New iPad REVIEW – Apple’s 2018 upgrade made us fall in love with tablets again
There's a brand new Apple slate in town, and we've got all the details
THE NEW iPad costs just £319, which makes it the cheapest Apple tablet you can buy right now.
We've spent a week testing out the (relatively) wallet-friendly slate, and we're seriously impressed. But is it a must-buy?
New iPad 2018 – what is it?
The new 2018 iPad was unveiled at an education event called Let's Take A Field Trip in Chicago, USA.
The device had been heavily rumoured prior to launch, but it's now official.
Speaking at the launch, Apple's Greg Joswiak said: "The iPad is a magical sheet of glass that can become anything we want it to be.
"This new 9.7-inch ipad takes everything people love about our most popular iPad and makes it even better for inspiring creativity and learning."
How much do iPads usually cost?
Here's what you need to know...
- Apple iPads don't usually come cheap
- The premium 10.5-inch iPad Pro starts at £619
- And the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is even pricier at £769
- Even the dinky 7.9-inch iPad Mini 4 will cost you £399
- But the new 9.7-inch iPad (2018) starts at just £319
- This rises to £409 if you get it with 128GB storage (rather than 32GB)
- If you get it with 4G internet, you'll pay £449
- And if you get the 128GB 4G top model, it'll cost you £539
New iPad 2018 features – what can it do?
The new device is aimed at students – Apple says there are now 200,000 apps for education available on iPad.
During the launch presentation, Apple showed off a smart annotation feature that lets teachers mark up students' reports in the Pages app directly using the Apple Pencil.
It also supports "immersive augmented reality", which will let you use your iPad camera to overlay computer images onto the real world around you.
For instance, an AR app might allow you to point your camera at a piece of art in a museum, prompting info about the artwork to appear on your screen.
New iPad 2018 specs revealed
The tablet features a 9.7-inch screen (just like the smaller iPad Pro model), and supports the official Apple Pencil stylus.
The new iPad includes a Touch ID fingerprint scanner and a HD FaceTime camera for video calling.
It's got an impressive 10-hour battery life and comes powered by Apple's A10 Fusion processor – which was the chip inside 2016's iPhone 7.
According to Apple, the chip makes the iPad 40% faster for general use (and 50% better for graphics performance, like gaming) compared to the old 9.7-inch iPad. In our tests, it worked fluidly and ran powerful editing apps with no bother.
There's also an 8-megapixel camera on the back that's perfect for snapping pics.
It also supports 4G LTE connections, so you'll be able to put a SIM card in it and browse the internet when you're out and about.
Obviously that means paying for a second contract – but that might be worth doing if you're constantly on the go.
Alternatively, you can use a built-in Apple SIM to buy on-the-move data when you need it – no contract required!
New iPad review verdict – is it any good?
Apple tablets have been knocking about for nearly a decade – and some critics might argue that they haven't really ever changed.
But why fix what isn't broken?
Some previous updates might have felt a bit tired, but we reckon the new iPad is the best Apple slate yet.
Moreover, we're convinced it's a better buy than the more powerful £619 iPad Pro.
The Apple Pencil stylus used to only work on iPad Pro tablets, but now the new iPad supports it too.
We loved creating (admittedly rubbish) art on the Linea Sketch app, and taking notes in meetings using the Pencil worked great too.
Even better, if you've got an iPhone or MacBook, those same handwritten notes will appear in the Notes app on those devices – welcome to the future.
Probably the biggest selling point is the new A10 processor, which keeps the device feeling seriously nippy.
If you get frustrated by sluggish gadgets, this is the tablet for you.
We had no trouble loading any apps – and even running two apps in split-screen worked fine. We were tweeting and watching YouTube simultaneously with no bother.
The design hasn't really changed, but why would it? Apple's slate is still the most attractive tablet on the market.
And the new £319 price means this is a much better buy than the ailing £399 iPad Mini 4.
What really works in Apple's favour, however, is the fact that there's basically zero competition.
The new iPad is by far the best tablet out there under the £500 mark – and we've got a feeling Android rivals are running scared.
Don't forget that Apple provides software support for its devices for years too.
So unlike an Android tablet that'll stop getting updates after two or three years, you won't need to upgrade your iPad for a good while.
The Sun says: The new iPad is Apple's best-value tablet by a mile – so if you're dead set on getting yourself a slate, then we reckon it's well worth the £319 price tag. It blows the competition away, and made us fall in love with tablets all over again.
★★★★★
What do you think of the new Apple iPad? Let us know in the comments!
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