Apple revealed new iterations of its entry-level iPad and high-end iPad Pro this week via press release, rather than a splashy event at its Cupertino campus. Despite the muted launch, the standard iPad sees significant outward improvements thanks to its bold new design. Apart from the revised appearance and additional color options, however, the 10th-generation iPad makes only modest internal gains. Let's look at what's changed to see if you should grab last year's iPad on discount or reach for the new one.
The Price Is No Longer Right
Before we talk about anything else, we need to address the elephant in the room: The 10th-generation iPad starts at $449, while the 9th-generation model starts at $329 (both with 64GB of storage), a 36% price increase. Apple needs to offer some substantial upgrades to justify the jump, and we're not sure it does. It seems to move the entry-level iPad from the easy-to-recommend tablet category to the we-really-need-to-think-about-this-now tablet category.
The Screen Is a Bit Bigger
The screen is one of the most essential aspects of any tablet. After all, you're most likely buying a tablet for the larger screen it offers when compared to your phone. In the case of the 2022 iPad, Apple made some notable upgrades, but none that will make that much difference in the long run.
The biggest change is that Apple got rid of the inch-thick bezels at the top and bottom of the new iPad's screen. It extended the display nearly edge to edge as it does on the iPad Air and iPad Pro models. This gives the entire tablet a more modern look.
The 10th-generation iPad's screen is a little bigger than the previous model, measuring 10.9 inches compared with the older one's 10.2 inches. The display features a higher 2,360-by-1,640-pixel resolution, but the pixel density remains unchanged at 264ppi. Everything else is carried over, which means the two tablets share the same 500-nit brightness, LED backlights, oleophobic coating, and True Tone display tech.
Apple rejiggered the dimensions a bit to accommodate the changed screen. The new iPad measures 9.79 by 7.07 by 0.28 inches (HWD), while last year's model was 9.80 by 6.80 by 0.29 inches. The Wi-Fi model weighs 1.05 pounds and the cellular model weighs 1.06 pounds, which is a scant improvement over the 1.07 pounds and 1.09 pounds, respectively, for the Wi-Fi and cellular variants of the 9th-gen model.
Last, the new design forced Apple to get rid of the tried-and-true Touch ID button. The new iPad's fingerprint reader is located in the power button on the wide edge. We can only hope that it is as fast and accurate.
A Newer, Faster Chip
One improvement you expect to see year over year is a new processor. Apple bumped the base model iPad from the 2019-era A13 Bionic to a 2020-era A14 Bionic. The A14 doubles the Neural Engine cores from eight to 16, which opens up some additional functionality for the new iPad.
According to Apple, it boosts machine learning capabilities by up to 80% in addition to a 20% increase in CPU performance and a 10% improvement in graphics performance over the previous chip. However, the A14 Bionic is still two generations behind the iPhone 14 Pro, which features the newer A16 chip.
Using results gathered from Geekbench 5, we can compare the A13 and A14 chips to gauge the differences. The 9th-gen iPad's A13 scored 1,325 and 3,304 on the single- and multi-core tests, respectively. The 4th-gen iPad Air, which has the A14, got 1,583 and 4,201 on the same test.
How About Those Cameras?
A tablet isn't generally considered to be a photography-first device. However, it's still nice to have good cameras on a tablet. In the case of the new iPad, you get a noticeable upgrade over the previous generation. Apple added a 12MP primary camera with an aperture of f/1.8 to the back. The previous generation offered an 8MP camera with an aperture of f/2.4. This means higher-resolution shots and better low light performance from the new iPad.
In addition to higher-resolution photos, you'll also get higher-resolution video. The new iPad is capable of shooting 4K video at 60fps, whereas the older model was limited to 1080p at 40fps.
Apple carried over the specs of the selfie camera: both tablets feature a 12MP shooter at f/2.4. The critical difference is the location. Apple moved the front-facing camera from the short edge of the tablet to the long edge. This makes it more suitable for video chats, particularly when connected to the keyboard accessory. This change will be genuinely helpful to many users.
