I'l rather pay more for a fluid performance and vast range of tablet-optimised apps than paying less and working on a laggy tablet, which is always ready to heat up.
Truer words have never been spoken, I guess. Google has pretty much given up on tablets, instead focusing on the "phablet" space. With the Nexus 6 and similar big phones getting so much better every year, I don't see why anyone would want to go for an Android tablet.
iPad Air 2 is the clear winner here.