Apple iPad Air Review

Update: You can now read our iPad mini 2 review!

Introduction

Oh the iPad. It did spark something when it was first introduced back in 2010, and since then, it has continued to be a favorite amongst the masses. It sparked something revolutionary no doubt, as its design and operation brought forth something so alien that redefined the entire category. Heck, before its arrival, it was pretty bleak, as tablets weren’t commercially available in a variety of options – as they are now, of course.

The competition has been relentless and fierce over the course of the last year alone! From the horde of Android tablets that blend beefy specs with low price points, to the introduction of various productivity centric Windows powered tablets, Apple's beloved iPad has more to contend with in winning over consumers who are starving for the latest and greatest. Although it's still sitting atop of the ladder, Apple’s latest model in the iPad Air seems to have enough quality elements to fend off the competition at bay. However, does it have enough to actually hold the position for the next year?

The package contains:

• Lightning USB cable
• Wall charger
• Documentation

Design

Wow! Now that surely took one heck of a long time, but the iPad is finally getting a deserving facelift with its design. Come to think about it, the last three versions of the iPad employed the same design, but with this 5th generation model, it's getting a long overdue redesign that no doubt has some serious appeal – and that's without seeing any compromises with its legendary solid construction!

With the "Air" attached to this latest model, it undoubtedly means that we're getting treated to something exquisitely thin and lightweight – a polarizing characteristic that what makes it so darn attractive. Employing the same design introduced by the iPad mini last year, the iPad Air is a refreshing change of scenery for this full sized offering, although, it still bears many of the iconic elements of the iPads past.

Somehow, they've been able to shave another 0.07-inches from its profile, bringing it to a razor thin 0.3.inches, which betters the previous 0.37-inches. At the same time, the weight of the iPad Air has also been reduced to a single pound – down from 1.4lbs! Indeed, it might not seem very dramatic on paper, but holding onto it, we’re instantly reminded how unobtrusive it is in the hand. Furthermore, it continues to be one of the more solidly constructed tablets out there, which is attributed to its sturdy brushed aluminum casing.

Just as before, the iPad Air features all the same ports and buttons around its trim – so it consists the power button, volume control, mute switch, speaker grills, microphone, Lightning docking port, and 3.5mm headset jack. Even though it’s not something we’d jump to use at first glance, the iPad Air nonetheless features a front-facing 1.2-megapixel camera, and a 5-megapixel rear auto-focus camera.

All told, we really dig the incremental improvements Apple has made here – all of which help to liven things up with the series. Sure, it might not feature a biometric Touch ID finger print sensor, which was introduced recently by the iPhone 5s, but we’re not entirely bummed by the omission. At the end of the day, it’s thinner, lighter, and still employs one of the best constructions out there, so what’s not to like about it?

Display

Apple surely pushed ahead in making the iPad Air thinner and lighter than its predecessors, but somehow in the back of our minds, we wish it too pushed the envelope with its display. However, that’s not the case, seeing that it features the same display that was first introduced with the 3rd generation iPad. Regardless of that, there’s no arguing that its 9.7-inch 2048 x 1536 IPS LCD based Retina Display is one sharp looking panel. In fact, its pixel density count of 264 ppi is a pretty fine figure – enabling it to produce plenty of details.

Relying on good ol’ IPS LCD technology, it’s rich with many endearing qualities that make it sight to behold. Specifically, we get wide-viewing angles, punchy looking very realistic colors, and superior outdoor visibility.

Interface and Functionality

By now, the updated iOS 7 experience has made its way to several Apple devices, so there aren’t any surprises here folks – even more if you’re already using an older iPad with the new software. We’ve covered the experience extensively in our review of the iPhone 5s, but to sum it all up here with the iPad Air, we’re pleased to know that the updated visuals help to complement the fact that this is a totally redesigned iPad that we’re dealing with. In addition to the overhaul found with the visual presentation of the platform, it still keeps in mind all of the core foundational aspects of the platform that we all know and continue to appreciate – like its simplified and straightforward approach.

On the surface, the look and feel of iOS 7 on the iPad Air is very familiar, as the grid-style layout of its interface has been a constant staple. As for those iPad centric features, like the various gestures it uses for navigation, they haven’t really changed at all. Specifically, they include the 5-finger pinch gesture that “minimizes” an app, and the other 5-finger swipe left/right that allows us to switch between opened apps. Sure, the animations that accompany those gestures look pretty much identical from before, but nevertheless, they’re both features that help us to get around with ease.

At the end of the day, it’s just the visuals that change here with iOS 7. It’s something that we naturally appreciate, but we were kind of hoping to see some additional gestures, or other features that greatly differentiate it from the iPhone experience.

Messaging

There’s nothing particularly new here with the messaging experience with the iPad Air, well, to its credit, iOS 7 features a different color theme for the keyboard. Besides that, everything else is identical to last year’s unit. Naturally, the landscape option is by far the best option to go with, seeing that its spacious layout allows us to use it much like a regular keyboard. With the portrait option, we recommend relying on the split-style option – mainly because our thumbs are better able to encompass the layout.

Using the default email app, it’s yet again a familiar one that only sees a subtle change with its visual presentation. Indeed, it’s more than equipped to help us organize our various accounts, but it still doesn’t have the depth of functionality we see with the Gmail experience over on Android – albeit, the official Gmail app for the iPad is pretty darn good on its own.

Organizer

Checking out the usual array of core organizer apps on the iPad Air, it’s again the visuals that are new here with the experience. Beyond that, though, there’s nothing out of the ordinary with any of them, since they pack along the usual features and functions we’ve come to expect to find. Still, it’s nice that they’re all optimized to make great use of the extra real estate with the tablet’s display. Interestingly enough, iOS 7 does adds this new feature called iCloud Keychain, which allows us to share various passwords and credit card information between approved iOS 7 devices.

Processor and Memory

Although the iPad Air shares the same 64-bit based dual-core Apple A7 chip that’s also used by the iPhone 5s, its clock speed is higher at 1.4GHz – whereas it’s 1.3GHz with the iPhone 5s. As expected, the iPad Air just flies with all tasks and operations thrown at it, which is something that’s been constant with the tablet. Heck, even processor intensive tasks, like playing some serious 3D games, don’t slow this one at all! Still, the availability of apps and games that are optimized to make use of the 64-bit processor is a small listing at the moment, but the momentum should shift into higher gear over the next few months.

To tell you the truth, it really pains us to see that Apple is just so stubborn when it comes to storage capacity with the iPad Air. As usual, it’s available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities, which are priced at $500, $600, and $700 respectively for the Wi-Fi versions. Seriously, we were hoping to see the trio consist of 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB versions. It’s just called keeping up with the times!

Internet and Connectivity

Safari on the iPad Air acts much the same as what we’ve seen previously, but it sees a new feature that enables us to perform back/forward functions by simply swiping with one finger from its left/right edges. Honestly, we can’t complain about the experience, since it’s rich with so many lovable qualities that makes the tablet great for the occasion – like its speedy page loads, super smooth navigational controls, instant page rendering, and lots of crisp details thanks to its high resolution screen.

Lessening the need to make different iPads to accommodate the various networks around the world, the iPad Air stands out for its support of 14 LTE bands – so that it will be compatible to work with your wireless carrier of choice, even if you’re uncertain about your operator’s network settings. Aside from that, it features the same connectivity features as before, which includes aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. Yeah, it doesn’t have NFC on board, but iOS 7 allows us to share content with its AirDrop functionality. In terms of video-out functionality, it requires the purchase of an adapter to gain that feature.

Camera

Sadly, there’s no love to the iOS 7’s camera app for the iPad, since it’s still the same features barren one we’ve seen before. Like seriously, there’s nothing to find here, as we’re only given the option to turn on HDR, and snap square shaped photos. When there are several tablets out there that bombard us with numerous shooting modes and manual controls, it’s rather depressing to see there’s no movement here whatsoever on the iPad Air – then again, it’s a no-frills offering that continues to focus its worth as being a simplified experience.

Armed with the same 5-megapixel rear auto-focus camera, which features a backside illuminated sensor and an f2.4 aperture lens, it’s able to snap up pleasant looking photos that have an effective amount of likeable qualities to accept – especially for a tablet! Without question, outdoor situations where lighting is plentiful produces the best shots, as it boast average looking details, warm colors, and a decent balanced exposure. However, lower lighting shots tend to exhibit a lot of noise, which in turn softens its looks. Regardless of that, the iPad Air is something we’d consider using as a last resort option.

As for its front-facing 1.2-megapixel camera, it’s ideal enough for our FaceTime sessions, but when it comes to still image quality, we wouldn’t necessarily say we’d rely on it much. Well, that’s partly because it’s rather speckled looking and light with the details.


Much like its still image quality, the iPad Air’s 1080p video recording quality is decent enough to accept for a tablet, but it still pales in comparison to the quality put out by today’s top-end smartphones. Of course, it does decently in giving us some pleasant visuals with videos that are recorded with plenty of lighting around, but fails flat with low lighting performance. For starters, there’s just a heavy presence of noise and artifacting that softens its quality tremendously.

Multimedia

The Photo app of the iPad Air follows the same functionality and presentation found with its sibling in the iOS 7 Photo app for the iPhone, so it’s essentially optimized to make use of the larger real estate. Now, there’s better organization with the photos we snap, since it breaks it down by date and location. The location one is pretty neat because we can visualize on a map where the photos were taken! Even though there are no cool shooting modes with the camera app, the photo app boasts a handful of editing features that allow us to crop, enhance, remove red eye, and add different filters.

A certain expected gesture, iOS 7 changes things up with the music player on the iPad Air. To be frank, though, we’re not entirely sold by the updated visual changes – even more when it doesn’t feature any cool 3D visuals. Still, it now features iTunes Radio, which is Apple’s very own streaming music service that’s similar to Pandora. Cranking up its volume to its maximum setting, the iPad Air’s dual speakers produce audio that are punchy and robust with their tones – and without much evidence of strain too!

Videos come to life on the tablet as well, since the iPad Air is able to catch our eyes thanks to its smooth playback, rich colors, and superior details. However, we’re still required to convert several 1080p videos in our catalog before copying them over.

Battery

Amazingly, even with its slimmer body and all, the iPad Air puts out the same battery life as its predecessor. In our experience, it’s able to pump out a solid one-day of heavy usage, which is pretty much the standard mark we’ve comfortably become accustomed to expect with today’s tablets. Okay, we’ll admit that it’d been nice to get more out of it, but when it’s packing such a slim body, it’s something we’re forgiving about.

Conclusion

The iPad Air follows in the same footsteps as its predecessor, where it’s a fantastic tablet that has a fine balance with everything it has to bring to the table – so you won’t be disappointed by what you get! First and foremost, we can’t deny the obvious here, as it continues to be a stunning looking thing with its updated design. It’s the thinner and lighter, which are the hallmarks of any outstanding successor, but at the same time, we get an updated iOS 7 experience that complements the new looks. Better yet, it’s a speed demon too with its performance – which is something we’ve come to expect with all iPads.

However, we have this nagging feeling that it’s not trying to push the envelope hard enough to widen the gap between itself and the competition. We’ve come to appreciate all the things that come along with the iPad Air, but as a whole, it doesn't necessarily offer tremendous amounts of innovation outside of its industry-leading design and A7 chipset.. That's not really a bad thing per se, since it’s exceptionally equipped in dealing with all of our needs and wants in a tablet.

We do have to mention some of its notable rivals, like the Google Nexus 10, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, and Microsoft Surface 2. It's worth noting that the Nexus 10 and Surface 2 are cheaper than the iPad Air, plus they have bigger base storage capacities. The Nexus 10 seems to be a better alternative than the Surface 2 at the moment, though, due to its richer application catalog and lower price ($399 versus $449). The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition retails for $549 for its base 16 GB variant, which is $50 more expensive than the iPad Air, but it does sport an S Pen for those who want to have the ability to draw and take hand-written notes. Like we said, you won’t be disappointed by the iPad Air, but it’s hard not to at least consider the other options that are available.

Software version of the review unit: 7.0.3