The iPad Air Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 29, 2013 9:00 PM ESTDisplay
In building the iPad Air Apple shrunk all elements of the tablet’s design, including the thickness of the display. We’re still dealing with a 9.7-inch 4:3 2048 x 1536 IPS LCD panel with true RGB stripe rather than some weird subpixel structure. Viewing angles are still great, and overall the display remains the best you can get at this size.
The iPad Air continues Apple’s recent history of shipping color calibrated displays. Color accuracy on my iPad Air review sample is better than on any previous iPad I’ve ever tested, in fact it’s more accurate than any other tablet I’ve ever tested. The numbers are easily backed up by images that show a vibrant and, more importantly, accurate display.
The iPad Air gets pretty bright at 426 nits, although black levels aren’t all that impressive at 0.44 nits. Overall contrast ratio is in line with what we’ve seen from previous iPads. My only complaint on the display front is I would like to see Apple laminate the cover glass to the LCD display. Reducing reflections would go a long way towards improving the usability of the device, not to mention the impact that would have on improving display quality in dark movie scenes.
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esterhasz - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
I completely fell out of love with iOS after getting the new Nexus 7, but this is still an awesome piece of engineering.spbcat - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
Hi,can you please weigh both the new smart cover and the new smart case and post the weight here? (preferably in grams) Thanks!
Brutalizer - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
What is "iPad 4"? Do they mean "New iPad"? Why dont Anandtech use the correct name so people will not get confused?ws3 - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
No one is confused by "iPad 4"darwiniandude - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
Really?iPad 3rd gen launch title:
"The new iPad"
iPad 4th gen launch title:
"iPad with retina display"
(They both have a retina display)
Calling them 3 or 4 is the only sensible thing to do in retrospect.
dwade123 - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
The new iPad is very beautiful with a screen that none can compete. And the software catalog is significantly better than Android.KoolAidMan1 - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
dwade123 - Your logic has no place here. Obviously the platform with slower hardware and inferior software is better.Because you know... it isn't Apple
/s
Death666Angel - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
If you need a 3:4 aspect ratio, iOS and/or a large tablet and money isn't an issue, this is a good upgrade. But for a large tablet, I have to say the 8.9" HDX from Amazon sounds a lot better. Minus the crappy software. 85€ cheaper for 16GB, 125€ cheaper for 32GB, 165€ cheaper for 64GB and 100€ extra for LTE instead of 120€. If I needed a large tablet (I don't Nexus 7 gets much more use than my last 10.1" tablet), I'd either wait for the specs of the Nexus 7, learn to live with a 8.9" HDX or try my luck with the custom ROM market for the HDX.stefstef - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
Looks like a decent successor to the iPad 4. yet apple is quite comfortable as their product range still fits the demands of the customers and there isn't much to do about it. but Microsoft already (although a Little hasty) has set itself as a strong competitor for the future. surely the pc will be history in the future and Microsoft has prepared: Gamers go console, People in Need of average computing power (the vast majority) go Surface or Surface pro and with Nokia they have a decent Company für the Gadget market. one day the Windows 8 concept will pay of. that will be the day apple wont get away with decent successors. new ideas will be needed. but see what the future brings ...ssiu - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
How come there are no storage benchmarks, like we had for Android tablets reviews? e.g. http://www.anandtech.com/show/7231/the-nexus-7-201...