Apple iPad Air vs Nexus 10 vs Microsoft Surface 2 specs comparison
The fifth-generation Apple iPad is here and it is the first time Apple’s 9.7-inch tablet has gotten a huge redesign going more compact and modern to deserve a brand new name - the iPad Air. The big change have come to the outside, but there’s a lot improved under the hood as well, so let’s take a look.
Apple has traditionally held the upper hand in tablet graphics and the iPad Air ups the ante in both CPU and GPU power with the Apple A7 chip. That looks to be the same chip Apple is using in the iPhone 5s, a somewhat strange decision since we’ve been accustomed to getting an Ax version of Apple’s chips with more graphical oomph in iPads. Not this time probably.
In terms of the performance gain, Apple put it simple and clear: the new iPad Air has up to 8x faster CPU performance and 72x faster graphics performance in comparison to the original. The company is usually pretty spot on with those numbers, so we have no reason to distrust them.
The new iPad Air is also 2x faster opening files and supports Wi-Fi n (not the latest 802.11ac Apple bragged about including in the new Macbook Pros).
Most importantly, at all this Apple manages to keep the 10-hour battery life. However how will this all stack up against the big competitors, the Google Nexus 10 and the Microsoft Surface 2? Take a look at the spec comparison right below.
In terms of the performance gain, Apple put it simple and clear: the new iPad Air has up to 8x faster CPU performance and 72x faster graphics performance in comparison to the original. The company is usually pretty spot on with those numbers, so we have no reason to distrust them.
Most importantly, at all this Apple manages to keep the 10-hour battery life. However how will this all stack up against the big competitors, the Google Nexus 10 and the Microsoft Surface 2? Take a look at the spec comparison right below.
|
|
|
| Apple iPad Air | Google Nexus 10 | Microsoft Surface 2 |
Design
| Dimensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9.45 x 6.67 x 0.30 inches 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm |
10.39 x 6.99 x 0.35 inches 263.9 x 177.6 x 8.9 mm |
10.81 x 6.79 x 0.35 inches 275 x 172 x 9 mm |
| Weight | ||
| 16.86 oz (478.0 g) | 21.27 oz (603.0 g) | 23.84 oz (675.8 g) |
| Materials | ||
| Back: Aluminum | ||
| Keys | ||
| Right: Volume control, Other | ||
| Colors | ||
| Black, Gray, Silver, White | ||
Display
| Size | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9.7-inch | 10.1-inch | 10.6-inch |
| Resolution | ||
| 1536x2048px, 264 PPI | 1600x2560px, 300 PPI | 1080x1920px, 208 PPI |
| Technology | ||
| IPS LCD | True RGB Real Stripe PLS | IPS LCD |
| Screen-to-body | ||
| 71.65 % | 62.50 % | 65.41 % |
| Colors | ||
| 16 777 216 | ||
| Features | ||
| Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor | Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 2), Ambient light sensor | Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor |
Hardware
| System chip | ||
|---|---|---|
| Apple A7 | Samsung Exynos 5 Dual 5250 (32 nm) | NVIDIA Tegra 4 T114 (28 nm) |
| Processor | ||
| Dual-core 1400 MHz Cyclone |
Dual-core 1700 MHz ARM Cortex-A15 | Quad-core 1700 MHz ARM Cortex-A15 |
| GPU | ||
| PowerVR G6430 | Mali-T604 MP4 | Yes |
| Memory | ||
| 1GB (LPDDR3)/128GB | 2GB/32GB | 2GB (LPDDR3)/32GB |
| Storage expansion | ||
| microSDXC | ||
| OS | ||
| iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x, 7.x) | Android (5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2, 4.4, 4.3, 4.2.2, 4.2.1, 4.2) | Windows (RT 8.1) |
Battery
| Type | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8820 mAh, Li - Polymer | 9000 mAh, Li - Polymer | |
Camera
| Rear | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single camera | Single camera | Single camera |
| Main camera | ||
| 5 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor) Aperture size: F2.4 Focal length: 33 mm |
5 MP (Autofocus) | 5 MP (Autofocus) |
| Flash | ||
| LED | ||
| Video recording | ||
| 1080p (30 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling |
1080p (30 fps) | 1080p |
| Front | ||
| 1.2 MP Video capture: 720p (30 fps) |
1.9 MP | 3.5 MP |
Connectivity & Features
| Bluetooth | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| WLAN | ||
| a,b,g,n,dual-band Multiple antennas, MIMO, Hotspot |
a,b,g,n MIMO | a,b,g,n,dual-band Multiple antennas, MIMO |
| USB | ||
| Lightning | microUSB, USB 2.0 | Full-size USB, USB 3.0 |
| Sensors | ||
| Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass |
| HDMI | ||
| Micro HDMI (Type D) | ||
| Location | ||
| A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass | |
| Other | ||
| Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop | NFC, Computer sync, OTA sync | OTA sync |
Multimedia
| Headphones | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack |
| Speakers | ||
| Multiple speakers | Multiple speakers | Loudspeaker |
| Features | ||
| Album art cover, Background playback | Album art cover, Background playback | Album art cover, Background playback |
| Screen mirroring | ||
| TV-out | DLNA,TV-out | TV-out |
| Additional microphone(s) | ||
| Yes | Noise cancellation, Video recording | |
Cellular
| 4G (FDD) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 | ||
| 3G | ||
| Bands 5, 8, 2, 1 | ||
| Data Speed | ||
| LTE, HSPA, UMTS | ||
| SIM type | ||
| Nano SIM | ||
Phone Features
| Notifications | ||
|---|---|---|
| Flight mode, Silent mode | Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone | |
| Other features | ||
| Voice commands, Voice recording | Voice recording | |
Regulatory Approval
| FCC approval | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date approved: Oct 22, 2013 FCC ID value: BCGA1475 | ||
| Measured SAR | ||
| Body: 1.19 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.33 W/kg |
||
Buyers information
| MSRP | ||
|---|---|---|
| $ 929 | $ 499 | $ 449 |
Availability
| Officially announced | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2013 | Oct 29, 2012 | Sep 23, 2013 |
See the full
Apple iPad Air vs Google Nexus 10 vs Microsoft Surface 2 specs comparison
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