Apple iPad Air: The TechSpot Review

It's hard to believe but it’s been less than four years since Apple released the iPad, opening the door to an entirely new market of portable devices that, along with smartphones, has eroded the traditional PC industry in a way that most people would have never imagined a few short years ago.

Apple iPad Air - $499+

• 9.7" 2048 x 1536 IPS LCD display (264 ppi)
• Apple A7 CPU, M7 coprocessor
• 1.3 GHz dual-core CPU, PowerVR G6430 GPU
• 16 GB - 128 GB storage
• 5 MP rear camera, 1.2 MP front camera
• 32.3 WHr 2-cell battery
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n dual channel, LTE available, Bluetooth 4.0
• Apple iOS 7
• 469 grams, 7.5mm thick

The iPad is now on its fifth iteration and with it comes a new name, the iPad Air. True to the moniker, Apple’s latest full-size tablet has been put on a significant diet. It retains the same 9.7-inch display but with a bezel that is 43 percent thinner along with a 20 percent reduction in overall thickness.
Measuring just 7.5mm thin, it’s actually a tiny bit thinner than the iPhone 5s and at a weight of 1 pound even, it’s the lightest full-size tablet currently in the market. Full dimensions are 9.4 inches (240mm) x 6.6 inches (1.695mm) x 0.29 inch (7.5mm) for the Wi-Fi only version we have on hand today. Cellular models feature identical measurements but weigh a hair more at 1.05 pounds.

Design and Overall Impressions

The iPad Air is still instantly recognizable as an iPad, with the redesign following many cues first introduced on the smaller iPad mini. Compared to previous generations, the iPad Air feels better in the hands due to the reduction in weight and more rounded corners.

It feels much like going from the bulky iPhone 4s to the iPhone 5, the Air feels substantially lighter as if it was a dummy device (it's obviously not) and yet without the compromise of feeling cheap or that it could break at a moment’s notice. If you’ve ever held a full-sized tablet for any length of time in front of you, you’ll immediately appreciate the lighter Air.

The front of the iPad Air looks no different from previous models save for the narrower bezels. As previous alluded to, the same 9.7-inch IPS display returns with a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 (264 PPI) and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. Above the display is a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime HD camera capable of 720p HD video while the home button sits centered below the screen.
One of the major disappointments with the iPad Air is the lack of Touch ID, Apple’s new fingerprint reader technology embedded into the home button on the iPhone 5s. Pretty much everyone expected this feature to carry over to the new iPads but clearly Cupertino had other plans. No official reason for Touch ID being MIA has been given, although it's been rumored that Apple had to keep all inventory of the fingerprint scanner to the 5s as to avoid delays, also giving them some extra room to update the iPad Air sometime in 2014.

Examining the perimeter of the iPad Air reveals other subtle changes. Starting at the bottom, we find the Lightning port that debuted on the 4th-gen iPad. Unlike last year’s model, however, it’s flanked by two stereo speakers – a first for the iPad. Unfortunately, the speakers are both on the bottom of the iPad which does little for providing true stereo audio when using the tablet in landscape mode as you would when watching a movie or TV show.
Across the top of the Air is a headphone jack, microphone and power button – in that order from left to right. The left edge of the iPad is bare with the metal volume buttons and the mute /rotation lock located on the right side.

Around back we find a 5-megapixel camera, another microphone and the obligatory Apple logo / mirror for selfies mixed in with the traditional Apple aluminum shell. I was again disappointed in the fact that Apple hasn’t upgraded the rear camera on the iPad to match the one found on the iPhone. The camera is essentially the same that debuted on the third generation iPad over a year and a half ago and there still isn’t a flash to assist in low light conditions.
Not that I’d ever be caught dead using a tablet as my primary camera out in public, but I’ve seen many people guilty of this. I can’t help but chuckle a bit but it’s these very people that would benefit the most from a rear camera upgrade on the iPad Air.

Interestingly enough, I noticed that Apple no longer stamps the back of the iPad with the tablet’s storage capacity. IAnd speaking of capacity, both the Wi-Fi only and cellular-enabled Airs are available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities ranging in price from $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model to $929 for the 128GB cellular variant.

Apple iPad mini Retina Review

Each and every year, Apple refreshes their tablet line-up with new hardware and new features. The full sized iPad got faster, lighter, slimmer and even received a new name (iPad Air), while the second-generation mini is more impressive than ever, thanks to a major update.

Apple iPad mini (2nd-gen) - $399 - $829

• 7.9”, 2048 x 1536 IPS LCD display (326 ppi)
• Apple A7 SoC
• 1.3 GHz dual-core CPU, PowerVR G6430 GPU, 1GB RAM
• 16, 32, 64 or 128 GB internal storage
• 5 MP camera, f/2.4 lens, 1080p video
• 23.8 Wh battery
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, LTE optional
• iOS 7
• 331-341 grams, 7.5mm thick

This new iPad mini comes with a Retina display: a high-resolution 7.9-inch panel whose resolution is on-par with the Air at 2048 x 1536, bringing 326 pixels per inch. Not only that, but Apple’s new A7 system on a chip is included, alongside a larger battery in a shell that’s nearly identical in size to the original iPad mini. Some aspects of the device remain the same, such as the camera and the connectivity options, but it still has many new features that will hopefully satisfy.
With the Retina display in the second-generation iPad mini, Apple has increased the price on the base 16 GB Wi-Fi model from $329 to $399, making it one of the most expensive tablets of its size. However, past iPads have been of exceptional quality, so will this be the same for the iPad mini? Does the Retina display and faster processor make a worthy upgrade for first-gen owners?

Design

Unsurprisingly, the iPad mini with Retina display looks very similar to previous iPads, utilizing a standard tablet design. Compared to the first-generation iPad mini, the Retina unit’s profile is identical at 200mm tall and 134.7mm wide, and comes in at 7.5mm thick; 0.3mm thicker than the original to accommodate the larger battery. It’s slightly heavier – 331 grams versus 308 grams for the Wi-Fi models – but still remains extremely portable.


In fact the iPad mini is a near-perfect size for anyone who’s looking for a smaller-classed tablet (see the unboxing here). It’s easy to use in one hand or two, the shape is comfortable and ergonomic, and there’s an adequate amount of bezel around the display that makes it great to use in landscape or portrait. Furthermore, while the bezel facilitates easy handling of the device, the display still covers approximately 72% of the front panel, which is better than competing devices like the Nexus 7 (62% coverage) and 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX (60%).

Apple’s industrial yet minimalist design continues with second-generation iPad mini. The front panel is plain, containing just the display, home button and front-facing camera, yet it looks as good as any previous iPad. Even though this model has been released after the iPhone 5s, there’s no Touch ID fingerprint sensor, meaning there’s no quick and secure unlocking method here.

The back features a typical tablet design: camera in the top left, shiny Apple logo in the middle, iPad branding at the bottom. With the front covered in protective glass, the back is equally tough thanks to its aluminium construction; aluminium which not only feels great to touch, but gives the iPad its usual premium look.

For this review I opted for a “space grey” model, which is lighter in color compared to the slate grey of the previous model, and looks fantastic. You get a black bezel around the display, which differs from the silver model that is paired with a white bezel, but both look great. I prefer the space grey design, however it really comes down to personal choice when picking a color for your tablet.


Around the edges is the usual arrangement of elements. The top edge has the power button and the headphone jack, the bottom has the Lightning connector and speaker grills, the left side is blank and the right side has the volume buttons and hold switch. All the buttons are accessible and feel solid to use, but it’s disappointing that there are only speakers on the right-hand side when the device is in landscape. Stereo speakers would be welcome on this media-centric device, however at least the large dual grill makes it hard to muffle the speaker when you’re holding it for gaming.
While there is the single-speaker issue, I generally have nothing but praise for the iPad mini with Retina display’s design. It’s well built, thanks to its premium aluminium construction, and nearly the perfect size for a portable, smaller tablet. I really like the space grey color option, with small but still functional black bezels and large display coverage.

Display

The biggest upgrade to the iPad mini comes in the form of the display, which is now branded as ‘Retina’. In other words, the pixel density of the panel has received a significant bump from 163 pixels per inch (ppi) to 326 ppi, thanks to an increase in resolution to 2048 x 1536; the same resolution as the iPad Air. With over three times the original pixel count, the display should be significantly improved.
Pretty much any display that has over 300 pixels per inch looks great, especially those that are included on tablets. Generally you view a tablet further away from your eyes than a smartphone, which allows tablets more room to look awesome with lower pixel densities, and at 326 ppi the iPad mini definitely looks awesome. Text is crisp, images are crisp, videos are crisp, apps are crisp: basically, the sharpness is as fantastic as you’ve come to expect from previous Retina displays, and even better than the iPad Air.

The aspect ratio of the iPad mini’s display still remains 4:3, which isn’t ideal for watching most videos unless you enjoy significant letterboxing. However, a standard 16:9 video still takes up 7.2-inches diagonally, which makes it slightly larger than the video on a standard 7-inch Android tablet like the Nexus 7 (which is coincidentally the same height as the iPad mini). Where the 4:3 aspect ratio shines is in applications and web browsing, as more information is displayed on the screen, yet the tablet can still be held more comfortably than an 8-inch 16:9 tablet.
As far as the quality of the display is concerned, there are a few issues with the color gamut (as some other publications have noticed), which causes images to appear less saturated and vibrant as competing devices. Essentially the Retina iPad mini, like the first-generation iPad mini before it, falls short of reproducing the full sRGB color spectrum. Most other competing tablet displays, including the iPad Air, have a near-sRGB color gamut, so the iPad mini is noticeably lacking in this area.

While it can be proven through a colorimeter that the iPad mini’s display doesn’t have a full sRGB color gamut, will you notice it in everyday usage? In my time with the new Retina display, I found the moderate lack of saturation in images to be reasonably noticeable by itself, and very noticeable when compared with other displays like full-sized iPads, the Nexus 7 (2013) and my desktop PC monitors. When browsing the web and using apps it’s thankfully less of an issue, but people who demand quality will find the color quality of the iPad mini disappointing.
The good news is color gamut is the only major issue with the iPad mini’s Retina display. Black levels are very good, with all but two of the squares in a standard black level test pattern being discernable, as are white levels, which are very near 6500K. I didn’t notice any light bleeding around the edges of the panel, indicating a high quality backlight, nor were there any image retention issues with the model I received.
In terms of display brightness, the iPad mini with Retina display is reasonably bright, but not quite as bright as your typical smartphone. It is possible to read the iPad mini’s display outdoors and in strong lighting, however in some situations it can be hard, so I’d recommend finding shade where possible. The brightness range of the panel is decent and even, and the tablet does come with automatic brightness, even though it only adjusts each time you turn the display on, rather than continually.

The mini’s Retina display uses IPS and IGZO technology, meaning viewing angles are very good in nearly all situations, with minimal amounts of color and brightness deviation at off-angles. Whether you’re reading the device’s display front-on in your hands or at an angle on a desk, you should have no trouble thanks to the display’s strong performance in this area.
Aside from the disappointing color gamut of the Retina display used in the iPad mini, other areas perform well. The panel is the most crisp Apple has ever used in a tablet, making text and visual elements look terrific, generally speaking, and the size is fantastic for mostly everything you want to do on a tablet. If you’re not particularly concerned with the panel’s saturation (there’s a chance you won’t even notice), the second-generation iPad mini’s main attraction will suit you well.