Apple has introduced their flagship tablet, the Apple iPad Air 2 yesterday. The successor to the iPad Air is even thinner, faster, prettier, and more secure (thanks to its Touch ID sensor). There are not a lot of changes in the design but with a waistline of just 6.1mm, it is the thinnest tablet in the world. It also comes in new gold colour, just like the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6.
Apple iPad Air 2 Specifications
- 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD 'Retina' Display, 2048 x 1536 pixels, ~264 ppi, scratch-resistant glass, and oleophobic coating
- Apple iOS 8.1 operating system, fingerprint sensor (Touch ID), Apple Pay (MasterCard, VISA, AMEX certified)
- 1.3GHz dual-core Apple A8X processor, PowerVR G6650 GPU, and 1GB of RAM
- 16/64/128GB internal storage
- 8MP iSight camera, 1.12µm pixel size, F/2.4 autofocus lens, HDR (images and videos), Panorama, 1080p video recording, time-lapse 1080p video recording, and slow-motion 720p video recording
- 1.3MP front-facing secondary camera, 720p video recording, and FaceTime HD video calls
- Accelerometer, gyro-sensor, compass, and GLONASS A-GPS
- 4G LTE (depends on variants), dual-band Wi-Fi ac/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hotspot, AirPlay, Bluetooth v4.0, and lightning port
- 8600 mAh Li-Po non-removable battery, stereo loudspeakers, 6.1mm thin, and 437/444 grams
- Colours: Silver, Space Grey, and Champagne Gold
Apple claims that the A8X processor, which is specially designed for the iPad, is 40 percent faster and its GPU is 2.5x powerful when compared to the A7 chipset. Combine this new A8X chip with an 8-megapixel iSight camera, and you record slow-motion and HDR videos with the iPad for the first time ever.
Upgrades over the Apple iPad Air (2013)
- Touch ID fingerprint sensor
- Thinner at 6.1mm waistline
- New Apple A8X processor and PowerVR G6650 GPU
- There's no 32GB storage option
- New Champagne Gold colour
Strangely, Apple has not discontinued the older iPad Air. It will be sold alongside with the iPad Air 2 but at $100 (around Rs. 6,000) cheaper. The iPad Air 2 will go on pre-order today, and will start shipping in 29 countries from the next week, though there is no firm news about its availability in India.
Apple iPad Air 2 pricing in India
| Wi-Fi Only | Wi-Fi + Cellular | |
| Apple iPad Air 2 (16GB) | Rs. 35,900 | Rs. 45,900 |
| Apple iPad Air 2 (64GB) | Rs. 42,900 | Rs. 52,900 |
| Apple iPad Air 2 (128GB) | Rs. 49,900 | Rs. 59,900 |
Should you upgrade from an iPad Air to an iPad Air 2?
Anyone who considers about heavy tasks and graphics intensive games, should upgrade. The new Apple A8X processor comes with good amount of performance and graphics improvements when compared to the A7 chip which is used in the iPad Air. The inclusion of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor makes personal data relatively secure. Moreover, the new 8MP iSight camera brings in ability to record panoramas, HDR videos, slow-motion videos, and time-lapse videos. So, if you are some one, who is concerned about performance, or data security, or camera quality, you should upgrade to the iPad Air 2.
Apple has already released the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus in India, starting with a price of Rs. 53,500 and Rs. 61,500 respectively.
