By Rich W Woods
On October 16, 2014, Apple announced the iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3, Retina iMac, and Mac Mini. While there were no improvements to the iPad Mini line aside from Touch ID, the iPad Air 2 was just the opposite. For the first time, Apple used 2 GB RAM and a triple core processor in a device. Compared to other iOS devices, this thing is a powerhouse.
There is one more notable improvement that Apple made to the iPad Air 2. They gave it an 8 MP camera, where the iPad previously had 5 MP. There is still no flash.
iPad Air 2 vs iPhone 6: Specs
Obviously, it may seem silly to compare tablet specs to a phone’s specs, but it can really show just how more powerful the iPad Air 2 is than the iPhone, considering that the original iPad Air had very similar specs to the iPhone 5S.
| iPad Air 2 | iPhone 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 1.5 GHz Triple Core A8X | 1.4 GHz Dual Core A8 |
| Display | 9.7″, 1536×2048, 264 ppi, LCD | 4.7″, 750p, 326 ppi, LCD |
| Body | 240×169.5×6.1 mm, 437 g | 138.1x67x6.9 mm, 129 g |
| Camera | 8 MP, 3264×2448, 1.2 MP Front | 8 MP, 3264×2448, 1.2 MP Front |
| Video | 1080p – 30 fps, Front 720p – 30 fps | 1080p – 60 fps, 1080p – 30 fps, Front 720p – 30 fps |
| Aperture | F/2.4 | F/2.2 |
| Storage | 16/64/128 GB | 16/64/128 GB |
| RAM | 2 GB | 1 GB |
| Price | $499/$599/$699 Wi-Fi, $629/$729/$829 LTE | $649/$749/$849 |
You would expect a tablet to have superior specs to its corresponding smart phone, but this is new for Apple. The iPad Air 2 is the first device they have created with 2 GB of RAM. In fact, 1 GB RAM was probably the biggest complaint about the iPhone 6.
iPad Air 2 vs iPhone 6: Rear Camera
Here we go. The meat of the article, as I like to say, or well, as I said. I’ve never really said it before.
When Apple announced the iPhone 6, they said a lot about focus pixels and optical image stabilization (OIS). They didn’t say anything about that at the iPad announcement. In fact, we know that there is no OIS in the iPad Air 2. All they really mentioned is the new camera. So let’s take a look.
| iPad Air 2 | iPhone 6 |
|---|
There are a few things we can tell from these photos. I think the most noticeable of those is that the smaller aperture of the iPad Air 2 is very noticeable as it seems to have a much larger depth of field.
With that being said, it is clear that the iPhone 6 does better in low light. This is where the iPad Air 2 would really benefit from having a flash.
Another thing that I noticed when taking photos is that the iPad Air 2 really doesn’t like to autofocus. When you tap that camera shutter button, you pretty much get what you see, whereas with the iPhone, there is a lot more that goes into focusing that image.
iPad Air 2 vs iPhone 6: Video
One thing that disappointed me is that they didn’t include the ability to take 1080p video at 60 fps like they did with the iPhone 6. I’m not sure why this is, as the hardware is certainly capable. If anyone knows of why the hardware might not be capable, please leave a comment.
iPad Air 2
iPhone 6
The iPad Air 2 takes some fine video, but I think it is clear that the iPhone 6 takes better video. I used the 60 fps setting for the iPhone 6 video which is why it looks so smooth, but it just seems to focus faster.
Another thing missing along with 60 fps video on the iPad Air 2 is 240 fps slo-mo video. Just like the iPhone 6 when the 60 fps setting is turned off, the iPad Air 2 records slo-mo video at 120 fps.
iPad Air 2
iPhone 6
The great thing that comes from comparing slo-mo samples is that it allows you to see just how quickly the camera focuses as it gets closer to an object or moves farther away. The iPad Air 2 certainly holds its own, but the iPhone 6 is a little better.
iPad Air 2 vs iPhone 6: Front Camera
Finally, we have the front facing camera. Both the iPhone 6 and the iPad Air 2 use a 1.2 MP front facing camera. They both take 720p video at 30 fps. I would expect them to come out the same. Let’s take a look.
I think it’s safe to say that both the front facing camera of the iPhone 6 and the front facing camera of the iPad Air 2 are the same. They both do incredibly well, especially considering that 1.2 MP is the lowest resolution front facing camera for a flagship on the market.
One more thing we’ll take a look at is video for the front facing camera. Neither the iPhone 6 nor the iPad Air 2 allow the user to take a slo-mo video with the front facing camera, so we will make due with the regular 720p 30 fps video.
iPad Air 2
iPhone 6
Just like with the slo-mo videos taken with the rear facing camera, I feel like the iPhone 6 focuses just a little faster than the iPad Air 2 does.
iPad Air 2 vs iPhone 6: Conclusion
It’s not that I want to promote taking photos or videos with tablets, but it is fair to compare these two products since a lot of people do just that. Now that the iPad Air 2 has the same resolution as the iPhone 6’s camera, it is a fair comparison.
This was an interesting comparison. While the iPad Air 2 does not do nearly as good of a job at auto-focusing, it has a smaller aperture so when it does focus, more of the photo is focused. The larger depth of field was very pronounced. In fact, it was much more pronounced than it should be for such a small difference in aperture.
It is interesting because both of these cameras are better than the other, but in different ways. In overall performance, the winner would be the iPhone 6, but that is no surprise. The performance of the camera on the iPad Air 2 is impressive and that’s good.
For the Love of Tech 