Despite the lack of major upgrades, the Apple iPad Air 2 holds a spot as one of the best tablets on the market. During Laptop's testing, in which a tablet loops through webpages at a constant brightness, the Air 2 lasted for nine hours and 20 minutes before powering down.

While this mark is in line with Apple's advertised Wi-Fi browsing battery life of up to 10 hours, the iPad Air's battery is a step behind other multimedia tablets that tout battery lifespans of more than 10 hours.

Apple's build quality is an upside on the Mini 4. The dimensions of 8 x 5.3 x 0.24 inches and weight of 0.66 pounds make the Apple's iPad Mini 4 one of the lightest tablets we've seen.

The Mini 4's rounded edges and weighty aluminum construction give it a durable feel. The tablet lasted for a lengthy nine hours and 23 minutes in Laptop's battery test, in which a tablet loops through webpages at a constant brightness until it powers down. Apple offers the tablet in 16GB, 64GB or 128GB configurations, and separate models include support for cellular data.

During its evaluation, in which a tablet loops through webpages at a constant brightness until the battery dies, the Google Nexus 9 only lasted for seven hours and 42 minutes; battery life under eight hours is usually only seen on budget tablets. During our hands-on testing, the Nexus 9's 2048 x 1536 display handled tasks like displaying text and playing high-definition videos exceptionally well.

In Laptop's benchmarking, the display's brightness rating of 371 nits was more than Top Ten Reviews' average of 347 nits.

Text and images were displayed with excellent fidelity and virtually free of noticeable pixilation. Overall, the Google Pixel C display abilities deservedly place it in the same league as other premium tablets we reviewed.

The Pixel C also performed solidly during battery benchmarking tests from our colleagues at Laptop Mag. In their testing, a tablet loops through webpages at a constant brightness until it powers down.

The Apple iPad Pro was also a strong performer in Laptop Mag's battery testing, in which a tablet loops through webpages until it powers down. With a mark of 10 hours and 53 minutes, the 9.7-inch Pro was in line with the average nine-hour mark for mainstream tablets.

Considering that the Pro is more power intensive than standard tablets, its battery life is especially impressive. For home users, the 9.7-inch Pro's physical appearance is familiar. With dimensions of 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.24 inches and a weight of 0.96 pounds, it's virtually identical to the iPad Air 2.

Weight of 0.58 pounds, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is light and thin enough to easily fit into a drawer or backpack. You can purchase the Samsung in 32GB or 64GB configurations, and micro-SD support provides storage flexibility. However, the tablet's battery life is a notable misstep in comparison with its competitors.

In Laptop's testing, a tablet scrolls through webpages at a constant brightness until the battery powers down. During this test, the S2 put up a subpar mark of 7 hours and 42 minutes. Most mainstream tablets average between 8 and 9 hours of battery life.

While these scores are slightly outclassed by more current tablets, the Apple iPad Air 2 showed it still has excellent specifications during our hands-on testing. The tablet smoothly switched between tasks like web browsing and games.

In "Epic Zen Garden," a high-end iOS gaming tech demo, we could navigate through the in-game world without any technical hiccups or performance slowdown. The Air 2 is also a strong performer in Laptop Mag's battery test, although the tablet isn't without its limitations.

Apple iPads have generally been shining examples of high-end tablet performance, and on the strength of its numbers, the Apple iPad Air 2 is still a worthy member of the iPad family. While the Air 2 shows its age compared to the best tablets, it has much to offer home users thanks to its solid battery life, compact dimensions and strong performance ceiling.

Even with the tablet computer's 9.7-inch screen, it sports a weight of only 0.96 pounds. While it's not the lightest in comparison to other 9-inch tablets, the Apple iPad Air 2 has a thickness of only 0.24 inches.

In hands-on testing, we found the Air 2 to be sturdily constructed and easy to handle thanks to its rounded edges.

Apple relies on the same 2048 x 1536 Retina display that past iPads were built around, but the Air 2's display remains an exceptional performer for a variety of tasks. In our testing, onscreen text cleanly displayed, and high-resolution photos had vibrant color reproduction.

The Apple iPad Air 2 display was also a reliable performer in Laptop's benchmarking testing. The Air 2's display had a brightness rating of 368 nits, which was comparable to other premium tablets. Nits are a measurement used to evaluate the screen's brightness level.