The Apple iPad has become a staple in every home and in most carriages on the London underground. Its now in its 8th generation and one thing is clear; the iPad isn’t slowing down and don’t expect it to. With the release of the new iPad alongside the iPad Air, Apple are intent on creating devices for different people who have different interest and it shows.
Design
- 10.2-inch Retina Display, 2160 x 1620 resolution (264ppi)
- Size & Weight: 250.6 x 174.1 x 7.5mm / 483g
- Touch ID fingerprint sensor Home button
- Made with 100% recycled aluminium
- Comes in Silver, Space Grey, Gold
You will find a similar design form factor on the 7th gen and will be forgiven for thinking it’s the same. With the 10.2-inch Retina display, Home Button with TouchID and the same lightning charging slot.
A good thing about having a similar factor to the 7th gen is the smart connector. This allows you to connect a smart keyboard while having support for the first-gen Apple Pencil.
Which is all great, but if we’re honest it isn’t much of a looker. You won’t be turning any heads with this unlike the iPad Pro and the new iPad Air but in this price range, who cares.
Internal
- A12 Bionic processor
- 32GB and 128GB storage sizes
- 8-megapixel camera on rear, FaceTime HD camera on front
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac / Wi-Fi + Cellular model offers 4G
A similar form factor is the only thing that the iPad 7th and 8th have in common as the internals are completely different. No more A10 processor instead you would find an A12 Bionic processor that improves the iPad overall performance.
Enjoy your hours of Netflix, reading your favourite books and casual browsing with the new chip. Don’t be fooled, you can still get some hardcore task done such as using iMovie or Adobe apps to edit your pictures and videos which you can later share on your social channels.
The downside is it still comes with the 2019 camera, but honestly who really cares about from our aunts? Image quality is decent and would still give you that clear, but not all the time, clear image so expect the usual strain in your eyes next time a relative comes round to show you pictures of the recent wedding they went to.
Final thoughts
With the outdated design, the iPad doesn’t grab you on first looks like its other siblings, but that isn’t the point. From the new processor and smart connector this iPad has made some strides in becoming more complete.
But don’t be fooled, this after all is the budget version, while the latest iPad Air has more features and is twice the price. But if you’re looking for your first iPad, or you’re just interested in having a bigger screen to enjoy your shows on then this would be the ideal iPad for you.
