iPad Air 2 review

Update: Apple has now stopped selling the iPad Air 2 and has instead replaced it with a new product, simply entitled the iPad. We've compared the new Apple slate with the 

Plus there are new, even better tablets in Apple's range such as the  (and ). The iPad Air 2 is still a top quality slate though and you can get it for a slightly lower price point.

iPad Air 2 price

• Starts at $399 (£379, AU$569)
• You can now get it for cheaper, but you can't buy from Apple
• Top spec 128GB, Wi-Fi+4G = $629 (£589, AU$879)

The launch of Apple's new Pro slates has resulted in the lowering of the iPad Air 2 price which now starts at $399 (£379, AU$569) - originally $499 (£399, AU$699) - for the 32GB, Wi-Fi only model.

At the other end of the scale, the 128GB, Wi-Fi+4G variant is now $629 (£589, AU$879) - down from $829 (£659, AU$1,119).

You can't buy the iPad Air 2 directly from Apple anymore, but you can find it at other retailers around the world.

The new pricing makes the iPad Air 2 a much more approachable offering, and it's still an excellent tablet more than two years on. It may not be a bargain, but it does give better value for money.

I'll get onto the design in a moment - but it's worth noting that the design alone is a good reason to pick up the iPad Air 2. It's super light, amazingly slim and will delight over and over again for the first fortnight of ownership, before you slip back to the standard tech nonchalance that creeps over us all eventually.

Did the iPad Air need to get thinner and more powerful? Not really - but once you actually handle the new iPad Air 2, you'll be sold.

Design

• A solid tablet that can be held easily for hours
• The iPad Air 2's design does warrant the high price

At 6.1mm thick, the Apple iPad Air 2 is still one of the slimmest tablets on the market. It's not actually the thinnest, but we're at the point now where fractions of a millimetre really don't matter.

Weight: 437g/444g
Dimensions: 240 x 169.5 x 6.1mm
OS: iOS 8.1 (upgradable to iOS 10.1)
Screen size: 9.7-inch
Resolution: 1536 x 2048
CPU: Apple A8X
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 32GB, 128GB
Battery: 8820mAh
Rear camera: 8MP
Front camera: 1.2MP

OUR VERDICT

A brilliant tablet that has further raised the bar for the rest of the competition. If you're in two minds what to go for - this is your choice.

FOR

• Sleek
• Superbly powerful
• Lovely screen

AGAINST

• Volume silencer gone
• 16GB is too little storage