New aipad air. IPad Air review. The perfect tablet? Delivery and equipment

Over the six years of its existence, iPads have turned from a beautiful toy into serious gadgets that easily compete with laptops. And more and more often people prefer these "thin" and mobile "apple" devices. The Apple iPad Air 2 tablet computer 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 the Apple iPad Air 2. The characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, as well as the opinions of experts, along with the reviews of ordinary users of the device, will be discussed in detail below.

The past generation "Air" and the new one are similar only externally - the main differences lie inside: better performance, better cameras, better screen, almost everything has become better ...

Contents of delivery

The complete set of the new device is similar to the previous lines. Strict white packaging made of high-quality cardboard with few inscriptions and other information. Everything is Spartan, but with a grain of grace, so the language cannot be called a simple box, rather, everything is done in a peculiar style.

Inside the package, you will see:

• the device itself;
• uSB cable for charging and synchronizing with a PC;
• charger;
• manual and warranty card;
• case for Apple iPad Air 2 (optional).

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

Appearance

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

If we take a closer look at the design evolution of iPads, we will see that almost all generations of gadgets had the same features and chips. In fact, the whole difference came down to the change 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 went on a record, and the device shrank to 6.1 mm. Moreover, it is worth noting separately 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 bewilderment about the Smart Case purchased earlier 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 made a gift to its fans by releasing a variable series in a golden color. This was done exactly after the release of the iPhone of the same color.

Interfaces

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

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

As for the general impressions of the arrangement of the elements and the assembly of the device, there is nothing to complain about - the Apple iPad Air 2 tablet is made conscientiously and in proper quality. No creaks, no backlash and no bulging. What's more, the matte finish does not collect fingerprints and other dirt.

Ergonomics

The Apple company is firmly convinced and in every possible way promotes its idea that the tablet should be light and thin. The Apple iPad Air 2 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 lighter by 29 grams and thinner by 18%.

The rounded bumper is pleasant to hold in the hands, and it is equally convenient for the palms to grip the device in both horizontal and vertical orientations. Despite the fact that the case seems frighteningly thin, the gadget rotates surprisingly easily and with due comfort in the hands. In general, it is a waste of time to paint the ergonomics of Apple devices - 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 fixed at around 1536 by 2048 pixels with 264 dpi. Today the company offers all the same screen, but without any air gaps and with lamination technology, which could not but affect the picture quality of the Apple iPad Air 2.

The review has become noticeably better, the picture looks more realistic, and direct sunlight is no longer a hindrance to work, because the screen reflects 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 (Gray / White / Gold) models are equipped with a very high quality oleophobic coating, which allows you to get rid of fingerprints and other dirt in a matter of seconds.

As for the color rendition and other visual parameters, there are no noticeable differences from the previous generation: excellent calibration, natural gamma and rich picture.

Hardware platform

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

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

In addition, useful widgets appeared in the notification center, and the function of replacing the built-in keyboard with any other was added. For data storage, the same "Icloud" is used, where the owner has 5 GB of space available for free, and over the exceeded limit you will have to pay extra. Russian language recognition and voice input of information works as it should, so there should be no problems with typing without a keyboard. The only thing that Apple iPad Air 2 owners sometimes complain about in their reviews is the Siri assistant, which never bothered to learn Russian. Otherwise, everything is in place: it boils, works and functions as it should.

Performance

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

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

Earlier models of "Air" were hard to blame for the lack of performance. Yes, there were some shortcomings, but it is difficult to call them critical. For example, the problem with constant reloading of sites in the browser while opening resource-intensive applications has been completely resolved. The doubling of the amount of RAM / RAM played an important role here.

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

One of the main differences between the Apple iPad Air 2 and its predecessors is the intelligently done multitasking, that is, comfortable work with multiple applications. You can safely keep open "Safari" with a dozen sites and simultaneously work with other, no less demanding utilities. This whole process takes place quite comfortably and without any lags, without requiring a restart of applications, as was the case with past generations of gadgets.

In terms of games, everything is just fine here. And although the response speed of applications in the old and new "Air" differs insignificantly, nevertheless, the lead is felt by 2-3 seconds.

Touch ID

The presence of Touch ID has become one of the main features of the Apple iPad Air 2 (16Gb / 64 Gb / 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 migrated to the device from the iPhone of the sixth series, where a more modern and intelligent sensor is used than that of the same 5S. The fingerprint scanner did not become an innovation in the market, but it is in Air 2 that its work is most comfortable.

In the menu, you can designate up to 10 prints, and the sensor works very clearly and accurately, and recognition occurs in a fraction of a second. Every user who is more or less familiar with Apple products will figure out 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 understandable sound. The only thing that tablet owners sometimes complain about is the insufficient maximum volume threshold, so to heighten the effect, it is better to get an intelligent headset in advance.

However, the speakers in the home are quite loud and can be adjusted (automatically or manually) for different environments. The grilles sometimes overlap by hand while watching videos or playing games, but no critical subsidence was observed in sound.

Camera

The front camera with a 1.2 megapixel matrix works with 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 has paid great attention to the rear iSight camera with an 8 megapixel sensor matrix and an f / 2.4 aperture. The brand does not in any way strive to equate smartphones and tablets in terms of shooting, therefore Air 2, although it makes good photos and videos, is still inferior to the capabilities of the sixth series iPhones. The device has a slightly smaller pixel size, slightly lower aperture and no automatic phase focusing.

Nevertheless, among all the tablet brethren, our respondent has the best camera. In addition, when compared with previous generations of Air, the new has made a clear step forward. Users in their reviews note the cleverly made HDR shooting modes, face detection, slow-motion video, competent work with panoramas and the presence of the useful Timelaps function.

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

In general, 10-inch tablets are not the kind of 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 must be taken into account during the purchase, which means that we are content with the already good capabilities of the matrices and weigh other characteristics.

Autonomous work

An extremely important nuance is that in pursuit of "losing weight" of gadgets, the company stubbornly monitored the autonomy of its devices. Even in spite of the more modest battery due to the reduced size of the tablet (32.4 Wh), the device is able to withstand more than nine hours of intensive use. For example, in an hour with a little time spent 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, text messages, etc.), the battery will more than last the whole day. When watching videos in high definition and 100% brightness, the battery lasted a little over ten hours. In general, it is possible to discharge the device in one day, but then you just have to “rape” it hourly. If you use the tablet from time to time, for several hours in the evening, then the battery will last for two or three days.

Summarizing

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

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

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

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

Disadvantages:

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

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

In the tablet market, everything is pretty clear lately. Due to the fact that a huge number of smartphones have already surpassed these gadgets, manufacturers began to produce only special models. Someone focused on special functionality, someone tried to bring the tablet closer to a PC, someone created an unprecedented design. One way or another, it is now possible to purchase this device without any problems, since everyone can find their device in a certain price category and with the necessary technical characteristics.

It so happens that an excellent model appears on the market, but a year later the manufacturer releases an older modification. And the owners of the first device do not know whether they should change their gadget to an updated one. It was the same with Apple. Therefore, a comparison is made for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Air. To adequately assess the changes that have occurred with this tablet, we will consider each one separately.

New generation

The launch of the iPad Air in 2013 marked the beginning of a new generation. It would seem that all the usual functions have remained in place, but the body has become "airier", and the "filling" is noticeably faster. The new model definitely looks better, works better and has attracted a lot of attention.

Improved new generation

A year later, an updated one came out. Comparing it with the previous model seems like a thankless job, because at first glance, no updates are noticeable. But if externally the tablets are really similar, inside with the release of the second modification, everything has become much better.

External differences

With the release of the iPad Air, there have been changes from the previous line. It has become more austere, but retains the style with a silver bezel and black / white bezel around the screen. In general, the similarities with the iPad mini immediately became noticeable, but the main advantage of the new tablet was its size.

Of course, not everyone needs such a large screen. But even if we compare the dimensions of the "air" tablet with the iPad, then the difference is colossal. First, it has become thinner, and this is noticeable. Secondly, it has become less broad. Thirdly, the weight has decreased by almost 150 grams. And even if these numbers do not seem to everyone to be radically different, in life they are very noticeable.

But if we compare the iPad Air and iPad Air 2, then, as mentioned earlier, the changes are not particularly noticeable. The fact is that the main transformation concerns only weight and thickness. At the time of release, the new iPad Air 2 has become 1.4 mm thinner, now the size of the side end is only 6.1 mm, which looks very attractive. Well, the weight has also become less - 437 grams. There is even an opinion that the change in the mass of the tablet affected the comfort of use, now the back and arms get tired much less.

Color differences and details

Continuing the comparison between iPad Air and iPad Air 2, there are a few more external details to notice. The first model of the new generation was supplied in two color variations: silver and dark gray. The new version also received a new-fashioned golden one in two familiar colors. Of course, increasing the choice of body shades is just a positive marketing ploy. By the way, many owners of gold iPhones gladly bought a tablet from the Apple manufacturer to match.

In appearance, the display orientation lock button has also changed. Now it does not exist at all, most likely, it disappeared for the sake of the thickness of the case. Now in its place is a small microphone hole. The "Home" key has not changed externally, but it received an additional Touch ID, which, by the way, in Apple devices is needed not only to unlock, but also to pay for purchases in the game store.

Screen

In iPad Air 2 and iPad Air, it would seem that it is not necessary to compare the screen, since external signs are invisible. The diagonal is 9.7 inches, the resolution is 2048x1536 pixels. But the second gadget received a special touchscreen display, which was developed in tandem with lamination technology. The manufacturer has ensured that the interlayer between the glass and the matrix has disappeared. This is what helped make the device slim.

Also, this technology has led to a certain illusion that the image seems to float above the tablet. The second version received an anti-reflective coating that improves the visual effect even in the brightest lighting conditions.

Technical equipment

Mini 2 - iPad Air, in principle, will give nothing in performance. In both models, the processor is A7 on two cores with a frequency of 1300 MHz. Responsible for the graphics PowerVR version G6430. RAM is 1 GB, internal memory can be from 16 GB to 128 GB. We can safely say that in terms of technical equipment, these are the same gadgets.

The iPad Air 2 is doing slightly better. There is already an OS of the eighth version by default. Improved processor - A8X, which runs on two cores with a frequency of 1.5 GHz. PowerVR is also head and shoulders above the GXA6850 and runs on eight cores. There is also more RAM - 2GB. The built-in option can be from 16 GB to 128 GB.

If we compare the iPad 4 and iPad Air 2, then the new model is significantly superior to the fourth generation. The iPad 4 has a slightly weaker processor - the 1.4GHz A6X. The lower GPU is PowerVR SGX 554MP4. The RAM, like the iPad Air, is only 1 GB. By the way, the tablet does not support 128GB memory cards.

Giant

You can also remember another model with which you can make another pair - the iPad Air 2 and iPad Pro. Comparison of these tablets, though not entirely justified, but still they are "brothers" in the shop, and therefore can be opposed to each other.

The first and most obvious difference is appearance. The iPad Pro has a 12.9-inch screen diagonal, which is almost comparable to some Apple notebooks. This giant also works on iOS 9.x. The processor here has become a generation higher. The A9x is paired with the M9 at 2.2 GHz. The RAM in the pro version is already 4 GB, which is very valuable now. But all of these improved qualities add up to a significant price tag.

Camera

Returning to the iPad Air 2 and iPad Air, the comparison is worth continuing with a focus on the camera. It has changed significantly compared to the older model. In the second version of the tablet, the main one received 8 megapixels, while the first modification had only 5 megapixels. Also, the new camera was equipped with a special technology with a sensor and improved optics, which significantly influenced the quality of images.

There are also new functions like Slow Motion. Slow motion is no surprise now, but back then it was a great addition to the new lens. As a result, all the innovations made the photos of high quality, with improved color rendition, detail, etc.

The front camera also added a little - instead of 0.3 megapixels, it got 1.2 megapixels. Of course, this option is not entirely good, especially for 2017.

Sound

There were not very dramatic changes with this characteristic. iPad of any generation has a great sound speaker. But the iPad Air 2 is still noticeably louder, now it's easy to watch movies and listen to music together. Externally, the dynamics have changed in two models. The iPad Air had two speakers in two rows of holes, but now, for the sake of a thin case, they made two stereo speaker grills on either side of the charger connector.

Autonomy

The battery volume has also changed. Again, due to the desire to make the case thinner, the battery of the second model received 7184 mAh. While the first model has 8827 mAh. As a result, continuous searches on the Internet, watching videos and listening to audio discharges iPad Air in 12-13 hours, and iPad Air 2 in 10 hours.

Although such changes were not positive, Apple is almost the only one who managed to fit such a powerful battery into a thin case. In addition, the manufacturer made a good compromise between autonomy and weight of the gadget.

conclusions

Of course, now for iPad Air 2 and iPad Air comparison is irrelevant, since both models have been on the market for more than two or three years. Nevertheless, there are still those who doubt the choice between these two tablets.

Then you should consider two situations: if you own an iPad Air, or if you just decided to purchase a gadget from Apple. Let's consider the second option right away. If you have just decided to buy an "apple" tablet and choose between these models, then in the battle of iPad Air vs iPad Air 2 comparison is unnecessary, the newer device becomes the winner in any case.

The explanation is simple: whatever one may say, but the iPad Air 2 is much better than its predecessor. It is thinner, prettier, inside it has an updated processor and a new version of the graphics adapter. He got more RAM, as well as an improved camera. In general, he surpasses his older model in everything.

But if you own an iPad Air, then buying the second version may be pointless. Of course, the changes, albeit noticeable, are still almost the same models. It makes sense to look at newer devices. After all, after the release of the iPad Air 2, the iPad Pro, which we already talked about, has already appeared on the market, as well as the compact iPad mini 4. And in 2016, they introduced a variation of the iPad Pro, but with a slightly smaller screen of 9.7 inches.

By the way, it is the latest model that is now considered the most popular. It turned out to be slightly different than the previous ones, not only in terms of technical characteristics, but also externally. In addition, this tablet received excellent technical characteristics, support for a proprietary stylus and Split View mode.

Now, when Apple is at its peak of fame, almost every device, long before its official announcement, becomes a kind of constructor from rumors and leaks, according to which you can 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, albeit without specific details. Therefore, each presentation of devices, in fact, is primarily a confirmation or refutation of all previously emerging rumors. So, for example, it was with the new iPhones, and so it happened with the new iPad, which, however, still managed to present several pleasant surprises. One of them is the fresh name of the device -.

Specifications

Manufacturer	Apple
	iPad Air (A1475)
Type, form factor	tablet, candy bar
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 Mbps)
SIM card type
CPU	Apple A7: two 64-bit ARM cores (ARMv8), up to 1.4 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache, 28 nm HKMG process technology
Graphics adapter	IT PowerVR G6430: 4 cores (clusters), up to 650 MHz, support for OpenGL ES 3.0, OpenGL 3.2 and DirectX 10.0
Coprocessor	Apple M7: one Cortex-M3 core (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, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
RAM	1 GB LPDDR3-1600
Card reader
	1 x 3.5mm audio mini-jack
Multimedia
	Microphone
	Main		iSight: 5 MP, BSI sensor, 5-lens 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
	Three-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 VAC ex. 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 equipment

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

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

Appearance, design

The visuals of the Californian manufacturer's tablet line, unlike smartphones and media players, have remained largely unchanged since 2011, when Apple officially unveiled the highly successful second generation iPad. Since then, the tablet has been updated twice, but its appearance has hardly changed. The situation changed only with the advent of the "little 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-format version of the tablet.

As expected, the appearance of the Apple iPad Air almost completely repeats the outlines of the mini-version, only with reference to the 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 neatly modern due to a significant reduction in the side frames (especially along the long side). Apple iPad Air no longer has 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 have become almost even, and the transition from the back to the sidewalls has taken on rather sharp outlines. The already familiar chrome bevel along the contour of the front panel has also appeared. The color scheme of the tablet has become consistent with the latest solutions from Apple. It includes two options: silver (Silver) and "space gray" (Space Gray), which now differ not only in the color of the front side.

On the constructive side, the Apple iPad Air has not undergone any changes. The tablet is made of durable anodized aluminum for a high level of rigidity, and is complemented by tempered glass 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 is covered with multiple fingerprints, and the aluminum "back" strives to leave a couple of scratches as a keepsake in case of careless handling. However, all these disadvantages pale in comparison with the main advantage of the 5th generation of Apple tablets, namely weight. Apple iPad Air dropped a lot in this regard - only 478 grams versus 662 grams for the 4th generation Apple iPad. Even the main competing model in the face of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) has more - 544 grams, and this despite the fact that the body of the "galaxy" 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 within reasonable limits - everything is very well matched to each other. However, the glass, which has become thinner in order to reduce the weight of the device, still squeezes a little, and when tapped, it creates a kind of dull sound, as if the tablet inside is completely empty.

The arrangement of all elements on the body remained in the same places, only the size of the control buttons has changed - now they are metal and have a slightly smaller thickness. At the top of the front side, almost completely given over to the 9.7-inch screen, there is a front-facing camera with a resolution of 1.2 megapixels and an ambient light sensor. At the bottom is the traditional Home button, which, unlike the Apple iPhone 5s, did not receive a Touch ID fingerprint scanner.

Most of the upper edge is occupied by a black plastic insert, in the center of which are the holes of the paired microphone (the second microphone goes to the back of the tablet, as well as the insert itself to a small extent). In addition, there is a power / lock button for the device and a 3.5 mm audio jack on top. On the bottom, 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 are the volume buttons, a small lever that blocks the screen orientation by default, as well as a slot for a Nano-SIM SIM card.

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

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 this type of device. To protect the display, tempered Corning Gorilla Glass 3 is used, which has an effective anti-reflective filter and a high-quality oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating. At the same time, there is an air gap between the glass and the matrix surface.

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

In general, the display is very good and leaves an extremely pleasant experience. The viewing angles are maximum both vertically and horizontally, and the color distortion characteristic of IPS matrices is practically absent in the extreme diagonal positions. The color reproduction quality of the screen is able to please with bright colors with a natural level of their saturation, despite the extremely insignificant shift in the color temperature to "cold" shades. The contrast level, although not a record one, is high enough and provides an acceptable display of the black field.

The display backlight is characterized by a very wide range and is regulated both manually and automatically. True, there are some peculiarities: the automation works only to increase and does not adjust the backlight level when manually setting the maximum brightness level. Therefore, the most optimal solution is to set the dimmer at a level of 30-50%. By choosing the maximum brightness value, reaching about 360 Cd / m2, you can work in the fresh air without any problems, even under very bright sun. At the minimum value, which is about 10 cd / m 2, you can safely read your favorite books without fear of excessive eye strain. The illumination 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 handling a number of gestures familiar to the operating system without any problems. It is worth noting the very smooth sliding of the finger on the protective glass. But the ability to work with gloves, even thin enough, is not.

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

With the introduction of the Apple iPad Air, the full-format version of the tablet finally has two stereo speakers capable of providing a very tangible surround sound. True, you can hear it only in portrait orientation of the device, since both speakers are located on the lower edge of the case. The sound itself is loud and clear even at the maximum level. There are practically no low frequencies, but there is a hint of them. The mids and highs are well balanced and have decent detail, so you can watch movies and listen to music without the need for headphones or external speakers.

The sound settings of the tablet 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 general level is adjusted using the volume control buttons or through the quick settings panel). In addition, you can play the sound for device locking and keyboard clicks. Additional options (such as equalizer, sound check function, or volume limiter) can be found in the music player settings.

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

The front-facing FaceTime HD camera is also based on a back-illuminated sensor module, 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, an abundant set of various functions and settings is not provided (for this you need to use third-party applications). There is only the possibility of activating the HDR mode and changing the shooting mode by means of a vertical swipe - one for video shooting and two for photos (in a ratio of 4x3 and 1x1). From the camera application, you can switch to viewing the footage, and through the system settings of the operating system, enable the display of the grid when shooting.

Examples of photography

Examples of filming

Daytime shooting in motion, 1080p 30fps.

Daytime shooting, 1080p 30fps.

Evening shooting, 1080p 30 fps.

The quality of the material obtained is pleasantly pleasing, despite the low resolution of the module used. Photos under favorable shooting conditions are quite detailed and have pleasant color reproduction. With a decrease in the level of ambient light, noise appears strongly and detail decreases significantly. A similar situation is observed with video, although the high-quality operation of the electronic stabilization system is still worth noting - minor shaking is almost completely neutralized.

User interface

The Apple iPad Air is powered by the iOS 7 operating system, which has dramatically changed compared to the "six", both from the visual side and from the technical side. Skeuomorphism, loved by many, with a relatively dark color scheme 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 thin Helvetica Neue Ultralight is used, which makes a tangible contribution to the concept of the new design.

By the way, at the time of this review, Apple began distributing an operating system update to version 7.0.6, which fixes a security issue that occurred when checking SSL connections.

The lock screen in iOS 7, having lost the dark bands at the top and bottom, now looks more neat and holistic. However, its functionality has not changed. It displays the current time and date, battery charge status, signal quality of the cellular network, and 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 the bottom up.

In addition, from the lock screen, as well as from the main screen, you can open the traditional notification panel with a swipe from the top edge, and a full-fledged quick settings panel finally appeared with a swipe from the bottom. It can be used to control the audio player, turn on / off wireless modules, put the device in do not disturb mode, block display orientation changes, launch stopwatch and camera applications, and control the general volume, display backlight level and AirPlay function.

The main screen, which the user comes to after unlocking the device, has practically not undergone functional changes in the new OS version, but it has changed visually. So, a new, smoother and, unfortunately, longer animation appeared, the shortcuts of system applications received completely redrawn icons, the folder display became full-screen (there are no more "breaks"), and for background wallpapers you can apply the so-called parallax effect, in which the main screen becomes pseudo three-dimensional. In addition, the global Spotlight search has changed its location and to access it you just need to swipe down on the main screen or any additional one.

The appearance and functionality of the multitasking mode has been significantly changed. He got a full-screen interface, in which running applications are displayed in the form of a kind of cards with intuitive control. Calling the mode is carried out by a usual action (four-finger gesture or double-clicking on the "Home" button), but to close the application, it is now enough to simply swipe the corresponding card up.

The operating system settings menu has completely retained its structure and 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 a 64-bit ARMv8 desktop-class architecture and the presence of a special energy-efficient Apple M7 motion coprocessor for direct processing of data from the gyroscope, accelerometer and digital compass. The main processor is manufactured in accordance with the 28nm HKMG (High-k / metal gate) technological process and is equipped with two cores with a clock frequency of up to 1.4 GHz. The L2 cache is 1 MB. The coprocessor is manufactured using a 90nm manufacturing process and includes only one Cortex-M3 (ARMv7-M) core 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), clocked at 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 an improved microarchitecture of the processor, the amount of RAM of the LPDDR3-1600 standard remains the same and is only 1 GB, while some Android devices are already installed in 3 GB. The capacity of the built-in storage starts at 16 GB (with only 12.5 GB available to the user). Support for memory cards is traditionally absent, therefore, 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 Apple's latest A7 hardware platform is indeed very strong. With just two cores 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 speeds from 1.5 GHz. Of course, such an advantage can be attributed to a more productive 64-bit architecture, but one should not forget about the highest degree of iOS optimization - 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 is very fast and, importantly, very smooth. Drawing the interface and launching applications does not cause any complaints. As for demanding games, in some cases the tablet's capabilities become insufficient in places. For example, this happens in Dead Trigger 2, when a large number of dangerous zombies gather on certain maps.

Under active and continuous load, the tested model starts to heat up slightly (mainly along the long edge), but its temperature remains within very comfortable limits. There is no need to worry that the device may deteriorate during active operation.

Communication and communications

The Apple iPad Air (A1475) version is capable of supporting a full range of mobile networks, including 2G and 3G networks that are fully operational in 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 evolve and gradually provide increasing data transfer rates.

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

However, it is quite difficult to achieve such high speed results even in the open air in the city center. The maximum data reception speed in the room was 4.5 Mbit / s, and the sending rate was up to 2.6 Mbit / s. Outside the premises - up to 8 Mbps for receiving and about 2.5 Mbps for sending.

For greater clarity of the speed of the 3G connection, a 142 MB archive was downloaded from the Dropbox service, as well as 10 photos taken on the Apple iPad Air were uploaded to the Facebook social network. 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 Hotspot functions and a spatial coding technique for the MIMO signal. Naturally, there is a proprietary AirPlay protocol for wireless media streaming between devices. There is also support for DLNA and Miracast standards, but for them to work, you need the appropriate applications. But there is no NFC module or a built-in IR transmitter for controlling various household appliances in the Apple iPad Air.

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

The presence of a hardware GPS module with A-GPS and GLONASS support 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 module's performance is excellent, and the user's location is determined almost instantly and accurately enough. The electronic compass also works great, determining the cardinal directions as accurately as possible.

Autonomous work

The fifth generation of Apple's full-format tablets, despite the noticeably reduced capacity of the battery used (8827 mAh (32.9 Wh) versus 11560 mAh (43 Wh) in Apple iPad 4), without any problems retains the battery life at the same level. This is a direct merit of the more energy-efficient Apple A7 hardware platform and IGZO display technology. According to the manufacturer, the Apple iPad Air is capable of providing up to 10 hours of Internet use 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 is almost fully consistent with the declared - 9.5 hours of watching HD-video with Wi-Fi on and 50% brightness of the display backlight. In game mode, for example, when Dead Trigger 2 is running, the tablet is able to work for almost 4.5 hours at 100% screen brightness. This is a very good result, although the estimated runtime 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 with performing different tasks, then the Apple iPad Air is able to live without problems for two to three days. If you use it only for couch internet surfing for several hours a day, then it is quite possible to count on a week of its work from one battery charge.

Outcome

AppleiPadAir can rightfully be called one of the best tablets on the market, both from the side of the visual component, which finally received the expected updated design, almost completely copied from the Apple iPad mini, and from the hardware platform, almost completely 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 slightly sacrifice the capacity of the battery and use a thinner protective glass, which, under pressure, begins to bend noticeably, and with a light tap, create a slightly unpleasant dull sound. This is somewhat discouraging, because the rest of the device is almost perfect. It features: a remarkable 9.7-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, which is built on the basis of energy-efficient IGZO technology and provides a 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 the A1475 index can please with full support for 3G and 4G mobile communications (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 flaws in the Apple iPad Air, and those that are more 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 may be either its cost, which is very significant in our country (on average, from UAH 7000 / $ 730 for the 4G version (Wi-Fi + Cellular) with 16 GB of internal memory), or personal dislike to Apple products and to 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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IPad Air (iPad 5) - overview

To be honest, I somehow missed the fourth iPad - I didn't review it. Here is the third iPad, I won't lie, I was waiting and observing it. There's at least a Retina display out there. And the fourth, which they released six months after the third, was distinguished by such unworthy details that users who, from the cool owners of the last iPad at that time, instantly turned into suckers with an outdated piece of hardware in their hands, burst into incredibly funny comments, which I read with a huge pleasure. But even this did not make me want to study the piece of iron number four. Well, now there is a piece of iron number five, which Apple, according to the glorious tradition of confusing buyers as much as possible, called the iPad Air. Why iPad Air when Air is the brand of ultra-thin MacBook Air? But because confusion is the key to progress. First there was the iPad. Then, as expected, there was the iPad 2, which was not much different from the first. Then they released the iPad 3, which already had a noticeable 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 was released, after which they named the third iPad - watch your hands - iPad with Retina Display (unofficially, but it was often called that on sale). The fourth-generation iPad was released, featuring performance and a new cable connector that allowed Apple to make a fortune on cables alone. The name of the fourth iPad was given an extremely original - watch your hands - iPad with Retina Display. And now the fifth iPad is 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 the iPad Pro, so mark my words! This iPad arrived in Moscow through the Qwintry service. (With its help, you can order goods in the United States to an American address, and from it "Qwintry" already sends the goods to any country, including Russia. This is for cases when a seller on Amazon, eBay and elsewhere 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 (iPad of the fifth generation).

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 (there are models with 3G and LTE)
Input Output: Lightning dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack
Battery: built-in, 8820 mAh
Cameras: on the back cover 5 megapixels, on the front one - 1.2 megapixels
Additionally: 3D gyroscope, accelerometer, light sensor, digital compass
GPS: there is
Dimensions: 240 x 170 x 7.5mm
The weight: 480 g What do we have here? The processor is almost like the iPhone 5S. The display is similar to the iPad 3 and iPad 4 - nothing has changed here. But even there, the display was gorgeous, so you can not find fault. The battery is 8820 mAh, the iPad 4 has 11560 mAh. But this may not say anything, it is necessary to test. The most important thing in the characteristics is the size (the tablet is clearly smaller and thinner than the previous one, 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 package is also classic: a tablet, a USB cable, a power adapter, brochures, stickers and a clip for pulling out an insert for a sim card (for versions with 3G or LTE support).
Appearance and features The design is traditional iPad, only the aluminum part of the case began to "flow" over the bevels of the top cover - it looks very stylish. Rear end. At the bottom there are speakers (stereo) and a Lightning dock connector output.
The left side - two volume buttons (like the iPad mini) and a toggle button (it blocks the rotation of the screen or mutes 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 is a headset output and a power button.
In general, I must say that the style of the iPad Air is much more reminiscent of a seven-inch than a ten-inch iPad. That's right - iPad mini looks very sleek, but first, let's compare the iPad Air to another 10-inch iPad, namely the iPad 2 (I simply don't have another at hand). See what is the difference in linear dimensions (with the same display)?
It looks even clearer when both tablets are aligned in the lower right corner - see 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, just twins, only more Air.
In general, the iPad Air looks just fine: with its display size, it is really small, sleek and at the same time lightweight. Now you can safely hold it in one hand, the previous iPads were still heavy. Device operation Regarding the operation of the iPad Air, I do not see any reason to rassmate something for a long time and in detail. I talked about this Retina display in the iPad 3 review, I talked about the iOS 7 operating system in the iPhone 5S review. Therefore, let's go through a very coarse grinding, focusing on the characteristic features of the iPad Air. All basic programs fit on one desktop.

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

Control panel triggered by sliding from the bottom of the screen.

A lock screen that can display a variety of messages: missed FaceTime calls, received emails, and so on.

List of recently launched 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 whole set of useful programs for free download, 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: document creation , presentations, spreadsheets, photo manipulation, music creation, and reading books and documents.

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

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

Speed Measured the performance of the processor and memory on the Geekbench 3 test. He gave the following (this iPad test for some reason defines it as an iPad 4.1).

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

Well, purely practically, the tablet is really very, very fast. Everything loads almost instantly and just flies with use. Camera The camera here, as far as I understand, is the same as on the iPad 4: 5 Mpix rear and 1.2 Mpix front, the interface is extremely simple. (Which, in general, is good). Photo, video, camera selection, HDR mode activation. Well, that's all.
I chased the camera, analyzed the parameters of the images and their quality. What happened? Well, the quality is more or less decent (for a tablet). White balance is generally tolerable. With focusing, it rarely misses, but it often sets the shutter speed critically, so when shooting handheld, there is often a "wiggle". Therefore, it is advisable to do each frame 2-3 times. The matrix is \u200b\u200bvery "noisy". Even at low ISO, noise is observed, and when ISO rises to 400-600 - "noise" is already very noticeable. Judge for yourself. (All photos are clickable, EXIF \u200b\u200bsaved.) Here is ISO 400.
ISO 500 is absolutely horrible.
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, ISO is set to 125, and the shutter speed is 1/24 - this, in my opinion, is somehow wrong.
I saw the lower ISO limit as much as 32 - here in this frame.
Well, for example, ISO costs 50, and the shutter speed is set at 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 newer, more powerful tablets performed well with battery life than previous models. I ran the following tests with this tablet. the Internet... Comfortable level at 40% brightness (without auto-adjustment), wireless networks are on, the page is reloaded in the browser every 30 seconds. The result was simply amazing - 13 hours 30 minutes! I have not seen this on any other tablet! The third one had less than 11 hours. For those of you interested, here is a line of benchmarks for 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 - to zero. It turned out 13 hours 30 minutes.Video... Comfortable level of 60% brightness (without auto-adjustment), the "airplane" mode is on, a series is playing in the player in a loop. And here I got only 8 hours and 30 minutes. Strange, the previous ones were up to 10. But maybe it was necessary to set 40% brightness, then, probably, it would have held out? conclusions A very nice tablet turned out, in my opinion. The very case when size and weight are very important. Here, in my opinion, it makes sense to switch from models from iPad to iPad 3. Well, maybe from iPad 4, if someone suddenly bought it. But with iPad mini - another question. From the old iPad mini, it might make sense to upgrade to the new iPad mini, which finally has a Retina display. So the iPad Air and the second iPad mini are just twins and brothers, just different sizes. As for me, I don't want to change iPad mini even to iPad Air. And I’m unlikely to change it to the new iPad mini, because the first iPad mini is more than happy with me. It turned out to be an extremely successful tablet, just extremely rare. And I especially like that he fits into my usual bag with documents, which I always carry with me. But with the iPad Air, this number no longer works.

Cheaper and better than iPad Air 2.

Innovation in the tablet market is challenging at the moment, even for Apple. offered new ways to work, a variety of accessories to complement your 12.9 "or 9.7" tablet - but what if you don't need those features?

• pros: Cheaper | Beautiful screen | Lightweight design;
• Minuses: Thicker Air | Chipset A9 | No 256GB model

If that's you, the new iPad is the tablet that will meet your needs. It offers premium performance, stylish and attractive design and top-of-the-line features, but at a lower price point and no additional performance-enhancing features.

This new iPad version is priced at RUR 25,000 for a 32 GB model (Wi-Fi), while the most expensive bundle costs about RUR 40,000 for a 128 GB model (Wi-Fi + LTE). There is no 256GB model for the latest iPad.

You can buy the tablet in Apple stores right now, and retailers will be shipping iPads in the coming weeks.

Design and display

• Design similar to previousiPad, but still good;
• Thicker and heavier thaniPadAir 2;
• Easy to hold with one hand and the 9.7-inch screen is ideal for movies;

If you've used an iPad Air 2, the design of the new iPad will feel familiar to you. The new version is the iPad Air 2, just barely noticeably thicker, but we're talking 7.5mm so you can easily hold it in your hand.

Weighing only 469 grams, if you plan to carry the tablet with you, you will find it light enough to hold without any strain. You will have to use two hands, however, measuring 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm is not the easiest device for one-handed operation.

Many publications have focused on the fact that the iPad has become thicker, but based on the results of the review and practical use of the tablet, we do not think that it matters. iPad Air 2 was incredibly thin and light, and you won't notice the difference.

The back of the iPad has a metal casing that is smooth on your fingers but still feels comfortable in your hands. There is no point in denying that the iPad is still the most beautiful tablet you can buy, and its rounded corners fit perfectly into the overall design.

We recommend buying a case to make sure you don't scratch your tablet by dropping it into your bag or backpack. The metal back can be scratched easily enough, and you will also notice that greasy fingerprints can cloud the design if you don't wipe the tablet regularly.

Apple iPad is available in gold, silver and gray - sadly Apple hasn't offered a new red iPad to match the striking new styling of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Like recent iPads, there is a Home button just below the screen, which acts as a Touch ID fingerprint reader, which helps keep your fingerprint secure. The scanner is not easy to reach with the thumb, so we often used a PIN instead of a scanner.

When it comes to screen, the new Apple iPad offers a 9.7-inch display with 2048 x 1536 pixels. The result is a density of 264 ppi, which is the same as the iPad Pro.

It's a Retina display, sort of Apple's way of telling you that you won't be able to notice individual pixels, so the quality of the panel is high. We're willing to agree with Apple that over the course of the iPad review, every picture and image we saw looked beautiful.

The screen is very bright - especially when compared to, for example, the original iPad Air - and this gives it a big advantage over most competing tablets.

The screen size is especially noticeable on the new iPad. The iPad Pro 12.9 is too big for comfortable day-to-day use, and Apple suggests the best size here - big enough for you to enjoy content, small enough for comfortable use.

Interface and reliability

• Work withiOS 10.3, latest OS fromApple;
• iOS is a great interface for tablets;
• Access to millions of apps that work with the newiPad;

iOS is arguably the best tablet interface on the market, and Apple's latest iPad is the first to roll out iOS 10.3 out of the box.

iOS means you have access to a million apps that will work with your iPad, all optimized for the platform. During our review of the Apple iPad, we didn't find any apps that didn't work with the latest iOS software, everything works great on the platform.

Some apps may not be perfect, but most developers provide iPhone and iPad optimizations before submitting them to the Apple store. And while the choice of apps may be inferior to the Google Play Store, you'll find all the apps you need available.

If you have used Apple products before, you will find the interface clear and accessible. If not, it's easy to learn from scratch.

All apps downloaded from the store appear on the home screen - there is no app tray to hide shortcuts like on Android. You can put your apps in folders.

Apple did not port the Touch Force panels from the latest iPhones, which is disappointing. It would be interesting to see how app developers might use the touchscreen.

If you're looking for an easy-to-use interface, the Apple iPad is definitely for you - personally, we find iOS a little easier to use than similar Android products.

In terms of reliability, we found it a great tool for working with applications throughout the review. Apps didn't crash from time to time, no bugs, and that's exactly what you'd expect from Apple products.

It's also worth noting that the new iPad launched with iOS 10, hence we expect it to be included in Apple's software updates over the next few years. Apple generally keeps its products up to date with the latest software, so the iPad should last longer than, say, the iPad Air 2.

Movies, music and games

• Ideal screen size for movies and TV on the go
• Well tuned speakers, but not as good asPro;
• 32GB and 128GB models, no 256GB models;

For movies, Apple offers the iTunes Store, so you can always buy any of the latest movies, download them to your tablet, and play them using the Videos app.

The brightness and high resolution of Retina panels makes iPad perfect on the go. And while the large 12.9-inch iPad offers a large screen, you lose out on usability and comfort, we found the Apple iPad to be a good compromise between those conditions.

the iPad is also a great way to access apps like Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming services that make it easier to play videos on your tablet.

When it comes to music, you get access to the Apple Music streaming service, you can also buy songs from iTunes. There is also a sync service that lets you download tracks from your computer.

The speakers on the new iPad are similar to those we've seen with the iPad Air 2, but it's still fantastic sound that lets you listen to music throughout your home without the need for separate speakers.

The speakers sound loud enough and don't have a tinny feel like the speakers of most smartphones. However, you can easily block out the sound by holding the iPad by the base where the speakers are located.

The new Apple iPad (2017) does not offer four speakers like the Pro series tablets, so it makes sense to consider the more expensive tablet models if you need quality sound.

iPad 9.7 promises to make gamers happy. The best games in the App Store cost a little money, but every big-name game is available to download to your tablet. We tried Rome: Total War, a graphically heavy game, and the tablet's GPU managed to reproduce everything smoothly.

As we mentioned, the cheapest iPad model is available in 32GB and should offer you around 20GB of free storage, or a bit more, for your apps and media.

For this review, we used the 128GB version, so we had a generous 102GB of free storage. This space is enough for a lot of movies, music and games and you don't have to fill it up in no time.

For some reason, Apple does not offer a 256GB tablet at this time, although Apple may offer one in the future. If you're looking for an iPad with more storage, you should opt for the iPad Pro or iPad Mini 4.

Performance and benchmarks

• Powered by chipsetsAppleA9 featured oniPhone 6S;
• Not the fastestiPad on the market, but it should meet most of your needs;

Games were the most demanding tasks we've tested on the Apple iPad, and we found it slouching under load. The iPad did get a little warm when running high-performance apps, but the tablet never got too hot.

One of the major updates to the new iPad is the A9 processor. This is a chip that debuted on the iPhone 6S in late 2015 and is not the company's flagship chipset like the iPhone 7 or iPad Pro.

This is a somewhat disappointing decision from Apple, but still an improved processor over the iPad Air 2. If you're looking for the most powerful tablets, you should look at the iPad Pro, however, this series only offers slightly more powerful A9X chipsets.

The most recent iPad models include 2GB of RAM and while we don't know for sure, the new iPad is likely to follow suit.

In our comparative testing, the new 2017 Apple iPad returned a Geekbench 4 multi-core average score of 4: 4351. By comparison, the iPad Pro 9.7 (5227) and iPad Pro 12.9 (5472) performed slightly better, but they run on A9X processors.

In everyday use, though, the new iPad is capable of handling any application you might need. It may lack performance in heavy multitasking or the most demanding applications, but otherwise you'll be happy with the download and run speed.

Battery life

• Average battery lifeiPad won't be a problem;
• About 10 hours of battery life, which allows you to watch five movies;

Apple reckons your iPad can last about 10 hours on a single charge, and when we tested the Apple iPad in our review, we came to the same time browsing the web and watching videos.

Gaming will likely drain the battery a little faster, but the tablet's endurance is still impressive given the new iPad's slim body, which inevitably limits battery capacity.

We'd love to see some improvement in the battery life of the new iPad over the Air 2, but at the moment they seem to be showing similar times.

In terms of day-to-day use, the new iPad 2017 will be able to offer you several days of battery life with average use. At the review stage, we used the tablet for about three hours a day, in such conditions it lasted us three days.

If you're buying a cellular version of your tablet, it's worth noting that active cellular will drain your battery slightly faster than the iPad Wi-Fi Only. You can easily turn off your cellular connection when you don't need it, such as in airplane mode, which is easy to access in settings.

To recharge, you'll use the Loghtning cable that plugs into the bottom of the iPad. It has a reversible plug, so you can plug it in the first time without looking or twisting the wire.

The new iPad doesn't offer fast charging, but it takes very little time to charge the battery. During the review, the Apple iPad charged to 100% in just four hours.

Camera

• An 8-megapixel camera is useful, but shouldn't act as a primary device for photography;
• 1.2MP front-facing sensor is bad, but suitable for voice calls;

The camera is not the main aspect when you buy a tablet, but it is a useful additional feature that you get on the front and back of your tablet.

The Apple iPad comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera capable of capturing detailed shots, but we don't recommend picking it up with your smartphone. It can be difficult to hold the 9.7-inch iPad and take pictures.

The camera can be useful to take pictures of things inside the house and then upload them directly to your iPad's app, so we see Apple's decision to equip the new iPad with a capable camera as useful.

The photos come in 3264 x 2448 pixels and are of decent quality, so you can upload them to social media. Don't expect a tablet sensor to compete with the camera on the iPhone 7 and other flagship smartphones.

During our testing of the Apple iPad, we found the front-facing camera much more useful.

Aside from the rare mediocre selfies, you'll probably use the tablet's front-facing camera (1.2MP) for video chats with friends or photos on social media. The camera offers meager resolution, so don't expect stellar quality.

Sample photos:

At home, the iPad camera captures great, but in public places the situation is more complicated.

We were amazed at the quality of this photo, very good for an 8MP sensor.

Taking pictures with an iPad is not as easy as with a smartphone.

Final thoughts

The new iPad looks like a tablet worth buying in 2017 and shows that Apple's iPad range is still an important player in the tablet market. It offers everything you need to watch media content, and costs less than the iPad Air 2 when it launched.

This iPad isn't well-suited for professional use, it's iPad Pro territory, but the build quality and features offer all-round possibilities.

With a beautiful and simple design, great screen, and powerful specs, it's hard to find a tablet that offers the same for the same price as the new Apple iPad.

For whom newiPad?

If you've never used a tablet before, the new iPad is the perfect starting point. Simply put, if you're not using it for heavy, high-performance tasks, you will find everything you need.

If your tablet is a few years old and needs an upgrade, the new iPad is a great option.

Don't buy it if you are looking for it (better take a look at the rating on the link). For this purpose, it is better to choose the iPad Pro, which with a set of accessories turns into a laptop. The latest iPad doesn't offer a powerful enough processor to handle demanding tasks, and the accessories for the new iPad aren't as good as the iPad Pro accessories.

Worth buyingAppleiPad?

The new iPad is much better than the iPad Air 2 - which has long been the best tablet on the market - and will offer you everything you need for a multimedia device to use on your couch.

If you own an iPad Air 2, iPad Pro, or the latest iPad Mini, the new iPad doesn't deserve the switch. It doesn't offer drastic changes, so you should wait for a more significant update.

The new iPad, however, is better than almost everyone on the market right now, and its low price tag is a great choice for anyone looking to buy a new tablet.

CompetitorsAppleiPad

Think Apple iPad 9.7 is not for you? Here are a few other options you might consider.

Apple iPad Pro 9.7

It shares the design and size of the iPad, but what if you want something more professional? iPad Pro 9.7 can handle whatever you need to do. It is equipped with the Smart Connector, a Pro series connector that is used to connect a keyboard and stylus.

If you're going to take notes or draw, the iPad Pro 9.7 is probably a better fit for you than the Apple iPad. The tablet in this series is equipped with 256GB of storage, but it will cost you more than the new iPad.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3

Think an Android tablet will be the best choice? At the moment, the flagship Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is the best representative of the Android market. It offers leading features - you'll be able to watch HDR video on its screen - the tablet is also compatible with a collection of accessories that make it a great choice for professionals.

Again, the Galaxy Tab S3 will be more expensive than the new iPad, you can opt for the new iPad from Apple, since it is much cheaper than the latest Samsung tablet.

Apple iPad Mini 4

Great option if you like Apple tablets but want something less. The iPad Mini 4 is Apple's best small tablet, offering the same features as the new iPad but on a 7.9-inch screen.

10 Overall Score

Verdict:

The new iPad may not be Apple's most innovative product, but this long-awaited update to the iPad Air 2 is a fantastic option at a reduced price point relative to iPads of yesteryear.