How much did an iPad cost in Russia before. Detailed review and testing of Apple iPad Air When will the new ipad air 3 come out

New tablet from Apple, the presentation of which is expected to take place on March 18. According to rumors, the new iPad will receive an improved processor and Touch ID fingerprint scanner, 2 GB random access memory and a completely new design.

Apple has begun officially selling the new and fifth-generation iPad mini in Russia, as evidenced by the company's online store data. New items are already available for purchase, the delivery time at the time of writing was 1 business day for all configurations of the updated tablets.

As soon as the next new product from Apple goes on sale, specialists from the well-known iFixit workshop are among the first to receive the device for review. Experts have already managed to make out and. It's time for a new iPad Air. What changes the internal layout of the device has undergone, and what is interesting inside - iFixit masters will tell.

On March 18, Apple introduced two new iPads at once - a new iPad generation Air and iPad mini fifth generation. Both new items received the latest hardware, smart pen support, a Touch ID fingerprint scanner, and lower compared to the current iPad price. Despite the fact that almost three weeks have passed since the release, the new iPads are still not officially sold in Russia, which, however, will not be a hindrance if you want to get an iPad Air 3 or iPad mini 5 as soon as possible.

This week turned out to be rich in new items - first, and then. If for Mac computers the price remained practically unchanged, the cost of tablets has increased significantly. Together with them, prices for non-warranty repairs of devices in authorized service centers have also increased.

Which Apple introduced this week, boast a high level of performance comparable to the flagship models

The thinnest and lightest full-sized tablet

On November 1, worldwide sales of the iPad Air started. Apple's new generation of full-sized tablets was unveiled on October 22 (we told you about this event), and this announcement turned out to be somewhat sensational: no one imagined that Apple would rename its tablet, adding the word Air to the name (previously used only in the line of ultra-thin laptops ). The manufacturer explained this by a significantly reduced weight and thickness of the device. And today we have the opportunity to check how revolutionary the changes turned out to be, not only in form, but also in essence (thanks to the online store for providing it for testing).

Since all the general information about the new product has already been given in the report from Apple's presentation, we will not repeat it. We only note that the previous major design update for the iPad was already two and a half years ago, when the iPad 2 was released. The iPad of the third and fourth generations in terms of design did not have any serious differences from the iPad 2. Therefore, the current update is doubly important. Here's a list of iPad Air specs.

  • SoC Apple A7 1.4 GHz 64-bit (2 cores, Cyclone architecture based on ARMv8)
  • PowerVR G6430 GPU
  • Apple M7 motion co-processor including accelerometer, gyroscope and compass
  • RAM 1 GB
  • Flash memory from 16 to 128 GB
  • No memory card support
  • operating room iOS system 7.0
  • Touchscreen IPS, 9.7″, 2048×1536 (264 ppi), capacitive, multi-touch
  • Cameras: front (1.2 MP, 720p FaceTime video) and rear (5 MP, 1080p video)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz; MIMO support)
  • Cellular (optional): UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), LTE Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • 3.5mm stereo headset jack, Lightning dock connector
  • Li-polymer battery 32.4 Wh
  • A-GPS (in version with cellular module)
  • Dimensions 240×170×7.5 mm
  • Weight 480 g (our measurement of the honeycomb version)

It is necessary to make a separate explanation about the LTE bands. As we know, previous generation iPads did not support Russian LTE bands in hardware. Now hardware support has arrived: in the specifications above you can find the Bands 7 and 20 used Russian operators. However, this does not mean that the iPad Air will work in LTE from the very first day of purchase. The fact is that Apple company has not yet certified Russian LTE networks for its devices. As soon as this happens, devices with hardware support for the corresponding bands will most likely receive software update, by setting which, it will be possible to connect to the LTE network. However, there remains some possibility that Apple does not certify Russian LTE networks - for example, due to their insufficient coverage. Therefore, if it is important for you to be able to use LTE, and not 3G, then buying an iPad Air is a risk, and you should probably look at other tablets that definitely have support for Russian LTE networks and are already working. A little later, confirmation appeared that the iPad Air works without problems in Russian LTE networks, so there are no risks in this part.

Let's compare the iPad Air to the competition, as well as the fourth-generation iPad.

fourth generation iPad Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Asus Transformer Pad Infinity (2013)
ScreenIPS, 9.7″, 2048×1536 (264 ppi)PLS, 10.1″, 2560×1600 (299 ppi)IPS, 10.1″, 2560×1600 (299 ppi)
SoC (processor)Apple A7 1.4GHz 64bit (2 cores, Cyclone architecture based on ARMv8) + M7 coprocessorApple A6X @1.4 GHz (2 cores of Apple proprietary architecture based on ARMv7s)Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 @2.3GHz (4x Krait 400 cores) / Samsung Exynos 5 Octa (4x ARM Cortex-A15 @1.9GHz & 4x ARM Cortex-A7 @1.3GHz)NVIDIA Tegra 4 @1.8GHz (4 cores + 1, ARM Cortex-A15)
GPUPowerVR G6430PowerVR SGX 554MP4 @300MHzAdreno 330 / Mali-T628 MP6NVIDIA GeForce
Flash memory16 to 128 GB16 to 128 GB16 to 64 GB32 GB + 5 GB in cloud storage Asus Webstorage
ConnectorsLightning dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jackMicro-USB (OTG capable), 3.5mm headphone jackdock connector, Micro-USB, Micro-HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Memory card supportNoNomicroSD (up to 64 GB)microSD
RAM1 GB1 GB3 GB2 GB
camerasfront (1.2 MP, 720p FaceTime video) and rear (5 MP, 1080p video)front (2 MP, 1080p video transmission) and rear (8 MP, 1080p video shooting)front (1.2 MP, 720p video support) and rear (5 MP, 1080p video recording)
InternetWi-Fi (optional - 3G, as well as 4G LTE)Wi-Fi (optional - 3G, as well as 4G LTE without support for Russian networks)Wi-Fi + 3G (optional LTE)WiFi
Battery capacity (mAh)8820 11560 8220 unknown
operating systemApple iOS 7.0Apple iOS 6.1Google Android 4.3Google Android 4.2.x
Dimensions (mm)*240×170×7.5241×186×9.4243×171×7.9263×181×8.9
Weight (g)480 652 544 585*
Average price** (Y.Market)T-10548614T-8485661T-10498474T-10549018

*according to the manufacturer
** for 32 GB flash version with 3G/4G module, if available

As you can see, iPad Air is inferior to top-end Android devices in many respects. However, since Apple devices exist in their own closed software ecosystem, draw any conclusions from what Samsung has Galaxy Note 10.1 has three gigabytes of RAM, and the iPad Air has only one, you can't. But the mass and thickness are undoubted and objective indicators, and they are certainly on the side of Apple. In principle, we can already say that the iPad Air is the thinnest and lightest full-size tablet. But let's see how it affects the sensations when using.

Packaging and equipment

The packaging of the iPad Air is almost the same as the packaging of the previous generation tablet.

As for the packaging, everything here is similar to the iPad 4: leaflets, Charger(12 W, 2.4 A, 5.2 V), Lightning cable, stickers and a key to remove the SIM card cradle.

Design

But if the equipment has not changed, then the tablet itself looks significantly different. Most importantly, it has become thinner, lighter and more compact. It's not just numbers on the scale and a ruler - it's a feeling that you can't help but notice if you've used an iPad before.

Firstly, the tablet has become more elongated: this happened due to a strong reduction in the side frames (to the right and left of the screen). In the photo below, this is clearly seen in comparison with the previous generation iPad.

And here is another eloquent photo: iPad Air lies on its predecessor.

No less revealing is the photo of this couple from a different angle.

Here we can already appreciate not only the reduced edges around the screen, but also the thickness of the iPad Air. True, if the previous three generations of the iPad had narrowed the edges almost to the state of “cutting bread with a tablet”, then the iPad Air does not have such a narrowing, therefore, with a cursory glance at the edges, it seems that there is almost no difference or it is not even in favor of the novelty. But actually it is not.

In general, the iPad Air borrows the design from the iPad mini: it feels like they took the same body and just increased the length and width. They even have almost identical thickness: iPad mini is three tenths of a millimeter thinner. But the second iPad mini (announced October 22 along with the iPad Air) is already exactly the same thickness as the iPad Air. But if the thickness of the iPad mini is not surprising, then in the case of the full-size iPad, it really makes an impression.

As for the placement of connectors and buttons, everything here is identical to the iPad mini - even the buttons are the same (metal, not plastic, like the iPad 4) and pressed with the same light effort. In addition to the Home button on the front side, there are two volume buttons and a lever that locks the screen orientation by default, located on the right side. On tablets with a cellular module on the same side, we see a slot for a Nano-SIM SIM card.

The left side is completely free from buttons and connectors. The Lightning connector is located on the bottom edge and the speakers are located on the sides of it.

On the top side we see the Power button, a 3.5 mm jack for connecting a stereo headset, and a microphone hole. On tablets with a cellular module, most of the upper edge is covered with a plastic insert (moreover, on light tablets it is white, not dark, as is the case with the iPad 4). To be honest, she messes up appearance devices. But, apparently, it is impossible to provide reliable 3G/LTE reception in an all-metal case.

In general, the design of the iPad Air is, of course, its main advantage, which distinguishes the device from all competitors. When you hold this almost weightless (compared to previous iPads) and thin glass-and-metal tablet, you experience almost the same sensations as you had from the first iPad when it first appeared. Perhaps this feeling will gradually fade, but at first you can’t get enough: how great it is to read magazines, surf the Internet, play on such a tablet ...

At the same time, I am glad that Apple was able to achieve such outstanding performance by using not plastic, like Samsung in the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, but metal (except for the plastic insert on tablets with a cellular module). In summary, we can say that at the moment the iPad Air simply has no design competitors among full-size tablets.

Screen and software

Like the iPad 3 and iPad 4, the iPad Air features a 2048×1536 Retina display. If a year and a half ago this figure was unsurpassed, and a year ago the only tablet with more high resolution there was a Google Nexus 10, which never reached Russia, now tablets with a resolution of 2560 × 1600 no longer look like such a curiosity. In addition, since the release of the iPad 4, we've had quite a few tablets with great screens in our test lab. How does the iPad Air screen look against their background?

Here is a detailed examination of the Retina screen, previously carried out by the editor of the Monitors and Projectors and TV sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, there is a very effective anti-glare filter, in terms of reducing the brightness of the reflection, it is approximately equal to the Google Nexus 7 screen filter of 2013 (further we compare it with it).

For clarity, here are photos in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens of both tablets:

Visually, the reflection has approximately the same brightness, and only statistics from graphic editor shows that the screen on the Nexus 7 is slightly darker (average brightness 52.73) than the iPad Air (average brightness 59.3).

Reflection in the screen is tripled, which suggests the presence of an air gap between the surface of the matrix and the outer glass. From the point of view of image perception, this is a minus, but a screen with a separate outer glass (it Touchpad) is easier and cheaper to repair. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, but still worse than Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control, its maximum value was about 425 cd / m², and the minimum - 7 cd / m². The maximum value is quite high, and, given the good anti-reflective properties, the image on the screen should be clearly visible in bright daylight. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front camera eye). At the same time, the brightness can only automatically increase - with a decrease in the level of ambient light, we did not wait for a corresponding decrease in the brightness of the screen. However, if you put the tablet into sleep mode and turn it on again, the brightness will be set according to the ambient light level. The minimum and average levels in Auto mode depend on the position of the brightness slider. So when the slider is set to maximum, automatic adjustment does not work - the brightness remains maximum regardless of external conditions. If the slider is approximately in the middle, then in bright light (corresponding to illumination on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight), the maximum brightness is 425 cd / m², in an office lit by artificial light - 145 cd / m² (normal), in the dark - 38 cd/m² (acceptable). If the slider is at the minimum, then under the above conditions, the values ​​are: 425, 14, 7 cd/m². Thus, this function works adequately only at some average positions for adjusting the brightness. At the extreme, the brightness is either always maximum, or it decreases too quickly when the ambient light decreases. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flicker.

This tablet uses an IPS type matrix. Micrographs show a typical IPS sub-pixel structure:

The screen has good viewing angles without hue inversion and without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here are photos in which the same images are displayed on the Nexus 7 and iPad Air screens, while the brightness of both screens is set to approximately 208 cd / m², perpendicular to the screens:

And the white box:

Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not “float” on both tablets. White field:

The brightness at an angle for both tablets decreased about the same (about four times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but Color tone changed insignificantly.

The black field, when deviated diagonally, is lightened weakly and acquires a red-violet hue or remains almost neutral gray. A photo from the Nexus 7 for comparison shows this (the brightness of both tablets is the same!):

And along the other diagonal:

It can be seen that the iPad Air has a different color tone of the black field depending on the diagonal, but its brightness is in any case slightly lower than the brightness of the black Nexus 7 at the same angle.

With a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is good, since in fact only along the lower edge there are dim areas with increased brightness of the black field (bright points are dead pixels on the camera's matrix):

The black uniformity of the Google Nexus 7 is worse, but it has better black depth in the center of the screen. Indeed, the contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) of the iPad Air is not a record - about 850:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 21 ms (11 ms on + 10 ms off). The transition between 25% and 75% grayscale (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 34 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the approximating exponential function turned out to be 2.24, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve barely deviates from the power dependence:

Color gamut close to sRGB:

Apparently, the matrix filters mix the components to each other to a moderate extent. The spectra confirm this:

As a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is close to the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (delta E) is less than 10, which is considered acceptable for a consumer device. At the same time, the variation in color temperature and delta E is small, which also has a positive effect on the visual perception of color balance. (Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, as there the color balance does not have of great importance, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)


The screen brightness adjustment range of the iPad Air is quite wide, and the anti-glare filter is very effective, which allows you to comfortably use the tablet both on a clear day outside and in complete darkness. There is automatic brightness adjustment, and it works more or less adequately, but only to increase, which will force the user to either set the brightness manually, or force the brightness to go down, putting the tablet into sleep mode and turning it back on. Apparently, this implementation facilitates the transition from previous versions iPad - habits can be saved. To the virtues iPad screen Air features an effective oleophobic coating, close to sRGB coverage, good color balance and excellent black stability when viewed from perpendicular to the screen surface, as well as good black field uniformity. In general, the screen quality is very high.

Part by part software iPad Air doesn't have anything fundamentally new except for the fact that it comes with iOS 7 pre-installed, while the previous model leaves the factory with iOS 6. But it can also be upgraded to iOS 7. Note also that iPad Air users are available for free popular apps Apple - Pages, Numbers, Keynote and GarageBand.

Performance

Like the iPhone 5s, the iPad Air runs on Apple's new SoC, the A7. Curiously, Apple didn't go with the original name for the tablet SoC. In the iPad 3 and 4, the SoC name also had an X prefix: Apple A5X and Apple A6X. Now - just Apple A7.

The main feature of the new SoC is the 64-bit "desktop class" architecture (as was said at the presentation of the iPhone 5s).

It is also worth paying attention to the presence of the motion coprocessor Apple M7. The idea is this: the gyroscope, compass, and accelerometer now feed data to the M7 coprocessor, which collects and processes that data. Among other things, it allows applications to use the information of these modules more efficiently, and also saves SoC power (which ultimately saves battery).

We wrote about other characteristics of the Apple A7 in the article about the iPhone 5s. Everything said there is true for the iPad Air.

Well, let's see what results the new iPad Air shows in benchmarks.

Let's start with browser tests: SunSpider 1.0, Octane Benchmark and Kraken Benchmark. In all cases, we used the Safari browser from iOS 7 on Apple devices, and Google Chrome on Android.

It is clearly seen that the iPad Air is the undisputed leader. And, of course, the separation from the fourth-generation iPad is especially impressive.

Now let's see how the iPad Air performs in Geekbench 3, a multi-platform benchmark that measures CPU and RAM performance.

As you can see, the results are generally similar to the previous test. iPad Air overtakes (albeit at the level of error) even an eight-core samsung galaxy Note 10.1. Well, in single-processor mode, it is a third faster than the main Android competitor and almost twice as fast as its predecessor, which indicates a significantly more efficient architecture of the Apple A7.

Now let's look at GPU performance. Two multi-platform benchmarks are available here: GFXBench (former GLBenchmark 2.7) and 3DMark. Let's start with the GFXBench results.

Apple iPad Air
(Apple A7)
Apple iPhone 5s
(Apple A7)
Apple iPad fourth generation
(Apple A6X)
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition
(Samsung Exynos 5 Octa)
Toshiba Excite Write
(NVIDIA Tegra 4)
GFXBench 2.7.2 T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)27 fps25 fps16 fps23 fps16 fps
GFXBench 2.7.2 T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)21 fps27 fps12 fps14 fps10 fps
GFXBench 2.7.2 T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen Fixed Timestep)25 fps23 fps16 fps21 fps15 fps
GFXBench 2.7.2 T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen Fixed Timestep)20 fps26 fps12 fps13 fps10 fps
GFXBench 2.7.2 Egypt HD (C24Z16)63 fps56 fps38 fps41 fps28 fps
GFXBench 2.7.2 Egypt HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)49 fps48 fps50 fps60 fps43 fps

As you can see, in Offscreen modes (it displays a scene in Full HD resolution, regardless of the screen resolution of the tablet), the new iPad Air is quite a bit, but still bypasses Android competitors. But in the Onscreen mode, which reflects the real "life" performance of games on specific device, iPad Air takes a big lead: the super-resolution of Android tablets plays against them.

And again iPad Air shows the best results, overtaking both its predecessors and competitors from the Android camp.

As we can see, despite the tougher competition, Apple still manages to maintain leadership in performance. Add to this the fact that all best games are still coming to iOS first, and that it is for iOS that they are best optimized (because there are a limited number of configurations), and we get the obvious conclusion: the iPad Air is the best gaming tablet today. Of course, in favor of the same Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, we can say that it has a higher resolution. But whether you will feel this difference looking at the screen is a big question. But you can feel the performance degradation due to this resolution in top games.

Offline work

The tablet was on our test for a very short time, and detailed tests battery life failed to do. But, nevertheless, we were able to test the novelty in the most difficult mode, which simulates a 3D game. This is the Epic Citadel (Guided Tour). With the screen brightness set to 100 cd/m², the tablet lasted just over six hours. The previous generation iPad showed the same result. Thus, Apple's claims that the battery life of the iPad Air has not deteriorated compared to the previous generation of Apple tablets can be considered true.

No less interesting is the comparison with other current tablet models. As can be seen from the table with the results, and new samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, and tablets based on NVIDIA Tegra 4 and Intel Atom Z2560 lost outright to iPad Air. True, here it is worth considering that the screen resolution of Samsung devices and Toshiba is higher than the iPad. But the fact remains: in high-load scenarios, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition will work less than the iPad Air.

Camera

iPad Air is equipped with two cameras - a front camera with a resolution of 1.2 megapixels and a rear one with a resolution of 5 megapixels, similar to the cameras of the iPad 4. This is not very high, especially by modern standards, but on a full-size tablet, the camera should still be considered rather as an addition. Although many (for example, Japanese tourists) do not think so. Anyway, good camera- this is a plus, but its quality is not determined by megapixels alone. So we decided to fully test the iPad Air's camera using our smartphone camera test methodology. The shooting of the stand and commentary of the pictures from the street were made by Anton Solovyov.

The iPad Air camera turned out pretty good. In general, it copes with shooting with good lighting, but perhaps nothing outstanding, except for an excellent macro. The camera manages not only to choose a good focus on a close object, but also to give the picture an artistry, blurring the background well. Macro photography in the camera is really implemented very well, it is felt that this was the focus. On the one hand, this is very reasonable, since the camera in a tablet often comes in handy for shooting documents; on the other hand, to each his own.

In various lighting conditions, the camera behaves slightly better than iPhone camera 5s. Unfortunately, the iPad Air doesn't come with a flash, which greatly limits the scope of its camera. Also, the capabilities of the camera are limited by a small resolution - only 5 megapixels, which does not allow it to be classified as a documentary.

The camera can be positioned as an artistic one with good abilities for macro and document photography.

Video

The rear camera can shoot 1080p video at 29.97 fps.

The video camera manages quite well, with a slight ripple, but without significant delays and lags between different parts of the frame from each other.

conclusions

Well, Apple has once again released a great tablet, demonstrating to all competitors (including the most aggressive ones who have already decided that they are the new leaders) who can combine design, functionality and excellent user experience best of all. You can list the shortcomings of the Apple platform and, conversely, the advantages of the Android platform for a long time, but if you ignore the "religious wars" and just pick up the iPad Air, it becomes clear that this is really an excellent product. And if among your needs there are none that cannot be realized without, say, a connection external drive, the most convenient access to Google services and pen, you might want to opt for the iPad.

If you just want to surf the Internet, read books and magazines, watch YouTube videos, play games, check emails, and you are ready to buy or rent movies in iTunes Store, then the Apple iPad Air is the clear favorite among purchase candidates. Of course, in this case we are not considering budget options, since we are talking about top-end devices.

But even those users who have any specific preferences that are incompatible with Apple restrictions, it is also worth saying thanks to the company created by Steve Jobs and now headed by Tim Cook: thanks to the iPad Air Android tablets soon, too, presumably, they will lose weight and lose weight, but for now their sellers will have to lose weight: prices for many top models should fall. Otherwise, they are unlikely to be able to compete with the iPad Air.

What we see as the most formidable competitor to the iPad Air is the new iPad mini, which, for $100 less, has all the same features and qualities (including a 2048×1536 screen resolution and Apple A7 SoC) but is more compact. , which can be regarded by many users as a plus (although this is a moot point: after all, the pleasure of reading, watching videos and surfing the web on a 9.7″ screen is much higher than on a 7.9″ screen). However, the iPad mini and its comparison with the iPad Air is a topic for a new article, which will be released immediately after the updated iPad mini appears on the world market. Stay tuned!

At the end of the article, we bring to your attention our video review Apple tablet iPad Air:


16 GB (+3G)32 GB (+3G)64 GB (+3G)128 GB (+3G)
Average price according to Yandex.Market
T-10548616
(T-10548613 )
T-10548618
(T-10548614 )
T-10548620
(T-10548615 )
T-10548752
(T-10548750 )
Offers iPad Air 16 GB (+3G) according to Yandex.Market
L-10548616-5L-10548613-5
Offers iPad Air 32 GB (+3G) according to Yandex.Market
L-10548618-5L-10548614-5
Offers iPad Air 64 GB (+3G) according to Yandex.Market
L-10548620-5L-10548615-5
Offers iPad Air 128 GB (+3G) according to Yandex.Market
L-10548752-5L-10548750-5

As always, Apple fans are looking forward to the release of a new device on the market. In March, there will be a presentation of a tablet called iPad Air 3. The release date will also be indicated there.

Some people are interested in the new version of Air in terms of purchase, others - just out of curiosity. After all, it is always interesting to know how the new product differs from the previous model.

The presentation promises to be grandiose, which is not typical for the company. But this time, the developers have been active in order to stimulate their fans. This is probably due to the crisis and the accompanying decline in sales. In addition, speaking of the iPad of any version and the iPhone, they are now not the most expensive devices in the world. The "apple" company, as you know, missed Alphabet ahead.

The release date of the Apple iPad Air 3 is not yet known, but on the net you can find a lot of assumptions about its design and "stuffing". You can even find a schematic showing new gadget. Judging by it, as usual, the device will not receive significant changes in terms of “appearance”. For example, the audio connector will remain in its usual place.

But instead of speculating about when the iPad Air 3 will be released, let's talk about its expected specs. Read on for a detailed review.

The appearance of the gadget, judging by the schemes on the network, will remain the same. Only with regards to the color scheme, there will be 3 options - white, gray and golden. Perhaps the original color "rose gold" will appear. But for now, these are just rumors.

The Air will also be thinner than the previous model by 1.2 cm, thereby winning the title of the thinnest tablet in the world. Before him, the second device of the same line had the palm. The developers managed to achieve a thickness of 5 mm thanks to the new composition of steel, which. It is also more durable and wear resistant.

If we consider the security category, then here the novelty will be all right. Definitely there will be moisture protection technology according to the IPX7 standard. The grid of stereo speakers will move to the other side (or rather, the elements will be duplicated). Similar innovations have already been introduced in the Pro version, and they look quite organic.

Probably, the change in the location of the speakers is far from the only chip in the structure of the case, which the iPad Air 3 will take from its predecessor. But one can only speculate about this. There are rumors that the third iPad Air will also have a pencil already loved by many.

Display

The trio will most likely be equipped with the usual 9.7-inch display with a resolution of 4K. The pixel density indicator will be 401 ppi with an aspect ratio of 4 to 3.

The second tablet of this line had a much lower resolution. So expect better picture quality.

For sure, the device will have Forse Touch technology, which allows you to distinguish the power of pressing the display. In addition, it will expand the range of functions of the gadget and improve the work with content.

Performance

Often, the "apple" company names the processors of its tablets with the X prefix. For the first time, this began to be practiced from the third line of iPads that worked on A5X chips. This detail was missing only from the mini 4, which was supposed to be innovative compared to others.

To be honest, the main function of the tablet is the absorption of various kinds of content. And if this device “hangs” when launching modern games and applications, it is unlikely that anyone will like it. By the way, the A9 chip slowed down a little when launching games with high system requirements.

However, it is unlikely that the developers will pay attention to past experience, and, most likely, they will equip the Air 3 with the A9 chip. The fact is that if you put a newer chip on a new device, it will become a competitor to the flagship iPad Pro.

Therefore, it seems that at the presentation of the new product, the RAM will be praised, the volume of which will increase by 2 times and amount to 4 GB. If such a characteristic were also combined with a better processor, it would be an excellent gadget. And so, it remains only to guess how the model will manifest itself in practice.

Camera

The main camera of the “troika” will remain the same, that is, its resolution will be 8 MP. The selfie camera will improve slightly (up to 2.1 MP). Who does not know - in previous models of tablets, this element is practically “none”. What good can be removed at 1.2 MP?

But the most important innovative detail in the camera, which may be present in the model in question, is Led - a flash. It will be placed next to the main chamber. Until now, Apple has never introduced such an element into its gadgets, believing that users do not use the camera to take pictures.

There is every reason to believe that Air 3 will be the first device from the "apple" company to have an LED flash.

Battery

Alas, in recent years there has been a tendency to reduce the battery capacity of each subsequent device. According to the developers, this forced measure was taken to optimize operating system.

Let's say in the fourth mini iPad the battery has significantly lost its capacity. But testing showed that the operating time without recharging was not reduced.

The capacity of the new tablet is expected to be up to 6500 mAh, which is about 1000 units less than in the previous model of the same line.

More rumors and facts

So, all that has been said above is just an assumption about what the new iPad of the third version will be like. the company itself rarely comments on anything before the official meeting with fans and journalists at the presentation. But some conjectures may well turn out to be facts. Below is a list of the most reliable assumptions:

1 It is quite possible that instead of the expected device, the Pro model will be released. But with a smaller display (regular sizes). And the Air series will be eliminated altogether. One way or another, something real about the new gadget can be heard this spring. 2 There will be no radical change in design. But it was possible not to talk much about this, since this is the usual practice of the "apple" company. The device will look exactly the same as all tablets of the Air line. The dimensions may change, but nothing will change fundamentally. 3 By ignoring the issues of changing the "appearance" of new items, developers can concentrate on improving protection. The device can be made of a higher quality alloy, have an improved display coating, and the like. There will probably be new body colors as well. By analogy with smartphones, rose gold color may appear. In theory, moisture protection will be introduced. 4 Display resolution will definitely be increased. But no one can give exact numbers yet, there are only assumptions. But it is unlikely that Apple will follow the standard path and make this parameter equal to 4K 3840 × 2160 pixels. Most likely, Cupertinians will invent something of their own, unique. 5 A processor running on 3 cores will not be exactly. Probably, the company will introduce A9 or A10 into tablets. 6 None of the experts doubts that the acoustic stereo system of tablet number 3 will, like the previous model, include 4 speakers. 7 The presence of the Apple Pencil is also a big question. But many reputable sources believe that the novelty will work with this stylus. 8 Support for 3D Touch in the new gadget, most likely, will not. 9 The manufacturer will release its own version of a portable keyboard for the new tablet. 10 Photosensors will also receive an update. It will have a flash (aka a flashlight).


Estimated cost in Russia

The iPad Air 3 starts at $500. This is for the simplest version with 16 GB of memory and WiFi support. The most expensive variation comes with Cellular and costs $700. As usual, after the release of a new product, the price of the previous model is reduced by 30 percent. Therefore, the prices are approximate, based on the cost of the Air 2 tablet.

A revolutionary device on the verge of fantasy at an incredible price. - Apple

The official appearance of new items from Apple had to wait seven months. That did not prevent those who wish (including Dmitry Anatolyevich) from acquiring an iPad before the start of sales in Russia. The tablet was only available in black and had neither a front nor a rear camera.

By the way, in our country, users first saw the iPhone 4 with its Retina display and only then iPad with its 1024x780 pixels. You get used to good things instantly, so many lacked an ultra-clear screen on a tablet. I had to wait a couple of years.

  • iPad 2

Thinner. Easier. Faster. - Apple

The updated tablet received a dual-core A5 processor, 512 MB of RAM, simple rear and front cameras, and a different body shape that lasted two more generations of the iPad. It was thinner than its predecessor by 4.4 mm and lighter by about 70 grams. The display remained absolutely the same, but a model appeared in white. traveled to Russia for two and a half months - a relatively short time.

This "old man" is still holding on, you can roll on him latest version iOS is not necessary! . True, he works on it "with a scratch."

  • iPad 3

Revolution. This is very clear. - Apple

Traditional two-plus months of waiting, and appeared in Russia. It had a bunch of changes: an improved A5x processor, upgraded rear camera, 1 GB of RAM, Siri and, of course, a Retina display. But almost immediately it became noticeable that in order to maintain the speed of the tablet at an acceptable level.

There is an opinion that Apple hastened with the release of the third iPad, trying to keep up with competitors and meet the needs of users. The company hurried to correct itself after six months in the next generation of the tablet.

  • iPad 4

Just as magnificent. But twice as fast. - Apple

This is exactly what the iPad 3 should have been, because it is no coincidence that Apple called the fourth generation of the device "". Although a similar screen was in the previous tablet. The novelty received an improved A6x processor, higher RAM frequency, Lightning connector, front camera with adequate matrix resolution and 4G, working in Russia. The tablet just “flyed”.

Its release was unexpected and significantly spoiled the mood of those who bought the third generation of the tablet in the summer. On this moment this is the latest iPad in a "classic" case.

  • iPad mini

iPad to the last inch. - Apple

Another novelty of the same year. In the fall, Apple introduced two iPads for the first time. At one time, Jobs was categorically against the smaller tablet, but consumers thought differently.

The low-resolution display and other internals of the iPad 2 were “threaded” into the 7.9-inch device. This does not detract from the capabilities of the old hardware, but rather indicates its large power reserve. Many did not like such a move, but even with such a filling it “dragged” and worked faster than its competitors.

The case design has changed, the main elements of which are still wandering from one new product to another, this can be seen even in the huge iPad Pro.

  • iPad Air

Power is lighter than light. - Apple

And again, Apple showed two tablets at once - Air and mini. Their design led to the same denominator, and specifications generally identical, except for the size and color reproduction of the display.

The small tablet from Apple had the same processor as the Air, but its frequency was underestimated by software in order to prevent the device from overheating. Garbage, warmed up like the third iPad.

The gap between the start of sales in the first wave and in Russia was inexorably shrinking, which could not please all gadget lovers in our country.

  • iPad Air 2

Change is in your hands. - Apple

Sales of new tablets from Apple started in Russia at the same time as the USA. received a new A8x processor (which was created specifically for him), an 8-core video chip and 2 GB of RAM. What "done" everyone else, he is still at the top of the performance rating and is second only to the recent Pro.

Plus, Air 2 received many other nice features: Touch ID, upgraded LTE, gold-colored case, additional shooting modes, anti-reflective screen coating, support for Apple Pay and a barometer.

  • iPad mini 3

With Touch ID - Apple

I got Touch ID, a gold-colored case and ... that's it.

Probably the most useless update ever.

  • iPad Pro

Thin. Easy. Grandiose. - Apple

You can argue for a long time why and how to use it, but the fact remains.

Having studied everything iPad models and their characteristics, one can understand how tablet PC technology has evolved and progressed from 2010 to the present.

After all, these famous gadgets and a few years ago, and now are equipped with the most modern details. And you can see development in them.

Moreover, some analysts suggest that it will be the iPads that will be the first to displace a significant part of the market from the market over time. desktop computers, surpassing them, if not in power, then at least in mobility and ease of use.

iPad 1

The first "iPad" went on sale in 2010 and became a truly revolutionary gadget that received a lot of technologies that other tablet PCs did not have at that time - an IPS display and a powerful gigahertz Apple A4 processor.

High speed, a screen with a diagonal of almost 10 inches and a capacious 6667 mAh battery made the iPad 1 popular.

However, it was still just an experimental model, with a number of shortcomings and shortcomings.

Among the disadvantages of the device was called a relatively short work on a single charge - even such a battery was not enough for a large display and resource-intensive iOS operating system.

In addition, the "iPad" was quite thick by the standards of other tablets and did not come with a camera, which is why it could not be used for video chatting.

But his body received rounded edges and stylish buttons volume control on the right side.

The original decision of the developers was the button for switching the lock modes and screen orientation, which lights up in green when turned on.

Another impressive feature is the built-in memory of the tablet, the maximum amount of which was 64 GB.

Although the rather modest RAM parameters did not allow installing more modern versions on the tablet.

Technical specifications:

  • screen size: 9.7 inches;
  • resolution: 768 x 1024;
  • processor: single core, 1000 MHz;
  • cameras: none;
  • memory size: 256 MB of RAM and from 16 to 64 GB of built-in;
  • battery capacity: 6667 mAh.

iPad 2

The next generation iPad, which appeared in 2011, turned out to be more advanced and had much fewer flaws.

First of all, this concerned the amount of RAM increased to 512 MB - quite enough to run modern applications and install new operating systems.

In addition, the model received two cameras at once - the main one at 0.69 megapixels. and frontal with a resolution (640 x 480), a gyroscope and a dual-core processor.

Most of the other characteristics, apart from more powerful processor, remained at the same level. Visually, the gadget was distinguished by the edging of the Home button, which matches the color of the body.

Tablet options:

  • screen: 1536x2048 pixels, 7.9 inches;
  • chipset: 2 cores, 1300 MHz;
  • cameras: 5 and 1.2 megapixels;
  • memory: RAM - 1 GB, ROM - 16, 64 and 128 GB;
  • battery capacity: 6471 mAh.

Another plus is the most affordable price in the history of the release of the series. The basic version of the model can be purchased for only $329.

At the same time, decent features and quite affordable cost allow gadgets to compete with top versions from other manufacturers.

And not only among fans of Apple products, but also among users who prefer high performance and modern technology.