For several years, Apple updated the iPad, improving its characteristics but not changing the design. Against the iPad Air, mini, and Pro background,” the iPad “just” looked like a poor relative. Wide frames, the “Home” button under the screen – they were waiting for something new, although there were no questions about the technical part of the iPad. I just wanted to see something fresh and in a more modern style.
Apple heard the wishes of the audience and prepared a new device. Moreover, for the first time in one line, both the old and new models were preserved. Now Apple is selling two basic iPads: the 2021 model and the new 2022 model. Moreover, the old one has not become cheaper, as usually happens, but on the contrary, the new one has risen in price.
In any case, this is an excellent update to the basic iPad, which has not been updated for a long time, and it seemed that it would forever remain unchanged. However, the novelty has controversial points. I will tell you about all this later in the text.
Bright and frameless
The new iPad in bright colors at the presentation looked impressive and original, bored with this gray-black faceless mass. The classic silver color has been preserved, but pink, blue and yellow are presented along with it. I had a sample in blue. It’s a calm, not bright, but beautiful color. It changes depending on the lighting: it becomes almost gray, then light blue. I would like to see a yellow one. It is still my favorite.
The body is entirely made of aluminum. There are flat sides and neat roundings with no sharp edges. On matte surfaces, there are no traces and prints. The tablet is convenient and practical.
The tablet is moderately weighty — not as light as the iPad Air, but a bit lighter than last year’s model. And most importantly, how good it looks from the front – the frames have become much thinner, and the “Home” button is a thing of the past.
The fingerprint scanner is now located in the power key on end. If the thumb were earlier added to the tablet’s memory, now it would be more comfortable to do it with the index finger. It just hits the button when you hold the tablet in front of you in landscape orientation.
Large diagonal with old properties
The screen has increased in size, while the tablet itself has not become more extensive, just removed the button: now the diagonal is 10.9 inches, and it was 10.2. More is better. Otherwise, there are no significant changes in the characteristics. It is still the same solid IPS screen with an air gap as before. But when you go outside with the tablet, the display noticeably glares – the reason for this is the gap between the glass and the screen.
Therefore, in terms of image quality, the tenth-generation iPad can be put on par with last year’s iPad – there is no particular difference. If you want a new experience – you need to buy an iPad Air, not to mention a Pro.
Another thing is that a non-laminated screen without an anti-glare layer will be cheaper to repair. If you break the glass, you can change it to a new one, and that’s it. Therefore, if the tablet is bought as a gift to the child, this is more of a plus than a minus.
About the characteristics
The tablet received not the freshest but relevant Apple A14 Bionic two years ago. The same was used in the iPad Air (2020) and the iPhone 12 line. I have no complaints about the performance. Everything is fine. It’s comfortable to play. Apps launch quickly — iPad is stable and energetic, and CoD Mobile runs smoothly.
Despite this, Apple limited functionality and did not add stage manager mode to the base device. Not a critical, but still noticeable limitation: iPadOS 16 without multitasking mode, available on the iPad Pro and Air with M1.
The amount of memory has not changed. 64 GB is available in the base model, of which about 50 GB is free. Part of the pre-installed Apple software can be removed: GarageBand takes up 1.65 GB, iMovie – 0.6 GB, plus the office suite weighs about 1.5 GB. But in general, for active use, it is better to take the 256 GB version if you need to store a lot of data in the device.
As an option, by the way, you can use an external SSD. I connected via USB-C and tried watching videos. As a source, I downloaded movies prepared for Apple TV from torrents, and everything works.
Added Type-C, but cut speed
The news with jubilation about the transition to Type-C was replaced by disappointment. On the one hand, it is more convenient than Lightning, but it turned out that Apple used a slow USB-C version 2.0, where the data transfer rate is limited to 480 MB / s. In practice, it turns out that a 3.5 GB movie is copied to the tablet in 1.5 minutes. It also flies to an external SSD drive through the high-speed port of the 2017 iMac in 5 seconds.
Therefore, when copying data from a computer, the new USB-C in the tenth-generation iPad will be no faster than Lightning in the ninth-generation iPad. Sadly. But you can console yourself that we live in the era of cloud technologies and are unlikely to often copy data from the computer to the tablet by wire.
Wonders with Apple Pencil Connectivity
The epic with adapters has reached a climax. The tablet works with the first-generation Apple Pencil, which charges via Lightning, and the tablet, as we know, uses USB-C. Therefore, you can’t directly plug the Pencil into your iPad to recharge or pair it. Moreover, the Pencil can be charged via the Lightning wire. For this purpose, there is an adapter in the kit. One side connects the pen, and the other – is the cable going to the charger. But that’s not a problem if there’s Lightning in the household. And if it’s not there? Let’s say you can survive. But how do you connect an Apple Pencil to an iPad 10 so it can be used first? Buy the adapter for $9!
Apple invented an adapter from Lightning to USB-C specifically for this device. And you could humanly do everything and add magnetic charging using the mount on the side of the tablet, as is done in mini, Air, or Pro.
The new tablet is like the old one, but the accessories differ.
The new iPad is not compatible with cases from other iPads. Neither accessories from the iPad 7-8-9 nor the iPad Air (2020) fit it. At first glance, everything remained as before. The body is the same as that of the Air of the previous generation. But Apple moved the magnets. They do not fix the Smart Folio from Air 2020. There was no limit to the surprise. But Apple will be able to sell a new batch of accessories – a case for $ 79 will buy every user of a new tablet to protect the device.
In addition, there is a new case keyboard for the new iPad. There are additional function keys, a detachable block with buttons, and a leg stand, like surface tablets. Strangely, it is adapted only for the tenth-generation iPad, and you will not be able to use it with the iPad Air or Pro. The accessory costs $ 249 – for comparison, the Smart Keyboard with a more straightforward design is sold for $ 159.
About sound
The sound has also been improved: the speakers are located on both the left and right sides of the case. Therefore, the sound comes from all sides when playing games or watching a video. The quality of the tablet is still inferior to the more expensive iPad Pro, but it costs twice as much. And here, by the standards of the primary device, is excellent quality: clean, loud, moderately bassy sound.
However, the stereo sound appeared, and the 3.5 mm headphone jack was removed. For me, the loss is insignificant, and wireless headphones have proven their superiority, but I do not exclude that for someone, this function is still important.
The camera has moved.
First of all, I want to praise the engineers for the fact that they finally transferred the front camera. Now it is located in a more logical place – not on the short, but on the long side of the screen. It shoots just like last season’s iPad. He still focuses on his face during a conversation and tries to keep him in the center of the frame.
The quality of pictures for the tablet on the primary camera is not a priority. You will unlikely use it on trips and walks as a camera. But the tablet does not disappoint. The quality is about at the level of the iPhone 11.
Still a great work time
Apple tablets are famous for their decent working time, about 10 hours of autonomous life. Of course, it all depends on the usage scenarios: it’s one thing to play, and it’s another to watch videos or read books. Charging lasts for 6-6.5 hours of games. In mixed mode, when you use the tablet for a couple of hours a day, reading the news on the Internet or watching videos on YouTube, charging will last for 4-5 days.
I am glad that finally, the tablet was transferred to Type-C, and the cable and charger are included. A 20W power supply is good. Unlike iPhones, you won’t have to buy extra charging. The iPad will be charged by almost 30% in half an hour, and the full one takes a couple of hours.
Price
The tablet is sold with a memory of 64 and 256 GB. You can also choose between versions with Wi-Fi and support for 5G.
The surcharge for the built-in modem is very decent – $ 150. Given that the tablet with 64 GB of memory costs 449, this is a third of the device, so it is easier to distribute the Internet from the phone if necessary if you do not plan to carry the iPad with you constantly.
Prices are as follows:
- iPad 2022, 64 GB – $449;
- iPad 2022, 64 GB, Wi-Fi + 5G – $ 599;
- iPad 2022, 256 GB – $599;
- iPad 2022, 256 GB, Wi-Fi + 5G — $ 749.
Why is it needed?
It seems that Apple is not sure that people will want to buy a tenth-generation iPad, so it has kept the ninth-generation model on sale to hedge its bets.
At first glance, the novelty is fascinating: a fresh design, stereo sound, added USB-C, updated the system-on-a-chip, moved the front camera to a more convenient place, offered bright colors, and even the original keyboard case for this tablet appeared. Everything would be fine, but the device is much more expensive than the base model.
If you look at the devices through the eyes of the American buyer, then everything turns out to be very strange.
If the old model costs $ 329, the new one is already $ 449. At the same time, Apple has a more spectacular iPad Air with a thin body, a screen without an air gap, and an M1 for $ 599. But these devices feel very different, and the new iPad looks modest against the background of the more expensive Air. You can also remember the iPad mini for $ 499, but it still has a small screen, although the tablet is very compact, and due to this, it is as mobile as possible.
And Apple has a restored fourth-generation iPad Air for $ 469. The model was shown in 2020. The same is true of the refurbished iPad Pro 11, but it is even older – 2018. The more recent 2020 second-generation iPad Pro 11 is priced at $549. But compared to the iPad of the tenth, it’s heaven and earth. The difference is a hundred dollars, but given the very long cycle of using tablets, it is logical to add and buy a device of a higher level. Remember that the restored devices are problematic tablets that were rented out under warranty but were repaired. Externally, they are no different from the new ones, in fact, new devices with a one-year warranty.
Or you can buy a basic iPad – it is enough for the eyes to read websites and watch videos or games in Apple Arcade.
Or maybe buy a MacBook?
Another scenario can be considered. Apple does not cease to promote tablets as an alternative to laptops.
In the US, the MacBook Air on the M1 costs $ 999 – it will be the base model with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory.
Let’s try to assemble an equivalent tenth-generation iPad, so let’s take the 256 GB version and add a case with a Magic Keyboard Folio. It turns out $599 + $249 = $848. At the same time, the laptop will have a larger screen and a full-fledged macOS without restrictions, and in general, it is much more convenient and efficient to work behind it. And this is with a difference of $ 150. The choice is obvious.
Results
You look at the new line of Apple devices, and you are surprised. Here’s the iPhone 14 Plus — a good phone, but too expensive for its capabilities. It will become popular in a couple of years when it gets cheaper. Here’s the tenth-generation iPad — generally good, but again expensive. Some incomprehensible generation looms when you are forced to look in the direction of old models, not new ones. Because the new is like the old, only more expensive and worse.
Why can’t I add support for Apple Pencil 2 and breed adapters? Why such limited support for accessories when you can not use either clavitaural cases or just cases from the iPad Air with an identical body? Or the same slow USB-C – yes, not critical, but why can’t you immediately make it convenient for everyone? I can understand the screen with an air gap or 64 GB of memory in the basic version – we need to promote the more expensive Air, there are no questions.
If you want, you can imagine that there are people for whom the ninth-generation iPad is no longer the same because of the retro design, and the iPad Air is too expensive so they will choose the tenth-generation iPad. But in an attempt to sell more and more devices, Apple loses the essence of a simple and understandable brand, creating products for an incomprehensible audience.