Apple iPad (10th gen) review: The best iPad for people who don't need the Apple Pencil

Note: This review was first published on 24 October 2022.

For the past couple of years, Apple’s entry-level iPad has received mostly spec-bump updates. And honestly, it was starting to look stale with its large bezels and anachronistic Touch ID button. This year, however, Apple has finally decided to give its most affordable iPad a thorough makeover with a fresh design, new accessories, and the A14 Bionic chip.

The TL;DR version:



A mostly good iPad that's let down by its awkward integration with the first-gen Apple Pencil and high starting price.

New design & larger screen

The bezels are slimmer, the Touch ID sensor has been integrated into the power button, and the chassis now has flat sides. It’s a look that brings it in line with the current crop of Apple products. The display is larger too and it’s now 10.9-inches (up from 10.2). In short, it's almost indistinguishable from the iPad Air.

However, there are tell-tale signs if you know where to look. The front-facing camera has been moved to the long side of the iPad. This means the camera now sits above the display when you put the iPad in the landscape orientation. This is good news for anyone who uses their iPad for video calls. The Smart Connector has been relocated to one of the edges instead of being at the back.

Also, the iPad comes in brighter colours. Apart from Silver, there’s now Pink, Blue, and Yellow. The unit I’m testing is Yellow and it’s certainly very striking. It’s more mustard yellow than banana. I haven’t seen the other colours in the lineup so I can’t comment on them, but having seen Yellow, there’s a good chance Blue or Pink might be my favourite of the bunch – I'm not feeling this shade of yellow.

The display is quite similar to the one in the iPad Air. They are the same size, support the same 2360 x 1640 pixels resolution, and neither supports ProMotion technology. However, the iPad’s display isn’t fully laminated, doesn’t have anti-reflective coating, and only supports the sRGB colour space (not P3). Even then, this is a mostly good-looking display. It looks crisp and sharp, and the colours look rich and natural. Reflections are only bothersome if you view the display from odd angles.

Another big update (at least for me) is that it’s the first iPad to finally have proper stereo speakers on both sides of the screen when in landscape mode. This is a huge deal because earlier iPads had stereo speakers but they were both on one side next to the Lightning port, so when you were watching videos in landscape, sound only comes from one side. For a tablet, the speakers sound good and will suffice for casual watching. They get loud with little distortion and are remarkably clear. However, they lack low-end oomph.

USB-C and Apple Pencil woes

The new iPad also ditches the Lightning port for a USB-C port. Even though it only supports USB and not Thunderbolt, it can still drive a single external display at up to 4K resolution and at 30Hz. While the move to USB-C is much welcomed, it also causes some problems. Mainly, it’s because this iPad is only compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil, which requires a Lightning port not only to charge but also to pair. 

Apple’s solution is to sell a dongle that it calls the “USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter.” But you need more than this little dongle to charge because it’s a female USB-C port and a female Lightning port. This means you still need a USB-C cable to connect this dongle to the iPad before you can pair and charge your Apple Pencil. Why hasn’t Apple simply made it a male USB-C to female Lightning port cable is beyond me because now the integration with the Apple Pencil is terribly convoluted. Perhaps someone will offer a third-party solution in the future.

This could have been avoided completely if it supported the new second-generation Apple Pencil. The reason it doesn’t, I was told, is because Apple wanted to make sure the new iPad would be compatible with older iPad accessories so that upgraders need not buy new accessories. But I’m not sure I buy it because Apple then went ahead and introduced an all-new Magic Keyboard Folio for this iPad (more on it later).

Once you get over the clumsy pairing and charging process, the first-generation Apple Pencil works well with this iPad. It doesn’t have the cool new hover feature that’s available only on the new iPad Pro but it feels responsive, smooth, and intuitive. Don’t worry that this new iPad doesn’t have a ProMotion display, any input lag is barely perceptible. 

Magic Keyboard Folio

This is an all-new accessory for the iPad and it’s similar to how Logitech’s Combo Touch iPad keyboards work. Unlike the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro & iPad Air which was a single-piece unit, the new Magic Keyboard Folio is two components that attach to the iPad. You have the keyboard which attaches to the Smart Connector and then there’s a separate protective panel that also doubles up as an adjustable stand. 

There are pros and cons to this design. The obvious upside is that you can detach the keyboard whenever you don’t need it and reduce its footprint. The downside is that you have to remember that there’s an adjustable stand that you need to deploy before you can start typing. I lost count of the number of times the iPad flopped onto the table only because I forgot to deploy the stand. This is not an issue with the earlier Magic Keyboard because the stand is an integrated part of the keyboard. I’m sure I’ll get over this after I get used to it.

One notable thing about this keyboard is that it has a row of function keys which earlier Magic Keyboard didn't have. This new keyboard is nice to type on mainly because it feels solid and not flimsy. The keys themselves are decently sized, have an adequate amount of travel, and feel positive with a well-judged amount of resistance. One thing to note, the keys don't have back-lights – unlike the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro and iPad Air which do. The trackpad is as big as it could be and it’s responsive and accurate. No complaints there.

Like any of Apple’s “Magic” accessories, the Magic Keyboard Folio is pricey. It is S$379. To give that figure some context, Logitech's Combo Touch keyboard case for this new iPad is S$229.

Performance analysis

Much has been talked about the prowess of Apple’s A-series chips but sometimes you need some context to fully appreciate just how incredible these chips are.

The new iPad is powered by the A14 Bionic chip, which made its debut in the iPhone 12 Series in 2020. It’s a two-year-old chip now and yet its performance remains impressive. Unsurprisingly, its benchmark numbers are appreciably better than last year’s iPad. CPU performance was around 20% better while graphics performance is up around 12%. Obviously, the iPad Air and iPad Pro with their M-series chips are significantly more powerful.

But perhaps what’s most interesting is how it continues to hold its own even against Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold4 5G which is powered by Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. Against Qualcomm’s newest chip, the A14 Bionic racked up higher Geekbench 5 and JetStream 2 scores. That said, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 did turn the table when it came to graphics performance and was around 24% faster than the A14 Bionic on the 3DMark Wild Life benchmark. 

In the real world, the iPad feels every bit as snappy to use as you’d expect from a brand-new Apple device. It runs apps without a hitch, even intensive games like Asphalt 9: Legends and Genshin Impact - although it does take a little longer to load. Overall, it's remarkable that the iPad delivers competitive performance even with a two-year-old chip.

Battery life

Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:

• Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on

Battery life takes a hit because of the smaller battery. Compared to last year’s iPad, this year’s model lasted nearly an hour shorter. That’s the price to pay for a slightly more compact form factor. In the real world, the new iPad’s battery life is more reasonable. It does dip quickly if you turn up the screen brightness and rely heavily on cellular data, but even then, most users should get around six to seven hours of non-stop use easily. If you are like me and only pick up an iPad occasionally to use, it should be good for a couple of days before it requires a charge. 

Buying advice & conclusion

The new iPad is mostly a fine tablet. The main problem is its clumsy integration with the Apple Pencil. I don’t think many will view it as a dealbreaker but for a company that prides itself on its tight integration of hardware and software, it’s somewhat amusing to see how its solution to ensure backward compatibility relies on a dongle and a separate cable. Users who would be using Apple Pencils regularly will probably be tempted by the pricier iPad Air (and its seamless integration with the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil) and I don’t blame them. 

This brings me to the matter of price and value. This new iPad is considerably more expensive than the model it replaces. Prices now start at S$679 for the Wi-Fi-only model with 64GB of storage and top out at S$1,139 for the model with cellular connectivity and a maximum of 256GB of storage. Compared to its predecessor, for the same amount of storage, the Wi-Fi-only models cost S$180 while the cellular models are S$210 more. Put another way, prices have gone up around 20% to 30%. Furthermore, accessories don't come cheap. The first-generation Apple Pencil is S$149 and the Magic KeyBoard Folio is S$379.

For most people who are only going to use their iPads to check emails, browse the web, and watch videos, spending nearly S$700 (excluding accessories) might be a tad hard to swallow particularly since there’s no shortage of cheap Android tablets that can arguably do the same. Where the iPad shines is its greater levels of performance and refinement. Is it worth the premium? Absolutely, particularly if you are already using other Apple devices and intend to keep the device around and use it for years to come. If you have a Mac, Universal Control is magic and Sidecar lets the iPad work as a second display.

Some might be tempted to step up to the iPad Air, which costs about S$200 more for the same amount of storage. I think it’s only worth if you are going to use the Apple Pencil often and absolutely need the extra performance. Otherwise, the regular iPad now offers nearly the same experience as an iPad Air for quite a bit less. Remember, the iPad Air’s accessories cost more too.

Ultimately, I think this new iPad replaces the iPad Air as the best iPad for most people. It’s thin, light, well-made, has a nice display, decent battery life, proper stereo speakers, and good performance. For most people, this is all the tablet they’d ever need – as long as they don’t intend to use the Apple Pencil often.

You can order the new 10th-generation iPad from the Apple Online Store, Amazon, Lazada, and Shopee.

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