The generic iPad has long been the go-to tablet among the other two options-- Air and Pro-- offered by Apple, as it is way cheaper than them, and the build quality and performance are way better than any of the Android peers.
However, with the iPad 10th Gen, Apple, probably owing to inflation, steep depreciation of the Rupee vs Dollar, and global supply constraints, has increased the price compared to previous iterations.
Depending on the storage (64GB/256GB) and type (Wi-Fi only/5G+Wi-Fi), the price ranges between Rs 44,900 and Rs 74,900.
The older iteration iPad (9th Gen), which was launched in February 2022 started at Rs 30,900 and now, it costs Rs 33,900.
Having said that Apple has incorporated a lot of improvements not just in terms of design, but also in internal hardware too. I have been using it for more than three months, here are my thoughts on the iPad 10th Gen.
Design, build quality, and display:
The iPad 10th Gen takes inspiration from the more expensive iPad Pro and iPad Air. It has a beautiful full-view wide screen with a uniform bezel. It is much slimmer than the predecessor, but just thick enough for the fingers to rest around the edges. This ensures the fingers don't obstruct while reading or watching any multimedia content.
Also, for the first time, Apple has shifted the front camera (12MP ultra-wide sensor) from portrait position to landscape and this way, users can do video calls with an iPad held horizontally, which is a more comfortable way to attend long meeting sessions or video calls. And, if you happen to own a smart folio cover case, you can put it in different positions to read, view, type, or make FaceTime calls.
Users have to just place the iPad in landscape mode on the table to just watch and listen to the meeting and even take notes with ease.
The new iPad 10th Gen boasts a quad-speaker, two each on the sides (landscape mode), and boy, they are very loud and can fill up any normal room. They deliver crisp clear audio output with no noticeable distortion as such. Unfortunately, it does not have a 3.5mm audio jack. Users have to rely on AirPods or any wireless earphones to enjoy watching multimedia content or listening to music in public spaces.
On the right side, it features volume rockers and a SIM tray (only on the cellular variant) and on the left side, it has just the smart connector. On the top, it houses a TouchID-integrated power button and at the base, it has the Type-C port, a first for any generic iPad. On the back, it features a lone 12MP camera in the top left corner with a mic.
As far as the screen is concerned, iPad 10th Gen features a bigger 10.9-inch LCD-based True Tone Liquid Retina Display, compared to a generic 10.2-inch retina display on the iPad 9th Gen.
Its display boasts 2360x1640-pixel resolution, supports nearly 4 million pixels, and offers up to 500 nits of peak brightness.
With a uniform bezel and great speakers, iPad 10th Gen offers a delightful viewing experience not just for reading, watching videos, or even playing games. Be it sitting indoors or outdoors traveling, I never faced any issues of eye strain as such. However, it lacks an anti-reflective coating.
In terms of build quality, Apple has not compromised on anything in the iPad 10th Gen. The back aluminium case is top-class and even the display on the front, has been able to remain scratch-free for several months. Besides silver, the company offers the iPad in three other vibrant colours-- blue, pink and yellow.
Also, as advertised, the fingerprint sensor works great. Unlike a facial-based biometric system, it works smoothly at all times with fewer false rejections. Of course FaceID on iPhones and iPad Pros are the gold standard in their class.
Like most Apple products, iPad 10th gen is made from responsibly sourced elements and also has recycled materials. Its back panel is from recycled aluminium and even the tin, and rare earth elements inside are also repurposed from old gadgets.
Apple has used 100 per cent recycled gold in the plating of multiple printed circuit boards. And also, iPad 10th gen is Apple's tablet to feature 100 per cent recycled copper in the foil of the main logic board. Even in the retail box, the materials used are eco-friendly fibers and the iPad has no plastic wrapping. Apple has plans to completely eliminate plastic in retail boxes by 2025.
Performance
The iPad 10th Gen houses the Apple A14 Bionic chipset and promises 20 per cent increase in CPU and 10 per cent improvement in graphics over the previous iteration. This regular iPad is said to be up to 5x faster than the best-selling Android tablet in the market. Also, with 16-core Neural Engine in A14 Bionic, on-device machine learning capability is said to be 80 per cent better than the iPad 9th Gen.
Does it deliver on all the promises? To put it in simple terms, it just works perfectly well. It is faster and smoother. You can play graphics-rich games for hours without any lag-ness and you can even create digital art smoothly. You can even edit short videos or create a fun collage with photos on iMovie with minimal effort. With the Keynotes app, users can create rich presentations with ease.
However, it should be noted that the iPad 10th Gen supports only the Apple Pencil (1st Gen).
With the latest iOS 16 update, Apple introduced the Freeform feature. With this, users can form a group to brainstorm with colleagues. All the invitees can share a link, and start working together instantly.
Also, as and when people make changes, everybody in the group can see changes on the canvas in real time, provided it is synced with iCloud. And, the previously used app will be visible right behind the one users are currently working on. This way, the users don’t lose track of their work.
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It boasts 12MP Wide (f/1.8) camera on the back with up to 5X digital zoom, Smart HDR 3 photos, and 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps.
Like the iPhones, it captures really good stable videos and even images too, but I wouldn't consider it has a primary camera to carry around. It can be best used for taking snaps of documents to convert them to digital files. Also, with Live Text, the camera can recognize words in images, and users can copy and paste to notes and even look for translations of exotic languages. With the latest iPadOS update, users can use it on videos too.
With Visual Look Up, users lift the subject from an image or isolate a subject by removing the background with just a tap.
On the front, it features 12MP Ultra Wide (f/2.4) camera with 2X zoom, retina flash, and 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps. Making FaceTime calls on iPad 10th gen is delight experience, the video quality is just top-notch. With Centre Stage, which ensures the subject (device owner) is fully focused, he or she moves around in the frame. This is a really good value-added feature.
Besides the Type-C USB port and Bluetooth 5.2, the iPad supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 and 5G (in SIM variant only) connectivity. It supports up to 1.2Gbps speed and comes handy in streaming high-quality videos without any buffering with the big battery, it can play up to 10 hours of video streaming via Wi-Fi.
If you have downloaded the episodes or movie titles already from OTT apps, watch them offline, it can go beyond by another few hours quite easily. That is what I do for my long commute between my home and office. Even when traveling to different cities to cover product launches, besides writing and sending out copies to our team, I used to enjoy the movies and TV series on the flight.
Normally, I used to charge the iPad (10th Gen) only once a week. If there was any work involved, the charging cycles would increase.
This is one of the biggest benefits of having complete control over hardware and software. The device is fully optimised to deliver long battery life and there is hardly any competition from Android tablets in this aspect.
Apple Magic Keyboard Folio Cover
Though it is kind of heavy, it offers an amazing typing experience. Yes, it is very compact compared to conventional keyboards. In my case, it took a couple of hours to get used to it and then the muscle memory kicked in and my fingers got comfortable, in typing words, reaching shortcuts, and moving the cursor with a built-in trackpad with ease.
It comes with a new 14-key function row that offers the most used shortcuts to get the work done faster. Also, it should be noted that this multi-touch trackpad is the biggest for any iPad to date. The keys are full-size, have 1 mm of travel, and offer a good tactile touch feel.
The magnets of the folio cover are rock solid, sticking sturdily to the back of the iPad and even the keyboard panel that docks to iPad's smart connector, does not come off easily.
It comes with a built-in kickstand that comes in handy to use the keyboard on a flat surface and also comfortably watch movies on the tray table on a flight.
Overall build quality is really good, but the white Magic Keyboard Folio cover gets stained very easily and loses the new look within a few days of usage. It costs Rs 24,900.
Final thoughts:
Though the price of the iPad 10th Gen is much expensive than previous iterations, it continues to be peerless in the generic tablet segment, in terms of performance and build quality.
The 10.9-inch screen is perfect for reading and even portable to carry around in the backpack.
Also, the iPadOS in combination with accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil (1st Gen), becomes the perfect companion for people like writers, and creative artists who travel a lot and who just don't like to sit idle for long. You can just start scribbling or typing on the iPad, sitting in the lounge, waiting for a flight or while flying, or even commuting long journeys on a train or a bus.
It's not just good for only for work purposes, the display on iPad (10th gen) is really great to catch up on the latest TV series or binge-watch favourite movies for several hours. It has a big battery and optimised to deliver long hours of playtime and there is very less scope for any battery life anxiety, which is a concern on Android tablets.
And, with a Type-C port, there is one less thing (lightning cable) to worry about while traveling. You can use any USB-C cable to charge the iPad and also connect to any PC. Wish Apple make this happen for iPhones this year. Fingers crossed.
Apple iPad 10th Gen Wi-Fi comes in two storage options--64GB and 256GB -- for Rs 44,900 and Rs 59,900, respectively. The 5G cellular variant too comes in two options-- 64GB and 256GB-- for Rs 59,900 and Rs 74,900, respectively.
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