Apple Unveils The 10th-Generation iPad: Oddly Familiar?

The latest 10th-generation Apple iPad has just been unveiled. It sports some incremental upgrades over its predecessor to cement itself as the budget-friendly option of the lineup. The question remains though: is it any good, at least on paper for now? Let’s check.

Aesthetics-wise, the latest vanilla Apple iPad looks very similar to the previous iPad Air. It has a 10.9-inch IPS LCD Liquid Retina display with a pixel density of 264 ppi. Much like the Air, it has Touch ID mounted in the power button with most characteristics, like the USB-C port, remaining the same. It’s nice to see USB-C slowly make its way to more and more of the company’s devices.

The main difference lies in the colorful back casing options, and one obvious difference that Apple seems to be proud of with the iPad is the relocation of the 12-megapixel ultrawide front camera. It’s now on top of the screen in landscape mode, realizing that most calls and conferences are performed in this orientation. Another controversial change is the new location for the Smart Connectors, absolutely vital for the use of authentic Apple accessories.

It now finds itself at the bottom of the device, which could be a sign that this isn’t compatible with any of the accessories from other Apple iPad models. That’s a big yikes. Users may have to shell out money once again for custom accessories. It’s essentially a stripped-down version of the Pro that you’ll have to spend more on, countering its value proposition. Sounds like the iPhone 14 Plus?

Installed in the latest vanilla iPad is the same A14 Bionic chip that debuted in the iPhone 12 and 4th-generation iPad Air. It’s just about two years old by now, but it’s still relatively powerful and definitely more than enough for most (if not all) tasks you throw at it. Compared to Snapdragon chips it’s between the 865 and the 888, probably on par with the 865 Plus. Those chipsets are still towers of power in 2022.

Network connectivity is assured with WiFi 6 capabilities. Versions with WiFi only are available, as well as WiFi + 5G models. While it only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil which is yet another move that’s sure to garner negative reception, this may be a move to entice users to go for the Air or the Pro instead.

Available colors are Silver, Blue, Pink, and Yellow. Memory options either come in a base 64GB or a top-tier 256GB. By 2022 standards, some may consider these a little bit sparse.