Apple iPad Air 2 vs Google Nexus 9 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 edition): specs comparison clash

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Apple's new iPad, the iPad Air 2, is here and it's destined to clash the surplus of high-end Android and Windows tablets that have been around for some time now. The first iPad defined the tablet category back in 2010 and its newest generation seems to be fiercer than ever. Sporting the 64-bit A8X SoC, the iPad Air 2 is an improved version of Apple's last year flagship tablet, which will appeal to those iFans that want to possess the latest and greatest piece of tech that comes straight out of Cupertino.

Although we can choose among many tablets, we decided to pit the new iPad Air against Google's newest, hot-off-the-oven Nexus 9 slate in a heated specs battle. We've also thrown in an S Pen-toting Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) for a good multitasking measure.

On paper, the differences will be drastic, as each and every tablet of this trio has its own strong points and reasons to be the top-ranking slate. Such comparisons, however, will have to wait a little, and now we are purely comparing the specs sheets of the devices. It won't be too far-fetched to say that the iPad Air 2, the Google Nexus 9, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 edition) are among the best tablets at the moment. Yes, the Nexus 9 will be taking names in the hardware department, but let's not forget that it is not the sole defining point of a good tablet.

Which one of these reigns supreme over the rest? Let' check out the specs game of the tablets right below!

Apple iPad Air 2 Google Nexus 9 Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 (2014 Edition)

Design

Dimensions
9.45 x 6.67 x 0.24 inches
240 x 169.5 x 6.1 mm
8.99 x 6.05 x 0.31 inches
228.25 x 153.68 x 7.95 mm
9.57 x 6.75 x 0.31 inches
243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9 mm
Weight
15.41 oz (437.0 g) 15.38 oz (436.0 g) 19.29 oz (547.0 g)
Materials
Back: Aluminum Back: Plastic
Biometrics
Fingerprint (touch)
Features
Notification light Stylus
Keys
Right: Volume control Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Gold, Gray, Silver Black, Brown, White Black, White
Phone functionality
Yes

Display

Size
9.7-inch, 71.65% screen-to-body 8.9-inch, 69.90% screen-to-body 10.1-inch, 70.97% screen-to-body
Type
IPS LCD IPS LCD Super Clear LCD
Resolution
2048x1536px, 264 PPI 2048x1536px, 288 PPI 1600x2560px, 299 PPI
Colors
16 777 216 16 777 216 16 777 216
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Features
Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor Ambient light sensor

Hardware

System chip
Apple A8X NVIDIA Tegra K1 (28 nm) Snapdragon 800 MSM8974
Processor
Triple-core
1500 MHz
Cyclone
Dual-core
2300 MHz
Denve
Quad-core
2300 MHz
Krait 400
GPU
PowerVR GXA6850 Kepler Adreno 330
Memory
2GB (LPDDR3)/128GB
2GB/16GB
2GB/64GB
2GB/128GB
2GB (DDR3)/32GB 3GB (LPDDR3)/16GB
3GB/32GB
3GB/64GB
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 64 GB
OS
iOS (13.x, 12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x) Android (7.1 Nougat, 7.0 Nougat, 5.0 Lollipop) Android (4.4.2, 4.3)

Battery

Type
7340 mAh 6700 mAh, Li - Polymer 8220 mAh, Li - Ion

Camera

Rear
Single camera Single camera Single camera
Main camera
8 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal length: 31 mm
8 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal length: 29.2 mm
Sensor size: 1/4"
Pixel size: 1.12 μm
8 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Flash
LED LED
Video recording
1080p (30 fps), 720p (120 fps)
Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling
1080p (30 fps) 1080p
Front
1.2 MP
Video capture: 720p (30 fps)
1.6 MP
Video capture: 720p
2 MP

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.0 4.1 4.0
WLAN
a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
Multiple antennas, MIMO, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac
b,g,n,ac,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 b, g, n, ac
a,b,g,n,dual-band,ac
Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac
USB
Lightning microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BeiDou GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
Other
Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop NFC, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync Computer sync, OTA sync, ANT+, Infrared

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Multiple speakers Multiple speakers Multiple speakers
Features
Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback
Screen mirroring
TV-out DLNA DLNA,MHL
Additional microphone(s)
Yes Yes

Cellular

4G (FDD)
Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20 Bands 18, 5, 8, 3, 1, 7
3G
Bands 5, 8, 4, 2, 1 Bands 5, 8, 4, 2, 1 Bands 5, 8, 2, 1
Data Speed
LTE, HSPA, UMTS LTE Cat 3 (100/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS
SIM type
Nano SIM Nano SIM Micro SIM

Phone Features

Notifications
Flight mode, Silent mode Flight mode, Silent mode Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
Other features
Voice commands, Voice recording Voice commands, Voice recording Voice commands, Voice recording

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Oct 16, 2014
FCC ID value: BCGA1566
Measured SAR
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.56 W/kg

Availability

Officially announced
Oct 16, 2014 Oct 15, 2014 Sep 04, 2013
MSRP
$ 829


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