With smart tweaks and improvements, iPad Air version 2 feels pretty close to perfection
Think of a tablet, and inevitably the
Apple iPad comes to mind. Having set the gold standard in the tablet market with its past iterations, Apple is back to dominate with its latest, the
iPad Air 2. Boasting a bevy of tweaks, enhancements, a much faster processor than the iPad Air, Version 2 feels pretty close to perfection.
The iPad Air 2 weighs under a pound, and at 6.1 mm inches thick, is slimmer than even the iPhone 6. An expert blend of solid metal and glass gives the iPad Air 2 the look and feel of an expensive product (which it is).
The 9.7-inch Retina display and the pixel resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 remain the same. The screen looks brilliant owing to the fingerprint-resistant and anti-reflective coating, and the fully laminated display. Stereo sound still pipes out from two speakers on either side of the Lightning port at the bottom. With the iPad Air 2, Apple introduces a Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the home button, first seen on the iPhone 5S, while the front and rear-facing cameras retain their places.
Under the hood, the iPad Air 2 has undergone slight upgrades. The iPad Air 2 now boasts a 64-bit A8X chip with a M8 motion co-processor, which runs Apple’s spanking new iOS 8, resulting in a lightning quick device, capable of handling even the most graphics and memory-intensive games like Modern Combat 5 with ease.
One of the major upgrades is the Touch ID sensor which makes it easier to log in to Apps, such as Evernote, and several password managers, saving Yantrick from remembering yet another lengthy password. Both the front and rear-facing cameras have been bumped up, with the rear iSight camera now notably better at 8 megapixels (up from 5), and with features such as slow-mo, time lapse, better face detection, and videos at full HD resolutions. Battery life is still great at 10 hours, and Apple’s App Store is still the best mobile application store, and storage space of upto 128GB amounts to more of everything.
The iPad Air 2 is available in silver, gold and space gray. The base 16GB model costs around Rs 65,000 and can be found at gadget shops across the valley.
Yantrick’s Verdict: If you already own an iPad Air, it may not be such a wise decision to buy the iPad Air 2, but for those who wanting to own an Apple tab, this is the one to get.