Hands on with the 2019 10.2-inch seventh generation iPad

Posted:
in iPad edited December 2019
Apple's education-focused 2019 got only a few -- but significant -- changes year-over-year. AppleInsider picked up one of the refreshed models to see how meaningful those changes are.

7th generation iPad
7th generation iPad


Feature-wise, the 2019 seventh-generation iPad remains largely the same. It still packs many of the great features that made the 2018 model a great entry-level iPad.

Apple stuck with the A10 processor for a second iteration. Additionally, the seventh generation iPad still supports the first generation Apple Pencil, and of course, there is the TRRS headphone jack.






What is different with this incarnation, is the display. It has been updated to 10.2 inches, up from the 9.7-inches of its predecessor. It isn't just a bigger display -- Apple has kept the same pixel density in the display, increasing the resolution.

The 2019 iPad supports a full-sized keyboard
The 2019 iPad supports a full-sized keyboard


While we were testing out the iPad, we noticed a difference in usability, induced by that added screen real estate. On the 9.7-inch sixth generation iPad, multitasking and multiple windows can feel constrained, but the extra area that the 10.2-inch iPad provides reduces that quite a bit.

Obviously, the seventh generation iPad isn't as large as the 11-inch or 12.9-inch iPad Pro line. But, it certainly is an improvement for a fraction of the price retained year-over-year.

Multitasking on iPad
Multitasking on iPad


As a side effect of the larger design, the seventh-generation iPad can now utilize a full-sized keyboard. The sixth-generation had to use a compressed keyboard, but the updated model now has proper spacing in between the keys.

If you're using this iPad day-in and day-out for taking notes or writing emails, the keyboard is quite important. On the surface, it sounds like a relatively minor change to have a slightly larger display and a bigger keyboard in the seventh generation 10.2-inch iPad. In actual use, that half-inch can be profound.

The new 2019 seventh-generation iPad is available now to order for $329 -- or $299 for educational institutions.

Stay tuned for a full review of the updated entry-level iPad in the coming days.

Deals on Apple's new 10.2-inch iPad

Instant discounts on Apple's new 2019 iPad are already available, with Amazon leading the pack at press time with a $30 markdown on 128GB Wi-Fi models. For the latest deals and product availability, be sure to check out the AppleInsider 10.2-inch iPad Price Guide.

iPad (Fifth)iPad (Sixth)iPad (Seventh)
Screen size9.79.710.2
Screen resolution (pixels)2048x1536 at 264dpi2048x1536 at 264dpi2160x1620 at 264dpi
Screen brightness (nits)500500500
ProcessorA9A10 FusionA10 Fusion
Apple PencilNoFirst GenerationFirst Generation
Smart ConnectorNoNoYes
Dimensions (inches)9.4x6.6x0.299.4x6.6x0.299.8x6.8x0.29
Weight (lbs)1.031.031.07
Battery (hours)Up to 10Up to 10Up to 10
Rear Camera (megapixels)888
Front Camera (megapixels)1.21.21.2
Video1080p1080p1080p
BiometricTouch IDTouch IDTouch ID

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    Under the battery row in the comparison, AI might consider adding quick charge capability. According to the Apple website for the 30w charger, this new 7th gen iPad is capable while the others, of course, are not.
    racerhomie3chasmraoulduke42watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 17
    So here is an idea thats been percolating in my mind since June, what if the ARM macbooks that are coming wont be mac books at all but "iPad Books". Picture - iPad Book & iPad Book Pro, running on the world's most advance & capable mobile operating systeam iPad OS.

    This naming scheme perfectly frames in the mind of the customer what such a device can and cannot do, "its powerfull, but not as powerful as a mac" its capable yet light and agile, sleak ellegent and very portable, an Apple chrome book for when an Air is too big and an iPad Pro is too un-ergonomic.

    The only stubling block i see would be that cursed cursor I'm not sure that circle thing Apple is doing is optimum, what do you guys think ?  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 17
    dougddougd Posts: 292member
    Another iPad I won't buy 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 4 of 17
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    mbenz1962 said:
    Under the battery row in the comparison, AI might consider adding quick charge capability. According to the Apple website for the 30w charger, this new 7th gen iPad is capable while the others, of course, are not.
    That's interesting.

    Quick charging is a great feature, and I don't think that Apple ever mentioned that during the presentation. That's weird that they didn't, imo.

    I recently bought a 30 watt USB - C charger for my iPad Pro 10.5, I had never used one before, and the difference in charging time is significant. 

    If it's true that this 10.2 iPad supports quick charging, then it'll be the first non-Pro iPad to have it.
    edited September 2019 watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 17
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    dougd said:
    Another iPad I won't buy 
    Congratulations.

    Plenty of other people will be buying this iPad. 
    racerhomie3bb-15williamlondonchiawatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 17
    dougd said:
    Another iPad I won't buy 
    Dougd doesn’t like it! Shocker!
    dougdracerhomie3lkruppbb-15boltsfan17chasmwilliamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 17
    I'd be interested in the read on using a 3 year old processor....
    Clearly the A10 is good processor -- it works well in an iPhone 7 and in the 6th Gen iPad.

    But, using it in the 7th Gen iPad suggests to me either of two things:
    1)  The 7Th Gen iPad will have a shorter lifespan than usual for a new Apple product
    2)  The A10 processor and the equipment that uses it will have a longer lifespan than usual

    I wonder which it is?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 17
    I bought one 4 days before it was supposed to be available. I’m using it now.
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 17
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    I'd be interested in the read on using a 3 year old processor....
    Clearly the A10 is good processor -- it works well in an iPhone 7 and in the 6th Gen iPad.

    But, using it in the 7th Gen iPad suggests to me either of two things:
    1)  The 7Th Gen iPad will have a shorter lifespan than usual for a new Apple product
    2)  The A10 processor and the equipment that uses it will have a longer lifespan than usual

    I wonder which it is?
    That's a very valid question and part of the reason I would think twice about getting a 7th gen iPad. The A10 processor is 3 years and 4 generations old. I couldn't find any comparisons with the A13, but the A12 was in general twice as fast as the A10. If all you're doing is checking e-mail, but even 'just surfing' with Safari can take a fair amount of processor power anymore, so I'd be worried that it wouldn't age as well as other iPads with a newer processor. 


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 17
    bb-15bb-15 Posts: 283member
    MplsP said:
    I'd be interested in the read on using a 3 year old processor....
    Clearly the A10 is good processor -- it works well in an iPhone 7 and in the 6th Gen iPad.

    But, using it in the 7th Gen iPad suggests to me either of two things:
    1)  The 7Th Gen iPad will have a shorter lifespan than usual for a new Apple product
    2)  The A10 processor and the equipment that uses it will have a longer lifespan than usual

    I wonder which it is?
    That's a very valid question and part of the reason I would think twice about getting a 7th gen iPad. The A10 processor is 3 years and 4 generations old. I couldn't find any comparisons with the A13, but the A12 was in general twice as fast as the A10. If all you're doing is checking e-mail, but even 'just surfing' with Safari can take a fair amount of processor power anymore, so I'd be worried that it wouldn't age as well as other iPads with a newer processor. 


    I have a 6th generation iPad. It’s good enough for a pretty complicated game; Star Trek Fleet Command. 
    It handles side by side documents in Pages / Notes well. 

    Apple sells overpowered mobile hardware which can be used for several years. 
    For instance my wife & I have used the iPhone 6 for 5 years. Capable phones. (We will be upgrading in a few months.)
    I expect our iPads to last as long. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 17
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,273member
    But, using it in the 7th Gen iPad suggests to me either of two things:
    1)  The 7Th Gen iPad will have a shorter lifespan than usual for a new Apple product
    2)  The A10 processor and the equipment that uses it will have a longer lifespan than usual

    I wonder which it is?
    More the latter than the former, though of course you're correct that it will seem "slow" sooner than the A12. Apple continues to make and sell the iPhone 7 in other countries and is using the A10 in other still-supported products, so it's clear that it has taken over from the previous long-running champ the A9.

    But yes, if you buy a 7th-gen iPad today, you'll probably get 3-5 years out of it rather than the 5-7 years a lot of people got out of their first iPads (I still routinely see people with the original iPad Mini or first iPad Air happily chugging along still).
    GeorgeBMacwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 17
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,273member
    dougd said:
    Another iPad I won't buy 
    Nobody cares.
    MplsPwilliamlondonfastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 17
    chasm said:
    But, using it in the 7th Gen iPad suggests to me either of two things:
    1)  The 7Th Gen iPad will have a shorter lifespan than usual for a new Apple product
    2)  The A10 processor and the equipment that uses it will have a longer lifespan than usual

    I wonder which it is?
    More the latter than the former, though of course you're correct that it will seem "slow" sooner than the A12. Apple continues to make and sell the iPhone 7 in other countries and is using the A10 in other still-supported products, so it's clear that it has taken over from the previous long-running champ the A9.

    But yes, if you buy a 7th-gen iPad today, you'll probably get 3-5 years out of it rather than the 5-7 years a lot of people got out of their first iPads (I still routinely see people with the original iPad Mini or first iPad Air happily chugging along still).
    D'ya' remember the good old days for A-Series processors when it was 2 years and out?   Me thinks the equation has changed substantially.  And, just like in PCs, for most people, older tech does what they need and does so well.  I'm typing this on a 10 year old laptop that works perfectly well -- better than many I would buy today (But then I've made several upgrades to it that would be impossible on a phone).
  • Reply 14 of 17
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    chasm said:
    But, using it in the 7th Gen iPad suggests to me either of two things:
    1)  The 7Th Gen iPad will have a shorter lifespan than usual for a new Apple product
    2)  The A10 processor and the equipment that uses it will have a longer lifespan than usual

    I wonder which it is?
    More the latter than the former, though of course you're correct that it will seem "slow" sooner than the A12. Apple continues to make and sell the iPhone 7 in other countries and is using the A10 in other still-supported products, so it's clear that it has taken over from the previous long-running champ the A9.

    But yes, if you buy a 7th-gen iPad today, you'll probably get 3-5 years out of it rather than the 5-7 years a lot of people got out of their first iPads (I still routinely see people with the original iPad Mini or first iPad Air happily chugging along still).
    D'ya' remember the good old days for A-Series processors when it was 2 years and out?   Me thinks the equation has changed substantially.  And, just like in PCs, for most people, older tech does what they need and does so well.  I'm typing this on a 10 year old laptop that works perfectly well -- better than many I would buy today (But then I've made several upgrades to it that would be impossible on a phone).
    For several years processor speed improved and iOS features and the resultant demands on the processors also increased at the same rate meaning your device would be showing its age in a few years. (remember trying to run iOS 4 on a iPhone 3G?) We seem to be at a point where, for the majority of users, the processors significantly exceed their needs and iOS (now iPadOS) also also doesn't come close to taxing the processor. That's good new for all of us users - since we can get more years out of a device.

    The one caveat to this is web apps - there's more and more being written in java/java script. Feature for feature these take significantly more processor power than a native application.  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 17
    dougd said:
    Another iPad I won't buy 
    Dougd doesn’t like it! Shocker!
    Dougd thinks he's so fucking interesting that his opinion matters more than one's own.
    fastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 17
    MplsP said:
    chasm said:
    But, using it in the 7th Gen iPad suggests to me either of two things:
    1)  The 7Th Gen iPad will have a shorter lifespan than usual for a new Apple product
    2)  The A10 processor and the equipment that uses it will have a longer lifespan than usual

    I wonder which it is?
    More the latter than the former, though of course you're correct that it will seem "slow" sooner than the A12. Apple continues to make and sell the iPhone 7 in other countries and is using the A10 in other still-supported products, so it's clear that it has taken over from the previous long-running champ the A9.

    But yes, if you buy a 7th-gen iPad today, you'll probably get 3-5 years out of it rather than the 5-7 years a lot of people got out of their first iPads (I still routinely see people with the original iPad Mini or first iPad Air happily chugging along still).
    D'ya' remember the good old days for A-Series processors when it was 2 years and out?   Me thinks the equation has changed substantially.  And, just like in PCs, for most people, older tech does what they need and does so well.  I'm typing this on a 10 year old laptop that works perfectly well -- better than many I would buy today (But then I've made several upgrades to it that would be impossible on a phone).
    For several years processor speed improved and iOS features and the resultant demands on the processors also increased at the same rate meaning your device would be showing its age in a few years. (remember trying to run iOS 4 on a iPhone 3G?) We seem to be at a point where, for the majority of users, the processors significantly exceed their needs and iOS (now iPadOS) also also doesn't come close to taxing the processor. That's good new for all of us users - since we can get more years out of a device.

    The one caveat to this is web apps - there's more and more being written in java/java script. Feature for feature these take significantly more processor power than a native application.  
    Yeh, true....   But, I think, in addition what will be taxing processors more will be AR and (possibly) AI.   Plus the possible ramifications of 5G connecting more and more devices simultaneously in real time. 

    Historically, the exponential growth periods of computing have been triggered by advances in communications:   In the mainframe world it was the advent of dedicated T1-T3 lines.  Then in the PC world the introduction of dial up.   Then another leap forward with cable connections.  And today, 5G has the potential to kick that off again -- not directly, but just as the other leap forwards in communications technology, by the things it enables.  

    All of those revolutions triggered a new wave of demands on computing power.  But, right now, we're in the lull before the storm.
  • Reply 17 of 17
    dunksdunks Posts: 1,254member
    I'd upgrade to this from my iPad Air 2 if it had a laminated display. Until then I'll just look at the pricing of the iPad Pro and cry a little bit inside.
    watto_cobra
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