HomeiOSiPad “Hey old rock!”. It used to be said once, perhaps giving him a nice pat on the shoulder, when you met a long-time friend a little older in years, graying but still himself. Were it not that the 9th generation iPad does not have real backs, this would have been the greeting we would have given it again in 2021.
Our old friend just opened the box showed himself just as he once did just with a bit of a âgé feel: home button, thick edges, 10.2-inch non-laminated screen. We have remembered it like this for more than ten years when Macitynet showed up at the Apple Store in New York on a cold Easter Saturday to buy one . However, starting from affection and memories to present an IT product is always wrong. But even starting from the specs for a review is tricky when it comes to the iPad.
It has been at least since 2018 when Apple relaunched the tablet by introducing this version which in four iterations has undergone a constant but very slow morphing so that the version of the following year is barely distinguished from that of the previous year. Analyzing the news to understand where this tablet is going and arousing, starting from here, interest in the reader runs the risk of not being a good start. But since in 25 years of testing Apple products we have become habitual, we will apologize if the path will be the same as always.
iPad 2020, how it's done
The iPad 2021 is the twin brother of that last year. The shape is identical, the general setting is identical, the technical details are very similar. So to say how the ninth generation iPad is made would be to repeat what we already said at the beginning and for the most part we have said three times from 2018 onwards. Since then, Apple has presented an iPad as “new” that has little appearance of being one, so much so that if someone were to buy an iPad not only from 2020 but also from two or three years ago, it could easily pass it off as the 2021 version, unless it is gold colored which is no longer available this year .
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9th generation iPad has the usual wide-edged frame, the classic aluminum shell with the profile with tapered edges and (last of its kind) Touch ID and a Lightning connector for charging . We understand the spirit and rationality of some choices made by Apple to optimize costs, others we would not criticize even if they were kept on even more modern products. For example the Touch Id still does its job damn well, the Lightning charger with USB-C is not open to question and we do not despair that there is still the 3.5mm jack here to connect headphones. . Finally, from an ergonomic point of view, weight aside, the sixth generation iPad is still an excellent product. But if we don't feel like criticizing the general layout, the comparison with everything Apple has done elsewhere makes iPad look like a vintage product, something familiar, as mentioned, but which now appears out of time .
The screen
This feeling is not only true for the design but also for some technical details. For example, if already last year we said that the non-laminated LED panel without anti-reflective treatment with a resolution of 2,160 X 1,620 pixels at 264ppi and 500 nits of maximum brightness of the eighth generation iPad showed the string, this year in the face of the same panel in the ninth generation iPad we can only repeat the same thing.
Mind you, let's not talk about a bad screen (chromatic fidelity and brightness, especially indoors, are still good and the dimensions excellent if you want to multiasking) but the effect of the icons away from the finger, the reflections that pop up everywhere when there is a little light and the “knock” generated when you touch the screen both with your fingers and with the Apple Pencil tell us about an iPad that comes from the past. If we do not add to the dose by defining the panel as “obsolete” it is because in its 2021 edition the screen offers at least the extended RGB range and True Tone.
The (non) anti-glare screen of the 9th generation iPad
Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard
The quote from Apple Pencil brings to the field the discussion on both the digital stylus and the Magic Keyboard. It is a bit discouraging to see the Apple Pencil 1 roll everywhere when you put it down and it is uncomfortable to stick it in the Lightning port to recharge it . Small annoyances also occur when you start typing on the Smart Keyboard and you realize that you have spent 180 euros for an accessory that hopefully can turn iPad into a small computer but that has a rubbery and imprecise response . We specify that here too, as for the screen, the criticism does not fall so much on the efficiency in everyday life as on the experience made on other products (read Apple Pencil 2 and Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro) which demonstrate the availability of much more efficient accessories. .
The hardware of iPad 2021
The hardware of the ninth generation iPad is largely that of the eighth, seventh and even sixth generation iPads. But there is some news, as always year after year when it comes to iPad.
The front camera
Probably the most important hardware novelty of the 9th generation iPad is in the camera . Yes iPad, which famously had old video cameras like Methuselah, has a new component. It is not the rear one but the front one which is 12 megapixel.
We have not forgotten a comma between the number 1 and the number 2; Apple just updated the FaceTime camera by abandoning the 1.2 megapixel one (which debuted with the iPhone 5) and replacing it with a 12 megapixel one. In addition to this the front camera gains the wide angle view and updates the dynamic range for video up to 30fps and records video at 1080p at 60fps.
It is quite clear that the FaceTime camera was not born as a selfie camera but a video camera. The reason for all this commitment in the front camera while the rear one (in fact the same as the iPhone 6) remains sadly fixed at 8 megapixels with an 8-megapixel f2.4 can be understood from the launch of the Center Stage function for the front camera.
Apple introducing the system that automatically follows the movement during video calls, enlarges and narrows the view according to what it sees on screen, and greatly improving the quality of the video call, presents iPad as a tool for business conferences and interpersonal relationships . The quality you get is very good and even if Center Stage isn't always perfect in its insights, the step up from previous iPads is colossal, especially when the lighting conditions aren't perfect.
The processor
iPad 9th generation updates in the processor . Here, as for the front camera, we must applaud the choice of Apple which offers the customer who buys iPad a multi-year insurance against obsolescence . The chip used in the 2021 version of the tablet is the A13 seen on the iPhone 11 . Since the A9 of the iPhone 6s is still supported today, you can rest assured.
Obviously, switching from A12 to A13 also offers some advantages in terms of speed, but we know that between the performance of a one-year processor and those that characterize the model of the following year, the benefits in terms of pure calculation are minimal. Other functions that the processor performs are much more important but in the case of the sixth generation iPad it is likely that there are none other than those that guarantee the operation of Center Stage.
Memory
A detail that may escape most but deserves to be underlined is the abandonment of Jurassic version with 32 GB of memory . Today the basic model has 64 GB which cannot be defined as “many” but certainly suitable for a light use of the iPad such as that used for surfing , watch streaming movies, read books and look at some photos. Equally interesting is the fact that those willing to spend a little more do not find themselves having to deal with a 128 GB “hard drive” like with 8th generation iPad but with 256GB which is a good amount.
Conclusion
Drawing the conclusions of this review we would be tempted to copy and paste what we wrote last year as a summary of the eighth generation iPad review. Today as then we should underline that we are talking about an iPad that has remained largely the same as last year and maybe even tread the hand; the sense of déjà vu is prevalent, the obsolescence of the design and of some components a defect that can no longer be hidden.
But speaking of substance we should also say that all this does not represent a problem for those who are looking for a practical, reliable and economical device to use at home to browse or watch streaming movies, for teaching and communication aiming at maximize the investment and without being burdened by the risk of buying something soon destined to become limited in functions and performances . Thanks to the precision with which Apple has updated iPad where it was needed by adding a high quality front camera, perfect for Facetime, Skype or Zoom and a processor that will be supported for many years.
To understand the value of iPad 2021 it is enough to say that in the end there are not many things that an ordinary person can do with an iPad Pro and that instead a ninth generation iPad will not be able to do; on the other hand there are many more things that can be done by buying something (an Apple Pencil and a keyboard, for example) with the money saved by buying a 9th generation iPad instead of an iPad Pro.
iPad thus centers the solution to the equation for the best possible balance between price and functions . For this reason, despite not being the best iPad on the market, putting aside the obsession with the new at all costs and digesting the sensation of something seen and seen, the ninth generation iPad keeps the palm of best tablet for a large number of people who have never bought a tablet and for those who have one that is three or four years old. In short, the best iPad your money can buy …
Price and availability
The new iPad 10.2 inch 2021, 9th generation, is available on the Apple Store online at a price starting from 389 euros. On Amazon you often buy at a slightly discounted price. Apple Pencil first generation, compatible with the new iPad 10.2 ″ 2019 costs 99 euros on the Apple Store online and on Amazon (but discounts on Amazon are frequent for this accessory), finally the cover with Apple SmartKeyboard keyboard costs 179 euros from this Apple online store page. On Amazon at the time of writing it costs 149 euros
