2022 iPad review: Half a step ahead for Apple’s basic tablet

There was a time when Apple focused on the simplicity of its product lines – on creating a universal design for almost every consumer. In other words, not so long ago there was only one iPad.

Nothing could be further from the truth today. The iPad lineup includes six different models, not including, of course, different finish colors or memory configurations. Apple’s new tablet brings some welcome changes to the aging basic iPad design, but it doesn’t secure a strong position in the rugged iPad lineup.

However, it modernizes an aging design without losing anything good about its predecessor – well, except for one point, but we’ll get to that later.

If the design of the top and bottom bezels of the original iPad seems too outdated for you to put up with, you might want to consider purchasing this new 10th generation model instead of its 9th generation predecessor. But at least as many potential buyers will be better served by a still-affordable previous-generation model or the more expensive iPad Air.

Characteristics

Aside from the design of the iPad, little has changed in terms of specifications from the previous tablet. The device is still offered in two memory configurations (64GB and 256GB), it still has a 12MP front camera that can record 1080p video at up to 60fps, it still has stereo speakers (this time in landscape) and with two microphones, battery life is the same, and the display still offers a pixel density of 264 ppi with a maximum brightness of 500 nits.

So what has changed? Well, the A14 system-on-chip for starters. The 9th generation iPad had the A13, one generation behind it. Like its predecessor, the A14 has a CPU, GPU, NPU, and ISP, among other things. But it’s not much different from the A13; it should offer 10 to 20 percent better performance depending on the task. (We will check this soon.)

Although the screen has the same pixel density as the 9th generation iPad, it has a new resolution of 2360 by 1640 pixels. That’s because the screen is bigger – 10.9 inches diagonally instead of 10.2 – thanks to a significant reduction in the top and bottom bezels. The screen design differs significantly from the more expensive iPad Air, with an air gap that makes the Apple Pencil peripheral feel a little worse to use. It was the same with the 9th generation iPad, so just note that there are no improvements with this update.

The rear camera jumped from 8 megapixels to 12 without optical zoom. It can also shoot 4K video at up to 60fps. It supports Smart HDR 3, Apple’s computational photography solution to take better photos in some situations, especially in low light. The downside is that some of the photos look processed, as we discussed in detail in our last iPhone review. We don’t see the iPad primarily as a photography device, so we won’t spend much time on it, but the basics are there if you need them.

The new iPad supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity, as well as 5G, a first for this model in all cases. The previous model supported slightly older Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards and was limited to 4G. However, most people don’t have Wi-Fi 6 routers, and 5G is only noticeably faster in some urban areas, so these connectivity changes shouldn’t encourage most people to upgrade.

Another notable change is the switch from a Lightning port to USB-C. Apple has already transitioned the rest of the iPad line, other than the base iPad, to the more popular USB-C connection.

Overall, this iPad is something of an amalgamation of the previous generation iPad Air and the previous generation iPad. Ars Technica Slack called it “FrankeniPad”- that’s all.

Oh, and a final note on the specs: the entry-level 64GB configuration is only suitable for devices used in restricted contexts, such as retail outlets or some educational purposes. If you are going to download apps, games, music or movies to this device, you will need more storage space. The next step up is 256GB, for a whopping $150. For this reason, we don’t think of this iPad as as affordable as it claims to be for most users. It’s just something to keep in mind.