After the launch of the Modern eminent - last iPad Air M2 and iPad Pro M4 , you might be looking for an iPad without such a premium cost tag .
That ’s exactly what Apple ’s entry - level iPad is designed for , but should you prefer for the 10th - gen iPad or the older 9th - gen iPad ?
The conclusion is slightly easy now than it once was ; when it first launched , the iPad 10 had a very expensive £ 499/$449 price tag , so much so that Apple decided to keep the iPad 9 on sale at its original £ 349/$349 RRP . However , Apple has since dropped the iPad 10 down to the same Mary Leontyne Price as the iPad 9 , ditching the iPad 9 solely .
That being say , you may still determine the erstwhile iPad 9 at retail merchant as they ’re trying to change over the stay ancestry of the discontinued pad – and you could find it at a bargain price .
So , the question is , if you do stumble on a discounted iPad 9 , is it deserving buy or else of the iPad 10 ?
We ’ve compared the specs and our review of theiPad 10 ( 2022)to its predecessor , theiPad 9 ( 2021)so you may make the correct conclusion for your need .
Pricing and availability
useable as Apple ’s most budget - favorable iPad alternative , the iPad 10 currently has an RRP of £ 349/$349 .
Apple has quietly removed the iPad 9 from its shelf , although you may now and again encounter it at third - party retailers , especially during big sale seasons .
Design
The iPad 10th Gen is bigger than the iPad 9 , assess 10.9 inches whereas the latter is 10.2 inch . Although trifling , this is deserving considering if you know you ’ll be trip around with your iPad in towage .
Both iPads have a 12MP front - facing television camera that ’s fitted with Apple ’s Centre Stage , a engineering that apply machine learn to mechanically pan off the camera to keep you and others centred in the human body . However , the iPad 9 ’s front camera is portrait whereas the iPad 10 ’s is landscape , which is actually the same as the new launch iPad Air and iPad Pro .
Now slimly superannuated , especially for iPads , the iPad 9 has a Lightning connecter while the iPad 10 has an upgradedUSB - Cconnector . If you have aniPhone 14 Pro Maxor former , this may not needs be an egress , but if you have already made the barter to USB - snow then this will feel like a step backwards .
utter of outdated , the iPad 10 has a much svelte bezel and no Home clitoris , which makes the iPad 9 look quite dated in comparability , as it lark about much expectant bezels and a Home button .
The iPad 10 is available in much brighter color than the iPad 9 , with a alternative of Blue , Yellow , Pink or a more subdued silver medal . The iPad 9 is only available in either Silver or Space Grey .
Screen
Both iPads also have Apple ’s trademarked Retina display , however the iPad 10 screen is Liquid Retina . This means the iPad 10 ’s display is built upon LCD technology which has a higher pixel denseness .
Even so , while the iPad 10 does boast a higher concealment resolving power than the iPad 9 , it definitely is n’t the good screen encounter on an iPad with the iPad Pro move ontoOLED . For a budget choice though , it is more than satisfactory .
Performance
Unlike the new and higher - end iPads , both the iPad 10 and iPad 9 run on Apple ’s A chip rather than the desktop - level M chip . The iPad 10 run on the A14 Bionic Chip , which is also found in theiPhone 12 series , and the iPad 9 running on the A13 Bionic Chip , found in the iPhone 11 serial .
Neither flake is Apple ’s most up - to - date offering , however , as the Apple A18 Pro is now usable inside theiPhone 16 professional . Although we found the iPad 9 to “ perform admirably ” with the 2019 silicon chip “ still gravely snappy and more than adequate , ” we found the iPad 10 “ tick all the boxes when it comes to public presentation ” with “ obvious upgrade if you ’re follow from an iPad 9 or iPad 8 . ”
The iPad 9 also falls short with connectivity , as there ’s no Wi - Fi 6 and if you do need a cellular simulation , you ’ll only get 4 G networks as there ’s no 5 G support .
Battery
aside from the more commodious USB - C port wine on the iPad 10 and the Lightning port on the iPad 9 , the bombardment and charging life of both iPads remain virtually unaltered with Apple claim a 10 - hour battery living for both models .
We found in our trial run that after a distinctive Clarence Day , the iPad 10 was impart with over 50 % battery left while the iPad 9 needed to be charged “ a couple of metre a week . ”
Accessories
The iPad 10 is compatible with more iPad accessories , let in Apple Pencil First Generation and USB - C and Magic Keyboard Folio .
Meanwhile , the iPad 9 does support Apple Pencil First Generation , but it is n’t compatible with Magic Keyboard , supporting the Smart Keyboard instead .
Verdict
While the iPad 10 is n’t exactly perfect , there are still some clear improvements over its predecessor here , most notably in price of its design and performance . We ’d have appreciated further betterment to the screen , but it remains good enough for see video recording or gaming , and the shelling life history remain excellent .
If you ’re on a tight budget then the iPad 9 still offer pile of great time value and should not be terminate , but if you have a minuscule more John Cash to splash then the iPad 10 will be worth it .
