iPad air 2 is 18% thinner than predecessor and has new chip more powerful than iPhone 6

Despite global tablet growth slowdown, Apple has launched two new devices in a bid to tempt customers, the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini3.

The iPad Air 2 with a 9.7 inch display is Apple’s thinnest tablet yet at just 6.1 millimetres thick, 18% thinner than the iPad Air. It weighs 0.96 pounds, compared to the iPad which is 1.5 pounds and 13.4mm thick. 

The screen of the iPad Air 2 is more advanced than its predecessor, the iPad Air. Now, the 2048×1536 resolution screen with 3.1 million pixels has its cover glass, touch sensor and LCD display layers combined into one single layer. This eliminates gaps between layers, along with the internal reflection caused by those gaps, so colours are richer, contrast is greater, and images are sharper and more vivid. Apple has also improved the sensitivity of the screen, so it tracks fingers even more accurately, especially making quick gestures. 

On power, this device has a new A8X chip built on second generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture, making iPad Air 2 the fastest, most powerful iPad ever. Compared with the A7 chip in the previous iPad Air, the new A8X chip delivers 40% faster CPU performance.  Also, thanks in part to the M8 motion coprocessor, it still has an incredibly long 10 hour battery life. 

The A8X chip has an astonishing 2.5 times the graphics performance of the A7 chip. So iPad Air 2 delivers graphics once possible only on desktop computers and gaming consoles, Apple claimed. 

For game developers, to get the greatest graphics performance out of the A8X chip and iOS 8, Apple has created Metal, a new technology that lets developers design highly immersive console-style games. Metal is optimised to allow the CPU and GPU to work together to deliver detailed graphics and complex visual effects. 

Finally, as well as Touch ID, the new iSight camera is Apple’s best iPad camera yet it said, with advanced optics, an improved sensor, and a powerful Apple-designed image signal processor. There are new features like panorama, time lapse videos, slo mo, and burst and timer modes. The front facing FaceTime HD camera has been redesigned, too, with an improved sensor and larger pixels for even better low light performance.  

iPad Air 2 comes in three elegant metallic ?nishes, including silver, space gray, and new gold.

Also announced is the iPad mini 3. Apart from advancements like Touch ID, iOS 8, and a new gold ?nish, iPad mini is very similar to its predecessor. This device has a 7.9 inch Retina display, an powerful A7 chip, advanced wireless technologies, and Touch ID.

iPad Air 2 will be available from $499, while iPad mini 3 will be available from $399. Both are available next week.