Apple updated the standard budget-friendly 10.2” iPad at its September event. The device now packs a much faster A12 Bionic chip compared to the previous generation’s A10X which was starting to show its age. Apart from that, the company has not changed much about the iPad. The new model does ship with a faster USB-C 20W charger whereas the previous generation model used to ship with a much slower 12W charger. However, the connector on the 10.2” iPad still remains to be a Lightning connector; it ships with a Lightning to USB-C cable.
The iPad still packs the same Retina Display with a resolution of 2160×1620 with a ppi (pixels per inch) of 264. The display on the iPad is fantastic for casual day to day use, however it still is not a laminated display as the one found on the higher end models such as the iPad Air or iPad Pro. Having a laminated display, reduces the gap between the glass and the display, making content on the screen look much better. However, packing a non-laminated display helps Apple keep the cost low.
New CPU, same everything else
The 10.2” iPad still packs a 8 megapixel camera on the rear. However, the camera on an iPad is mostly only used for document scanning or for showing something to somebody during a video call. Apple packs the same five-element lens which produces decent images that are good to look at, however nothing astonishing as the top-tier iPhone cameras.
The major disappointment with the updated 10.2” iPad is that Apple is still sticking to the same thick bezels design. Also, the same years old TouchID plus Home Button continues to be used on the new 10.2” iPad. It would have been nice if Apple could have reduced the bezels and used the same new iPad Air’s TouchID system which is embedded in the Power Button.
The new 10.2” iPad is a solid device with a starting price of $329 (USD). However, the base model only offers 32GB of storage, going for the 128GB increases the price slightly. If you can invest a little more, the new iPad Air is worth taking a look at.
