iPad 2022 to the test, our impressions. At first glance, after taking it out of the box and putting it inside its new white case, it looks almost like a Surface Pro, with the rear support that opens like a compass and the keyboard “loose” to be able to bend in both directions.
On the iPhone with USB-C, Apple resigns itself, “we will have to adapt”
But it lasts a few seconds: just start the new 10th generation iPad with Magic Keyboard Folio, the new original keyboard from Apple, and do the data transfer from a previous iPad. Half an hour later, we are ready to leave with everything we need and more. The new Magic Keyboard Folio has in fact 14 new function keys, a very firm and precise one-millimeter excursion of the keys, a trackpad equal in size to that of the keyboard of the more expensive iPad Pro 12.9 M2.
The keyboard of wishes
In a perfect world, the 10th generation iPad keyboard, which now has a square design like all other iPads, no more home buttons and a 10.9-inch screen instead of 10.2, would always be compatible with various devices. But no, this 299 euro keyboard only works with this iPad. However, it is fortunate that it is available, because it is completely different from what we are used to.
The addition of the row of function keys, which are first used as multimedia keys (the same thing on keyboards of fixed or portable Macs), adds a considerable level of depth.
We have used the keyboard to type various texts including this one and we know it is a very well made keyboard. The crop factor, around 60% of a full keyboard, compresses the keys on the far right (accented letters) and some keys on the left, but usability is still very high and in any case the fundamentals are there. Fortunately, including the arrow keys which are inverted T, with the empty space acting as a guide for the hand.
Needless to say, the keyboard is connected via the usual three poles, which return to being on the long side of the frame and no longer behind, as the iPad Pro of the latest generations had accustomed us to due to the particular shape of their supports that integrate into a rigid (and somewhat heavy) system the keyboard with the trackpad and the tilting rear support.
Here, however, the choice is much simpler and more rational and, even if it closely resembles a Surface Pro as we said, in reality it is perfectly reversible and transformable by third parties thanks to the fact that in reality all the front and rear protection and support are simply magnetic. and therefore removable.
A respectable iPad
The “small” (but there is also the Mini, let’s not forget it) is an iPad that has no ambitions for excessive power. Under it, however, there is still the ninth generation with the previous processor. This new iPad X Gen has the two-year-old processor of the iPhone, the A 14 Bionic, which works perfectly even today with the CPU with 6 power and 4 efficiency cores, the GPU with 4 cores and the Neural Engine with 16 cores.
In addition, apart from the battery that guarantees ten hours of operation and the Usb-C socket, the Apple tablet is equipped with a 12 megapixel front and rear camera, with the front one finally on the long side of the computer, optional 5G connection, sensor for fingerprint, 64 or 256 GB memory, compatibility (with adapter) with the first generation Apple Pencil and 10.9 ″ (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi-Touch screen with IPS technology, resolution 2360 × 1640 pixels at 264 ppi and 500 nit maximum SDR brightness.
Schools, homes and light jobs
This tablet is immediately giving us considerable satisfaction. It should be taken for what it is: a city car, a small car but full optional. The long-side webcam shift and long battery life are perfect for distance learning or interminable office meetings, while Apple’s first-generation pen compatibility in our opinion is also due to the fact that space immediately below where it should be reloaded, ie the upper long side, is occupied by the webcam and there was materially no space to insert it.
In addition, it features Touch ID on the side button. It comes in bright colors: yellow, pink and blue, as well as plain silver. It looks a lot like the fifth-generation iPad Air that debuted in March of this year, with one significant difference: webcam positioning and compatibility with Apple Pencil 1.
In our opinion, the transition of this too, like all the other iPads with full screen and without a home button, should also have included the transition from Apple Pencil 1 to version 2. We console ourselves with the new keyboard and support, which are extremely reliable and especially useful with the variant of the function keys.
Be careful if you have experienced the integrated support-keyboard support of the iPad Pro, because this does not close gradually since the compass opening is released from the keyboard. Furthermore, the keyboard, with the possibility of being closed even in an inverted manner (to protect the keys if you place the tablet on the table or other surfaces) actually makes it a bit “mobile” and imprecise, that is, decentralized, in the traditional closure . Not bad, just pay attention to it for a moment.
Conclusions
Of course, the time we have had available so far, even if it is of quality, has allowed us to understand only up to a certain point the performance of this new iPad X Gen. We have worked, we have played, we have downloaded and recharged it several times. We also tested various functions and keys. The screen is of good quality even if not stratospheric (we would have preferred a higher brightness and a better anti-glare) but the overall yield is extraordinary, thinking that this would be the cheapest tablet from Apple if there were not yet the iPad on the market. ninth generation.
Furthermore, with this latest release, Apple has closed its personal transition of tablets to USB-C connection. It is an important detail because iPads usually have a very long life and thinking of being able to permanently migrate to USB-C by abandoning the Lightning socket should be a priority for those who buy one. In fact, if Apple presents iPhones and accessories with a USB-C socket next year, this transition could be practically around the corner and it would have been a shame to stick with the old socket just because the iPad “lasts” longer. .
