How does the iPad Air 2 compare to the first IPad Air?

[aces99]

I dont think there is much difference between the iPad Air and iPad Air 2, I know its faster but only by about 1 second and I know it has touch id but touch id is unnecessary as you will still need a passcode to use it, so I think iPad Air is near enough the same.

I thought you didn't need to use a passcode all the time with Touch ID. I have the 5S with Touch ID and I only use a passcode when I first restart it. After that I just use Touch ID to unlock my iPhone. Is Touch ID different on the iPad?

 

[aces99]

a passcode for...?

for me the main difference was that air2 has enough ram.

Yes the Air 2 needed 2GB of ram. I love my Air but would of loved 2GB so webpages wouldn't have to reload all the time. The 2 biggest things I want on the new Air 3 is more ram and Touch ID. I also hope they fix the speaker vibration as well. Anything after that is just gravy.

 

[meistervu]

I was in the same situation as OP a few weeks ago. I had and Air 1, and always wanted a Mini as well. I checked out the Air 2 and while it's supposed to be faster than my Air 1, functionally it's the same for me. I don't play games, and most of the thing I do, I never thought that the Air 1 was slow. The only thing I gain would be being able to sell the Air 1 had I bought the Air 2. I decided to keep my Air 1 and bought a Mini 4.

The Mini 4 was a significantly different from my Air 1 in term if size and weight. I really enjoy reading in bed with it. Overall, it's feels a lot lighter and easier to handle. I have a Macbook Pro 15" and a 27" display at home, so I don't really have a need for a larger screen that the Air 1 offers. I still use it, but very sparingly.

The Mini 4 on the other hand is my go to device when I need to do something that requires a larger screen than my iPhone 6. Reading books on it is wonderful. Browsing on it is actually very nice. It's easy to zoom in on a column, or use the reader mode, and get the content I want without other distractions.

 

[dk808]

I was in the same situation as OP a few weeks ago. I had and Air 1, and always wanted a Mini as well. I checked out the Air 2 and while it's supposed to be faster than my Air 1, functionally it's the same for me. I don't play games, and most of the thing I do, I never thought that the Air 1 was slow. The only thing I gain would be being able to sell the Air 1 had I bought the Air 2. I decided to keep my Air 1 and bought a Mini 4.

The Mini 4 was a significantly different from my Air 1 in term if size and weight. I really enjoy reading in bed with it. Overall, it's feels a lot lighter and easier to handle. I have a Macbook Pro 15" and a 27" display at home, so I don't really have a need for a larger screen that the Air 1 offers. I still use it, but very sparingly.

The Mini 4 on the other hand is my go to device when I need to do something that requires a larger screen than my iPhone 6. Reading books on it is wonderful. Browsing on it is actually very nice. It's easy to zoom in on a column, or use the reader mode, and get the content I want without other distractions.

Awesome! I don't find my Air 1 slow at all either. I rarely find it slowing down or having it hiccup. Is it a lot better holding the iPad mini above your head while laying down?

 

[Vanilla35]

I dont think there is much difference between the iPad Air and iPad Air 2, I know its faster but only by about 1 second and I know it has touch id but touch id is unnecessary as you will still need a passcode to use it, so I think iPad Air is near enough the same.

I mean, anyone can go down that path. If you want to say that, you could also say the iPhone 6S is the same as the iPhone 6 except for the 0.5 second difference in speed, or the iPad Mini 2, 3, 4 are all the same except for everything that is not the same. At this point in the product cycle (Tablets having been out for several years now), the differentiation between iterations are the features such as Touch ID, and 3D touch/Apple pencil.

Aside from that, I could also argue that while "slightly faster"/"slightly slower" may be the only difference (assuming you don't use Touch ID), if you plan on upgrading your software then you will only exaggerate the difference in speed between the two devices.

I personally don't use Touch ID either. I have never been a password person, no one touches my device but me, and I don't leave it on tables or counters - outside my home. Therefore, I would rather have the immediate unlock of sliding the screen (myself), than having to rely on the home button to unlock (and also holding my finger semi-firmly down - no matter the speed). Even with my non-use of Touch ID I still find the iPad Air 2 to be a big step up from the Air 1. With that said though, I think the difference between the Air 2, and Air 3 will be much more minor.

P.S. I didn't get into any of the other internal hardware differences, or the design/dimensions. iPad Air has the 7 (not x), while the Air 2 has the 8x (a much bigger difference than people realize for graphics). The difference in ram is huge. However, these technical gripes are not something that everyone would recognize or run into with their normal use

 

[meistervu]

Awesome! I don't find my Air 1 slow at all either. I rarely find it slowing down or having it hiccup. Is it a lot better holding the iPad mini above your head while laying down?

I normally don't hold my iPad above my head while lying down as I don't find it a very comfortable position (even without an iPad, lying down with my arm above my head by themselves is rather unnatural to me.) But for comparison, tt is a lot better holding the iPad mini than the iPad Air 1 above my head while lying down.

I usually rest my arm on the side of my chest while holding the iPad Mini 4 (or the iPad Air 1), so the iPad is more in front of me than above me, and my arms are supported. I also read on my side while lying down. All those positions are comfortable, and the Mini 4 feels much more comfortable than the Air 1. I often hold it with one hand.

 

[meistervu]

...

P.S. I didn't get into any of the other internal hardware differences, or the design/dimensions. iPad Air has the 7 (not x), while the Air 2 has the 8x (a much bigger difference than people realize for graphics). The difference in ram is huge. However, these technical gripes are not something that everyone would recognize or run into with their normal use

Personally, it how the device feels to me is what count, not the specs. The difference between the Air2 and the Air is not significant to me for the things I use the Air for: browsing, a few apps, reading. If you play games, I am sure there may be significant differences. Glare reduction on the Air 2, TouchId, and a better camera are things that important to me in that order, but not enough to make me feel like buying a new device.

 

[KadMac]

I think the biggest benefit of the iPad Air 2 is the extra RAM. Just makes everything faster and a more enjoyable experience.

 

[Shanghaichica]

The biggest benefits for me are the 2GB, the tri core processor and the laminated screen. I was sceptical when I updated from the air 1 to the air 2. I only updated because I wanted to get 128GB of storage space and I only had 32GB on my air 1. However I was pleasantly surprised at how much better the air 2 was.

 

[Skylitfly]

The laminated screen on the iPad Air 2 makes it a much better device than the first gen.

Yeah. This.

And 2Gb of ram also makes a difference. And A8X is a beast!

 

[baypharm]

Yep...I don't see Apple updating the mini yet again in 2016. They've updated the display (color) and made it 2gb RAM...no reason to add to that. Sorry.

Not to mention the entire tablet market is super saturated and sales in general are down across the board

 

[dumastudetto]

iPad Air 2 is light years ahead of the first iPad Air. iPad Air 2 has supreme performance, it's lighter, beautiful build quality, and an absolute delight to use. iPad Air 2 is a fantastic upgrade for anyone still using the older device. I highly recommend it to everyone.

 

[aces99]

I can't wait to see what they come out with for the Air 3. Hopefully they fix the speaker vibration issue. That's the only complaint I have ever seen. I wish they would put in a port so you can hook up a flash drive to it for extra storage. But I doubt Apple will ever do that. Will be interesting to see what they do for an upgrade to the Air 2. Hopefully we will know soon because I want to upgrade my original Air, I am running out of room. I wish they would get rid of the 16GB and go with the 32GB.