The iPad Air Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 29, 2013 9:00 PM ESTWiFi
The iPad Air moves to a 2-stream dual-band 802.11n solution, a sort of compromise between where the iPad was with its previous single-stream implementation and some of the newer devices shipping with 802.11ac. Moving to two spatial streams obviously helps improve performance tremendously. Peak performance on 5GHz 802.11n, assuming an equally capable AP, went as high as 180Mbps in my tests. I was able to average 168Mbps during our standard UDP WiFi test on 5GHz.
Cellular
Apple continues to use Qualcomm’s MDM9615 modem in the iPad Air, the big difference this round is there’s only a single SKU (A1475) for the cellular model covering a total of 34 countries across the Americas and EMEA. The LTE iPad Air supports a total of 14 LTE bands (1,2,3,4,5,7,8,13,17,18,19,20,25 and 26). In his usual awesome fashion, Brian speculated that the increased number of supported LTE bands was partially a function of moving to Qualcomm’s WTR1605L transceiver.
| iPad Cellular Speeds | ||||||
| Property | iPhone 3G/3GS/iPad 1 3G | iPhone 4 / iPad 2 (GSM/UMTS) | iPhone 4 / iPad 2 (CDMA) | iPad 3 | iPad 4/iPad Mini | iPad Air/iPad Mini w/Retina |
| Baseband | Infineon X-Gold 608 | Infineon X-Gold 618 | Qualcomm MDM6600 | Qualcomm MDM9600 | Qualcomm MDM9615 w/RTR8600 |
Qualcomm MDM9615 w/WTR1605L |
| Max 3GPP Release Feature | Release 5 | Release 6 | Release 7 | Release 9 | Release 9 | Release 9 |
| HSDPA Category | Cat.8 - 7.2 Mbps | Cat.8 - 7.2 Mbps | N/A | Cat. 24 - 42 Mbps | Cat. 24 - 42 Mbps | Cat. 24 - 42 Mbps |
| HSUPA Category | None - 384 Kbps WCDMA only | Cat.6 - 5.76 Mbps | N/A | Cat.6 - 5.76 Mbps | Cat.6 - 5.76 Mbps | Cat.6 - 5.76 Mbps |
| EVDO | N/A | N/A | 1x/EVDO Rev.A | 1x/EVDO Rev.A | 1x/EVDO Rev.A | 1x/EVDO Rev.A |
| LTE | N/A | N/A | N/A | 100/50 UE Cat. 3 | 100/50 UE Cat. 3 | 100/50 UE Cat. 3 |
From a spec and performance standpoint, the LTE modem in the iPad Air is no different than what was in the 4th generation iPad. Consistent cellular connectivity options remains one of the staples of the iPad lineup. Although WiFi tablets still tend to be the more popular, it’s hard to argue with the productivity benefit to having LTE on a tablet. Being able to just reach for the iPad Air and know it’ll have connectivity regardless of where I am, without having to search for and log in to a WiFi network, is tremendously convenient.
Just as before, there’s no contract commitment necessary to buy an LTE iPad Air. You can manage your account directly on the device itself. Furthermore, at least in the US, the LTE iPad Air isn’t locked to any one network operator. You specify what provider you’d like to go with at the time of purchase, but afterwards you’re able to swap in any other activated nano SIM from a supported network operator. You could feasibly start out with a Sprint iPad Air and later switch to a Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T SIM and continue using the device. The flexibility offered by a single SKU with support for a ton of bands is pretty awesome.
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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...