The Apple iPad Air 1 is breaking boundaries in terms of design and performance.
It's unbelievably light, incredibly sleek and boasts a powerful A7 chip for up to 10 hours of battery life (from new, actual peformance may be less) and even faster WiFi.
Designed to do more
The all-new design weighs less than 0.5 kg and is almost a quarter of the volume of the previous iPad. Its professionally designed frame is robust and durable with its aluminium foundation and metallic detailing.
The iPad Air comes with a free upgrade to iOS 12, which offers clearer icons, tons of new features and improvements to the keyboard, messaging, battery indicator and more.
You'll find over 475,000 apps on the App Store with a huge range of categories to explore, from gaming to health and fitness. The iPad Air also comes with a range of pre-installed applications to get you started.
Seamless computing
The Apple A7 processor and M7 coprocessor put expansive computing at your fingertips, allowing you to do even more.
The A7 chip brings desktop architecture to a tablet computer with twice the speed and even more fluidity. Scrolling, swiping and tapping your way around applications is effortless and adds an extra dimension to gaming. Thanks to the A7 chip the iPad Air is even more efficient, with a 10-hour battery life, so you can work and play all day long.
With advanced dual band WiFi technology built into your iPad Air your connection is up to twice as fast as previous generation iPads.
Retina display just got better With a much slimmer bezel and thinner width, the Retina display on the iPad Air is even more breathtaking. You can enjoy true edge-to-edge viewing and really get in the picture as your attention is drawn towards what matters most.
A 2048 x 1536 resolution and over 3 million pixels deliver the most lifelike display of colours and razor-sharp detail, so sit back and relax as your content comes to life.
Get in the picture
A 5 MP iSight camera uses advanced technology and a five-element lens to capture stunning images.
Whether you're shooting in bright sunlight or in low light conditions, the rear illumination sensor lets you capture impressive shots every time. Built-in face detection and balanced focus and exposure settings enable you to capture those precious moments with ease.
You can also shoot equally amazing videos in Full HD 1080p with automatic video stabilisation, for judder-free movies that teem with life.
Specifications
DISPLAY
Type LED-backlit IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 9.7 inches, 291.4 cm2 (~71.6% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1536 x 2048 pixels, 4:3 ratio (~264 ppi density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating
PLATFORM
OS iOS 7, upgradable to iOS 12.4.6
Chipset Apple A7
CPU Dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone
GPU PowerVR G6430 (quad-core graphics)
STORAGE
Internal 32GB
MEMORY
Memory 1GB
CAMERA
Primary 5 MP, f/2.4, 33mm (standard), AF
Features HDR
Video 1080p @ 30fps
Secondary 1.2 MP, 720p@30fps, face detection, FaceTime over WiFi
SOUND
Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack Yes, active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
COMMS
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, hotspot
Bluetooth 4.0, A2DP, EDR
GPS No
Radio No
USB 2.0, proprietary reversible connector
FEATURES
Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, compass
Messaging iMessage, Email, Push Email, IM
Browser HTML5 (Safari)
- Siri natural language commands and dictation
- iCloud cloud service
- MP3/WAV/AAX+/AIFF/Apple Lossless player
- MP4/H.264 player
- Audio/video/photo editor
- Document editor
WEIGHT & DIMENSIONS
Dimensions 240.00 x 169.50 x 7.10 mm
Weight 469 g
Our expert review of the Apple iPad Air 1st Gen 32GB, with WiFi Only.
How it’s currently spec’d:
This iPad Air 1st Generation has a dual core processor and quad core graphics. 32GB storage plus WiFi connectivity in a lighter and thinner aluminium body with Apples Retina Display. Front and rear cameras mean you can take quality photos and videos and also video call friends and family.
Where we think it excels:
It’s built to last and is so easy to use, literally anyone of any age can pick up an iPad and be an expert in no time at all. The iPad Air 1st Gen has a good amount of storage space so you download, snap and record, not carefree, but without worrying that a handful of apps and videos aren’t going to fill up your iPad. The App Store is huge with apps for almost anything you can thing of!
What we think its drawbacks are:
The main issue here is the operating system. Because this iPad was first released in 2013 it now won’t update past iOS 12.4.6. At this low cost price point & for the time being, this isn’t a major issue as most of the 475,000 plus apps available in the App Store still support this version but there are some that don’t. We do stock more up to date iPads that support the latest iOS if price isnt an issue, or if longevity is key for you.
What we think of the design:
We know, and therefore we think you know, you get great build quality and reliability with Apple products. Despite the price point they are superbly well made and they will last. The design hasn’t changed much since the first iPad was released in 2010, just refined over time. We love it’s clean lines and slimmer and lighter profile. If you find yourself in the wrong place the home button can easily get you out of it.
Who it’s suitable for:
It certainly doesn’t pigeonhole itself. Kids and adults use iPads all over the world, from beginners to intermediates to experts. Use it at home, at school for education or even at work, it will be great.
