iPad Air 2 vs Nexus 9: Design, Characteristics, Prices

iPad Air 2 vs Nexus 9: Design, Characteristics, Prices

In the middle of October two new devices hit the tablet computers market. With a day’s difference Apple and Google presented their novelties – iPad Air 2 and Nexus 9. Let us try to find out what strengths these tablets have.

Design

In contrast to its competitor, iPad Air is portable, and its unibody made of anodized aluminum is very strong. The new Apple tablet computer has become the thinnest one in the world, only 6.1 mm thick. The Google device cannot boast of the same result, it has the same parameter of 7.95 mm. Nexus 9 has a plastic case with a metal frame.

The gadgets’ weight is almost the same, in spite of the iPad’s bigger screen – iPad Air 2 weighing 437 g with 9.7 inches vs Nexus 9 weighing 425 g with 8.9 inches.

Performance Traditionally Apple never unveils the details of its devices’ technical characteristics. It is only known that the power of the new iPad Air 2 A8X 64-bit processor increased by 40% as compared to its predecessor.

As for Google, it is pretty forthcoming about the details: as well as the competitors, it uses an NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit four-core 2.3 Hz processing unit with 2 GB of RAM. The use of the 64-bit processor is quite explicable. Along with the tablet, Google announced an Android 5.0 operating system that is optimized for 64-bit processors.

According to performance tests, the devices are the market leaders. A remarkable fact is that neither of the models supports microSD cards. While in the case of iPad Air 2 this is quite sensible (users are offered versions with 16, 64 and 129 GB of internal storage), yet this is difficult to understand in the case of Nexus 9 where you can choose only between 16 and 32 GB of internal storage.

Display

The diagonal was mentioned above. Now let us talk about the quality. The tablets have the same display resolution – 2048 x 1536 pixels. However, due to the smaller size of a Nexus 9 display, it has higher PPI. You cannot see the difference with the naked eye; the displays of both of the devices are bright and vivid. At the same time, iPad Air 2 has another indisputable advantage – the antiglare coating. Therefore, you can use the device both indoors and outdoors.

Battery Life

For several years, Apple has adhered to the standard of providing 10 hours of Wi-Fi surfing and video watching. The new model is no exception. This is the standard that became the starting point for the competitors that try and keep apace with Apple tablets. Nexus 9 is not an exception. Being used intensively, it can work for 9.5 hours.

Fingerprint Scanner and the Sound

IPad Air 2 has a fingerprint scanner, so you can lock the device and prevent anyone from getting the access to important information. The scanner also secures on-line stores and apps purchases. Hence, your child won’t be able to buy expensive software without you knowing. Google tablet computers do not have such a function.

On the other hand, Nexus 9 can boast of front-facing stereo BoomSound speakers that are typical for modern HTC smartphones. The new iPad speakers are traditionally located at the bottom of the device.

Operating System and Software

iPad Air with iOS 8.1 has an advantageous operating system and apps. Though the new Nexus offers its users the new Android 5.0, App Store is a software development leader. Many of the Android tablet apps are much worse than their iOS analogues.

Pricing

At the start of the sales, the minimum iPad Air 2 version (Wi-Fi, 16 GB) will cost $499 and the maximum version (LTE, 128 GB) will cost $829. Nexus 9 will cost $100 cheaper – $399 for the 16 GB version with Wi-Fi.

Source: macdigger.ru