Apple officially introduced the 10th Generation iPad yesterday. The new iPad features an all-new design, a bigger 10.9-inch display, a faster A14 Bionic chip, and a USB-C port. The new model, however, starts at $449, a steep increase of almost $120 from the previous generation. Is it worth paying the higher price? Let's find out.

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  iPad 10th Generation

  The 10th Generation iPad features a completely new design, a bigger 10.9-inch display, a faster 14 Bionic chipset, USB-C connectivity, 5G, and much more.

  See at Amazon See at Best Buy

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  iPad 9th Generation

  The iPad 9th Gen. features refreshed internals and an improved front-facing camera, making it the perfect tablet for kids or seniors in your family who just need a device to keep in touch or get school work done with just enough power for gaming.

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Technical Specifications

Design & Display

The design of the 10th Gen iPad and the 2021 model differs dramatically. The new 10th Generation iPad features an all-new flat-edge design similar to the iPad mini and iPad Pro. The bezels have been minimized, and the Touch ID has also moved to the Power button, similar to the iPad Air. It comes in four "vibrant" colors, namely blue, yellow, pink, and silver.

On the other hand, the 9th generation iPad looks outdated, with large bezels on the front and a curved-edge design. It features a Touch ID home button on the front and is available only in two color options: Silver and Space Gray. Another major difference between the two devices is that the newer iPad features a USB-C port for data transfer and charging, while the old model relies on the Lightning connector.

Bringing your focus to the front of the two devices, it's worth noting that the 10th generation iPad features a bigger 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display in a body that is both smaller and lighter than the previous generation. The 9th generation iPad features a slightly smaller 10.2-inch Retina display, though both the devices feature similar resolution and 264 PPI. Furthermore, both devices feature a maximum brightness of 500 nits.

Performance and Connectivity

Powering the 10th-gen iPad is the A14 Bionic chipset. This is the same chipset that powers the iPhone 12. Compared to the 9th generation iPad, the new 2022 iPad offers a 20 percent increase in CPU and a 10 percent improvement in graphics performance. It comes with a 16-core Neural Engine that is almost 80 percent faster than the previous model, boosting machine learning and AI capabilities.

Thanks to the newer A14 Bionic chip, the 10th gen iPad offers faster connectivity. It supports 5G (sub-6GHz only) and Wi-Fi 6. Apple says the 2022 variant offers a 30 percent faster download speed than the 802.11ac Wi-Fi supported in the previous generation.

Cameras

The 10th generation iPad offers upgraded rear and front cameras. The back sensor has been upgraded to the 12MP wide angle lens with f/1.8 aperture that supports Smart HDR 3. Thanks to the newer sensor, the 10th gen iPad offers 4K video recording as well as support for 240-fps slo-mo.

The 10th generation iPad is also the first iPad to come with a landscape front-facing camera. The new 12MP sensor is located in the middle of the top edge, making it ideal for FaceTime and video calls. Thanks to the 122-degree field of view, the 10th generation iPad also supports Center Stage. It's worth noting that the 9th generation iPad also supports Center Stage, but its camera is located on the side bezel.

Accessories

Apple also unveiled a new Magic Keyboard Folio alongside the iPad yesterday. The new Magic Keyboard offers full-size keys, 1 mm of travel, and a trackpad. It also comes with a 14-key function row that allows for easy access to shortcuts such as adjusting the volume or the display's brightness. It attaches via the Smart Connector on the edge of the iPad. The 9th generation iPad is, unfortunately, compatible with only Apple's Smart Keyboard, which offers no trackpad.

Both the iPad models are compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil, though, for the newer model, you will need to buy an additional USB-C to Lighting connector to charge the Apple Pencil since it comes with a Type-C port on the bottom.

Price

Lastly, let's discuss the price. The 10th generation iPad has been priced at $449 for the Wi-Fi-only model. The Wi-Fi + Cellular variant will retail at a higher price of $599. The storage options, sadly, remain the same as before, i.e., 64GB and 256GB. In the table above, you'll see a breakdown of the price differences between the three iPads.

Apple continues to sell the 9th generation iPad in spite of introducing the newer model. While the company hasn't changed the pricing for the older model, and it continues to retail at $329, you can find heavy discounts on that particular model right now.

Which one should you buy?

This brings us to the question: which iPad should you buy? Well, if you're in the market for a new iPad, the new 10th-generation iPad offers a perfect balance of specs and price. It offers many (significant) upgrades over the 9th generation iPad and packs almost all the best features of the pricier iPad Air.

But, if you don't want to spend a lot on the new iPad, then the 9th generation iPad for $269 is an excellent offering. Though if you're going to use your iPad for creative purposes, it's best to have the fastest hardware, and that is available only in the M1 iPad Air.

• 

  iPad 10th Generation

  The 10th Generation iPad features a completely new design, a bigger 10.9-inch display, a faster 14 Bionic chipset, USB-C connectivity, 5G, and much more.

  See at Amazon See at Best Buy

• 

  iPad 9th Generation

  The iPad 9th Gen. features refreshed internals and an improved front-facing camera, making it the perfect tablet for kids or seniors in your family who just need a device to keep in touch or get school work done with just enough power for gaming.

  See at Amazon See at Best Buy

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  Apple iPad Air (2022)

  The iPad Air 5th generation comes with a more powerful M1 chip inside, which provides more performance and efficiency. Though the design remains unchanged, it supports Apple Pencil, comes with an M1 chip, and proves to be a powerful device to fit all of your needs.

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