The new iPad arrived without making too much noise but, as always happens with any new Apple launch, it has already generated opinions of all kinds among experts and Apple users themselves. Manzana It has recovered the design of the first generation iPad Air and has endowed it with specifications that place it only one notch behind the iPad Pro, but at a price of € 399 which is 40% less than Apple Pro tablets. How does this new iPad perform? Will it attract those who were reluctant to switch iPads or buy their first tablet? We have analyzed it and we will show you below.
A familiar design
Apple has not wanted to surprise with this iPad and it is a more than logical move if we consider that by price it is destined to be the entry model in the range. It is a design traced to that of the iPad Air 1 but without the switch for silence or the rotation lock and adding the TouchID integrated into the start button. The dimensions and weight are traced to the first iPad Air model: 24 × 16,95 × 0,75cm with a weight of 469gr in the WiFi model and 478gr in the 4G model.
In a company that until now had always been characterized by looking for the "thinnest yet" in its launches, a new product that involves an increase in thickness can be disconcerting. If we compare it with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, as you can see in the video, the greater thickness is visible to the naked eye, but is hardly noticeable in normal use of the device. You will only notice it because the iPad Air 2 cases are useless unless they are a bit roomy. Although there will soon be cases specially designed for this new iPad 2017, any original iPad Air case will do.
Specifications that don't disappoint
But let's not kid ourselves, because despite what it may seem and what has been published on many websites, this new iPad has few more elements in common with the original iPad Air. Its A9 processor and 2GB of RAM make the difference and give it scores in benchmarks that place it only behind the iPad Pro and the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. An 8Mpx camera, TouchID and compatibility with Apple Pay, Bluetooth 4.2 and dual band WiFi a / b / g / n / ac complete the specifications of the tablet that differentiate it from the original Air. It is no coincidence that this new iPad shares specifications with the iPhone SE, Apple's entry-level smartphone, the cheapest in the range.
But these specs have a fine print. The inclusion of the first generation TouchID was more than expected but it should not stop being somewhat disappointing.. There are already two generations of iPhone with the new TouchID and Apple is still determined to continue using the first fingerprint sensor technology for its iPad. It is not that it works badly, quite the opposite, but it is not as fast as the new technology that the iPhone 6s and 7 include in all its models. But without a doubt where more doubts have been generated is on the screen.
A screen from 4 years ago
Let's make use of memory: Apple released the first iPad Air in October 2013, and stopped selling it in March 2016. This was the last model to have a screen without integral lamination or anti-reflective coating, until now. The new iPad also dispenses with integral lamination, which means that repairing a broken glass will a priori be cheaper because it will not include the screen, but reflections will be the biggest enemy of this tablet. In the video you can see how the new iPad and iPad Pro behave under the reflections of a lamp, and the difference is obvious.
In terms of size and resolution, we lose absolutely nothing: 9,7 inches with a resolution of 2048 × 1536 and 264 p / p. The screen of this new iPad is also brighter, 40% brighter than the original iPad Air and up to 50% more than the iPad Air 2 that had lost brightness precisely because of the integral lamination. How can that affect us on a day-to-day basis? It is a problem that can especially be noticed if you are going to use the iPad outdoors, where reflections can prevent a good view of the screen, but otherwise the truth is that the screen displays quite well under normal conditions.
Features with iOS 10
This new iPad enjoys all the functions available in iOS 10 for the iPad, except for the obvious hardware limitations such as TrueTone, exclusive to the 9,7-inch iPad Pro or the use of Apple Pencil, also limited to both iPad Pro. Slide Over, Split View and PiP are perfectly possible in this new iPad, something that again differentiates it from the original iPad Air in which Split View is not possible. Switching between applications, using two applications simultaneously on the screen or watching a Netflix series while browsing the internet or filling out a spreadsheet is perfectly possible with the iPad 2017, and it also does it without messing up.
An iPad not for everyone, but for many
The new iPad has been criticized by many who expected a new tablet that would serve to renew Apple's Pro range, but this model is not intended for those users. If you wanted a top-of-the-range iPad you will have to wait a few more months for Apple to renew the Pro range, and you will also have to prepare more than € 399 for it. This new iPad has arrived to try to convince those who want an Apple tablet but do not want to spend more than € 600 on it, or those who have an old iPad 2, 3, 4 or even an original Air and the change was difficult above because your iPad still works fine and you don't want to spend so much money on a Pro.
A first-rate iPad with a processor, RAM and battery that guarantees excellent usability and that you will not have problems with updates or applications for a few years And that will cost you € 399 in the most basic capacity that (finally) is 32GB. Obviously that price has its counterpart, and that is that the screen does not have the quality of the new iPad Pro, and it is somewhat thicker, problems that most people should not care about and that in day to day hardly they will be noticeable. You can now buy it on the official website of Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),.
Editor's opinion
Pros
- Specifications renewed
- Very good performance
- Excellent autonomy
- Very competitive price
Cons
- Thicker than iPad Air 2 and iPad Pro
- Screen without integral lamination
- XNUMXst generation TouchID
If you are not in Apple's salary, you are completely alienated: The device that this "new" iPad replaces is the iPad Air 2, and not a single one of the features and specifications described improves those of it, with the exception of the processor that, according to comparable tests available, it barely exceeds 20% performance in single-process and nothing in multiprocess, it falls slightly in thickness and weight and significantly in screen quality, reducing the price in our market by only € 30 in Wi-Fi models and nothing on the LTE / 4G. I'm not saying it's a bad team, but after three and a half years, it doesn't bring anything new in its category. It seems that you forget that the usual thing was to reduce the price of the device presented the previous year by € 100 by presenting a new one with considerably improved specifications and this time neither one nor the other has happened, they have only reduced costs and have reduced the equivalent of € 72 in the American market, where they feel more pressured by the loss of share caused by Android tablets, although here they do not reach half of that share.
No, it's not even the Air 2, it's just a rehash of the original Air.
You have no middle ground ... ': - / As the article details, internally it is practically identical to the iPad Air 2 and externally it closely resembles the original iPad Air. I insist that it is not bad equipment, but nothing new, and in a component as important as the screen, a step backwards, which is undeniably a considerable disappointment, contrary to the enthusiasm shown by the writer, but not a catastrophe. I beg just a little objectivity.
Now, only € 30 less, but with double the storage in its most basic version. Or does that not count? The only thing missing is that the Apple Pencil was compatible with this iPad to make it perfect for many students to take their notes with it. There are other bluetooth pointers, but they are not the same.