Apple iPad Air 2 Announced As World's Thinnest Tablet With 64 Bit A8 Processor

Just a day ago, tech major - Google has announced its flagship devices - the Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet along with the Google Player - an Apple TV rival. Now, returning the favor back, the Cupertino-based tech giant, which said "Android Sucks" at the launch event has announced an array of devices and also made some note-worthy software announcements.

That should be a treat for the Apple fans, who get to choose their smart device from a very few options, as opposed to what Android fans get.

But one of the major things that was being awaited by millions of iPad fans across the globe was the highly rumored and leaked iPad Air 2. Engadget described the predecessor of the iPad Air 2 as ultra-svelte and today the maker of the iPhones have showed off its successor with equally slim and elegant design language.

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Design

The iPad Air 2 is 6.1mm thin profile high-end tablet from Apple which is 18% thinner than the first iPad Air. The company further went saying that it's the world's thinnest tablet. Moreover, in addition to the hard work that the company has put in slimming down the new iPad Air 2, Apple has also upgraded the device with a new processor as expected.

Display

The new iPad Air 2 uses a full sized 9.7-inch LED-backlit widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology that offers a resolution of 2048 x 1536-pixels, which translates to 264 ppi. Moreover, the display comes with a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating with anti-reflective layer on top.

Processor and OS

The iPad Air 2 has the newest A8X chip that Apple says includes 2nd-gen 64-bit architecture and 3 billion transistors for 40% faster CPU and 2.5x faster GPU performance. According to the company, the new processor makes the new iPad Air 2 2 times more powerful than the original iPad.

Further the slim slate will apparently offer 2.8x faster WiFi performance with 802.11ac with MIMO and increased support for up to 20 LTE bands. The tablet runs on iOS 8.

Camera

Camera modules used in iPads and even iPhones are such that they have been pretty much appreciated by most unlike the ones from other high-end Android smartphone makers. The new iPad Air 2 can likewise be branded as a good camera featuring tablet.

It employs an 8MP iSight camera with aperture value of f/2.4 aperture. Moreover, it can also shoot video at 1080p quality. There are features like burstmode, panorama shots, and auto HDR as well, for those who are camera fanatics.

Touch ID and Apple Pay

As leaked earlier today, the new iPad Air 2 also houses a fingerprint sensor which the company calls by the name of Touch ID. For those unaware of the term, it is a Home button-based security system that enables login via fingerprint. Moreover, with the announcement of the Apple Pay services, the Touch ID in the device will be more used as can enable users to pay online using the same fingerprint sensor.

Connectivity

The iPad Air 2 comes in two models - WiFi only and WiFi cellular. The WiFi only model uses WiFi dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz), HT80 with MIMO and Bluetooth 4.0 technology asa connectivity option. On the other hand, the cellular model features the obove mentioned options along with LTE support.

Both the models however, comes powered by a 27.3-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, which according to Apple offers 10-hour life to the device.

Apple iPad Air 2: Variants and Price

The 16GB iPad Air 2 with WiFi only model will cost you $499, the 64GB is priced ar $599 and the 128GB will be a hefty buy at $699. On the other hand, the WiFi and Cellular variant will cost a bit more obviously. The 16GB model will be on sale at $629, 64GB at $729 and 128GB will be the most expensive of all the variants at $829. The iPad Air 2 will be offered in three color options viz. Silver, Gold and Space Grey.

With the specs and services as such, Apple might make tablet industry pretty competitive at least in the high-end segment. However, with the introduction of the Galaxy Tab S series from Samsung and Nexus 9, it would be potential enough to monopolize the market.