Apple iPad (2019) Review | PCMag
While the seventh-generation iPad may look a lot like its predecessor, it’s an entirely different beast. This year’s entry-level Apple tablet sports a larger display for better multitasking, more RAM for faster performance, and a Smart Connector port for Apple’s Smart Keyboard and other accessories. These updates, combined with iPadOS, make the $329 iPad an ideal starter tablet, and potentially even a laptop replacement, earning our Editors’ Choice award.
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Pricing
The iPad has a recycled aluminum back that comes in black, gold, or silver. The base model has 32GB of storage and sells for $329 for the Wi-Fi model, and $459 for the cellular version. You can also get the tablet with 128GB of storage, at $459 for the Wi-Fi model and $559 for cellular.
If you want to use it as a laptop of sorts, you’ll want to pick up a Smart Keyboard ($159) and maybe an Apple Pencil ($99). Together with the 32GB Wi-Fi iPad, that comes to $587, or about $500 less than the least expensive MacBook Air.
Design and Display
For the most part, the new iPad looks almost identical to the previous model. It measures 9.8 by 6.8 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and comes in at 1.07 pounds for the Wi-Fi model and 1.09 pounds for ceullar. You’ll find dual speakers and a Lightning on the bottom of the tablet, volume buttons on the left, and a power button on top.
At 10.2 inches, the seventh-gen iPad’s display is larger than its 9.7-inch predecessor. The additional real estate may seem minor, but it comes in handy when using split-screen mode. That said, the iPad still has pretty chunky top and bottom bezels—they don’t affect performance, but they give the tablet a dated look. The top bezel is home to a 1.2MP front-facing camera, while the bottom houses the home button and Touch ID sensor—you’ll probably just use it to unlock the tablet, since iPadOS makes the home button almost unnecessary.
Resolution comes in at 2,160 by 1,620 pixels, for 264 pixels per inch, and maximum brightness tops out at 508 nits. While the display looks good, it lacks Apple’s True Tone technology, as well as the anti-reflective coating found on more expensive iPad models.
Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard
If you plan to use the iPad for drawing or marking up documents, iPadOS will greatly improve your experience with the Apple Pencil. For instance, you can now use it to swipe vertically from the bottom right corner of the display to capture and annotate screenshots.
We tested the new iPad with an Apple Pencil alongside a 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The iPad Pro line has a higher refresh rate and works with the second-generation Apple Pencil, which supports double tap gestures and is easier to hold for extended periods of time. While using the first-gen Pencil on the standard iPad isn’t quite as silky smooth as using the second-gen Pencil on the iPad Pro, it’s a surprisingly similar experience, so you’re really not missing out on much.
What really makes the iPad stand out from its predecessor is support for Apple’s Smart Keyboard cover. The keyboard attaches magnetically to the Smart Connector port on the right side of the tablet, so there’s no need to pair or charge it. It may look smaller than a regular keyboard, but we were hard-pressed to feel a difference after typing on it for a few minutes. The chiclet-style keys have nice travel and are firm to the tap.
The only downside to the Smart Keyboard here is that it only supports the iPad at one angle, compared with the iPad Pro keyboard, which has two angles. That said, we much prefer it to third-party keyboard cases due to its slim profile and build quality.
Hardware and Performance
The seventh-generation iPad ships with the same A10 Fusion chip as the previous model. This year, however, the RAM is bumped up to 3GB, which makes for a noticeable difference in speed when opening apps and multitasking. It also bears out in benchmarks: This year’s tablet scored 213,317 on AnTuTu, compared with 173,688 on the previous model.
We tested the iPad in several different scenarios and were consistently impressed with the results. We started out opening a dozen windows using App Exposé and Slide Over to see how well multitasking works, and the tablet was able to switch between apps with ease.
We also wanted to see how it performs on more intensive apps, like Adobe Fresco, since Apple assured us it’s able to run creative and pro apps without a problem. Fresco loaded almost instantaneously and we were drawing in no time.
Apple iPad (2019) Review
Apple iPad (2019) Review
Finally, we used the iPad to play Projection in Apple Arcade. The game loaded instantly, and there was no lag or skipped frames during a half hour of gameplay.
The iPad has the same networking abilities as its peers, including 802.11ac Wi-Fi and a modem that supports 27 bands if you opt for the cellular model. The cellular iPad also has a nano SIM slot as well as an eSIM and works on all US carriers.
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As for battery life, we managed to eke out 6 hours and 41 minutes when streaming high-resolution video over Wi-Fi at full brightness. That’s a solid improvement over last year’s model (5 hours, 40 minutes), and we expect you’ll have no problem getting at least 10 to 11 hours of battery life with more conservative use.
Camera and Audio
The iPad has an 8MP rear camera with an f/2.4 aperture and supports 1080p video recording at 30fps. It’s decent for scanning documents, barcodes, and QR Codes, and even does a good job with AR games and apps. It’s not, however, going to be your first choice when it comes to taking photos or video. In our tests, we noticed that images are aggressively sharpened, and even in bright light, there is significant noise when zooming in.
The front-facing camera comes in at 1.2MP with 720p video. It’s fine for FaceTime and Skype calls, but whomever is on the other end can expect to see lots of noise in low light. As for photos, images have significant noise and some minor background blurring.
Audio, on the other hand, is solid. The bottom-firing speakers max out at 85dB, which is loud enough to fill a room. Sound quality doesn’t compare with the iPad Pro, but you can connect headphones or a speaker via Bluetooth 4.2 or the 3.5mm headphone jack (yes, there is one) if you want to upgrade your audio experience.
iPadOS and Apps
The seventh-generation iPad is the first to ship with iPadOS. Apple’s new tablet-centric operating system brings massive changes, and makes the iPad a suitable laptop replacement for casual users.
One of the most profound changes is the updated home screen. iPadOS has an updated grid that allows you to add an extra row and an extra column of apps. You also have the option of adding a widget bar to the home screen. The widget bar lets you see your day, tasks, weather, news, and other bits of information as soon as you turn the iPad on. While widgets have been part iOS for years, this new placement makes them much more useful for quickly and easily keeping track of what’s going on in your life.
Multitasking is also vastly improved in iPadOS. You can easily open two windows on a screen simply by pulling the app up from the dock. And a feature called Slide Over lets you open an additional five apps in small pop-up windows that you can easily slide off the screen when not in use—it’s great for apps that you frequently use (like Messages, Slack, or Spotify), but don’t need to see on the screen all the time. Finally, App Exposé allows you to create multiple windows that can easily be accessed by swiping right on the bar at the bottom of the display.
There are other, smaller changes that round out iPadOS. For instance, Safari has been updated to only access desktop pages, so you’ll no longer see mobile websites. That said, while iPadOS is definitely a leap forward, it’s not perfect. The gestures for copying and pasting text are difficult to master, and Slide Over has a slight learning curve.
From an app perspective, Mac users will definitely feel at home on the iPad, with the same native software available across both platforms. PC users will likely find most of what they need as well: Microsoft Office apps are available, Google’s suite of apps show up in desktop mode on Chrome and Safari, and Adobe plans to launch an iPad version of Creative Cloud in the coming months. Unless you’re using very specialized applications for work or research, you’ll likely find what you need in Apple’s App Store.
Conclusions
The entry-level iPad is an excellent, relatively affordable all-purpose tablet. Add a Smart Keyboard and an Apple Pencil, and you have a solid productivity machine. It’s not as powerful as any of the other iPads (including the $399 mini), but it’s the most affordable of the bunch and we expect it will serve you well for at least three to four years. If you want the utmost power for pro-level tasks, get the iPad Pro. And if you value portability above all else, you might want to consider the iPad mini. But the standard iPad is a one-size-fits-all solution for most tablet buyers, and our Editors’ Choice.
On the non-Apple front, the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 ($649.99) offers similar features to the iPad, but it doesn’t receive software updates as regularly and Samsung’s S Pen isn’t as good as the Apple Pencil. For Windows, the Microsoft Surface Go ($399) is an attractive alternative, but it doesn’t work as well in tablet mode and we once again prefer the Apple Pencil to the Surface Pen.
Apple iPad (2019)
4.0
Editors’ Choice
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$299.99
at Walmart
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MSRP $329.00
Pros
Cons
The Bottom Line
With its larger display, support for Apple’s Smart Keyboard, and iPadOS, the least-expensive iPad is a terrific tablet and potentially even a laptop replacement.
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