Apple iPad Air 2

Is the iPad Air 2 still good in 2023?

The Air 2 (A1566) was released in 2014, and is still a great choice for an affordable tablet in 2020 and beyond. It still supports iPadOS 14.4.1 and shows no sign of being immediately deprecated and losing OS support. The slim housing was ahead of its time when it was released and despite being over 5 years old.

Is the iPad Air 2 outdated?

If you're looking for an affordable refurbished iPad that won't be deprecated in the next few months immediately upon purchase that can handle all your basic and not-so-basic apps. Whether it's Netflix for a long flight, a giant iTunes library, or your latest addictive Candy Crush type game. The iPad Air 2 has a Triple-core 1.5GHZ processor and an Apple A8X chipset makes this a very capable tablet for many use-types, even 5 years after it's release.

Should I buy a refurbished iPad Air?

The iPad Air is a great and affordable refurbished tablet, as it tends to hold it's value compared to earlier models or even Android based devices. However but there have been multiple iterations of the Air model released over the years, available at different price points. The iPad Air 2 is probably the most economical given the fact that many are available in preowned certified refurbished condition, it still supports the newest iPadOS version, and the price point is very reasonable. The original iPad Air 1 may seem like a good deal, however that model is no longer supported due to its limited A7 chipset which cannot adequately handle the demands of newer apps.  The iPad Air 3 is also an option you'll see and that often tends to be $500+ in terms of price tag, however it is similar in specs and power to the iPad Pro 10.5" series of devices.

 

 

NETWORK: Technology
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE
LAUNCH: Announced 2014, October 16. Released 2014, October 24
Status Discontinued
BODY: Dimensions 240 x 169.5 x 6.1 mm (9.45 x 6.67 x 0.24 in)
Weight 437 g (Wi-Fi) / 444 g (3G/LTE) (15.41 oz)
Build Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame
SIM Nano-SIM, eSIM
DISPLAY: Type IPS LCD
Size 9.7 inches, 291.4 cm2 (~71.6% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1536 x 2048 pixels, 4:3 ratio (~264 ppi density)
Protection Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating
PLATFORM: OS iOS 8.1, upgradable to iPadOS 15.3
Chipset Apple A8X (20 nm)
CPU Triple-core 1.5 GHz Typhoon
GPU PowerVR GXA6850 (octa-core graphics)
MEMORY: Card slot No
Internal 16GB 2GB RAM, 32GB 2GB RAM, 64GB 2GB RAM, 128GB 2GB RAM
MAIN CAMERA: Single 8 MP, f/2.4, 31mm (standard), 1.12µm, AF
Features HDR
Video 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps, HDR, stereo sound rec.
SELFIE CAMERA: Single 1.2 MP, f/2.2, 31mm (standard)
Features face detection, HDR, FaceTime over Wi-Fi or Cellular
Video 720p@30fps
SOUND: Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack Yes
COMMS: WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot
Bluetooth 4.0, A2DP, EDR
GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS (3G/LTE model only)
NFC No
Radio No
USB Lightning, USB 2.0
FEATURES: Sensors Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer
Siri natural language commands and dictation
BATTERY: Type Li-Po 7340 mAh, non-removable (27.62 Wh)
Talk time Up to 10 h (multimedia)
MISC Colors Space Gray, Silver, Gold
Models A1566, A1567, iPad5,3, iPad5,4
Price About 440 EUR
TESTS: Performance Basemark X: 29753
Display Contrast ratio: 1048 (nominal)
Camera Photo / Video
Loudspeaker Voice 75dB / Noise 70dB / Ring 78dB
Audio quality Noise -93.9dB / Crosstalk -83.9dB