Apple iPad 10 review – Anniversary tablet as slimmed down version of the iPad Air

At this point the Apple iPad of 2022 represents its 10th generation, celebrating its anniversary. For this occasion, Apple treats the most affordable iPad with a modern design and also increases the price by a hefty amount. Technically, it is a mix of the iPad 9 and iPad Air 4.

The Apple tablet is available in two storage versions. The smaller version offers 64 GB for 579 Euros (~$603) and the larger, 256 GB for 779 Euros (~$812). The optional mobile communication module costs an additional 200 Euros (~$208). Find out in this test, whether the most recent Apple tablet is worth its price, what differentiates it from the other models, and what the best alternatives are.

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

The Apple iPad 10 inherited the case design of the iPad Air, which was first introduced in 2020. The iPad 10 is available in silver, blue, rosé, and yellow color. The camera sticks out slightly from the aluminum unibody, so the tablet wobbles when you place it on a flat surface.

The quality of the workmanship is excellent. Due to the unibody design, there are hardly any gaps, and the material transitions are tight and even. The aluminum surface is prone to show fingerprints but very comfortable to hold. Compared to the current iPad Air, the iPad 10 is slightly larger in all dimensions, despite having the same-size panel.

The battery of the tablet is built in and cannot be replaced by the user. There is no certified protection against dust or water. Compared to the iPad 9, the efficiency was improved, the amount of plastic in the packaging was further reduced, and recycled gold and copper was used for the first time. In terms of sustainability, Apple publishes all the details in a detailed report.

      Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G      Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2      Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro      Apple iPad 2021      Apple iPad 10      Apple iPad Air 5 2022 {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_323932’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_332701’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_332701’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_325476’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_325476’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_325471’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_325471’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_333499’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_333499’).checked = false;document.querySelectorAll(‘#showDeviceSize_328734’).forEach(element => {element.classList.add(‘hideEl’)});document.getElementById(‘showDeviceSizelabel_328734’).checked = false;return false;” title=”hide all”>❌

While the iPad 9 still included a Lightning port, the iPad 10 now offers USB-C. This makes sense, considering the EU regulation proscribing USB-C as the unified connection standard (we report), but the 1st generation of the Apple Pencil, which is compatible with the iPad, still uses the old connection. So those who want to recharge the pen directly from the tablet or still don’t have a Lightning cable have to invest in an additional adapter for 10 Euros (~$10). With another corresponding adapter, the port can also be used for wired image output.

In terms of storage equipment, there is a version with 64 and a larger version with 256 GB. Those who require more storage have to use the cloud or can connect external data storage via the USB port.

The optional Magic Keyboard Folio can be connected via the Smart Connector. The Touch ID is in the power button.

The Apple iPad 10 is delivered with iPadOS 16.1, which has already received a bug fix update to version 16.1.1 during our test. But in contrast to the Pro models, the new Stage Manager cannot be used here.

Except for its own services and apps, Apple doesn’t install any other programs on the iPad. Usually, you can expect updates for around five years for the iPad, starting from the date of its introduction. However, there is no official announcement from Apple about this.

The front camera of the Apple iPad (2022) uses a 12-MP ultra-wide angle lens and supports the Follow mode for video conferencing. With this, the camera automatically adjusts the image angle to keep one or more persons in the center of the image. With sufficient light, the recordings are fairly good. You can record videos in Full HD resolution at up to 60 frames per second.

The main camera on the back also offers a 12-MP resolution, but it can use Smart HDR 3 and an auto focus with Focus Pixels. In everyday photography, the recordings offer a good color reproduction with decent image capturing capabilities, but particular in terms of depth, they show some slight noise fairly early on. While this is definitely not a top performance, it is completely sufficient for documentation purposes.

The main camera is able to record videos in Ultra HD at up to 60 FPS.

The box of the 10th generation Apple iPad includes a USB-C cable and a modular 20-Watt charger.

The manufacturer warranty is only 12 months, but any vender warranty is not impacted by this. Optionally, you can also purchase Apple Care+ for the iPad, which lasts for two years at a cost of 79 Euros (~$82) or about 4 Euros (~$4) on a monthly basis. In addition to the expert support, you can get an unlimited amount of repairs during this time, as long as the damage was unintended. However, for each repair you also have to pay a universal service charge of 49 Euros (~$51) in the case of the iPad or 29 Euros (~$30) for the pen or keyboard.

Optionally, you can also purchase the Apple Pencil (Gen. 1 for 119 Euros, ~$124), Smart Folios in the corresponding case colors (for 99 Euros, ~$103 each) or the Magic Keyboard Folio (for 299 Euros, ~$312). Those who decide for the Pencil also have to purchase the corresponding USB adapter for this, in order to be able to connect the pen with the Apple tablet at all.

The capacitive touchscreen of the Apple iPad 2022 responds to inputs quickly and reliably. As in the iPad 9, there is a slight distance between the panel and the front glass. So those who had hoped to get a fully laminated display will be disappointed. However, this doesn’t impact the operation, and only those using the Pencil will have to get used to the feeling of the pen hovering slightly above the display contents. 

The keyboard layout from Apple is installed as the onscreen keyboard, but you can also replace this by any other keyboard from the App Store. Optionally, you can also purchase an external keyboard. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to test this until now.

A fingerprint scanner (Touch ID) in the power key provides biometric security. Although this recognizes the stored fingerprints very reliably, it doesn’t belong to the fastest of its kind.

The size of the IPS display of the Apple iPad has increased to 10.9 inch (27.7 cm) in the diagonal, offering 2360 x 1640 pixels. While nominally, this corresponds to the panel in the iPad Air, it isn’t laminated fully, doesn’t cover the DCI-P3 color space, and also doesn’t offer an antireflective layer.

The brightness of the LCD is supposed to reach 500 Nits. However, the iPad 10 doesn’t quite reach this value in our measurements. With a full white display and activated brightness sensor, the tablet reaches 468 cd/m² on average. With an even distribution of light and dark areas (APL18), the brightness turns out only minimally higher, reaching 474 cd/m². Those who like to adjust the brightness manually will even get slightly more, since up to 492 cd/m² are then possible.

The black value is slightly elevated but still sufficient for a good contrast ratio. We do not notice any pulse-width modulation (PWM). As the slow-motion observation through a microscope shows, temporal dithering is also not used.

* … smaller is better

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To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession – a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

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Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

Unfortunately, our partner GameBench doesn’t support the current iPadOS at the time of this test yet, so that we are unable to present any results to you here.

However, the Apple A14 offers more than sufficient performance to display all the usual games at high detail settings, without having to limit the frame rates at all. Only in Genshin Impact, which is set to the highest quality levels at up to 60 FPS, we noticed the occasional small stutter.

Due to its weight, the tablet can become a bit heavy to hold in the hands in the long run, but it also offers a comfortably large display area and decent speakers.

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Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)

Battery Runtime

The introduction of the iPad 10 could have given a reason to rejoice, but unfortunately Apple put a damper on this with a hefty price increase compared to the predecessor. The largest progress of the iPad lies in the design, which now resembles that of the iPad Air.

Those who decide for the iPad 10 will get a fast tablet with an accurate display, good battery life, and optional 5G and will probably be very satisfied with it. However, the technological progress isn’t as large as you might expect from the price increase.

The Apple iPad from 2022 demands a hefty price premium, but the technology is seamless.

The iPad continues to use a display that isn’t fully laminated. While this is probably a plus in terms of repairability, it still feels a bit strange, particularly when using a pen and it appears to hover above the display. You also have to purchase an additional adapter for the pen to be able to connect it to the tablet at all. Although the display is flicker free, the brightness is at a similar level as that of the iPad 9 and the refresh rate is only 60 Hz.

Those who want to own an affordable iPad and don’t mind the old design should still get last year’s model. Particularly if you also need to purchase some Apple accessories, you can easily save several hundred Euros in this way, without any noticeable compromise. The battery life of that model is even better.

Other powerful alternatives are the Galaxy Tab S7 FE or the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro, which are not only more affordable but also include the corresponding input pen directly.