A few days after Apple announced new iPads and Apple Watches, some of these devices have started showing up in the hands of reviewers. As for the 10.2-inch iPad, Scott Stein of CNET and Chris Velazco from Engadget have shared their thoughts on the latest low-cost iPad.
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Given that this iPad lacks the full design overhaul seen in the iPad Air 2020, it comes off a bit underwhelming in these first hands-on previews. That still doesn’t undermine what Velazco described as a welcome “extra power” under the hood of the 10.2-inch iPad.
That’s due to the iPad’s biggest novelty: the A12 Bionic chip, leading to a performance boost that was “noticeably smoother” for Velazco, even when gaming.
Multitasking on the 2019 model can seem a bit choppy at times, but I haven’t noticed any of that yet, even when running two apps side by side with a third in a floating window.
I also tried a few games on the last day, including Redout and Oceanhorn 2, two titles that gave last year’s model some issues. Thankfully none of the little hiccups I found with that older model have turned up here yet, but that’s not to say they won’t. The A12 packs a redesigned GPU along with more raw computing power than the A10 Fusion found in last year’s iPad, so it’s no wonder that this iPad runs with less fuss.
Stein echoed similar sentiments, noting that while there isn’t much to say about the new iPad, the A12 is a “big difference” compared to the previous generation. She noted that if you have an iPadrunt that is a few years old, it could definitely be a solid upgrade, especially if you don’t mind the more professional-level features of an iPad Pro or penteriPad
Stein noted some ongoing complaints with the iPad, related to the lack of USB-C and the lack of compatibility with Apple Pencil 2 (only compatible with Apple Pencil 1). Despite these problems, Stein said this is likely to remain the iPad that most consumers will buy, given its cheaper entry point.
Apple’s sleek iPad still has a few weeks off. Do you expect that? It depends on whether you are willing to spend more and think you will need the extra processing boost. The new Air may have a sharper design and could be the best iPad, but it’s hard to beat what is essentially last year’s iPad Air right in front of me for just $ 329.
I have not spent more than a day with the new iPad, so more impressions are to come. But there’s nothing I’ve seen so far that changes my previous advice. For most people, this is the iPad to buy.
There will be more hands-on impressions of the newest iPad soon and Apple Watch models soon. If you are curious about how to unpack videos for Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE, we have collected some of these here.
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