Why the 9th Generation iPad Is the Best Tablet for Most Buyers
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The iPad is hands-down the best all-around tablet for most people and Apple just made it even better while retaining the same $329 starting price. The ninth-generation iPad brings faster performance, an improved front-facing camera, more storage space, and exciting new software features.
Key Specs
• A13 Bionic chip with Neural Engine
• 10.2-inch Retina display
• Up to 256GB of storage
• Touch ID fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, dual microphones
• 12MP ultra wide front camera with Center Stage, 8MP rear-facing camera
• Built-in Lightning and Smart Connectors
• Compatible with Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil (first-generation)
After nearly a week of testing the latest, most affordable Apple iPad, I was impressed by its versatility, its lengthy battery life, and was instantly engrossed by its vibrant display. Whether you’re cranking out work emails, snuggling up with a good eBook, getting sucked into Marvel’s highly addictive “Future Revolution” game, or are sketching floor plans using an Apple Pencil, the iPad is perfect for work or play. Here’s a breakdown of its design, display, performance, and cameras.
Design
Apple’s base-model iPad, which is available in silver or space gray, sports a similar design to the model it replaces. It has larger bezels on its top and bottom than the more expensive iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad mini. Fortunately, the silver variant’s bezels are now all black (instead of white as in previous generations), which makes the screen appear larger.
The 10.2-inch iPad is Apple’s only tablet that uses a Lightning connector, a headphone jack, and a home button. The home button still is embedded with Touch ID, Apple's fingerprint-scanning technology, which comes in handy for unlocking your tablet in the era of mask-wearing.
We really wish that Apple had brought USB-C to the entry-level iPad. The hardware feature would not only allow users to use the same charging cable across multiple devices, but USB-C also provides faster data transfers and charging speeds. Everything considered, the iPad is sleek and solidly crafted.
Display
The new iPad’s 10.2-inch display is incredibly vibrant and responsive. It’s the same size and resolution as before, but now it supports Apple’s signature True Tone feature, which automatically adjusts the screen’s color temperature and intensity depending on the light around you, so images appear more natural. It’s a welcomed upgrade and I had no issues using the iPad during late-night work sessions. The tablet automatically adjusted its brightness and color in my home’s sunroom during the day, too.
Since the tablet is compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil, you can quickly jot down notes, make elaborate sketches, and annotate documents. Your handwritten notes can also be converted to digital, searchable text.
Performance
The biggest upgrade to the iPad is its beefier processor. It features an all-new chip dubbed the A13 Bionic. It’s 20% faster than the previous iPad and surpasses the competition in graphics and processing power, as well. Its upgraded Neural Engine helps improve machine learning and is used to optimize battery life and provide more seamless experiences with apps.
It's also what powers a new Live Text feature, which is used to recognize text that you can select, copy, paste, and lookup in the Photos and Camera app. For example, if you hold your iPad camera up to a movie theater poster, you’re able to scan the text to quickly search for nearby showtimes without inputting the film’s title in Google.
The iPad never skipped a beat as I hopped app to app across several Chrome tabs, messaging apps, and documents. Its stereo speakers were plenty capable for playing games and watching videos, but I likely wouldn’t rely on them to listen to music unless I didn’t have a Bluetooth speaker at the ready.
According to Apple, the iPad delivers up to 10 hours of video playback or web browsing between charges. Even during days that I was glued to screens, I had no issues making the battery last before bedtime, and oftentimes had 30% worth of juice to spare.
Cameras
I was also impressed by the iPad’s 12MP FaceTime camera, which was great for Zoom meetings. It’s worth mentioning that the iPad now supports the Center Stage feature that was previously reserved for the iPad Pro. Basically, as the camera subject moves around, the iPad automatically pans the camera to keep them in view. If a friend steps into frame, the camera detects them too, and smoothly zooms out to include them.
As for the rear camera, it’s an 8MP wide shooter that supports 1080p HD recording at 25 or 30 frames per second along with 720p slow-motion video at 120 frames per second. The rear camera was highly useful for scanning documents that I could sign using the touchscreen display to share online, but it also shoots excellent-quality stills and captures clear footage.
Wrap-Up
There’s a reason the cheapest iPad has been the best-selling iPad for years now, and now Apple has made it even better. Given the iPad’s new and improved processor, its all-day battery life, and its seamlessly smooth operating system, I think the iPad is the best tablet for most people. As a bonus, its base configuration comes with 64GB of storage space — double the space its predecessor had, which gives you an even more compelling reason to purchase one.
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