iPad of the Tenth Generation: from A14 to USB-C, try all the news Preview

Apple renewed its iPad line up last week. It did so in the absence of a dedicated event, but without skimping on the news: it was in fact an opportunity to unveil the new iPad Pro, a very interesting product even if not for everyone, which we talk about in our dedicated review, but also to discover the 10th generation iPad.

The heir of the first, historic Apple tablet will not make the news like other announcements, but it remains an important piece of Apple’s offer and this year he presented himself at the starting gates with a good dose of news and ideas to think about. Waiting for the full review, we spent a few hours in the company of him and we tell you how it went.

The design is the most striking aspect of this 10th generation iPad: the Appe tablet is in fact quite clear from the previous version, for a look that winks at the Air above all thanks to the squarer lines and symmetrical frames.

The redesign also brought with it a small slimming treatment that gives us a slightly thinner and lighter product: 10 grams less for the version with wi-fi connectivity, 15 grams instead for the cellular one.

The Touch ID also moves which, having lost the physical central button that no longer finds its place in this tenth generation, moves to the power button located in the upper part of the body, near the speakers.

On the opposite side we find the other big news of this revision, the USB C port that takes the place of the Lightning. A logistical convenience, since it allows us to carry around one less cable, but also an improvement in the user experience since we can connect any hard disk to access photos, videos and whatever else comes to mind. . We tried and the operation was always flawless, as well as immediate.

Connectivity improves thanks to the implementation of Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 but also to the support of the first generation Apple Pencil. The one without wireless charging but with Lightning, that’s right, which requires if you have it to buy (for 10 euros) an ad hoc connector and then attach the cable in the package.

The transition from the A13 Bionic SoC to the A14 Bionic, with an 8-core gain in the Neural Engine, is reflected in snappy and smooth performance. After a few days of testing the impression is that the product put together by Apple perfectly manages to offer the user experience required by its typical users: navigation, video and a little productivity.

Compared to last year, the screen size has changed, growing up to 10.9 “from 10.2” of the previous version, but also the technology chosen: here we find an IPS Liquid Retina with a resolution of 2360×1640. Although it is not laminated like that of the iPad Air, so you expose yourself to the “risk” of some reflections too many, there is no doubt that there has been a leap forward as regards the visual experience. In line with expectations, the maximum brightness, which stands at around 500 nit, while there is no lack of functions such as True Tone and Night Shift that make the use of this iPad more pleasant and versatile in every situation.

We appreciated the audio equipment, with good quality speakers, a full-bodied yield and a very powerful maximum volume: compared to the positioning of this tenth generation iPad in the Apple line up, certainly from this point of view a good work and you can enjoy multimedia content with a more than appreciable quality.

The rear camera is 12 megapixel with Smart HDR 3 and support for video recording up to 4K 60 frames per second. The most interesting improvement on this front, however, is that of the front sensoralso 12 megapixel and capable of giving a decidedly higher image quality than the previous model but also to the fourth generation iPad Air.

Good battery which, according to Apple, allows up to 10 hours of surfing under Wi-Fi network and up to 9 hours using cellular connectivity: for the moment we have carried out some preliminary tests that seem to confirm roughly the data of the Cupertino house, thus offering more than satisfactory performances.

We also briefly got our hands on the new Magic Keyboard Folioavailable from 26 October at 299 euros and divided into two parts: a stand that can also be used independently, perhaps to watch a movie while holding the iPad resting on the table, and then the actual keyboard that can be connected if necessary and reminds the use of iPad Pro, thus ensuring a very good yield.

So how much does this 10th generation iPad cost? It starts at 589 euros for the wi-fi version with 64GB of memory, about 200 more than the ninth generation equivalent that was sold starting at 389 euros and which has now been increased by about forty euros. A positioning certainly due to the macroeconomic situation, but also to a series of improvements that make it a more complete product from all points of view.

The impression is that Apple has tried to complete its offer of tablet giving each one something according to their needs: the ninth generation model remains on sale starting from 439 euros for those looking for an iPad without too many frills, while this new version offers a more refined design and better performance, leaving all ‘Air and then to the Pro the task of satisfying those with much higher needs thanks to the performance of Apple Silicon. Or the Mini for those who need a compact product. We’ll be back on it anyway in the next few weeks after trying it thoroughly.