Apple iPad Air compared to Android tablets

The new iPad Air is here and Apple thinks this is a killer device. But is it? I think not. There are better Android devices with better specs and access to a lot of apps. Apple also launched a better version of iPad mini. But here we are going to focus on the bigger premium iPad Air.

SCREEN

The size of iPad Air remains the same, 9.7 inches. It’s a good size and there are smaller and bigger Android devices. Sony Xperia Tablet Z and Nexus 10 are bigger, they have 10 inches screens and there are also Dell Venue 8 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 with 8 inches screens. So you can decide the exact size you want when selecting an Android tablet. The LED-backlit IPS LCD of iPad Air is really good and it has 264 pixels per inch. It is a quality screen that can be compared to Nexus 7 (323 pixels per inch) or the bigger Nexus 10 (229PPI), Sony Xperia Tablet Z (224PPI) or Asus Transformer TF700 (224PPI). The difference between 224 and 264PPI is small you will not see it naked eye. So iPad’s Air screen is good but not the best of the market, neither unique. You can find great Android tablets with great screens.

CAMERA

Apple iPad Air has a 5MP camera. Tablets are not like smartphones, they don’t have extra big cameras. But there are Android tablets with better cameras like Sony Xperia Tablet Z with 8.1MP camera or Asus Transformer TF700 and Sony Xperia Tablet S with 8MP cameras. There are also a lot of tablets with 5MP main camera like Nexus 7 or Galaxy Note. We want our tablet to have the best camera possible because it will save you in a meeting or in the living room when you want to take a good shot. iPad Air has also a front camera (1.2MP) like Nexus 7. Sony Xperia Tablet Z has a 2.2MP front camera and Asus Transformer has a 2MP camera like Dell Venue 8. It’s great to have a good front camera for video chat.

PROCESSOR

Apple has already proved that it can create speedy devices with less core processors. So iPad Air has a dual core processor that makes the device even faster. On the market there are a lot of equally fast Android tablets with quad core processors like Sony Xperia Tablet Z (quad at 1.5GHz), Asus Transformer TF700 (quad at 1.6GHz), Nexus 7 (quad at 1.5GHz) or even Samsung Galaxy Note 8 with quad at 1.6GHz. Most Android tablets also have 2GB of RAM so Apple can say it has a fast device. Android tablets are also fast and can do multiple stuff at the same time.

BATTERY

The battery of the new iPad is great as the battery of older version. We love tablets with big batteries and Nexus 10 is one of them with the 9.000mAh battery. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 has also a big 7.000mAh battery and Sony Xperia Tablet Z has a 6.000mAh battery. So we have devices with big batteries and Android. the size of the battery is one thing and the options of the battery saver mode are another. So it’s good to have some battery options on devices with smaller batteries like Nexus 7.

SOFTWARE

Apple devices and Android devices are two different worlds. So you can find a lot of free apps on the new iPad Air with the new Apple offers and plenty of free apps on Android devices. It’s hard to compare the two OS, we love Android, it gives you more freedom and you have plenty of choices. iOS 7 is the latest Apple OS version and the truth is it looks a lot like Android. So now you know what to buy.

SIZE & DESIGN

Apple advertised the new iPad as thin and beautiful. It is thin, just 7.5mm but not the thinnest device. Sony Xperia Tablet Z is even thinner, 6.9mm, and it has a bigger screen (10.1 inches). Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is 8mm and Asus Transformer TF700 just 8.5mm. So there is a thinner Android device. iPad Air is also light but far away from the lightest tablet. It weights 469g and is the lighter device above 9.4 inches. On the 8 inches you can find lighter devices like Dell Venue 8 (292g) and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (338g). iPad Air is beautiful and so is Sony Xperia Z and we also like the design of Dell Venue 8.

VERDICT – Should I buy this device?

Apple made a good effort but iPad Air is far from the best tablet of the market. Either you like a bigger or smaller device, there are a lot of great Android apps to choose from. Nexus 7 is the best Android tablet right now. It has a 7 inches screen and Sony Xperia Tabler Z is the best 10.1 inches device. Dell Venue 8 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 have also better rating than the new Apple iPad Air. So when it’s time for tablet, you have a lot of Android options.

TOP 5 tablets rated October 2013:
1. Google Nexus 7 new – 81.7
2. Sony Xperia Tablet Z – 81.2
3. Dell Venue 8 – 76.1
4. Samsung Galaxy Note 8 – 73.6
5. Apple iPad Air – 70.1