10 March, 2012

TechPinas

TechPinas

The New iPad 2012 vs. Apple iPad 2 : Technical Specifications Comparison

Posted: 10 Mar 2012 01:33 AM PST

TechPinas Exclusive!

If you're already at wit's end trying to decide whether or not you should auction off your iPad2 in buy and sell sites so you can have enough moolah to get the new iPad, this comparison post should help you figure things out.

Design Face-Off

Turned off or asleep, both devices look practically identical; Making it hard for the 'untrained eye' (if ever there's such a thing in this case) to pinpoint one from the other -- especially from a far. The new iPad and iPad2 come with white and black bezel options, an aluminum back case, tapered sides and that familiar home button.

But no matter how much they look alike, design-wise, iPad2 and the new iPad are still different in two ways. First, the new iPad is heavier by at least 45 grams -- probably because of the improved innards. And second, the new iPad thicker by 0.6 of a millimeter.

Specs Comparison

Although iPad2 is thinner and lighter than the new iPad, the 2012 release nonetheless has better key specifications. But don't take my word for it; Here in TechPinas, we stick to facts so allow me to present a side-by-side specs comparison of iPad2 launched in 2011 versus the new iPad from this year:

TP Specs Comparison Table: Apple iPad 2 vs. Apple New iPad 2012
Detail/Feature
Apple iPad 2
Apple New iPad 2012
Photo
Dimensions 241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8 mm 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4 mm
Weight 607 grams 652 grams
Screen Type LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
- Fingerprint/scratch resistant oleophobic surface
- Multi-touch input method		 LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
- Fingerprint/scratch resistant oleophobic surface
- Multi-touch input method
- "Retina Display"
Screen Size 9.7-inch, 768 x 1024 pixels 9.7-inch, 2048 x 1536 pixels
Video Call Yes Yes
Camera Yes, Two
0.7 MP, 960 x 720 pixels, no flash at the back
VGA in front		 Yes, Two
5 MegaPixels, 2592 x 1944 pixels, no flash at the back
VGA in front
Video Recorder HD, 720p 30 frames per second Full HD, 1080p 30 frames per second
Operating System Upon Release iOS 4, upgradeable to iOS 5.1 iOS 5.1
CPU 1GHz Apple A5
(900 MHz Dual Core ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, PowerVR SGX543MP2 Graphics)		 1GHz Apple A5X
(1 GHz Dual Core ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, PowerVR SGX543MP4 Quad-Core Graphics)
RAM 512 MB RAM 1GB RAM
Internal storage 16, 32, 64 GB storage options 16, 32, 64 GB storage options
Built-in MicroSD card slot No No
Wifi Yes, all variants
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n		 Yes, all variants
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Personal Hotspot
4G LTE Network No, all variants 4G LTE variants only
3G Network 3G variants only
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100		 4G variants only
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, EDR Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, EDR
Internet Browser Mobile Safari, Various via App Store Mobile Safari, Various via App Store
Adobe Flash Support No No
Games and Apps Yes, iPad apps via App Store Yes, iPad apps via App Store
Multi-tasking Yes Yes
Battery life 720 hours of standby, 10 hours of continuous use 720 hours of standby, 10 hours of continuous use, 9 hours on 4G
Price in the Philippines Upon release in 2011: Apple iPad 2 Wifi-only 16GB, 32GB and 64GB sell for Php 23,990, Php 28,990 and Php 33,990 respectively. Apple iPad 2 Wifi + 3G 16GB, 32GB and 64GB sell for Php 30,990, Php 35,990 and Php 40,990 respectively
$100 price cut is expected for all models in 2012		 TBA
TP Guesstimate: Apple New iPad Wifi-only 16GB, 32GB and 64GB sell for Php 23,990, Php 28,990 and Php 33,990 respectively. Apple New iPad Wifi + 4G 16GB, 32GB and 64GB sell for Php 30,990, Php 35,990 and Php 40,990 respectively
Release date/Availability in the Philippines April 2011 for all variants TBA
TP Guesstimate: April-May 2012


As you can see, save from storage space and battery life, the new iPad has better technical specs overall. Compared to iPad2, the 2012 iPad has a new custom-made processor with quad core graphics, has 1GB of RAM for better multitasking, a 5 MegaPixel camera with backlit sensor versus the measly 0.7 MegaPixel shooter of iPad2, a Full HD 1080p video recorder, a high resolution Retina Display similar to what you'll find on the iPhone 4S and most importantly, it supports ultra-fast 4G LTE mobile connection.

Interestingly, despite the imminent release of its tablet refresh, Apple has decided to keep iPad2 in its current product line-up; so you can't really call it 'old'. Targeting perhaps a new demographic - specifically the younger ones and the pennypinchers, iPad2 variants, which are upgradeable to iOS 5.1, will get a more or less $100 price cut once the new iPad ships or hits store shelves.

So there you go. I hope this helps you make up your mind. If you're an iPad2 owner, let me know if you're upgrading to the new iPad or not and why. Kindly leave your comment below. Thanks!
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