Tablets by stefan @ 2015-01-29
While we were a bit skeptical at first mostly driven by the sale price of the 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 tablet, our impression has changed quite dramatically after using the tablet extensively on a two-week period.
At first we would like to thank BAPCo for supplying us an Apple iPad Air 2 16GB Tablet for testing and reviewing.
“A non-profit consortium, BAPCo's charter is to develop and distribute a set of objective performance benchmarks based on popular computer applications and industry standard operating systems. Governments all over the world use BAPCo benchmarks to assist in product purchasing decisions.”
Available Finishes:
-Silver
-Gold
-Space Gray
Available capacities for both types:
16GB, 64GB, 128GB
Weights and Dimensions:
Height: 9.4 inches (240 mm)
Width: 6.6 inches (169.5 mm)
Depth: 0.24 inch (6.1 mm)
Weight: 0.96 pound (437 g)
Display:
9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
2048-by-1536-pixel resolution at 264 ppi
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Fully laminated display
Antireflective coating
Internal SoC:
A8X chip with 64-bit architecture
M8 motion coprocessor
Cameras, Photos and Video Recording:
iSight Camera
8MP iSight camera
Autofocus
ƒ/2.4 aperture
Five-element lens
Hybrid IR filter
Backside illumination
Improved face detection
Exposure control
Panorama (up to 43MP)
Burst mode
Tap to focus
Photo geotagging
Timer mode
Video Recording
1080p HD video recording (30 fps)
Slo-mo (120 fps)
Time-lapse video
Video image stabilization
Improved face detection
3x video zoom
Video geotagging
FaceTime HD Camera
1.2MP photos
ƒ/2.2 aperture
720p HD video recording
Backside illumination
Auto HDR photos and videos
Improved face detection
Burst mode
Exposure control
Timer mode
Apple Pay
Pay with your iPad using Touch ID in apps
Touch ID
Fingerprint identity sensor built into the Home button
Wireless Characteristics
Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac); dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO
Bluetooth 4.0 technology
Location
Digital compass
Wi-Fi
iBeacon microlocation
Video Calling
FaceTime video
iPad Air to any FaceTime-enabled device over Wi-Fi
Audio Calling
FaceTime audio
iPad Air to any FaceTime-enabled device over Wi-Fi
Audio Playback
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
User-configurable maximum volume limit
TV and Video
AirPlay Mirroring, photos, audio, and video out to Apple TV (2nd generation or later)
Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p through Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately)
Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 60 frames per second, High Profile level 5.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
Intelligent Assistant
Siri — Use your voice to send messages, set reminders, and more
Use hands-free
Listen and identify songs
Power and Battery
Built-in 27.3-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system
Sensors
Touch ID
Three-axis gyro
Accelerometer
Barometer
Ambient light sensor
Operating System - iOS 8
With amazing new capabilities and updates to features you use every day, iOS 8 is the biggest iOS release ever.
In the Box
iPad Air 2
Lightning to USB Cable
USB Power Adapter
iPad Air 2 is the tablet which was launched by Apple in October last year and has impressed plenty of publications with its features including the thickness, quality of the display, performances, camera quality and more. The tablet comes in multiple storage variants: 16GB, 64GB and 128GB and each of them have a WiFi-only model but also a Wi-Fi+Cellular which includes 3G/LTE support along with the GPS. The version we are going to review today is the one with the least storage and without Cellular capabilities; we would like to call it the iPad Air 2 “Lite Edition” and this one comes in a compact packaging with Apple usual characteristics in terms of design. On the top side of the packaging, Apple likes to advertise the fact that the tablet is only 6.1mm thin, which offers users an unique experience when using the product without additional protective cases:
On the back side we have some stickers with the product serial number, but also the model we are purchasing:
After removing the top cover, we will unveil the iPad Air 2 tablet in its entire splendor; the retail product should also contain a transparent protective layer all over the tablet, which is meant to avoid scratches during transit:
On the bottom layer we have the rest of the bundle:
Talking about the bundle, we have the Lightning to USB Cable, one envelope with documentation, but also the power adapter:
The cable has a rubberized finish and the Lightning end which connects to the tablet permits fitting on both sides; this cable contains security features via four embedded chips, along with some passive devices:
The power adapter can split in two parts, one of them being the plug which can be exchanged with a compatible one depending on the country we live in:
The adapter is marked as being a 10W part, with the rating on the output as 5.1V at 2.1A:
As documentation, we will receive two leaflets, but also two white Apple stickers:
Besides the very thin design, the iPad Air 2 is incorporating a very good quality 9.7 inch display, sporting a resolution of 2048x1536, which totals 3.1 million pixels; while the previous generations had three separate components, the iPad Air 2 design unifies these layers into one, for eliminating the gaps between layers along with the internal reflectance these were producing. In consequence, the display is now able to drive better colors, superior contrast and the images are sharper than before:
In the front we have the high-quality FaceTime HD camera, which has a larger aperture than previous generation: f/2.2, for letting in about 81 percent more light. Its sensor is 1.2MP and is able to capture video at 720P; with it we can do conferences thanks to the included FaceTime application and is accompanied by the two microphones which we will show later:
Another iconic Apple component is the Home button, which now also doubles as a Touch ID security module; with Touch ID we are getting a better authentication method since the technology uses a unique fingerprint identity sensor to make unlocking your iPad Air 2 easy and secure:
On the sides of the tablet, the beveled edges of the unibody are cut with a mono-crystalline diamond to tolerances measured in microns:
On the back, Apple employs again a very clean design, with the company logo in the middle and a smooth anodized aluminum finish which can come in three versions: silver, space gray and also gold.
The bottom area is housing the Lightning connector along with the stereo speaker grills:
On the right side we have the Volume +/- buttons but unlike previous generations, we are not getting anymore a Mute switch:
The Power/Standby button is also nearby:
On the top left corner we have the headphone jack:
While revisiting the back side of the tablet, we can remind of the new iSight camera, which sports very good quality for its 8MP sensor and can produce images in 3264x2448 native resolution, but also capture video in 1080P. The capabilities of the sensor are paired with the image processor found inside the A8X chip, which has improved face detection and helps with the image noise reduction for creating sharper images; the two microphones are build for suppressing background noise:
Right after booting the iOS, we will be welcomed by the intro screen, which displays the clock and date, but also has menus available from the top and bottom:
iOS 8 welcomes us with the flat-icon design interface and also the parallax effect wallpaper, which looks pretty nice; initially, we do not have a lot of applications installed on the tablet but this will be solved by accessing the App store (logically, by logging in with our account). We would also like to remind new users that they should not be looking for an application drawer as on Android, but iOS has a similar design as we have seen with the MIUI, only with the desktop and with the possibility to sort the applications via folders:
FaceTime is the video conference application which makes use of the Apple account and with it we can get in contact with people free of charge:
Next, we would like to remind of the presence of the Calendar application, which is quite easy to use:
The Photos application will organize our content and also permit selections for sending content to other devices or attaching via mail; the Photos application limits us regarding the number of attachments we can send via the Mail application, but inside the App Store we have other variants which bypass this:
The camera application allows the following modes:
-Time-Lapse – this mode captures a series of images and then compiles them into a time-lapse video;
-Slo-Mo – the feature allows us to shoot HD video at 120fps in 720p;
-Video – this mode can record 1080p videos at 30FPS with software-based stabilization;
-Photo – the photo mode is pretty simple to use, just focus in the desired area and take the shot; in this mode we can also enable HDR mode, timer and adjust the exposure of each shot;
-Square – this mode is similar to photo, but allows us to take square photos, which are more friendly for online services like Instagram;
-Pano – this mode will take a continuous stream of photos as we move the device horizontally, and afterwards it will stitch them together intelligently, in order to create a super-wire image.
If contacts are registered in our iOS account, they will also show here:
Next we have the Clock application, which has a World Clock tab with a nice “The Weather Channel” temperature presentation of the selected zones, an Alarm tab, Stopwatch functionality but also a Timer:
The Maps application, while it is pretty accurate for US countries, in some areas of Europe we cannot say the same; we can search for directions, drop “pins”, show the current map in 3D mode, show traffic, but also display the map in three modes: Standard, Hybrid or Satellite:
The Videos application was designed to work with the iTunes Store, but for some regions video content is not available for purchase; however, we can insert video files from our own collection via iTunes Mac/PC application:
Next, we have the Notes application where we can write short descriptions:
An application for reminders is also available; these can be scheduled with alarms:
Photo Booth is a funny application which is on iOS and Mac OSX for quite some time and with it we can take photos or snapshots with some pre-applied effects:
Game Center is the equivalent of Google Play Games on Android:
Next we have Newsstand, an application which allows us to read different online publications we can subscribe:
Next, we have the iTunes Store, from where we can purchase and download multimedia content; again, “Films” section is not available in all countries:
The well-known App Store will allow us download paid as well as free applications; Apple even offers productivity applications for free like Pages, Keynote, iMovie or Numbers which is great:
iBooks is similar to Newsstand but this time we are allowed to buy and read publications from a wide selection of authors:
With iMessage, we can send content for free to different other Apple devices:
Next, we have the Mail application, which needs to be configured in order to access our mailbox and after that we can use it as our default email application:
The Safari browser is pretty self-explanatory:
Lastly, from the applications we have Music which again relies on iTunes Store and can playback local content but also items we can purchase and download online:
Next, we will concentrate on the Settings area of the tablet; here we can modify a lot of options which will have effect in most cases OS-wide; the first available menu is Airplane Mode, which will turn off all interfaces and under it we have Wi-Fi, from where we can detect nearby networks and log in if we have the necessary credentials:
The Bluetooth menu is pretty similar, and with its help we will be able to pair with different compatible devices or gadgets:
The Notifications area is where we will go in order to customize the alerts which each application is able to send; after the launch of each new application, we will be usually asked if we permit the current app to send notifications or not. If we do not allow it in the first stage and we change our mind, we can do so here:
Next, we can assign when we should have access to Control Center; Control Center is basically an additional menu which can be accessed from the bottom of the screen and is handy when we need to work with certain functions. We have seen something similar at some Android releases:
Do Not Disturb function will allow us to select intervals when incoming FaceTime calls and alerts will be silenced:
The General menu opens first when we open up the Settings application and from here we can access the About menu, which shows current memory status, serial numbers or the model code name, the Software Update menu from where we can access OTA updates, Siri assistant customization like supported language, voice gender or voice feedback. Next, we can select which areas Spotlight Search should conduct searches on, Handoff lets us start an activity on one iDevice and instantly pick it up on other iDevices using the iCloud account and from Accessibility we will be able to enable VoiceOver, Zoom, Invert Color function, Grayscale and many more. Advanced Multitasking gestures can be enabled from here, the Usage menu permits enabling the Battery Percentage function in the top bar area along with detailed Battery Usage statistics per application, in the last 24 hours or for the last 7 days; storage can be also managed here by uninstalling certain applications we do not use anymore and can also see how much space each application is taking up. The Background App Refresh function allows us to choose which applications have access to online services; by disabling some of them we might save battery life. Next, we have Auto-Lock function, which is pretty self-explanatory:
With Restrictions, we can deny access to different applications or certain iOS areas; if we have a compatible iPad cover, we can enable Lock/Unlock function which is handy when we close it; system Date/Time can be configured from the next section, along with Keyboard settings (we can now install other keyboards than stock if needed) and Language & Region options are also available in the same option group. iTunes Wi-Fi sync can be enabled next and we can also add a VPN for connectivity; the Reset menu has multiple options available like Reset All Settings, Erase All Content and Settings, Reset Network Settings, Reset Keyboard Dictionary, Reset Home Screen Layout or Reset Location & Privacy:
Display & Brightness can be configured next:
The wallpapers can be set separately for the Lock and Home screens:
Next, we can set different Sounds for actions inside the iOS:
The Touch ID & Passcode menu is next, which makes use of the security feature with the same name; Touch ID is built into the iconic Home Button, which is manufactured of laser-cut sapphire crystal in order to avoid scratches build-up (which would make the detection inefficient); it also features a stainless steel detection ring for being able to check the user’s finger without pressing it:
Detailed Privacy settings can be checked out from the next menu:
If we are using the iCloud feature, Apple will require us to enter our credentials from the next menu; iCloud helps us connect our Apple devices in order to have easy access to information and also acts as a backup in the cloud (iCloud Drive). iCloud now integrates Family Sharing, when up to six members of the family can share their iTunes, iBooks and App Store purchases, along with family photos, calendars, locations and more. If we do not know where our iDevice is located, we can find it easy with the Find My iPhone, iPad or Mac function; if the device is stolen, iCloud will make it hard for anyone which is not the owner to use or sell the device:
iTunes and App Store functionality settings can be customized from the next menu:
Passbook & Apple Pay features also have a dedicated sections:
In the next section of the Settings aplications, we have customizations of the installed applications:
We also have separate settings for the Social Networking applications:
As we have mentioned before, the iPad Air 2 comes in multiple variants regarding available internal memory (16GB, 64GB and 128GB) but each can be bought in the Wi-Fi only variant, which lacks the 3G/LTE module and GPS, but also in the Wi-Fi + Cellular variant. Both are equipped with a 9.7inch screen sporting a 2048x1536 resolution and the chassis has an incredible width of 6.1mm. At its core, the iPad Air 2 has the Apple A8X which is a 64-bit SoC, entirely designed by Apple but manufactured by TSMC. Regarding the internal characteristics, we will find three cores clocked at 1.5GHz, contains 3 billion transistors and thanks to the extra 100Mhz, it performs about 13% better and about 55% better in multi-threaded operations when compared to the A8 inside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus terminals. The SoC is accompanied of 2GB of external RAM and for the video interface we have the PowerVR Series 6XT (GX6850) which is an octa-core part.
We did first run the TabletMark v3 benchmarking application from BAPCo and have obtained an average of 887 points for the Web/Email test and about 1504 points for the Photo/Video stage; the E-CEROS Revolution 2 tablet, in comparison, has obtained an average of 541 points for the Web/Email test and only 86 points for the Photo/Video stage:
After running the latest available AnTuTu benchmark, we have obtained total score of 62340; here are the results in more detail:
In the 3DMark benchmark tests, the tablet has succeeded to obtain a 21815 total score, with 148.1FPS in the Graphics Test 1 stage, 129.2FPS in the Graphics Test 2 stage, but also 33.1FPS in the Physics Test. When comparing with the online results, the tablet succeeds to beat the Galaxy S5 Plus which has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC (2.5GHz) and is right under the Motorola Nexus 6 which features the higher clocked Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (2.7GHz):
We have also run Basemark OS II and got the following test score:
With the default settings (Medium Quality) we have also ran Basemark X and got the following:
PassMark PerformanceTest is another benchmark we have frequently used on Android, so here are the results on iOS with the iPad Air 2:
When running GFXBench, we have obtained about 32.8FPS off-screen for the Manhattan test an about 70.4FPS off-screen for the T-Rex test; here are the scores in detail:
The iPad Air 2 tablet seems to produce good quality shots with the back shooter, which is quite unexpected with products of this sort; when shooting in lower light conditions or when it is cloudy outside, the default setting seems to overexpose in some situation, but this can be fixed with ease by adjusting the compensation from the interface.
The IPS LCD 9.7’’ screen viewing angles are excellent, as it can be seen from the following shots:
While we were a bit skeptical at first mostly driven by the sale price of the 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 tablet, our impression has changed quite dramatically after using the tablet extensively on a two-week period. Compared to what we have seen with the previously tested tablets, the offering from Apple has amazing quality, very light and the screen is top-notch thanks to the new technologies. Apple did not neglect the quality of the included cameras either and even if the back shooter does not include a LED flash, it can produce good quality photos in many conditions.
The triple-core 1.5GHz Apple A8X SoC seems to do wonders in terms of iOS interface smoothness, browsing, using multimedia content but also gaming and is paired with a total of 2GB of RAM; security is enhanced with the help of the Touch ID feature and the tablet also features an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and barometer sensors.
The quality of the internal stereo speakers is decent, but we always have the second option for using our favorite headset via analog or Bluetooth.
Another feature we did really like about the iPad Air 2 is the battery, which lasts much more than anything we have seen before with Android; the screen brightness seems to have an impact on the battery life but with the setting at 75% we were able to keep the TabletMark running for about 476 minutes. We then did a test with the screen at 25% which is still perfectly usable and the iPad Air 2 has lasted for more than 13 and a half hours, with battery left of 20%.
In terms of connectivity we seem to have a lot of options of keeping multiple Apple devices in-sync but other non-Apple platforms are less represented with the default applications. We can fix some of this via purchasing and installing 3rd party applications from the App Store; speaking of App Store, it has a wide selection of applications, games, videos, music albums, online publications or books available to our disposal.
Now let’s go and describe briefly the negative points: first we would like to say that 16GB is not really enough if we would like to use all the features of this tablet; in our opinion, we can compare the iPad Air 2 16GB with a Ferrari supercar sporting a 10-liter fuel tank: you can have fun with it but just after a while you will find that you remain out of space in order to perform more activities. We would like to suggest Apple to dump the 16GB model and go straight to 32GB for the lightest variant. The second negative point would be the price: the version we have just tested can be had for about 436 Euros, which is quite high for many users and incorporates only 16GB of space. If we choose the 64GB variant, the product will set us back about 530 Euros and the 128GB is 605 Euros. If we were asked to recommend to someone one of the available models, we would point right to the 64GB variant, since it seems to be the most balanced in terms of available storage.
We would like to thank again to BAPCo making this review possible!