Unconventionally, the tech giant released new iPads this year via press release. Apple quietly pushed an update to their site and released new iPad 10th Gen and iPad Pro models. The iPad 10th generation now looks like the latest iPad Air and iPad Pro featuring an all-screen display and no home button. It features a touch ID built-in to the power button, new colors, and a new position for the front-facing camera. It is now powered by the A14 Bionic chip, about a two-year-old chip but still plenty powerful for everyday use on an iPad. The iPad features a 10.9-inch liquid retina display similar to other Apple devices giving you the ultimate display for on-the-go media consumption. The new front-facing camera features a 12 megapixels sensor and Ultra Wide lens located on the right side center of the iPad when in landscape mode.
The iPad also features USB-C charging, a four-speaker array, a smart connector on the side, and built-in Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. You'll get a USB-C charging cable in the box and a 20W USB-C power adapter. This iPad only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, which is a bit of a letdown. Strangely enough, to charge the first-generation Apple Pencil, you will need a USB-C adapter to the Apple Pencil connector, which costs $9, as the Apple Pencil Gen one only charges via a lightning adapter. We also got new colors this year; silver, blue, pink, and yellow. It only comes in 64 GB and 256 GB storage options, priced at $449 and $599, respectively. Apple also created a new accessory for the iPad 10th generation, and it's called the Magic Keyboard folio. Now I'm a little bummed that this keyboard is strictly for the new iPad 10th Gen because Apple has added a function key row similar to a laptop and expanded the trackpad's size. This keyboard connects magnetically to connectors on the side of the iPad and comes with a back cover with an adjustable stand. It offers varying viewing angles, and the ability to remove the keyboard at your will, making it pleasant for media consumption, especially on an airplane with those tiny trays we get. This keyboard is priced at $249 and only comes in white. I wish the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard received the same update, but sadly, it did not.
Now let’s talk about the new iPad Pro.
The new iPad Pro features the same design with new internals. Featuring the M2 chip, the iPad Pro is as powerful as the baseline MacBook Air. The M2 chip features an 8-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, a 10-core GPU, a 16-core neural engine, 100 GB of memory bandwidth, 8Gb of RAM on the 128GB model and 512GB storage models, and 16Gb RAM on the 1TB and 2 TB storage models. This makes the new iPad Pro a true mobile powerhouse. The iPad Pro 11-inch retains the old screen, but the 12.9-inch model comes with Mini-LEDs and has a sustained brightness of 1000 nits and a peak brightness of 1600 nits when viewing HDR content. We also welcome Thunderbolt 4 connectivity to the USB-C port, allowing up to 40 Gb/s data transfer speeds, running a single 6K display, and having true multitasking.
The iPad cameras seem unchanged and only have received a few more capabilities given the new M2 chip. We now support ProRes video capture and Smart HDR 4 for photos. I find it odd that Apple kept the front-facing camera in the same spot on the iPad Pro but decided to move it in the iPad 10th Gen. I disagree with this move as I believe pro users are likely in landscape mode more often than portrait. This is a disappointment for me, and I hope Apple moves the front-facing camera in the next iteration of the iPad Pro. Also new is Wi-Fi 6E and 5G, giving you blazing-fast internet if you have the right equipment at home. And finally, we didn’t get a new Apple Pencil, but the iPad Pro brings new capabilities and precision to the Apple Pencil. When you hover your Apple Pencil just above the screen, you will see a cursor showing exactly where you are about to Tap once you touch the screen. This also brings new ways to interact with apps and tools for designing and writing on your iPad Pro. The iPad Pro starts at $799 for the 11-inch model and $1099 for the 12.9-inch model and can set you as far back as $2399 for a 2TB 12.9-inch model. Yikes😳.
So my final thoughts are. These are both capable devices if you’re in the market for a new iPad. It boils down to what you expect to do on your iPad. If you’re a student and want a device to take notes on, browse the web, and watch YouTube videos, you’re likely opting for the new iPad 10th Gen or the recently updated iPad Air. If you’re trying to replace your laptop, to a certain extent, and do as much as possible on your iPad, including but not limited to video editing, photo editing, and constant all-day productivity, you’re likely looking at the iPad Pro. However, the difference in RAM that I noted about 8Gb versus 16Gb could make a difference for those wanting the maximum possible multitasking capability. Just expect to pay a pretty penny.
Overall, the iPad has come close to replacing the laptop but not entirely. We still lack all Pro apps like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro from Apple or even the capability to code and develop an app locally, but that defeats the purpose of replacing a Mac or Windows laptop. So are you in the market for a new iPad? In the comment section, let me know which one you’re considering purchasing.
