Review and experience of using iPad Air 2. Stylish, thin, powerful

At the recent presentation of the new tablets of the "apple" company, as expected, the updated devices of the new generation - iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 were presented.), then the "elder brother" fully justified its flagship title. I studied the new tablet for a week and am ready to share my impressions of its work, as well as conclude whether it is worth changing my "old" iPad Air to a new one.

Taking the device for the first time and activating it, after five minutes I realized: "Damn, this is a really cool thing!" For the first time in my life, I wanted to buy myself a tablet. The fact is that for my daily needs, my MacBook Air 11 and iPhone were always enough for me. I have a couple of iPads in my family, and that was always enough for surfing the Internet or launching a toy, but I didn't need a personal tablet. Before iPad Air 2.

Equipment

We will not focus too much on the box with the wires and a booklet embedded in it, I can only say that the equipment has not undergone any internal or external changes. At least I didn’t notice them. And what should I look at it if all the most interesting in it is the device itself? The only disappointment that befalls each year is the lack of headphones. However, this is not a problem for iPhone owners. But I believe that someday a miracle will happen, and Apple will add its EarPods to the kit.

Appearance

As we already know, the new tablet has gotten even thinner. It is even thinner than the new iPhone 6. And even the two iPad Air 2 folded together are thinner than the very first tablet of the Cupertinians. This is really cool. However, the question of subtlety is quite interesting: the first generation of iPad Air was presented so thin that it was almost impossible to reduce the dimensions of the next model. But the engineers at Apple don't eat their bread for nothing. Another thing is the question of the need for such an approach. The fact that the tablet has become even thinner, while not losing in performance and autonomy, of course, is good, but is it necessary? The issue is controversial. Perhaps, leaving the same thickness, it was possible to increase the battery - thereby gaining in autonomy.

In general, the appearance of the two iPad Air is practically the same. One of the notable differences is the speaker holes, which are all in the same place, but now not in two rows, but in one. The holes themselves became larger, but I did not feel the difference in sound. I don't seem to have an ear for music, so I'm not one of those connoisseurs to whom you can serve Flac instead of mp3. I think we are in the majority, so we will not notice the difference. And what kind of Flac can be through mono speakers?

The appearance of the volume buttons has also changed - now they are exactly the same as on the iPhone 6. But the lock / mute switch had to be sacrificed for the sake of thickness, so it was completely abandoned. Again, controversial.

And perhaps most importantly, the first thing that catches your eye is the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Finally, he got to the tablets. I look forward to seeing it on laptops and keyboards. Now you can unlock your device using your fingerprint, and making purchases in the App Store will become even easier, entering a password will no longer be so annoying when you decide to purchase a new application. And of course, Pay support appeared. True, only for online purchases, despite the fact that the NFC chip is installed here. But this is also a good decision, now it is even easier to spend more money:)

And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the new "gold" color. Now, like the iPhone, the iPad comes in three colors. It remains only to choose the appropriate one.

Display and camera

The display of the new iPad has not changed: all the same resolution and the same iPS matrix. However, according to the statements, the composition of the anti-reflective coating has been improved, which is 56% more effective. Many people doubt that this is true, but I can say with confidence that changes for the better are visible to the “naked eye”. Moreover, both in the sun and in room lighting.

But unlike the display, the camera has been updated. Not as drastic as the iPhone 6 Plus, but good enough for good quality shots. The new module is now exactly the same as in the iPhone 5S, which means that all its features have become available for the Apple tablet: 43-megapixel panoramic photos, Slow-motion at 120 frames per second, and so on. Compared to the 5S, we were not deprived of anything. And, probably, if we consider cameras of tablets from other manufacturers, then the iPad Air 2, perhaps, has one of the best sensors at the moment.

Someone will say that shooting on the iPad is a perversion (some are sure that on the iPhone too), but more and more often you can see people on the street taking pictures on a tablet. Yes, it looks rather strange, but nevertheless there is a demand. So there will be an offer.

For example, you can use both cameras for FaceTime calls. In order to show something, you don't have to twirl the phone in your hands, just press one button and switch one camera to another. In addition, do not forget that besides the fact that you can take regular photos, there are various professional applications that you may not use. But others use it, so there will definitely not be an extra camera.

Performance

Everything is simple - it rolls over. The iPad Air 2 is the most powerful tablet on the market right now. Coupled with good optimization, the new A8x processor and the first installed 2 GB of RAM, the device simply has no equal. There is no need to talk about any brakes, even if you do not make discounts on iOS 8 (although I personally had no complaints about it). The system interface works smoothly, and games do not allow FPS to sink even under the fireworks of special effects.

The graphical test in AnTuTu iPad Air passes at a stable 60 frames per second, while the first Air and even the iPhone 6 Plus cope only at 45 - 55 FPS. It's scary to imagine what awaits us when the developers master Metal and start releasing AAA projects for iOS. At this point, there will certainly be another revolution in mobile gaming, if the developers do not decide to recoup their projects through constant in-app purchases and / or do not produce endless clones of Flappy Bird.

Metal Games Support

Of course, if you look in the App Store now - in the category of games made with Metal, you can hardly count a dozen. Everything that awaits us will be released a little later. And all the resources of the new iPad are still only a reserve for the future. A very powerful start, I must admit. I think the potential of the tablet is quite large. So big that next year Apple may simply not update its iPad lineup without losing it at all.

General impression

Strictly positive, of course. iPad Air 2 is the thinnest, most powerful, and highest quality tablet available today. But the most important question that most likely torments all owners of "old" devices: "is it worth updating or not?" … But if you understand that with the advent of toys based on Metal technology, the potential of the tablet will be able to unfold by all 146%, this is an unambiguous reason to think about buying. On the other hand, if these games are only released by the summer, it will be easier to wait for the next iPad update (if there is definitely one).

Generation difference

However, the iPad Air of the first generation is quite capable of coping well with even the most difficult tasks on a par with the Air 2. Which, probably, could not be said about the 4th generation of tablets from Apple. Therefore, if you have last year's device on hand, it makes little sense to run to the store yet. But if something is older, then there is a reason to think. In any case, the choice, as always, is yours.

We express our gratitude to the store "" for providing the iPad Air 2 for testing and review.