Apple launched the iPad Air towards the last quarter of 2013. The iPad Air sports the much touted Retina display that takes the viewing experience to a whole new level.

The HP SlateBook x2, on the other hand, was released in May 2013. This tablet/notebook was received with great reviews from users and critics alike. It is worth noting that, the HP SlateBook x2 doubles as a laptop. Hence the tablet is accompanied by a detachable physical keyboard.

Readers who are planning to buy the Apple iPad Air or the HP SlateBook x2, here is a specification and price comparison for the aforementioned devices pertaining to Australia.

Display and Size

The Apple iPad Air comes with a 9.7 inches display, while the HP SlateBook x2 features a slightly bigger 10.1 inches display. The iPad Air packs a superior resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels, when compared to the HP SlateBook x2, which comes with a relatively lower 1,920 x 1,200 pixels screen resolution.

The dimensions of the iPad Air are 9.45 x 6.67 x 0.30 inches and it weighs much lesser than HP SlateBook x2 at 478 g. The HP SlateBook x2, on the other hand, comes with the following dimensions 11.22 x 8.35 x 0.8 inches and it weighs a humongous 1400 g. This thumping weight can be attributed to the additional detachable keyboard that comes with the SlateBook.

Hardware and Software

The iPad Air runs on the Apple's iOS 7 software, but it is upgradable to iOS 7.1.1. On the other hand, the HP SlateBook x2 runs on Android v4.2 (Jelly Bean).

iPad Air is powered by a dual-core Cyclone (Apple A7 with 64-bit architecture) processor clocked at 1.4 GHz and it houses a 1 GB of RAM. The HP SlateBook x2, on the other hand, is powered by superior quad-core (Nvidia Tegra 4) ARM Cortex-A15 processor clocked at 1.8 GHz and it houses a powerful 2 GB of RAM.

Memory

The iPad Air comes with a built-in storage of 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB, whereas the HP SlateBook x2 comes with 16 GB and 64 GB of internal storage capacity. In addition, the HP SlateBook x2 provides microSD card support for expansion up to 32 GB, while the iPad Air doesn't.

Camera

The iPad Air houses a 5 MP rear-facing camera and a 1.2 MP front-facing camera, whereas the HP SlateBook x2 houses a 2 MP rear-facing shooter with no LED flash and a 720p front-facing webcam.

Battery

The Apple iPad Air comes with a non-removable 8820 mAh battery unit, while the HP SlateBook x2 houses a 2-cell Li-Ion polymer battery unit.

Connectivity

Both the tablets support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, USB 2.0 port and USB charging. In addition, the iPad Air supports TV-Out, while the HP SlateBook x2 supports HDMI.

Colour

The iPad Air comes in space gray and silver shades, whereas the HP SlateBook x2 comes in white shade.

Price

The Apple iPad Air 64 GB (WiFi) variant is priced at AU$809.95, while the iPad Air 64 GB (4G) is priced at AU$939.95. The HP SlateBook x2 (WiFi only) 64 GB is priced at AU$488.40 in Australia.