I never had the iPad Air 1 but I'm still shocked by the Air 2's battery life. I use it as a reader mostly and I can spend 4-6 hours reading and still be at 80% battery life - I tend to keep brightness down and use side lamps. I had a KindlePaperwhite and ... while it wasn't bad, the amount of text on the screen always bothered me. Also, the battery life of that thing was horrible even with the backlight off - the way they rate the battery life on those things assumes you read 30 mins a day so it lasts "8 weeks" is kinda false advertising (because they also assume you turn off wifi).
I get your point too - Apple devices are getting way too thin these days to the point where it is difficult to hold and use them without a case (my 6s+ is one of those, in my opinion). I added a cheap Khumo case to my iPad Air 2 and although it looks a lot worse, makes the device a lot thicker, and a little bit heavier - it is easier to hold, easier to take with me without worrying about damaging it.
I'd gladly take more battery life for more thickness.
I've used my iPad Air 2 for several weeks now (heavily) (Jan 7 - 21) and ... I'm thrilled to see only 3 charge cycles (coconutBattery). Just nuts.
.
[doublepost=1485044257][/doublepost]
Yeah, I consider myself a hobbyist reader but 4 hours is the longest I can take in a sitting - and that's the longest. My average is about 2.5 hours in one sitting.