Two new iPads were recently announced in Cupertino, California: the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. To call the iPad Mini 3 new may be a little misleading though, as apart from the inclusion of a touch ID fingerprint sensor, it’s exactly the same as the old one. That is, unless you would like it in gold colour.

On the other hand, the iPad Air 2 is definitely new. This is the second-generation iPad Air and it’s thinner, faster and lighter than before. It also has a better rear camera, an updated front HD camera, LTE advanced and Wi-Fi 801.11ac.

The iPad Air 2 screen is the same dimensions as the Air, but now uses a zero air gap screen. It is supposed to reduce glare by over 50 per cent, offering a much more versatile viewing experience. Other than that, it’s the same 9.7-inch, 1536 x 2048 retina display capable of 264ppi.

The faster part of the iPad Air 2 comes from the new 64-bit A8X processor that is claimed to provide 40 per cent faster performance and combined with the M8 graphic processor it also delivers 2.5x graphics performance over the old model. Both are backed up by 2Gb of RAM.

The iPad Air 2 has better cameras in an 8MP rear, HD front camera and a better signal processor. It also supports LTE Advanced for mobile connections and Wi-Fi 801.11ac, which is much faster than Wi-Fi 801.11n.

Both the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 are available now, although if you have an iPad Mini 2, the upgrade just for touch ID really isn’t worth it. Otherwise, it’s a solid purchase. The iPad Air 2 on the other hand is a definite upgrade with real, tangible improvements over the previous generation.

Jesmond Darmanin is a technology enthusiast who has his own blog at www.itnewsblog.com.