iPad Air
28% lighter than the 4th generation at 469 grams and 7.5mm, with narrow bezels and the 64-bit A7.
Released November 1, 2013 · Discontinued March 21, 2016 · From $499 (16 GB, Wi-Fi)
Apple renamed the full-size iPad and took 28 percent of the weight out of it. The Air came in at 469 grams against the fourth generation's 652, narrowed the side bezels to the mini's proportions, and dropped to 7.5mm thick, all while keeping the 9.7-inch Retina display and the ten-hour battery. The A7 came straight from the iPhone 5s. Same 64-bit chip. It is the first full-size iPad that is genuinely comfortable to hold in one hand for any length of time, and the design it introduced, thin bezels and a flat aluminum back, is still roughly what an iPad looks like today.
Reviews & Reception
Near-unanimous. Reviewers called it the best tablet available and recommended it without much hedging, which the iPad line had not managed since the original.
It is the best tablet I've ever reviewed.
Bottom line: If you can afford it, the new iPad Air is the tablet I recommend, hands down.