10th-generation Apple iPad: Everything you need to know

Available in bold colours and a simple aesthetic, Apple’s 10th generation iPad makes a clear statement of its intent. It’s a simple and fun tablet that offers an excellent entry-point to Apple’s ecosystem of devices. It’s great for kids and grandparents alike, has enough features and power to keep students happy, and it’s cheap enough that one doesn’t feel the pinch that one normally does when stepping into Apple’s walled garden for the first time.

Display: Great colours and sharpness

The 10th gen Apple iPad features a 10.9-inch LED IPS display with a resolution of 2360×1440 pixels. The screen is of course very sharp thanks to that 264 ppi resolution, and the use of IPS technology delivers great viewing angles and colours.

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Colour gamut is limited to sRGB – the other iPads support P3 – but this is fine for the target audience. Brightness hits 500 nits and the display supports True Tone, a technology that helps match the white balance of the display to that of the surroundings.

The one complaint we have here is that the display is not laminated, leading to an air gap between the top layer of glass and the actual display layer underneath. This leads to a bit of a disconnect when sketching or gaming, but it’s something that will only bother serious iPad users.

Power: Just enough to get things done

The A14 Bionic chip that powers the 10th gen iPad is nearly four years old now. Its 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU are still fast and more than enough for basic tasks such as web browsing, media playback, and of course light gaming. For anything more strenuous such as video editing and for playing modern games, this iPad does fall short. Again, for casual games, the type that most young kids or older grandparents would play, there’s plenty of power. There’s also plenty of power for typing and research.

While you can edit videos on this iPad, the newer ones are significantly faster owing to dedicated video encode and decode engines. RAM is limited to just 4GB, and the available storage options are 64GB and 256GB. If you’re buying one for long-term use, we’d recommend going for the 256GB option.

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Do note that owing to the limited RAM and processing power on hand, Apple recently announced that local AI features will not make it to this tablet.

Cameras: Functional

This iPad features 12MP cameras on the front and rear. The rear camera has a faster F1.8 aperture and can record in 4K60, while the front camera has a lower F2.8 aperture but can record at 4K60. The primary function of the front camera is FaceTime and video calls, however, to that end it’s more capable than many laptop cameras.

It even features Apple’s Centre Stage support which allows the camera to zoom in slightly and track your movements. These cameras aren’t anything special, but they do get the job done.

Accessories: Pencil and keyboard support

Apple has two official accessories that enhance this iPad’s functionality. These are the Magic Keyboard Folio and the Apple Pencil. The former is great to have if you intend to type a lot on the device, and as for the latter, a Pencil is perfect for the budding artist in you. Of the many pencils Apple now has available, the 10th Gen iPad supports the 1st generation Apple Pencil (which must be charged via a convoluted mess of adapters) and the USB-C Apple Pencil that has only now been replaced by the Apple Pencil Pro.

We’d recommend the USB-C Apple Pencil model simply because it’s much easier to charge. The Pencil especially is a great add-on for kids and students as it lets them interact with the tablet in more interesting ways, such as taking notes or using Apple’s upcoming calculator app. All models of AirPods are supported of course.

Battery life and charging: 10 hours of use

Thankfully, this iPad now charges via USB-C. There’s a 28.6Whr battery inside that Apple promises can deliver 10hrs of use when browsing and watching video on Wi-Fi. If you get the cellular model, battery life is expected to drop by about one hour when browsing and streaming.

Connectivity: Slow USB and fast Wi-Fi

While the iPad has USB-C support, transfer speeds are limited to USB 2.0 speeds of 480Mbps – a movie, for example, will take several minutes to transfer. The USB-C port does support external displays with a resolution of up to 4K at 30Hz.

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Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6 and 5G support. Both protocols are very fast and will not hold back the device in any manner.

The 10th Gen iPad might pale in comparison with its more powerful siblings, but bear in mind that this tablet sells for half their price. The performance and features you get in this tablet are competitive, if not outright better than competing devices in the same price category, and this includes Windows laptops and Android tablets.