iPad Air 2 review: thinness crosses the line
It's finally time to buy a new one!
Gadgets are getting thinner every year. It's already a prerequisite. But the iPad Air 2's thinness crosses the line where thinness makes a qualitative difference.
I bought my first iPad in the summer of 2012. I thought it would be perfect as a digital photo frame for a wedding. Over two years later, I never felt a reason to upgrade. I can browse the web, play iOS games, and the 2048x1536 Retina display never gets old. Even if I get married again, I think I'll use the same iPad at the party.
However, the third-generation iPad is thick, large, and heavy, requiring two hands to hold it.
By contrast, the iPad Air 2 is different.
The iPad Air 2 can be held with three fingers while lying on your back in bed.
It's stable between my index finger and thumb like this, and I can use my free hand to pet my dog.
And surprisingly, this is only possible with the iPad Air 2, which weighs 437g and is 6.1mm thick. The previous iPad Air, which weighs 469g and is 7.5mm thick, doesn't do the same. It's thick, and the hardness of the housing is relatively different (the iPad Air 2 is harder), making it difficult to handle. The iPad Air 2 crossed the line for one-handed use, at least in my hands.
Stacking the iPad Air 2 and the 3rd generation iPad makes such a difference.
Of course, the iPad Air 2 has a lot more to offer. It has better cameras, faster Wi-Fi, and better processors. Fingerprints can also be read with Touch ID. My personal favorite is that the screen is less reflective. It's still not bright enough for viewing in direct sunlight, but it's enough to keep me from getting distracted by my reflection.
But realistically, if you already own an iPad Air, you don't need to buy an iPad Air 2. But the bigger question is, should anyone with an older iPad need to upgrade? So, I, who has an old but perfectly working 3rd generation iPad and is on the verge of a loan, would like to answer that question.
Let's clear the screen first. The screen on the iPad Air 2 is the best iPad ever. Laminated to eliminate air gaps between the surface glass and the display body. When I reach out and touch an icon, it feels more tactile than ever. And as I wrote above, there is less reflection. But the 3.1 million pixels crammed under the glass are the same as the iPad two-and-a-half years ago. This beautiful high-res screen can be the biggest reason to buy an iPad (or Galaxy Tab S). However, this alone is not enough to upgrade.
This is where the story changes. Could the iPad Air 2's A8X chip be a reason to upgrade from the iPad Air's A7 processor? The answer is probably no. But compared to my third-generation iPad, the A5X, it's like driving in the fast lane. My old iPad is a bit lazy to open apps, jerky when swiping between websites, and generally feels old. The iPad Air 2, on the other hand, handles anything you throw at it.
The thing that made the biggest difference was the game. I thought I could play games on my 3rd generation iPad just fine. With the recent exception of BioShock, I haven't had any other games on the App Store that I want to play but can't. But when I played heavy games like Republique, Dead Trigger 2, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, I found the old iPad to be pretty lacking.
You can see in the gif above that the details in the game are quite different, but this alone doesn't quite show the difference. Games are also quite slow on the iPad 3, with a clear difference between the 3rd generation iPad = jerky and slow, and the iPad Air 2 = smooth and fast. Grand Theft Auto looked the same, had the same graphics, but the iPad Air 2 really made me want to play it.
I use my tablet mostly at home and rarely outside. I don't work on my iPad, so I don't have any secret files. I don't care if someone sees my ageless anime in my Netflix queue.
So if Touch ID appeals to me, it's only for two reasons. One-tap purchases at stores, and apps can be downloaded without remembering passwords over and over again. But (1) the iPad Air 2 doesn't have NFC, (2) it asks for my password once a day even with my fingerprint, and (3) Apple Pay doesn't recognize any of my VISA cards. , So I haven't felt much merit yet.
I still don't think tablets are good for photography yet, and even if they were, the iPad Air 2 is still not good enough. I've tried the iPhone 6 Plus' amazing camera and it's been easier than any other camera to get decent pictures, so the iPad Air 2 isn't as satisfying in comparison. But if you want to take pictures with a 10-inch viewfinder camera, the iPad Air 2's 8-megapixel camera can actually do pretty well. And compared to my two-and-a-half-year-old iPad, there is of course a difference between day and night.
I can see more detail in bright light and it's completely different in low light. However, I had never shot anything with my old iPad before, but I thought it would be nice to use it if I really needed it.
There's another great reason to upgrade to the iPad Air 2. When you buy the cellular version (US and UK only), the iPad Air 2 comes with a carrier-agnostic Apple SIM card that lets you switch carriers whenever you want (except AT&T and Verizon). but). Alternatively, you can use prepaid plans for multiple carriers at the same time and choose the carrier with the best signal reception at that time. Or when you exceed the data capacity limit, or when you go abroad and you can't use your usual carrier, anything is fine, but the degree of freedom increases.
And the good thing is that the initial cost is low, including the cost and time. For example, I signed up for Sprint's service for just $10. No need to go to a Sprint store, talk to a salesperson, or anything like that (I did the same with T-Mobile, but had a problem and ended up calling tech support). You'll still need to enter your address and credit card, but it's not a big deal, just buy a week's worth of data passes when you need them without a monthly plan.
I think there are many people who have never owned an LTE compatible tablet, but I recommend it. I can continue surfing the web even when I'm out of the house, and even if I cast spells on enemies in games like Hearthstone, which require an always-on connection, it doesn't cost me much data. For example, I played 15 minutes and only used 300KB.
It's an iPad after all. It's a finely crafted tablet with an App Store filled with the latest mobile games and useful tools. And the iPad Air 2 is even better than ever.I think it's good that my arms don't get tired even if I hold it on my back and watch a movie on my bed. The optional smart cover is also great.
I also like that the cellular version is now fully unlocked so I can switch carriers whenever I want (US/UK only). It's a pity that some carriers, like AT&T and Verizon, have restrictions.
Battery still feels like it will last all day. Watching an hour of TV shows just a little less. As before, if you put it to sleep, it will hardly decrease. Unlike many Android and Windows tablets, it charges quickly. I also personally like the double-sided Lightning cable, so I don't have to struggle to plug it in in the dark like I do with a 30-pin connector or a micro-USB cable.
As for Touch ID, I don't think it's good until Apple trusts my fingerprint more and doesn't ask for my password, or I can buy things in physical stores with Apple Pay.And the iPad Air 2 is expensive. I bought the 64GB cellular version for $730. The 64GB Wi-Fi version is $600 (64,800 yen). The 16GB Wi-Fi version costs $500 (53,800 yen for the same price), but you'll run out of storage quickly, and low storage can be a hassle when upgrading the OS or backing up apps.
And why doesn't the iPad still have multiple user profiles? My wife has a collection of apps that she bought herself. Apple's Family Sharing is based on the premise that each person has their own Apple product. We didn't want to buy an iPhone, so we bought an iPad.
If you don't have an iPad and want an iPad, the iPad Air 2 is the best iPad. It's significantly better than the previous iPad Air in terms of portability (lightness, thinness, hardness, anti-reflection), and that's a good reason. But the $450 (47,800 yen Japanese price) predecessor iPad Air 32GB model is no problem, and the predecessor iPad Mini 2 (not Mini 3) 32GB model is $350 (36,800 yen).
If someone wants to get a tablet for the first time, it's probably better to buy an iPad. But if you really want a Windows hybrid machine, the iPad is useless. You can work on an iPad, but it's not made for work in the traditional sense. I personally don't like editing Gizmodo reviews on mobile Safari.
But to the big question: "If you already own an iPad, is it finally time to upgrade to the latest model?", my answer is still no. I haven't used up my current iPad enough to be willing to pay $600 for a new model. The iPad Air 2 was the first model that made me think, "...but it's worth buying," but it was another push.
However, I don't think we need that many differences for this "one more push". New technology is just around the corner. Next year, I might buy another iPad with the excuse of "I need an iPad for work."
Sean Hollister - Gizmodo US [original]
(miho)
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