iPad Air 2 vs iPad Air

Apple released what in many buyers' and reviewers' minds, including us here at V3, was its best tablet in 2013, the iPad Air. Featuring a stellar lightweight and thin design, that housed at the time cutting-edge internal components, the 2013 iPad Air is to this day one of the best tablets available.

Aware of this, Apple chose to rework rather than rethink its tablet strategy in creating its latest flagship iPad Air 2. However, featuring a very similar design to its predecessor, this strategy has slightly backfired and led to some confusion about what's actually new in the iPad Air 2.

Dimensions
iPad Air 2: 240x170x6.1mm, 437g
iPad Air: 240x170x7.5mm, 469g

From a distance the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 look very similar, both having aluminium backs and sides and glass fronts. However, there are a few subtle design factors differentiating the two.

For starters the iPad Air 2 is 18 percent thinner, measuring 240x170x6.1mm. The iPad Air 2 is also 32g lighter, meaning it should be one of the most travel-friendly tablets available.

iPad Air 2

The iPad Air 2 is also the only one of the two to come loaded with Apple's Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Contained within the iPad Air 2's physical home button, the Touch ID sensor is a security feature that lets users set the tablet to only unlock after they have proven their identity on it.

For us, Touch ID is the much more important change of the two and will likely prove a key selling point for any security conscious buyer.

Display
iPad Mini 2: 9.7in 1536x2048, 264ppi LCD Retina display
iPad Air: 9.7in 1536x2048, 264ppi LCD Retina display

On paper the two iPad Air's are evenly matched when it comes to display size and screen resolution.

However the iPad Air 2 features an anti-glare coating not seen on the original iPad Air, and Apple claims this makes the screen 56 percent less reflective than before. If true the Apple iPad Air 2 should be one of the best screens for workers on the move and remain usable in conditions that render most tablet's screens unreadable, like bright sunlight.

Software
iPad Air 2: iOS 8.1
iPad Air: iOS 7, upgradable to iOS 8.1

The iPad Air 2 is the first ever tablet to come pre-loaded with Apple's latest iOS 8.1 operating system, though iPad Air users will be able to upgrade to the latest software on Monday.

iPad Air

iOS 8.1 is a minor update to the operating system designed to fix bugs in iOS 8. In fact, the only major non-performance related change is the re-addition of Apple's Camera Roll feature.

Processor
iPad Air 2: A8X
iPad Air: A7

The iPad Air is still a fairly powerful device, however if Apple's claims about the A8X chip are even remotely true it will be noticeably slower than the iPad Air 2. Apple claims the A8X processor will offer 40 percent faster CPU and 2.5 faster GPU performance than previous iPads.

Camera
iPad Air 2: 8MP iSight and HD Facetime front
iPad Air: 5MP iSight rear and HD Facetime front

Image quality was one key area the iPad Air 2013 fell down on. Aware of this, Apple has worked to up the iPad Air 2's camera quality by increasing the rear sensor's megapixel count and adding new 43MP panorama shot and burst photo, and time lapse and slow motion video recording shot options.

iPad Air 2

While we don't expect the iPad Air 2 to match the imaging performance of a top-end 2014 smartphone, it should still be well above average by tablet standards.

Storage
iPad Air 2: 16GB, 64GB and 128GB
iPad Air: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB

Apple has taken the same strategy it did with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and has chosen not to sell a 32GB storage version of the iPad Air 2. While some buyers on a moderate budget may be saddened by the 32GB version's absence, considering the number of cloud storage services available on iOS we can't see it being too much of an issue.

Battery
iPad Air 2: 10 hours
iPad Air: 10 hours

Both the iPad Airs are listed by Apple as offering users 10 hours of life off one charge. If our experience with the original iPad Air is anything to go by this claim will generally be true with the iPad Air 2. Battery burning the iPad Air 2013 by constantly looping a video file stored on the tablet, the device generally lasted between eight to nine hours before dying.

Price iPad Air 2: 16GB £400, 64GB £480, 128GB £560
iPad Air: 16GB £320, 32GB £360

Price is one area the iPad Air has a clear edge on the iPad Air 2. While you can't pick up a 64GB or 128GB version of the original iPad Air on the UK Apple store any more, the 16GB and 32GB models have had their prices slashed by a massive £80.

Overall
While the iPad Air 2 isn't a massive step-up from the original iPad Air, there are plenty of new features to get excited about. Key additions include an upgraded A8X processor, sharper 8MP rear camera and new anti-reflective coating around its screen.

As a result, while we can see many 2013 iPad Air owners shying away from upgrading, we can definitely see the iPad Air 2 proving a hit with first-time tablet buyers or people still using older iPad versions.

Check back with V3 later for a full review of the iPad Air 2.