Days after Apple announced the new iPad and Apple Watch, some of these devices are starting to appear in the hands of reviewers. About the 10.2-inch iPad, so far from Scott Stein CNET and from Chris Velazco Engadget Share their views on the latest low-cost iPad.
This iPad lacks the complete design overhaul seen in the 2020 iPad Air, which comes across as a bit underwhelming in this first hands-on preview. That still doesn’t detract from what Velazco describes as a welcome “extra power” under the hood for the 10.2-inch iPad.
That’s due to the biggest new addition to the iPad: the A12 Bionic chip, which led to a performance boost that Velazco said was “noticeably smoother,” even when gaming.
Multitasking can sometimes feel a little choppy on the 2019 model, but I’ve yet to notice any of that, even when running two apps side-by-side with a third in a floating window.
I’ve tried a handful of games over the past day, including Redout and Oceanhorn 2 – two titles that gave last year’s model a bit of trouble. Thankfully, none of the minor hiccups I ran into with that previous model have yet to show up here, but that’s not to say they won’t. The A12 packs more raw compute power as well as a redesigned GPU compared to the A10 Fusion found in last year’s iPad, so it’s no surprise 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” from previous generations. He noted that if you have an iPad that’s a few years old, it can be a tough upgrade, especially if you don’t mind the more pro-level features of an iPad Pro or iPad Air.
Stein notes a few ongoing gripes with the iPad — the lack of USB-C and lack of compatibility with the Apple Pencil 2 (it only supports the Apple Pencil 1). Despite those concerns, Stein said it’s still likely to be the iPad to buy for most consumers, given its cheaper entry point.
Apple’s fancy iPad is still a few weeks away. Are you waiting for that? It depends on whether you’re willing to spend more and whether you think you’ll need the extra processing oomph. The new Air may have a sharper design and be the best iPad ever, but it’s basically hard to beat last year’s iPad Air in front of me for just $329.
I haven’t spent more than a day with the new iPad, so more impressions may come. But I haven’t seen anything so far that changes my previous advice. For most people, it’s the iPad to buy.
More hands-on impressions of the new iPad and Apple Watch models should be coming soon. If you are interested in unboxing videos of Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE, we have collected some of them here.
