Apple iPad Air Specifications and Video Review

The Apple iPad Air with this, the fifth generation of the iPad line, Apple has delivered a proper exterior redesign, crafting a substantially thinner and lighter tablet that finally eliminates the chunky bezels handed down since the first generation — at least on the left and right. But, despite this significant exterior reduction, the iPad Air maintains the battery life of its predecessor and offers significantly better performance.

The Air is a tangible upgrade over the previous, fourth-generation iPad, no longer in production and so banished to the annals of history. The new iPad slots right in where its predecessor left off, priced at $499 for a lowly 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB, and $799 for the maximum 128GB configuration. Cellular models — with LTE and support for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon in the United States — cost an additional $130 beyond the above prices.

So, yes, it’s still very much the premium-priced choice, just as it’s always been. However, the market continues to shift, offering more and increasingly sophisticated alternatives at far cheaper prices, tablets like the Kindle Fire HDX and Google Nexus 10. That, plus strong competition from within Apple’s own ranks with the upcoming iPad Mini with Retina Display, means the iPad Air has to be better than ever.

ipad air — From left “The Original iPad Mini” – “iPad Air” – “4th Gen iPad”

Specifications:

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
		CDMA 800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
		CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
	4G Network	LTE
	SIM	Nano-SIM
	Announced	2013, October
	Status	Available. Released November 2013

BODY	Dimensions	240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm (9.45 x 6.67 x 0.30 in)
BODY	Weight	469 g (Wi-Fi) / 478 g (3G/LTE) (1.03 lb)

DISPLAY	Type	LED-backlit IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	1536 x 2048 pixels, 9.7 inches (~264 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
	Protection	Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating

SOUND	Alert types	N/A
	Loudspeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	No
MEMORY	Internal	16/32/64/128 GB storage, 1 GB RAM DDR3

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps, LTE, 100 Mbps; EV-DO Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR
	USB	Yes, v2.0

CAMERA	Primary	5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, check quality
	Features	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR
	Video	Yes, 1080p@30fps, video stabilization, check quality
	Secondary	Yes, 1.2 MP, 720p@30fps, face detection, FaceTime over Wi-Fi or Cellular

FEATURES	OS	iOS 7.0.4
	Chipset	Apple A7
	CPU	Dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based)
	GPU	PowerVR G6430 (quad-core graphics)
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, compass
	Messaging	iMessage, Email, Push Email, IM
	Browser	HTML (Safari)
	Radio	No
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
	Java	No
	Colors	Space Gray, Silver
		– Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic- Siri natural language commands and dictation- AirDrop file sharing- iCloud cloud service- iCloud Keychain – Twitter and Facebook integration – TV-out – Maps – Audio/video player/editor – Organizer – Image viewer/editor – Document viewer/editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) – Voice memo – Predictive text input

BATTERY		Non-removable Li-Po 8,820 battery (32.4 Wh)
	Stand-by
	Talk time	Up to 10 h (multimedia)

Video Review:

The good: The iPad Air delivers more performance and comparable battery life in an attractive and impossibly thin-and-light package. An improved front-facing camera makes FaceTiming look better, and the Retina Display still looks great.

The bad: The Touch ID fingerprint scanner, introduced on the iPhone 5S, is sadly absent here, meaning you’ll still have to type in a passcode with every unlock and a password with every purchase. Starting at $499 for 16GB, it’s still expensive compared with the competition.

The bottom line: Functionally, the iPad Air is nearly identical to last year’s model, offering only faster performance and better video chatting. But factor in design and aesthetics, and the iPad Air is on another planet. It’s the best full-size consumer tablet on the market.

Source – Cnet