Log In  or  Join

Breaking: Watch Live: SpaceX Dragon attempts to dock with the ISS

Triangle-netbar
FLASH DANCE!

Apple iPad 2 (Wi-Fi)

8.8 User Score Write Review
Compare It 1300358445apple_ipad2_black_01

Tech Specs

Hardware

Height 9.5 inches
Width 7.31 inches
Thickness 0.34 inches
Weight 1.33 pounds
Primary orientation Portrait
Color Silver / White, Silver / Black
Speakers Mono

Display

Screen size (diagonal) 9.7 inches
Technology IPS LCD
Resolution (X) 768 px
Resolution (Y) 1024 px
Touchscreen type Capacitive
Multitouch Yes

Software

Operating system iOS
Launch OS version 4.3
Current OS version 5.1
Media streaming AirPlay

Processor

CPU brand Apple
CPU model A5
Clock speed 1 GHz
Cores 2

GPU

Brand Imagination Technologies
Model PowerVR SGX543MP2

Memory

RAM size 512 MB
RAM type DDR2

Storage

Internal size 32 GB, 64 GB, 16 GB

Connectivity

Wi-Fi Yes
Wi-Fi support 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a
Bluetooth Yes
Bluetooth version 2.1 + EDR

Front Camera

Effective pixels 0.3 megapixels
Video resolution VGA
Video framerate 30

Rear Camera

Effective pixels 0.7 megapixels
Video resolution 720p
Video framerate 30

Ports

Video out Yes
Headphone 3.5mm
Data connections iPod

Sensors

Sensors Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Accelerometer

Battery

Capacity 25 Wh
Removable No
Quoted use time 10 hr

Benchmarks

The Verge Battery Test 8 hours 52 minutes
8.8

Average User Review

of 9 total reviews
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • Design 10
  • Display 8
  • Camera(s) 5
  • Speakers 7
  • Performance 10
  • Software 9
  • Battery life 10
  • Ecosystem 10
  • Dock 9

Login in order to review this product.

  • 8.0
    Show all User reviews

    Reviewed by PCG1 (Currently owns)

    February 15, 2012 08:06 pm

    One of my favourite possessions, here's why:

    * Amazing battery life
    * It feels light and comfortable
    * Super thin, overall a great design
    * Great apps, I can even stream MKVs from my NAS box

    Things I want:

    * Increased pixel density
    * A more fluid OS feel, so more powerful hardware
    * Even better battery life
    * FaceTime HD

    The Breakdown

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    • 6
    • 7
    • 8
    • 9
    • 10
    • Design 9
    • Display 7
    • Camera(s) 5
    • Speakers 6
    • Performance 8
    • Software 7
    • Battery life 9
    • Ecosystem 9
    Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
  • 8.0
    Show all User reviews

    Reviewed by kekspernikai (Currently owns)

    January 9, 2012 12:17 pm

    I love my iPad 2, even as a person that prefers Android generally. It is a fantastically designed piece of hardware, and it takes absolutely everything I throw at it, with few crashes. That said, crashes do happen occasionally. The way iOS works inside Apple's "walled garden" does get frustrating at times, when I compare functions to my robust Android devices. The speakers are mono and aren't too crisp, but they get plenty loud and that is what matters to me on a tablet. The cameras are completely terrible and almost unusable in most cases. The display may be my biggest gripe. The IPS LCD is fantastic at showing colors and letting lots of light through, but the resolution is extremely low for a device this size that I want to read on. This will be fixed in the iPad 3 most likely, as well as Android tablets running the Tegra 3 and the next-gen Exynos (T3 has resolution support up to 2560x1600).

    All in all, I give it a hearty recommendation as the tablet to buy if you are OK with iOS. If you're not a current tablet owner, the battery life over a laptop or "cheap" tablet will astonish you.

    The Breakdown

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    • 6
    • 7
    • 8
    • 9
    • 10
    • Design 9
    • Display 8
    • Camera(s) 4
    • Speakers 7
    • Performance 9
    • Software 7
    • Battery life 10
    • Ecosystem 9
    Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
  • 9.0
    Show all User reviews

    Reviewed by rgritt (Currently owns)

    January 2, 2012 05:18 pm

    Compared to all other tablet options in the market the iPad 2 is a no brainer; that being said, it's not perfect. While the design of both the software and hardware is elegant and functional there is a lot that still needs to be done to make iPad 2's productivity powerhouses. My only real serious complaint about the ipad 2 is that the display is no where near what apple can (and should) be putting on a device as content oriented as the ipad. Though I would be very surprised if the iPad 3 didn't have an HD display, I really think that is a features that shouldn't have been skipped on the iPad 2. Nonetheless, the iPad is still the industry leader in tablets by miles and is the best buy in its class.

    The Breakdown

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    • 6
    • 7
    • 8
    • 9
    • 10
    • Design 10
    • Display 7
    • Camera(s) 6
    • Speakers 10
    • Performance 10
    • Software 9
    • Battery life 10
    • Ecosystem 10
    • Dock 6
    Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
  • 9.0
    Show all User reviews

    Reviewed by Joseph_Phoenix (Currently owns)

    December 24, 2011 02:18 pm

    I've been skeptical of tablets in general. I didn't plan on owning any tablets but rather stick to laptops because I've found laptops to be a better all in one device (media, writing etc)

    My dad recently got me an iPad 2. I feeling got off the fence and got a tablet. My interest had peeked with the Amazon Kindle Fire. I've been playing it for a couple of weeks and here's my initial impressions:

    In my honest opinion, I find the iPad to be purely a consumption device. I've watched more movies, Netflix and Hulu Plus and played more games on the iPad 2. They keyboard is big enough to be typed on but I can't see myself sitting down for long periods of time typing on the device. I could buy the keyboard for the iPad but isn't that what my laptop is for.

    The apps for the iPad are greatly. The developers really took advantage of the iPad specs are designed very fast, fluid apps. Bing may not be a popular thing on the internet as far as search goes but Microsoft designed a great app for the iPad. Very nicely done, very fast.,

    Like I said earlier, I primarily use the iPad for media consumption. Watching videos on the iPad is great. It looks so clean when the videos play. I've been watching a lot of trailers and videos on Netflix. (The Dark Knight Rises trailer looks great)

    The battery life is pretty good as well. Apple does a great job when it comes to battery life on their devices. Call me impressed.

    In conclusion, if I had to recommend a tablet to anybody, its definitely the iPad. I'm not really a brand guy. I just care about the quality of a product and I think Apple nailed it. I've played with a couple of Android tablets. They're good but not as good. The closest thing I could see being a competitor to the iPad could a Metro UI tablet from Windows 8. So we'll see.

    All in all, I give the iPad 2 a score of 9. I recommend it

    Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
  • 9.0
    Show all User reviews

    Reviewed by SirGibler (Currently owns)

    December 20, 2011 05:38 pm

    Hardware:
    The iPad 2 is slim yet solid, and the Smart Cover doesn't compromise the thinness or design like the 1st generation iPad's first-party case did. The speaker grill is unfortunately placed, and the front facing camera is placed off-centered if you want to use FaceTime in landscape. The rear facing camera isn't great, but that's what my 4S / DSLR are for right?

    Software:
    iOS 5 brought lots of improvements to iPad that I'm sure you're already aware of. The browser is great, multitouch gestures are useful, and iCloud is super simple. I do wish, however, that there was better notification syncing between devices. Apple has done a good job getting developers to write for iPad; unlike the complete lack of tablet optimized apps for Honeycomb / ICS for tablets.

    Wrap-Up:
    There are plenty of viable competitors to the iPad now (I'm looking at you Transformer Prime), but without apps, Android tablets are just shiny pieces of metal and glass. Sure, they have better cameras and faster processors, but they simply cannot beat the App Store's quality and quantity of apps.

    The Breakdown

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    • 6
    • 7
    • 8
    • 9
    • 10
    • Design 10
    • Display 8
    • Camera(s) 6
    • Speakers 6
    • Performance 10
    • Software 9
    • Battery life 10
    • Ecosystem 10
    Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
  • 9.0
    Show all User reviews

    Reviewed by Zacharyscott (Currently owns)

    December 20, 2011 11:53 am

    This is the best piece of technology I own, I use it more than any other and while some people "can't find a place for it" I couldnt imagine my life without it. I think that in future updates Apple's basic features in the OS, the multitasking, the springboard, some of the original apps, need to be updated to be a little more leek a desktop, and a little less like a 3.5", because if you think about it, the iPad is much closer in size to a computer than a phone.

    Oh and the cameras need a major upgrade.

    The Breakdown

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    • 6
    • 7
    • 8
    • 9
    • 10
    • Design 10
    • Display 8
    • Camera(s) 4
    • Speakers 7
    • Performance 10
    • Software 9
    • Battery life 10
    • Ecosystem 10
    • Dock 10
    Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
  • 9.0
    Show all User reviews

    Reviewed by AndrewYZ (Currently owns)

    December 20, 2011 08:42 am

    it can be a near perfect product if it is lighter, equiped with better cameras and a higher resolution screen. Having said that, iPad 2 is really an industry-leading and great product. The experience of using it is really magical and addicting. With the best ecosystem Apple offers, this is definitely the very first choice for tablet buyers.

    The Breakdown

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    • 6
    • 7
    • 8
    • 9
    • 10
    • Design 9
    • Display 7
    • Camera(s) 5
    • Speakers 8
    • Performance 10
    • Software 9
    • Battery life 10
    • Ecosystem 10
    Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
  • 9.0
    Show all User reviews

    Reviewed by mehmehmehmeh (Currently owns)

    December 20, 2011 03:03 am

    I have got a tremendous amount of use out of iPad 2 since I bought it last spring. I could talk about the specs of the actual device but I figure plenty of people will do that, so I'll run through a quick list of things I've tried using it for and whether or not it has been successful:
    Great:
    -Watching Netflix/Hulu Plus
    -Catching up on game recaps from NHL.com
    -Reading Books on iBooks - Yes, buying books from iTunes is a little expensive, but I like the convenience of having them on a device that I can easily switch to doing other things as well.
    -Going through my emails and responding
    -Reading my RSS feeds - I use an application called "Mobile RSS", it automatically syncs with my Google Reader account and the iPad version of this app is very good.
    -Comic Books! The iPad is amazing as a comic book reader, it's a much better experience than trying to read them on a laptop.
    -Facebook
    -Showing Photos to other people (but not taking them)
    -Couch browsing: I'm a pretty curious person, and a lot of times when I'm watching TV I'll get the sudden urge to go on a Wikipedia/Youtube/Google/TV-Tropes browsing rampage, and the iPad is perfect for that.

    Mixed Results:
    -Taking Notes: I bought a capacitive stylus to take notes, but it doesn't come close to replicating the feel of real pen and paper, even with the excellent "Note Taker HD" app, which makes certain UI choices to maximize the strengths, and help alleviate the weaknesses of the iPad for taking notes. The problem is that the screen isn't big enough, and it's not designed to be incredibly precise, not to mention that the capacitive stylus needs to have a significant surface area touching the screen to be recognized, and it just ends up feeling awkward.
    -Playing games: I have yet to find a iOS game that matches the depth or fun of games for the DS or the PSP (think Jeanne d'Arc or Patapon), maybe someday they'll have better games, but I don't think it's quite there yet.

    Not So Good:
    -Trying to type up anything longer than a few sentences: Use a real keyboard for this, it's too slow and not having cursor keys makes it a pain since I'm too used to being able to quickly hop back a few words.
    -As an on-the-go music player - it's too big, I would feel ridiculous carrying it around in public like an MP3 player, even in the car, the screen has too much real-estate to make changing tracks possible without seriously worrying about crashing.
    -As a camera: don't even try, the picture quality is awful, they could have not even included a rear-facing camera and I would have been fine, that's what my cellphone is for.

    The Breakdown

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    • 6
    • 7
    • 8
    • 9
    • 10
    • Design 9
    • Display 8
    • Camera(s) 5
    • Speakers 5
    • Performance 10
    • Software 10
    • Battery life 8
    • Ecosystem 10
    Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
  • 9.0
    Show all User reviews

    Reviewed by drumsmack (Currently owns)

    December 20, 2011 02:43 am

    The iPad 2 is great: so lets examine the weak points.

    The screen resolution (low density) kinda sucks but works perfectly fine: 1280 x 1024 IPS would have been stellar. It has good IPS typical off angle performance and renders well in dim and bright settings.

    The cameras are super weak with bad resolution, bad optics and horrendous low light performance: they work ok for FaceTime and with the help of a photo stitch app like PhotoStitch in bright light they can produce ok images.

    Battery performance is class leading for run time but charging is slow on the included 10w charger and exceptionally slow on an iPhone charger.

    The single mono speaker works good but is not very loud at max volume and has no bass. The failed audio comes down to mono rather than stereo and a placement that results in easy muffle dampening.

    Everything else about it is super well polished in an Apple standard clean thin beautify form factor.

    Unfortunately it is made in China :/ fortunately by Apple so the build quality is great.

    I originally bashed its name but it is the coolest AR Drone remote ever and pairs nicely with Apple TV. It is in many ways a giant two thumb friendly 4th Gen iPod touch with much better performance!

    The iPad 2 is Great for light browsing and email where a laptop is overkill : an ideal couch/ kitchen "appliance" computer!

    The Breakdown

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    • 6
    • 7
    • 8
    • 9
    • 10
    • Design 10
    • Display 7
    • Camera(s) 5
    • Speakers 6
    • Performance 9
    • Software 10
    • Battery life 10
    • Ecosystem 10
    • Dock 10
    Show the rest of this review and the breakdown