Apple iPad Air Review Roundup: What the Critics Say

 By 
Sam Laird
 on 
Apple iPad Air Review Roundup: What the Critics Say

Apple's iPad Air doesn't come out until Nov. 1, but many lucky reviewers have already gotten their hands on the new tablet.

Mashable Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff reviewed the iPad Air, and came away impressed, calling it "the best consumer tablet on the market." Read Ulanoff's full review, here.

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So, what is everyone else saying? We've rounded up the overwhelmingly positive reviews from across the web, and included snippets from each article to give you a taste of the overall conversation. Take a look:

New York Times: "Those 6.4 ounces make all the difference when, as you recline while reading or watching a movie, you conk out and the iPad falls forward to bonk you on the nose. The Air won’t hurt you the way the old iPad did."

The Telegraph: "Its light weight and thin form mean it gets out of the way – you don’t notice it, but you notice what you’re doing on it. That, potentially, unleashes a new generation of tablet-based productivity."

Engadget: "Despite its petite size and lightweight build, it doesn't feel at all flimsy. The unibody aluminum chassis is just as solid as on older iPads. "

CNET: "The Touch ID fingerprint scanner, introduced on the iPhone 5S, is sadly absent here, meaning you’ll still have to type in a passcode with every unlock and a password with every purchase."

All Things Digital: "This new iPad isn’t a radical rethinking of what a tablet can be, but it’s a major improvement on a successful product. It is the best tablet I’ve ever reviewed."

Tech.pinions: "The iPad Air is easily the best designed iPad yet."

David Pogue: "There are useful changes inside, too. The iPad Air is powered by the same new chip (called the A7) that makes the iPhone 5s so fast. And it’s a 64-bit chip, which, according to Apple, means smoother animation in 3-D games."

Fox News: "It’s hard to believe Apple managed to shave nearly a half-pound off last year’s fourth-generation iPad while still maintaining exceptional battery life, which in my all-day usage rarely dropped below 30 percent."

SlashGear: "The Air is great for video consumption, kids games, and browsing the web, but you can now do it all single-handed."

TechCrunch: "When using the new iLife and iWork suites, performance is considerably bolstered by the 64-bit retrofits they got with their recent redesigns – everything feels faster and more responsive."

The Loop: "It’s very hard to describe how good the iPad Air feels in your hand without actually picking one up. It’s kind of like the first time you saw a Retina display for the first time—shock."

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Image: Mashable

BONUS: iPad Air vs. every iPad EVER

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