Tuesday was the day of long-awaited iPad and iPad Pro reveals as Apple announced its 10th-generation iPads as well as its M2-based iPad Pro tablets.
Per the iPad, the new units feature an overhauled design that more closely matches that of the iPad Pro and iPad Air. With this generation, the previous curved edges of the design have been switched out for more flat edges. To accommodate a larger screen size, Apple has shifted the Home button away from the face of the tablet, in favor of moving it to a side button. This matches the aesthetic of the iPad Air, which also moved Touch ID to the power button.
The end result is that the new iPad offers thinner bezels as well as a larger display area. The tablet also includes an A15 Bionic system-on-chip, a step up from the A13 offered in the ninth-generation model.
The unit’s back camera has been upgraded to a 12-megapizel Wide camera with 4K video capability. The FaceTime HD camera continues to be a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera with a 122-degree field of view, as well as 1080p video-recording capabilities.
Apple is currently offering the new iPad in blue, pink, yellow, and silver colors, and has also released a new $249 Magic Keyboard Folio, reportedly designed specifically for the new 10th generation iPad, though it appears to only be available in white.
The new model has retained support for the first-generation Apple Pencil, and a new USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter is required for pairing and charging and is included in the box with a new version of of the Apple Pencil, which still sells for $99. The adapter on its own retails for $9.
The ninth-generation iPad remains at a starting price of $329, while the 10th-gen iPad with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage starts at $449. Cellular models start at $599. Pre-orders began yesterday.
Where the new iPad Pro is concerned, Apple has followed through on the rumor of adding an M2 chip and Wi-Fi 6E support, but did not include a mini-LED display with the 11-inch model.
The M2 processor, which acts as a significant speed bump, offers an 8-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, and includes a Media Engine feature, which accelerates video encoding and decoding tasks.
The models still include either 8GB or 16GB of memory, depending on storage capacity. Storage continues to start from 128GB and rises through 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB to a maximum of 2TB.
Apple’s new iPad Pro screens feature 2,388 by 1,668 for the 111-inch model and 2,732 by 2,048-pixel resolutions for the 12.9-inch model respectively, and have support for ProMotion, Wide Color (P3), and True Tone. The second-generation Apple Pencil 2 is still supported by both tablets, but Apple now boasts the ability to detect the stylus tip up to 12mm away from the display.
The new back camera system consists of two sensors, complete with a 12MP wide and a 10MP Ultra Wide version. A 2x optical zoom out with a 5x digital zoom is offered, along with a True Tone flash, and LiDAR for depth mapping applications. Apple has also stated that the rear cameras can capture 4K footage at 60fps, complete with cinematic video stabilization, and a 240fps 1080p slo-mo mode. The TrueDepth camera can manage 1080p 60fps video with cinematic video stabilization.
The new front camera offers a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, complete with the usual depth mapping capabilities that Apple uses for Face ID, Animoji and Memoji, and Portrait mode shots.
Where connectivity is concerned, Apple has upgraded from Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi 6E support, as well as jumped from Bluetooth 5.0 to Bluetooth 5.3. The company is continuing to offer a Cellular option with 5G support in both sub-6GHz and mmWave varieties. The new iPad Pro retains physical SIM cards, though the cellular model in the U.S. has both eSIM and nano-SIM support.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 for the Wi-Fi model, $999 for Wi-Fi + Cellular, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is priced from $1,099 and $1,299 respectively.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.