The first thing you’ll notice is how incredibly thin and light it is. iPad Air 2 is an impossibly thin 6.1 millimeters, making it our thinnest iPad ever. And it weighs less than a pound. So it’s even easier to hold in one hand and take with you anywhere.

Not just a thinner display. A better display

The displays on previous generations of iPad used three separate components. iPad Air 2 changes all that, combining those three layers into just one. This eliminates gaps between layers, along with the internal reflectance caused by those gaps. The result? Colors are richer, contrast is greater, and images are sharper and more vivid.

Massive power. In its most minimal form

With a new A8X chip built on second-generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture, iPad Air 2 is the fastest, most powerful iPad ever. With this kind of performance, you might expect a compromise or two. Like a bigger form factor or a shorter battery life. But iPad Air 2 is both thinner and lighter than the previous iPad Air. And thanks in part to the M8 motion coprocessor, it still has an incredibly long 10-hour battery life. So you can do more. While carrying less.

40 percent faster CPU performance

Compared with the A7 chip in the previous iPad Air, the new A8X chip delivers 40 percent faster CPU performance. From launching apps to playing games, everything is more fluid and responsive. And all your actions — swiping, pinching, zooming, scrolling, and rotating — happen quickly and smoothly.

More than double the graphics performance

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. Graphics-intensive games and video editing apps run superbly, and they look gorgeous on the big Retina display.

One touch unlocks your iPad Air 2

With Touch ID, you put your finger on the Home button, and just like that, your iPad unlocks. And Touch ID is capable of 360-degree readability. No matter how you’re holding it — portrait, landscape, or anything in between — your iPad knows who you are.

Two amazing cameras. Cleverly disguised as an iPad

You won’t believe how good a photographer you are. With an improved sensor, advanced optics, and a more powerful image signal processor, the new iSight camera in iPad Air 2 captures incredibly detailed photos and professional-looking 1080p HD videos. The FaceTime HD camera has been redesigned, too, with a new sensor that makes your video calls look better, even in low light. And the large, high-resolution Retina display makes a spectacular viewfinder.

The iSight camera’s new 8MP sensor captures images in 3264-by-2448 native resolution and 1080p HD video. So your photos and videos stay sharp and clear, even when viewed on larger screens.

For stunning photos and videos, start with a stunning viewfinder

What makes taking photos and videos on iPad Air 2 unique is its viewfinder: a brilliant Retina display that’s so large and sharp you see every nuance as you shoot. With its eye-filling 9.7-inch screen, shooting with iPad Air 2 is like looking through the viewfinder of a high-end SLR camera.

iOS 8 and iPad Air. A powerful combination

With an easy-to-use interface, amazing features, and security at its core, iOS 8 makes your iPad more capable than ever. It’s designed to look beautiful and work beautifully, so even the simplest tasks are more engaging. And iOS 8 is engineered to take full advantage of the powerful A8X chip, ultrafast wireless, and brilliant Retina display of iPad Air 2.

Continuity. iPad, iPhone, and Mac — connected like never before

Apple products have always been designed to work together beautifully. But now, with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, they’re more connected than ever. You can start writing an email on your iPhone and pick up where you left off on your iPad. Or browse the web on your Mac and continue from the same link on your iPad. You can even answer phone calls on your Mac or iPad.

Technical Specifications:

Display

• Display Size: 9.7 inches, 1536 x 2048 pixels, (~264 ppi pixel density)
• Display Type: LED-backlit IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
• Protection: Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating
• Fingerprint sensor (Touch ID)

Camera

• Primary Camera: 8 Megapixels, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus
• Video: Yes, [email protected], [email protected], HDR, stereo sound rec.
• Camera Features: 1.12µm pixel size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR (photo/panorama)
• Secondary Camera: Yes, 1.2 Megapixels, [email protected], face detection, HDR, FaceTime over Wi-Fi or Cellular

Processor

• Chipset: A8X chip with 64‑bit architecture
• CPU: Triple-core 1.5 GHz

Memory

• Internal Memory: 64 GB storage, 2 GB RAM
• Card Slot: No

Operating System

• iOS 8.1

Sound

• Alert types: N/A
• Loud Speaker: Yes, with stereo speakers
• 3.5mm Jack: Yes

General

• 2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• 3G Network: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
• 4G Network: LTE
• SIM: Nano-SIM

Data

• Speed: DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps, LTE, 150 Mbps; EV-DO Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps
• WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Bluetooth: Yes, v4.0, A2DP, EDR
• USB: Yes, v2.0

Features

• Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer
• Messaging: iMessage, Email, Push Email, IM
• Browser: HTML5 (Safari)
• Radio: No
• GPS: Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
• Java: No
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• iCloud cloud service
• iCloud Keychain
• TV-out
• Maps
• Document viewer/editor
• Audio/video player/editor
• Image viewer/editor
• Voice memo/dial/command
• Predictive text input

Multimedia

• Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 60 frames per second, High Profile level 4.2 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Power

• Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
• Battery Life: Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video, or listening to music

Weight and Dimensions

• Dimensions: 240 x 169.5 x 6.1 mm
• Weight: 437 g