It just works. Nothing causes an Apple critic’s blood to boil faster than those three words used to defend a product from Cupertino. And while that phrase has practically become a meme, not enough people understand what it means to the average user. It’s not to imply Apple products are bug-free — they aren’t. It certainly isn’t meant to suggest that Apple always makes decisions in the best interest of the customer — it doesn’t.
From my perspective, it is a way of communicating the non-verbal contract Apple makes you agree to when you purchase one of its products. You give up the freedoms and customizations of Android, and in exchange, you receive a product designed from the silicon on up to provide the best user experience as Apple sees it. It’s a contract lots of tech users freely enter, and with the latest entry-level iPad, there is a compelling case to be made.
Apple iPad (2022)
Still one of the best values in tablets
Unsurprisingly, Apple's latest entry-level tablet continues to reign supreme. In addition to a design refresh, Apple adds quad-speakers and USB-C charging to its 10th-gen iPad.
- Storage
- 64 / 256GB
- CPU
- Apple A14 Bionic
- Memory
- 4GB
- Operating System
- iPadOS
- Battery
- 28.6Wh, Up to 10 hours
- Ports
- USB-C
- Camera (Rear, Front)
- 12MP, 12MP
- Display (Size, Resolution)
- 10.9 inches, 2360 x 1640 pixels
- Price
- from $450
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G optional
- Measurements
- 249 x 180 x 7 mm, 477g
- Headphone jack
- No
- Colors
- Blue, Pink, Yellow, Silver
- Fantastic build quality
- Excellent display
- Apple ecosystem
- No laminated display
- No OLED display
- Limited to first-gen Apple Pencil
Price and availability
The Apple iPad (2022) is available through Amazon and Apple in various colors and combinations. In its base configuration, the tenth-gen iPad comes with 64GB of storage. If you decide 64GB isn’t nearly enough in 2023, a 256GB model can be had for $150 more. 5G models are also available for iPad users on the go.
For some odd reason, Apple has reserved its best colors for its base iPad. With this model, you have your choice of silver, pink, blue, and yellow. If $450 feels too steep, you’ll often find it marked down to $400 on Amazon and Best Buy.
Design, hardware, what’s in the box
Since well before anyone heard of Jony Ive, Apple has prided itself on design. While the product line hasn’t always reflected that — remember the trash can Mac Pro? — the iPad (2022) is wonderfully engineered. In a significant departure from its predecessor, the tenth-gen iPad adopts the design language of the more expensive iPad Air and iPad Pro lines. Ever since the iPhone 4, I’ve enjoyed when Apple opts for flatter edges for its products. It adds a premium feel, complemented by the all-aluminum unibody enclosure.
The design improvements from the ninth-gen iPad don’t stop at the edges. This iPad includes quad speakers and a USB-C port. The upgrade from two speakers on the previous model is noticeable, as the 10th-gen produces fantastic sound for a device at just $449. As for the USB-C port, anyone who has spent a small fortune replacing frayed lightning cables can attest to how much joy this change brings.
Unfortunately, there is no FaceID, but a side-mounted fingerprint sensor supports TouchID for biometric authentication. Meanwhile, the selfie cam is centered in landscape orientation — another welcome change that’s perfect for your next video call. At the bottom of the iPad, you’ll find magnetic connectors for the optional Magic Keyboard Folio.
Because of the camera’s position change, the 10th-gen iPad is only compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil. Unfortunately, that means charging the pencil through a lightning connector — which this iPad doesn’t have.
In the box, you’re greeted with the device, a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, and a 20W charging adapter. In some sort of tender mercy, Apple has decided to bless us with a charging adapter — rejoice.
Display
Apple has been shipping quality displays since the Reagan administration, and this iPad is no exception. It’s an LCD, but because Apple has spent the last decade refusing to implement OLED panels on any iPad, they’ve had lots of practice making do without our preferred screen technology. The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina panel has a resolution of 1640x2360, a 60Hz refresh rate, and it is absolutely stunning. Colors pop off the screen, and the saturation is spot on.Contrast is significantly better than you’d expect from an LCD, but black levels are still a challenge, given its limitations.
Unlike the more expensive iPad Air, the 10th-gen model lacks display lamination. While you won’t notice much difference in everyday viewing and tasks, artists will certainly notice. The lack of lamination creates a bit of a gap between the glass and the display, which makes writing and fine strokes with the pen seem less accurate.
I typically hate any sort of color correction on displays, but True Tone is gentle enough that I leave it on. The natural white balance provides color accuracy without displaying too much yellow. I like cooler color temperatures, and the iPad strikes a satisfying balance. Netflix movies look great, and YouTube playback is sharp at 1080p.
Unlike many Android competitors, Apple didn’t forget that lumens are an essential part of the experience. 500 nits is more than good enough for indoors, and if it weren’t for the excessive glare, outdoor viewing would be acceptable as well. When it comes to the pure viewing experience, you’ll have little to complain about from the iPad’s panel.
Software
Even though the latest iPad ships with iPadOS 16.3.1, 16.5 is available as an update out of the box. iPadOS was a much-needed enhancement for the iPad, taking it from a giant iPhone to a respectable standalone product. Software features like Handoff allow me to seamlessly continue tasks between my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air without hassle.
The recently announced iPadOS 17 promises interactive widgets and an improved lock screen. In addition, Apple is looking to integrate AI (although they won’t use that term) into everything from system search to the keyboard for a more intelligent typing experience.
Multitasking is possible — but only by Apple’s rules. Split-screen is limited to certain apps, so while iTunes and Mail play well together, Instagram and YouTube would not be possible. It’s part of that controlled experience I alluded to earlier. Android 12L is comfortable trying almost any app combination, although there are occasional accidents — Apple would never dream of that.
I want to highlight the positives and negatives of the iPadOS experience with two examples. When setting up my fingerprints for TouchID, I had the iPad in landscape orientation, so it was registering my thumb. Without my prompting or asking to add another print, iPadOS asked me to turn the tablet into portrait mode and register my index finger as well — intuitive. On the flip side, organizing my widgets and icons on the home screen was a disaster. I made the mistake of eliminating one of the default widgets, and it looked like someone vomited icons on my display. If you stay on the rails Apple sets you on, the software experience is excellent.
For the more security-minded, iPadOS informs you when an app tracks you across other apps and sites and gives you the option to decline. I understand privacy on the internet is nearly impossible, but clawing back just a little, even if it’s lip service, is still welcomed.
When discussing any Apple product, the App Store has to be mentioned. It’s part of the ecosystem and a definite benefit to buying an Apple product. The App Store is well laid out and offers thousands of apps. While the store isn’t exactly boring, it’s not the Wild West either. You can rest assured that any apps downloaded will be safe and maintain the minimum user experience Apple requires to be listed.
If you’ve never used an Apple-exclusive app before, I’d highly recommend it. GarageBand is a magnificent experience for music creation, voice-overs, or podcasts. The amount of pro-grade features Apple sneaks into its bundled apps is impressive.
After arriving in 2022, this iPad will receive six years of software upgrades and support — a staggering amount of time in comparison to even the best of its Android counterparts. Even on older hardware, software optimization and support matters, Apple does an excellent job of only limiting software features at the very end of a device’s lifecycle.
Performance
At the heart of the iPad (2022), you’ll find the A14 Bionic chip, the same SoC originally found in the iPhone 12 series and the fourth-gen iPad Air. Despite its age, the A14 still performs beautifully. Daily tasks are handled with ease, and multitasking is snappy. Twitter scrolling is smooth, and browsing, even with multiple Safari tabs open, did not cause slowdowns or lag.
While you won’t be running Final Cut Pro — M-series club members only — iMovie is a fantastic experience on the iPad. I was able to scrub through 1080p footage like it was nothing, and for someone just starting out on YouTube, the iPad is a cost-effective solution. Thanks to the added benefits of the Apple ecosystem, I was able to transport video back and forth between my iPhone and iPad through iCloud.
For artists, the iPad offers a lot of tools for content creation. Whether it’s sketching in Freeform or editing photos in Adobe Lightroom, the A14 is capable of a lot of tasks other tablets aren’t.
This specs sheet isn’t all puppies and rainbows, though. Even though Apple gets away with 4GB of RAM in 2023, 64GB of storage is not something you can optimize your way around. It’s inadequate, and it’s a trend. Apple has been stingy with storage on its base models for over 15 years. iPadOS takes up 8GB to start, and system storage uses another 2GB; once you add a few games, photos, and apps, you’re at the limit. I understand cloud storage is an option, but you don’t always want to be at the mercy of your internet connection.
Gaming suffers because of the storage as well. Genshin Impact ran adequately on medium settings, but the full game is almost 20GB — a third of the iPad’s available storage. So while performance won’t be an issue gaming on your iPad, juggling which games you have installed will be.
Battery life
Battery life on the 2022 iPad is vastly improved over the ninth-gen model it supersedes. The 7,600mAh battery is capable of ten hours of video playback at 80% screen brightness. For mixed usage, you can expect battery life to be cut down to six or seven hours. For the 9th gen model, five hours seemed to be the sweet spot for mixed-use.
With 20W charging available, this iPad will go from 0% to a full charge in just under two and a half hours. When you add the flexibility of USB-C charging, the overall battery experience is much better on the 10th-gen iPad.
Camera
For a tablet, the iPad (2022) features an impressive pair of 12MP cameras. The rear lens is capable of shooting 4K60, and in good lighting, images are sharp with satisfactory color. Even though the A14 is more than capable of handling portrait mode (it works well on the iPhone 12), Apple has not included that feature, opting for portrait mode for the Pro lineup of iPads only. If there were medals handed out for artificially nerfing products to entice you to buy a more expensive model, Apple would take the gold.
Selfies are sharp from the front shooter, but the lack of portrait mode is again disappointing. Aside from that, FaceTime calls look great, and Zoom meetings will be no problem. And really, what more could you ask for on a tablet?
Competition
In terms of raw power, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is the closest competitor to the iPad. Even though it’s almost $150 more, the Tab S8 counters with more base storage and a MicroSD card slot. If you’re looking for similar power to the iPad 2022 but more flexible storage options, the S8 is worth a look. Even still, if you own a MacBook or iPhone, the added benefits of the Apple ecosystem outweigh the advantages of the Tab S8.
The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 features a brilliant OLED panel for a lower price than this iPad. If your tablet usage is limited to binge-watching shows in bed, you could absolutely benefit from saving a few dollars. If content consumption outweighs content creation for you, go with the Tab P11 Pro.
If you want to stick with iPadOS and are ok spending a few extra dollars, the iPad Air is worth a look. The iPad Air offers the laminated display the 10th-gen iPad lacks, and you’ll also pick up M1 power under the hood. The M1 opens the doors to apps like Final Cut Pro for iPad if you are looking for something more robust than iMovie.
Should you buy it?
The iPad (2022) is a fantastic blend of value and performance. Even at the increased $450 price tag, it runs circles around similarly priced Android tablets. Steve Jobs’ original vision of controlling the quality of the user experience from beginning to end is still alive and well — for better or worse. If you own any other Apple products, absolutely pick one up. If you’re coming from Android devices, you’ll be understandably frustrated. But if you’ve never owned a tablet, I will always recommend the iPad. After all — it just works.
Apple iPad (2022)
Unsurprisingly, Apple's latest entry-level tablet continues to reign supreme. In addition to a design refresh, Apple adds quad-speakers and USB-C charging to its 10th-gen iPad.
- Storage
- 64 / 256GB
- CPU
- Apple A14 Bionic
- Memory
- 4GB
- Operating System
- iPadOS
- Battery
- 28.6Wh, Up to 10 hours
- Ports
- USB-C
- Camera (Rear, Front)
- 12MP, 12MP
- Display (Size, Resolution)
- 10.9 inches, 2360 x 1640 pixels
- Price
- from $450
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G optional
- Measurements
- 249 x 180 x 7 mm, 477g
- Headphone jack
- No
- Colors
- Blue, Pink, Yellow, Silver