What's New in iPad Air

There are many reviews online for the new iPad Air, which is not surprising since many users are looking forward to it. This new version is lighter, faster and thinner than the popular iPad 4, so the reviews are mainly positive. Continue reading to know what's new in iPad Air.

• New design and thinner dimensions

iPad is getting a new name and a well-needed facelift. There are raving reviews across the board for the iPad Air’s slimmer weight and change in the overall design. This is a welcome change from the four generations of iPad which boast the thick-inch bezel screen. It is redesigned to offer a style that is similar to the iPad mini, which is a big improvement. The front section has chamfers which are polished and beveled meticulously with diamonds. The speaker is located in the same area as the iPhone. Many reviews love the reduced weight and bezel width, as they believe that it is easier to hold the iPad with one hand or before your face when lying down on your back.

• Retina display

Not surprising, the iPad Air has a 9.7-inch IPS Retina Display of 2048 × 1536 that is still getting high scores from users. This is the screen that everyone comes to know and have fallen in love with, but there are now reduced bezels on the screen at the left and right sides. This is similar in proportions to the iPad mini. With 7.5mm in thinness, the Air is reduced by 20% to make it smaller than the previous model. Apple states that it reduced thickness of the display panel, front glass and touch sensor will have an effect on the overall image quality, but many reviews say that this model has identical screen to the fourth-gen iPad.

The Air is far behind the Kindle Fire HDX or Nexus 10 with its 264 pixels per inch or PPI, but the reviewers are not finding anything wrong with its display. After all, the resolution is not all, as viewing angles, calibration and reflectance are equally important. With a lighter and thinner body with square tapered edges, Apple says that the Air is more powerful.

• What’s new in iPad Air battery life and performance

The iPad air is really beefed up under the hood as its processing power has increased considerably. It is design to run on Apple’s brand-new A7 SoC or system on chip, which is offering a 64-bit architecture for the very first time. It also comes with a M7 motion coprocessor, similar to the iPhone 5s. Apple claims that this version is two times faster than the last generation iPad and eight times faster than the original. Many reviewers agree with this as they think that the new A7 64-bit SoC inside makes the Air faster than its forerunner that is running on the A6X. The apps will also load a little faster and the booting and/or shutting down process is marginally quicker as well. As expected, you will find few games or apps which are noticeably nicer looking or faster on the iPad Air.

Apple promised that the iPad Air would give 10 hours of battery life, but many are reporting that they are getting much more with assorted workloads such as video streaming, photo editing, etc. Some reviewers are also reporting enhanced standby battery life, which is quite impressive since the battery is significantly smaller than the 4th Gen iPad.

Generally speaking, the overwhelming sentiments states that the Air has sufficient battery life for an entire day and it can deliver this even if you are working on strenuous computationally activities. These changes are impressive and they are keeping in-line with Apple’s continuous iOS refinements and the introduction of A7 SoC which is brand new.

• What’s new in iPad Air Camera

There is a rear-facing camera (iSight) which remains at 5MP. However, the front-facing HD FaceTime camera has increased pixel size to give a much better quality for video calls.

• iPad Air Accessories

Apple has unveiled a rejigged smart case and cover for the iPad Air. The covers provide standing angle that is marginally more reclined to fit the narrower dimension of this iPad. The smart case with leather-backing is received very positively, even though it is removing a lot from the reduced weight.

Conclusion

Similar to the new mini iPad with Retina display, the iPad Air has the A7 SoC with the same design and svelteness. When looking at the tablet market from a holistic standpoint, some reviews are pointing out that the Air is uncomfortably similar to the Mini with its Retina display. However, the majority of the reviewers and users are not finding any fault with this iPad especially with its top notch app ecosystem, plus lighter, thinner, faster and easy to hold features. These are just some of what’s new in iPad Air. This tablet is as good as it will get if you are looking for a 10-inch model.