The Apple iPad Air is truly a magnificent work of technology from one of the leading smartphone and tablet companies to date. Hence, it is not surprising that the device took the world by a storm when it arrived in November. But things are about to change. And this we know for sure after Samsung unveiled its newest tablet offerings for 2014's first quarter. Samsung is actually to launch three tablets: the Samsung galaxy Note Pro 12.2, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2, and the Samsung Galaxy Pro 8.4. For this review, we'd like to focus on the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and how it scores when pitted against Apple's almighty iPad Air.

Apple iPad Air over Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2

On the get go, we'd like to clarify that these two tablets are two very different devices: one is running Apple's iOS 7 while the other features the latest Android OS update which is the Anroid 4.4. KitKat. Surely, if you are an iOS fan then the iPad Air is your top choice. Contrariwise, if you prefer the Android OS, then the tablet to choose between the two is the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. Nevertheless, our first vote goes to Apple's latest tablet since we all know that the iOS App Store houses more apps than the Android Play Store. Additionally, iOS apps are almost always better than their Android counterparts.

Now, when talking about display, we'd like to point out right away the rather unique screen size the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 sports. Yes the figure on its name represent the screen size it has, and pretty much the much bigger 12.2-inch display can readily outshine the 9.7-inch display found in the Apple iPad Air. And that's not all. While the Apple iPad Air comes with a 2048 x 1536 resolution and 264 ppi, the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 houses a very competitive 1560 x 1600 screen resultion with 247 ppi. Nevertheless, both displays actually look great even when viewed under the sunlight.

Another aspect that gives the Apple iPad Air an edge over the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is its premium build that is still very light at 469 grams. On the other hand, because of its bigger size, the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 weighs at 750 gram. Indeed the Apple iPad Air lives up to its name for being so slim and light yet always on the go.

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 over Apple iPad Air

In terms of processors and RAM and storage, we'd like to believe that the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 has a lot to offer than the other device. First is its very fast quad-core processor that is clocked at 2.3 GHz alongside its Adreno 330 graphics. Contrariwise, the Apple iPad Air takes pride on its 64-bit architecture and 1.7 GHZ A7 dual-core chipset. Despite the obvious difference on the processors of the two devices, you can't really tell which one is snappier because of the large difference between their interface and OS. As per the RAMs in these tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 still takes the lead with its 3GB of RAM and from 32GB of internal storage besides its expansion slot that accommodates up to 64GB of external memory. Meanwhile, the Apple iPad Air has disappointed several fans because of its 1GB of RAM. And although the company plans to compensate or remedy the problem by providing four variants of its device: 16GB, 32GB, 48GB and 128GB.

Camera technology is also one of the things that many users consider when buying their new tablet. And for this round, we are obviously lauding the Samsung Galaxy Pro 12.2 for packing in a decent 8MP shooter with pre-installed tweaks as opposed to the Apple iPad Air's not-so-impressive 5MP camera. But we must admit both can pretty much do the same things given their similar list of features such as autofocus, HDR, and 1080p video capture. The only obvious difference between the two is the pixels they sport. Meanwhile, for selfie addicts, we still recommend the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 over the other since it has a 2MP camera instead of a 1.2MP front-facing camera found in the iPhone

Finally, if you are looking for a device that can last you linger, the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 still takes the lead with its 9500 mAh battery as opposed to the Apple iPad Air's 8820 mAh battery. Though there is a big difference between the two, both devices can run for long hours on a single char