting video and two for photos (in a ratio of 4x3 and 1x1). From the camera application, you can go to view the footage, and through the system settings of the operating system, enable the display of a grid when shooting.

Examples of photography

Video examples

Daytime shooting in motion, 1080p 30 fps.

Daytime shooting, 1080p 30 fps.

Evening shooting, 1080p 30 fps.

The quality of the resulting material is pleasantly pleasing, despite the low resolution of the module used. Photos under favorable shooting conditions turn out to be quite detailed and have a pleasant color rendition. As the ambient light level decreases, noise becomes more pronounced and detail drops significantly. A similar situation is observed with video, although the high-quality work of the electronic stabilization system is still worth noting - minor shaking is almost completely neutralized.

User interface

The Apple iPad Air tablet runs the iOS 7 operating system, which has radically changed compared to the “six”, both from the visual side and from the technical side. The skeuomorphism with a relatively dark color scheme, beloved by many, has given way to bright, one might say, “rainbow” fills and gradients. The main system font has also changed - instead of the usual Helvetica, the more modern and subtle Helvetica Neue Ultralight is used, which makes a significant contribution to the concept of the new design.

By the way, at the time of writing this review, Apple began distributing an operating system update to version 7.0.6, which fixed a security problem that arose when checking an SSL connection.

The lock screen in iOS 7, having lost the dark stripes at the top and bottom, began to look neater and more consistent. However, its functionality has not changed. The following are displayed here: the current time and date, battery charge status, cellular network signal quality, as well as various notifications. To unlock the device, you need to swipe from left to right in any part of the screen, and to launch the camera application, pull the corresponding icon from bottom to top.

In addition, from the lock screen, as well as from the main screen, by swiping from the top edge you can open the traditional notification panel, and by swiping from the bottom you can finally open a full-fledged quick settings panel. With its help you can control the audio player, turn on/off modules wireless transmission data, put the device into do not disturb mode, block display orientation changes, launch stopwatch and camera applications, and control the overall volume level, display backlight level, and AirPlay function.

The main screen, which the user lands on after unlocking the device, has undergone virtually no functional changes in new version OS, but has changed a lot visually. Thus, a new, smoother and, unfortunately, longer animation has appeared, system application shortcuts have completely redrawn icons, the display of folders has become full-screen (no more “breaks”), and for the background wallpaper you can apply the so-called parallax effect, in which the main screen becomes pseudo-voluminous. In addition, the Spotlight global search has changed its location and to access it you just need to swipe down on the main screen or any additional screen.

The appearance and functionality of the multitasking mode have significantly changed. It has acquired a full-screen interface in which running applications are displayed in the form of unique cards with intuitive controls. The mode is called by a familiar action (a four-finger gesture or double click to the “Home” button), but to close the application you can now simply swipe the corresponding card up.

The operating system settings menu has completely retained its structure and has acquired several additional items.

Finally, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with additional “screenshots” of the OS.

Hardware platform and performance

The hardware platform of the Apple iPad Air tablet is represented by the proprietary Apple A7 processor, the main feature of which is the use of 64-bit ARMv8 desktop architecture and the presence of a special energy-efficient Apple M7 motion coprocessor for directly processing data from the gyroscope, accelerometer and digital compass. The main processor is manufactured in accordance with the standards of the 28-nm HKMG (High-k/metal gate) technological process and is equipped with two cores with a clock speed of up to 1.4 GHz. The L2 cache size is 1 MB. The coprocessor is manufactured on 90 nm technological process and includes only one Cortex-M3 core (ARMv7-M) with a frequency of up to 150 MHz.

One of the latest solutions from Imagination Technologies - IT PowerVR G6430, codenamed “Rogue”, is used as a graphics accelerator integrated into the main processor. The accelerator has 4 cores (clusters) operating at a clock frequency of up to 650 MHz, and supports a number of important APIs: OpenGL ES 3.0, OpenGL 3.2 and DirectX 10.0.

Despite the use of improved processor microarchitecture, the amount of RAM standard LPDDR3-1600 remains the same and is only 1 GB, while some Android devices already have 3 GB installed. The capacity of the built-in storage starts at 16 GB (with only 12.5 GB available to the user). There is traditionally no support for memory cards, so if funds allow, you should immediately pay attention to versions with more capacious storage: 32 GB, 64 GB or even 128 GB.

The performance of the latest Apple A7 hardware platform is really very high. Using only two cores with a frequency of up to 1.4 GHz, it is able to compete with flagship Android solutions based on 4-core or even 8-core processors with clock frequencies from 1.5 GHz. Of course, this advantage can be attributed to the more productive 64-bit architecture, but we should not forget about the highest degree of optimization of iOS - after all, it is created for the capabilities of only a few devices with a strictly defined hardware component.

In general, the Apple iPad Air works very quickly and, importantly, very smoothly. Drawing the interface and launching applications does not cause any complaints. As for demanding games, in some cases the tablet’s capabilities are insufficient. For example, this happens in Dead Trigger 2, when a large number of dangerous zombies gather on certain maps.

Under active and prolonged load, the tested model begins to heat up slightly (mainly along the long edge), but its temperature remains within very comfortable limits. There is no need to worry about the device becoming damaged during active use.

Communications

The Apple iPad Air (A1475) version is capable of supporting a full set of mobile networks, including fully operational 2G and 3G networks on the territory of Ukraine. Unfortunately, fourth generation (4G) networks are not yet available to residents of our country due to the lack of appropriate coverage. Third generation networks continue to develop and gradually provide increasing data transfer speeds.

Thus, the fastest mobile access to the Internet in Ukraine is provided by Intertelecom, which this moment implemented the widest 3G coverage area with support for EV-DO Rev.B access technology, providing maximum data transfer speeds of up to 14.7 Mbit/s (or up to 1.75 MB/s).

However, achieving such high speed results is quite difficult even in the open air in the city center. The maximum data reception speed indoors was 4.5 Mbit/s, and sending speed up to 2.6 Mbit/s. Outdoors - up to 8 Mbit/s for reception and about 2.5 Mbit/s for sending.

To better demonstrate the speed of the 3G connection, we downloaded a 142 MB archive from the Dropbox service, as well as uploaded 10 photos taken on the Apple iPad Air to social network Facebook. In the first case it took 3 minutes 12 seconds, in the second - less than 5 seconds. Be that as it may, even this speed is pleasantly pleasing, especially in cases where there is not a single Wi-Fi point nearby.

As for the local communication capabilities of the tablet, they are quite standard: Bluetooth V4.0 with support for the A2DP profile and dual-band (2.4/5 GHz) Wi-Fi with support for 802.11 a/b/g/n protocols, Wi-Fi functions Hotspot and MIMO signal spatial coding method. Naturally, there is a proprietary AirPlay protocol for wireless media streaming between devices. There is also support for DLNA and Miracast standards, but they require the appropriate applications to work. But neither NFC module, there is no built-in IR transmitter for controlling various household appliances in the Apple iPad Air.

Wi-Fi data transfer speed ( wired connection 100 Mbit/s router supporting the 802.11n standard) shows very impressive results: up to 80 Mbit/s for receiving and up to 24 Mbit/s for sending. Searching for points and connecting to them occurs very quickly, and the established connection has good stability and does not try to “fall off” when strong interference appears.

Availability of hardware GPS module with support for A-GPS and GLONASS is available only in the tablet version with a built-in cellular modem, i.e. the so-called Wi-Fi + Cellular, and this should not be forgotten when choosing a device. The performance of the module is excellent, and the user’s location is determined almost instantly and quite accurately. The electronic compass also works great, determining the cardinal directions as accurately as possible.

Autonomous operation

The fifth generation of full-size Apple tablets, despite the noticeably reduced capacity of the battery used (8827 mAh (32.9 Wh) versus 11560 mAh (43 Wh) for the Apple iPad 4) easily maintains the same battery life level. This is a direct result of the more energy-efficient Apple A7 hardware platform and IGZO display technology. According to the manufacturer, the Apple iPad Air can provide up to 10 hours of browsing the Internet in Wi-Fi mode or when playing movies and music. But when accessing the Internet via a cellular network, this figure drops to 9 hours.

In real conditions, the battery life almost completely corresponds to the declared one - 9.5 hours of HD video viewing with Wi-Fi on and 50% display backlight brightness. IN game mode, for example, with Dead Trigger 2 running, the tablet can work for almost 4.5 hours at 100% screen brightness. This is a very good result, although the estimated operating time according to the GFXBench benchmark is 377 minutes, i.e. just over 6 hours. The time to fully charge the battery is traditionally slow and is about 4 hours.

If we talk about real everyday operating conditions when performing various tasks, the Apple iPad Air can survive for two to three days without any problems. If you use it only for sofa Internet surfing for several hours a day, then you can quite count on its operation for a week on a single battery charge.

Results

AppleiPadAir can rightfully be called one of best tablets on the market, both in terms of the visual component, which has finally received the expected updated design, almost completely copied from the Apple iPad mini, and from the hardware platform, almost entirely inherited from the Apple iPhone 5S.

The tablet has become much more ergonomic, more compact, thinner and lighter. True, for this, the manufacturer had to sacrifice a small amount of battery capacity and use thinner protective glass, which begins to bend noticeably under pressure, and when lightly tapped, creates a slightly unpleasant dull sound. This is somewhat discouraging, because otherwise the device is almost perfect. It contains: a wonderful 9.7-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, which is based on energy-efficient IGZO technology and provides very high quality display; one of the most productive mobile platforms, which is represented by a 64-bit dual-core Apple A7 processor with an Apple M7 motion coprocessor, as well as a capacious battery that provides about 9-10 hours of battery life. In addition, the tested model with index A1475 can please you with full support mobile communications 3G and 4G (only the third generation is available in Ukraine) with a fairly good data transfer speed, as we were convinced of by testing the service from the Intertelecom operator.

There are no significant shortcomings in the Apple iPad Air, and those that exist are largely subjective. For example, the traditional lack of support for memory cards or the lack of a Touch ID fingerprint scanner. A much more important issue in the process of choosing a tablet can be either its cost, which in our country is very significant (on average from 7000 UAH / $730 for the 4G version (Wi-Fi + Cellular) with 16 GB of internal memory), or personal dislike to Apple products and the closed nature of the iOS 7 operating system, which encourages the purchase of legal content (music, films, magazines and applications).

Advantages:

• updated appearance: lighter, thinner, more compact;
• excellent build quality, high body rigidity;
• excellent display with reduced side bezels;
• productive hardware platform - Apple A7 with Apple M7 coprocessor;
• full support for 3G and 4G mobile communications;
• high-quality stereo speakers;

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