Apple and Nokia both picked the same day to roll out a bunch of new devices for the market. While the highlight of Nokia’s announcement was the company’s first tablet, the Lumia 2520, Apple came up with a lighter, slimmer tablet, the iPad Air. While the Apple’s new product is the latest addition to the popular iPad series, the Lumia 2520 is Nokia’s first move into the tablet arena. Both devices come packed with the latest features and specs, and we decided to compare the two to see which one is the better tablet. Design: The iPad Air comes with the same 9.7-inch screen as its predecessor, but is packed in a form that is considerably lighter and thinner. In fact, during Apple’s keynote, the company showed off an ad for the device where it claimed that the device is thinner than a pencil. The weight of the tablet is also much lesser than before, now standing at 0.45kg. The company has said that the new device is the lightest full-sized tablet in the market. In terms of design, Apple has also managed to reduce the bezel, making the iPad Air only 7.5mm thick, much lesser than its predecessor, which came in at 9.4mm.
The iPad Air is thinner and lighter than its predecessors
The Lumia 2520, on the other hand, comes with a larger screen, measuring 10.1 inches diagonally, a full HD display, with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. However, the Retina display on the iPad Air gives the tablet a definite edge. A point in Nokia’s favour, though, is the ClearBlack Display filter on the 2520, which the company has promised will make it easier for users to read outdoors. Camera: The Lumia 2520 is a definite winner here. Nokia’s tablet offering comes with a 6.7-megapixel rear camera with Zeiss optics and an f1.9 aperture. The tablet also comes with a 2-megapixel front shooter packed in. The iPad Air, on the other hand, comes with a standard 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front shooter. That being said, it should be remembered that most users don’t pick up a tablet because of the camera it sports, so while it is an important point, it is not the deciding factor.
The Lumia 2520 comes with better cameras packed in
Operating system: The Lumia 2520 comes with Microsoft's latest tablet-centric operating system, Windows 8.1 RT. The company has said that the OS has been customised for thin and light PCs that make use of ARM processors. Along with the OS, the company has also packed in the full Microsoft Office suite as well as other apps like Mail, Xbox Music and SkyDrive pre-installed. But the iPad Air comes with the much-talked about iOS 7, which comes with a colourful interface and a bunch of other features, like an improved notification center as well as a control panel. Apple has even rolled out iWorks for free as well, and one of the main attractions of that suite, KeyNote, is definitely a very cool app. In short it definitely looks like the iPad Air wins out here. Apart from the UI, though, a crucial point that needs to be made is the app store that each platform brings to the table. Apple announced that its App Store now has more than 450,000 customised apps for the iPad. The Lumia 2520, which is based on the Windows platform, does not come close to that number.
Apple's A7 processor performs really well (Image credit: imore.com)
Processor: The star of the show in the iPad Air is the new A7 chipset that comes with 64-bit desktop class architecture. The company has said that the new processor will make the tablet eight times as fast as its predecessor. The 64-bit chip will definitely allow for faster processing, but the lack of apps that can utilise its potential is the one drawback. Also packed into the tablet is the company’s M7 motion co-processor, which will offload work from the core processor to increase efficiency. The tablet has also seen a bump up in terms of memory, with the company now rolling out 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models. The Lumia 2520 comes with a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. While this is Qualcomm’s most powerful processor currently in the market, benchmark tests by PCMag comparing the A7 with the Snapdragon 800 have shown the former blowing away the competition by a significant margin. In terms, of storage, the Lumia 2520 comes with 32GB of internal memory that can be expanded by a further 32GB via a microSD card slot. Battery: Apple has said that the iPad Air has a battery lifespan of 10 hours. The Lumia 2520, on the other hand, comes with 11 hours of battery life and a $149 attachment called Power Keyboard that gives the device up to five more hours of battery life. In this category, an important one, it looks like the Lumia 2520 does much better than the new iPad.
The Lumia 2520 gives you a better battery life when compared to the iPad Air
Price: The iPad Air and the Lumia 2520 start at $499 (Rs 30,700 approx). It should be noted, though, that the base model of the iPad comes with only 16GB of memory. Thus, at the base price, the Lumia 2520 comes with better storage, and that is a crucial point in our books. Over all, in terms of hardware and OS, the iPad Air wins out. The Lumia 2520, while it comes with a better camera and a good processor, does not quite hit the mark due to its Windows 8.1 RT OS. The difference in size between the app stores also has a role to play. Keeping all the differences in mind, it looks like the iPad Air might win out in the minds of prospective tablet buyers. Another point that should be noted is the fact that Apple has managed to attach a premium tag to its tablet line-up. The Lumia 2520, being Nokia’s first tablet, is yet to prove itself.
ReadMore:Android Games
No comments:
Post a Comment