Verdict
The Apple iPad 10th gen is an excellent tablet in many ways – it ’s just too expensive .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The 10th - gen iPad represents the cheapest Modern pill in Apple ’s orbit , blow meaning upgrades that wreak it nigher to theiPad Air 2022than the previous entry - level iPad .
However , it ’s complicated by two factors ; a not - insignificant price rise , and the fact that Apple has maintain theiPad 9from 2021 in its compendium – even in 2024 .
That means that , technically , this is n’t the straight budget iPad , leave the iPad 10 in a somewhat perplexing daub for consumer .
Still , it remains an fantabulous tab with very little competition – away from older iPads and theOnePlus Padon the Android side of things – that offers a better overall package .
Design
The excogitation switch Apple started implementing in its tablet line with the iPad Pro in 2018 has in conclusion reached the received iPad , bringing with it a more modern look . The side of meat and back are flat , the Touch ID - toting home button has been ditched for a biometrically - skilled index key and the bezel surrounding the larger 10.9 - column inch display is slender .
While Apple might want to say this is an ‘ all - screen ’ design , it is n’t – the bezel around the showing is still fairly chunky , which does at least give fingers and thumbs somewhere to rest .
I think the designing changes are , for the most part , welcome . As much as the still available iPad 9 pack an iconic look , it had barely changed in long time , and it was start to feel a little stale . The iPad 10 looks a whole lot mod thanks to this face lift , and it oversee to pack in a big showing in a body that ’s slimmer and only marginally wider . It ’s also 10 g lighter .
When I reviewed the iPad Air in 2022 I noticed it often made screech noises , place to less - than - star build quality . Thankfully , that ’s not the case here . The iPad 10th gen is set and stout , even when press is lend oneself .
The design change brings a few other mod - cons too . USB - Creplaces the Lightning port – as with the iPhone 15 – for charging and data conveyance . This is great , not only for the faster charging but also for the power to easily confiscate SD card dongles and HDMI ports . Plus , you’re able to use the same charger to juice up this iPad as a recent MacBook .
There ’s the improver of a Smart Connector on the side – not the back as it is on the iPad Air and iPad Pro – plus really good speakers on either end . It feels natural take in the Touch ID sensor embedded inside the power key too , so you’re able to unlock and open it with one press .
Apple has decided to ditch the 3.5 mm jack , a move I bemoan on a equipment like this more purport at kids and students who might not have wireless earbuds . Still , Apple is intent on off the port from all devices so its time on the iPad was always limited .
At least the colour show the tablet is aimed at those who want a more fun gimmick . While the Pro has its moody ( I would say ‘ boring ’ ) grey and lighter grey option and the Air has pastel tones , the iPad 10th gen has more vibrant , saturated options . The yellow and pink options really pop , while the blue angel you ’ll see in the sampling images is morebluethan the darker tone on the iPad Air . There ’s also a silvern selection if you ’re after something a little safer , but not black .
Screen
Aside from getting more or less bigger , and packing a marginally higher 2360 x 1640 resolution as a result , the exhibit feels like the one region the iPad 10th gen has n’t received a noted cost increase .
On paper , it might bet like it matches the iPad Air , but in world , it lacks theP3colour gamut for extra depth of colouring in movie .
There ’s also no anti - reflective coating which is very obtrusive if you ’re working in vivid conditions and the video display is n’t laminated to the outer deoxyephedrine , mean there ’s a slight but obtrusive , gap between the components .
These sacrifices are to be expected on a low - end iPad ( though that was easier to forgive when it was around the £ 300/$300 mark ) but they do make this the least likeable screen on any current iPad .
Still , it ’s a perfectly good display for reading , watching motion-picture show or playing games . Apple claims a peak 500 nit of brightness and that match my lab tests , while the result is just as sharp as the iPad Air and detailed as a upshot . It ’s responsive too , either with an Apple Pencil or your finger’s breadth .
Performance
The iPad 10th gen tick all the boxes when it come to performance , and rival what I would expect from an iPad in this price wall bracket . There are obvious upgrades if you ’re coming from an iPad 9 or iPad 8 , but the Apple A14 Bionic chipset means you wo n’t be worrying about interim and poor play performance here .
Gaming public presentation on the whole was in reality a notable improvement over the previous gen iPad , with the beefier chip unlock higher graphic options in game . It leads to flying exportation times if you ’re using this machine to edit television too , a project it ’s perfectly capable of doing . Another nice hike is the 4 GB RAM , which is up from 3 GB .
I remain frustrated with Apple ’s storage size option though , just as I was when I reviewed the last revise of the iPad Air . 64 GB is the base choice , and I think for most people , it ’s too small .
With a few downloaded iTunes movies , and ten or so game instal , I was already set about that mark . If you live in the cloud and are always connected it might be fine , but for me , it is n’t .
However , as Apple remain staunchly against offer up a 128 GB sizing , to move from 64 GB you ask to jump all the way to 256 GB – arguably too much space for most . This comes with a hefty extra toll too , either £ 180 , $ 150 or € 200 . This makes an already expensive gadget even pricier .
Another total - on extra is5Gsupport , which is ready to hand if you want the power to be connect away from Wi - Fi . Speaking of Wi - Fi , this gimmick supports up toWi - Fi 6 – but not6E , nor the Wi - Fi 7 you ’ll find in many of 2024’sbest Android speech sound .
reckon at the camera , it ’s a more plus story . Apple has modishly repositioned the front camera from the myopic edge to the foresightful bound , meaning it ’s forthwith face you when the tablet is prop up in landscape painting orientation . This make so much sense , as you ’re no longer at an uneven angle on video call . The 12MP front tv camera is incisive too , develop a far better figure than Apple’sMacBookline or theStudio Display .
I ’m slightly baffled that Apple has elect to make such an obvious alteration to the front camera on what is fundamentally the base iPad , when the iPad Air M2 ( 2022 ) retains the awkward location of its forerunner .
The 12MP rear camera is salutary – for a pad of paper , anyway . There ’s video support up to 4 K 60 and images , in good luminosity , are sharp and colorful .
This iPad add up runningiPadOS 16.1out of the boxwood , though it has since receive the rise toiPadOS 17 . Regardless of the software it ’s hunt down , iPadOS give you access to loads ( and I do meanloads ) of particular apps , many of which are made specifically for this screen size of it . You do miss out on theStage Managerfeature though , which allow for the resizing of apps and window layouts .
Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard Folio
There have been a lot of curious decisions made with this iPad , but none more so than with the accoutrement .
The iPad 10th gen is sell alongside a new , two - part folio keyboard that ’s mostly excellent but very expensive , a choice of two Apple Pencil manikin .
The original Apple Pencil is the same inwardly as the successor . It ’s responsive to draw and write with and turn the iPad into a digital notebook and sketch block , allowing it to become more than a laptop replenishment .
However , the original Apple Pencil charged directly from the Lightning port on the previous iPads – a port that ’s missing here . Instead of just add support for the newer Apple Pencil 2 and countenance it wirelessly charge on the iPad , Apple initially sold a minor adaptor that join the Apple Pencil to a USB - C cable andthento the iPad .
The dongle is cheap was around £ 10/$10 and was included with the Lightning Apple Pencils sold from the iPad 10 ’s launch , but the solvent was frustrating .
The good news is that Apple listened to the feedback and finally brought out a first - gen Apple Pencil with a hidden USB - C connexion , allowing you to plug a USB - vitamin C cable right away into the Pencil to charge it .
The Magic Keyboard Folio is another optional accessory that turn the iPad into something blood-related to a Microsoft Surface . At £ 279/$249 it ’s not far off costing the same as a launching iPad 9 from 2021 . Price aside , I like this keyboard a raft and in some way , it ’s better than theMagic Keyboardavailable for the iPad Air and iPad Pro .
The two - piece design means you could come off the keyboard and just use the kickstand - add together back cover for propping up the iPad to watch a film or conduct a video chat . The keyboard itself is great to typecast on , with passel of locomotion and spaced - out keys . It even has a function quarrel of shortcut Francis Scott Key , a feature the Magic Keyboard still lack .
But , unlike the Magic Keyboard , the key miss a backlight and there ’s no USB - C port for easy charging of the iPad . The invention also think of it ’s harder to utilise on your lap and more suited to a table .
Battery Life
Battery Life on iPads is roughly the same whether you buy a Pro , an Air or this base version . It ’s only really theiPad Mini 5that stands out as have subscript endurance . There ’s still a 20w charger included ( which takes over two hours to go from 0 - 100 % ) and even a decent braid USB - C cable too .
Apple ’s 10 - hr claim has been a steadfast guide for the assault and battery biography of an iPad , and once again if you ’re purely watching video on a eyelet you ’ll often top that .
With Apple positioning this machine , when the folio keyboard is admit , as a stark small laptop replacement I put that to the test by using it instead of a laptop for as many chore a day as possible . After a distinctive sidereal day , the iPad was left with over 50 % electric battery leave behind – I do n’t call back many will be able to eat up it in a single seance .
The switching to USB - ascorbic acid charging is a plus for me , though I can see it being an thorn for someone who antecedently charged an iPhone and an iPad with the same cable television service . It makes for faster charging , though – something that peculiarly ca n’t be said about the USB - ascorbic acid - enable iPhone 15 , even theiPhone 15 Pro .
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Should you buy it?
The new designing makes this the most tempting base iPad upgrade in a while . Plus , it has overbold webcam placement , a nice keyboard sum - on and sport colours .
The previous - gen model might not calculate as good , but it ’s much more affordable and remains a very capable option in 2023 .
Final Thoughts
The iPad 10th gen is an odd suggestion . It ’s an excellent tablet , with a good silver screen , hard carrying out and plenty of really noticeable rising slope over theprevious coevals iPad .
But thanks to a price increase , this no longer feels like a budget iPad for everyone – by stay fresh the older model around too , Apple seems to agree . If you ’re in the UK and want a 256 GB iPad , Magic Keyboard Folio and Apple Pencil then you ’re pass to be expend £ 1067 – more than it costs for theMacBook Air M1 .
I would also propose those thinking about this iPad also look at theiPad Air . The 2022 version of this gimmick is available often for around the £ 570 mark , while the2020 modelhas drop below £ 500 and is often uncommitted at that price . The price jump is n’t as expectant between generations in the US , with the iPad 10th gen start at $ 449 and the previous generation at $ 329 .
If you ’re felicitous to pay up what Apple is ask then the packet here is very dear and wanton to commend . This remains practiced than most of thebest Android tabletsthanks to the splendid app ecosystem and it ’ll likely be supported for years to total with iPadOS updates .
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FAQs
There ’s a 20w plug in the box , along with a braid USB - carbon cable
No , this iPad does support iOS 16.1 but not the microscope stage director feature
