iPad Air 2 Price, Specs & Features vs iPad Air

Should you upgrade to the iPad Air 2 or stick to the iPad Air? Here is a list of what's new in the recently-released Apple tablet.

Body

The iPad Air 2 is lighter and thinner compared to its predecessor. The iPad Air's thickness comes in at 7.5mm but the new model of the Apple tablet is 1.4mm thinner at 6.1mm.

In terms of weight, the iPad Air 2 is just under 1 lb. while the iPad Air is 1 lb. and a little over that for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

Performance                        

Probably one of the few things which matter, the iPad Air 2 is said to be 68% faster than the iPad Air, said MacRumors, citing a chart published by Primate Labs.

"Comparing iPad to iPad, the A8X in the iPad Air 2 measures 68 percent faster than the A7 in last year's iPad Air according to the multi-core benchmark," said MacRumors.

TechCrunch also offers an explanation on the improved performance, saying "The A8X uses Apple's second-generation 64-bit mobile architecture, and improves CPU performance by up to 40 percent over the speed of the A7."

In terms of GPU, TechCrunch notes, "Graphics performance is improved by a factor of 2.5, and with the help of Apple's Metal game development technology, the company says this can result in unparalleled application performance when working with advanced visuals.

Aside from better CPU and GPU, the iPad Air 2 reportedly has improved Wi-Fi chip which makes connecting to "certain networks" faster.

Camera

The iPad Air's 5MP camera has been replaced with an 8MP snapper with a load of features. It has "high-res panorama capture, burst mode with 10fps capture, time-lapse and slow-mo video and improved face detection," according to TechCrunch.

Display

The iPad Air 2 comes with the same 2048×1536, 264 pixels per inch Retina screen as the iPad Air. However, Apple has gone the extra bit of mile by unifying three separate components, cover glass, touch sensor and LCD into one.

"Colors are richer, contrast is greater, and images are sharper and more vivid," said Apple.

There's also anti-reflective coating which TechCrunch says functions "to slightly lessen the ghosted images you'll see in bright environments, or reflected from other light sources." It reduces glare by 56%, claims Apple.

Touch ID

The fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus are also on the iPad Air 2. The biometric technology functions as an unlock feature and also enables purchases on iTunes, iBooks and the App Store.

Touch ID is also being integrated in various apps such as Dropbox and Apple's very own Apple Pay. TechCrunch notes that the tech giant has disabled in-store purchases via Touch ID on the iPad Air 2.

Price

The iPad Air 2 costs $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, $599 for the 64GB and $699 for the 128GB. It is available in silver, space gray and gold.

The iPad Air costs $399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and $499 for the 64GB. Unlike the newer version, the gold color option is not available on the iPad Air.

Do you think the $100 upgrade will be worth it? Share your thoughts!