iPad Air 2 vs. iPad Air: What Apple changed

At the company’s October 2014 media event in Cupertino, Apple today announced the iPad Air 2, the successor to the original iPad Air. Apple’s sixth 9.7-inch tablet is now finally official.

Pre-orders begin tomorrow (October 17), and the devices will begin shipping next week. Before you put down your credit card though, assuming you’re not enthused by what’s coming in Android 5.0 Lollipop or Windows 10, you might want to see what exactly you’re getting. The comparison table below shows you exactly what Apple has changed between the original iPad Air and the iPad Air 2.

	iPad Air	iPad Air 2
Storage	16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB	16GB, 64GB, 128GB
Price	$499, $599, $699, $799	$499, $599, $699
Price with LTE	$629, $729, $829, $929	$629, $729, $829
Display	9.7-inch, 2048×1536, 264 ppi	9.7-inch, 2048×1536, 264 ppi
Processor	64-bit A7	64-bit A8X
Rear Camera	5MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture	8MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture
Video Recording	1080p	1080p (30 fps), Slo‑mo (120 fps)
Front Camera	1.2MP photos, 720p video	1.2MP photos, 720p video
Fingerprint identity sensor	None	Touch ID
Assistant	Siri	Siri
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0
Browsing time on cellular	Up to 9 hours	Up to 9 hours
Browsing time on Wi-Fi	Up to 10 hours	Up to 10 hours
Height	9.4 inches (240 mm)	9.4 inches (240 mm)
Width	6.6 inches (169.5 mm)	6.6 inches (169.5 mm)
Depth	0.29 inch (7.5 mm)	0.24 inch (6.1 mm)
Weight for Wi-Fi	1 pound (469 g)	0.96 pounds (437 g)
Weight for LTE	1.05 pounds (478 g)	0.98 pounds (444 g)
Connector	Lightning	Lightning
Colors	Space Gray, Silver	Space Gray, Silver, Gold

 

Given that the iPad Air 2’s pricing is either the same or lower from the original iPad Air, depending on which storage option you choose, you’re basically paying less for a lighter but more powerful tablet. So the question is: Do you think it’s worth upgrading?