iPad (9th Gen) is the one for the masses
Apple iPad 2021. Pic: Noel Campion.
The original iPad wowed everyone as a category-defining device. It has stood the test of time and admirably fought off many a competitor over its 11-year history and still remains the most popular tablet in the world.
There’s nothing from a design standpoint to differentiate the 8th gen from the latest 9th gen iPad. You get the same stunning 10.2-inch Retina display (now with True Tone), a physical home button with TouchID and now this is the only iOS/iPad OS device to retain a headphone jack. The latter is a welcome inclusion but it does feel inevitable that this too will soon disappear from the loveable iPad in future iterations. For now, you can rejoice and celebrate the tangle, dangle wire with the 9th gen iPad, or, of course, embrace the goodness of the latest AirPods or other such Bluetooth enable music listening devices to enjoy your favourite podcasts, tunes, movies or TV shows.
The only way I can tell the difference between the 8th and 9th gen models is by looking at the front-facing camera which is now bigger.
While many of the other iPads in Apple’s extensive lineup tend to get a lot of the limelight thanks to headline-grabbing features like ProMotion or Apple Pencil 2 support the standard iPad is not without its prowess. It has the A13 Bionic onboard, which is 20 per cent faster than last year’s iPad.
The A13 Bionic maybe two years old but based on Geekbench 5, it scores higher than the top-of-the-range Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+.
Everything from games to browsing the web feels snappy and smooth with no hiccups or stutters.
This year’s model not only gets an updated GPU and CPU but now the base memory starts at 64GB with 3GB of RAM. This should be enough memory for most casual users but unfortunately, the only other memory option is 256GB for an extra €169 — it’s a pity there isn’t a 128GB version.
You can still buy WiFi with cellular versions of the iPad but it’s 4G, not 5G which is not surprising considering this is an entry-level device.
The 10.2-inch Retina display has the same resolution of 2160 x 1620 with an impressive 500nits of peak brightness. It looks great with accurate colours, sharp detail and excellent viewing angles. This makes the iPad great for everything and the best part is that it can do everything an iPad Pro can, albeit a little slower.
The sound system is still the same which is a little disappointing. This isn’t to say it’s bad but it’s mono with a single firing speaker on the right edge. The sound quality is pretty good but nothing like what you get on the smaller iPad mini and nothing even close to the awesome sound system on the Pro models.
Hardware features exclusive to the iPad are the physical home button with TouchID, the 3.5mm headphone jack and a Lightning port. This may be the last iPad to have a Lightning port.
The big new feature on the 9th gen iPad has to be the upgraded front-facing camera. This is now 12MP and features Centre Stage which digitally pans around to keep the subject or subjects in the middle of the frame during FaceTime and other video calling apps. The feature works really well and it’s great to see it here on the entry-level iPad.
The rear 8MP camera is the same as last year and can capture full HD video at 25 or 30 fps.
One of the best things about the iPad is that it supports the Apple Pencil (€99) — it would be nice to eventually see this updated to work with the second generation of Apple Pencil but that will require a redesign of the iPad. You also get full support for the excellent Smart Keyboard which is still one of my favourite keyboards to type on.
The iPad is the tablet for the masses due to its exceptional hardware, Apple Pencil support and the Apps store that features an endless supply of quality apps. It’s versatile, powerful, portable and exceptional value for money.
If you already own a 7th or 8th generation iPad there’s no need to upgrade but for those with older machines looking for a little more power and a bigger display and Apple Pencil support the 9th gen iPad is an excellent option.
Apple iPad from €399.
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