While the New iPad is arguably the best tablet on the market right now, coming in at a close second is its predecessor, the iPad 2.
We had written a story last week comparing the iPad 2 with the iPad 3 and gave reasons as to why many buyers would still pick the iPad 2 over the newer generation model until today. If you missed the story, here is quick recap:
iPad 2 vs iPad 3: where the iPad 2 wins
Better battery life (9 hours vs 7 hours in real world testing), lighter (important for one-handed operation), cheaper (at $399, it’s too good of a deal to pass up) and more apps optimized for it (certain apps which aren’t optimized for the Retina Display just yet tend to look terrible on the New iPad 3).
Now you can add another reason to the list. According to a recent teardown of the iPad 2, Apple has apparently upgraded the iPad 2 chip silently to boost battery life even further, possibly having it last over the 10 hours per charge that is advertised (the iPad 3 in real-world testing ran empty at around 7 hours). As TNW explains, Apple is using a revised version of its A5 processor that has been built on the 32nm Samsung High-K + Metal Gate process. This chip is capable of a smaller process which equates to better battery life. And apparently, this technology that has ended up on the iPad 2 will also make its way to the iPhone 5.
So if you’re thinking about springing for an iPad 2, make sure you get a ‘new’ iPad 2.
