Review Apple iPad 2018 - Thanks Apple, I'm running out of good puns for the headline!

Apple and cheap – Now there’s two terms you rarely use in one phrase. Even affordable is stretching it, as a quick glance at the price tags in the Apple Online Store will surely tell you. That being said, in recent years, Apple has made moves towards more affordable devices, at least with some of its product lines. The latest effort in this is the new 6th generation iPad that was released in April 2018. It is the device that finally got me to upgrade from my old iPad mini 2. 

Now before I get into the review itself, I need to be upfront about a few things. I am a former Apple employee, although I left the company in 2016. I did not receive this device from my former employer, however, and I did not get it at a special discount either. I paid the regular Irish retail price for the device, as well as for the Apple Pencil. My review may occasionally stray from a purely objective path due to this past, so be aware of that. Why mention the pencil, you ask? Well, you’ll have to read the review to find out.

So without further ado, let’s get into the nitty gritty. The 2018 iPad, also sometimes referred to as the iPad 6th Generation, is superficially an unassuming device. There’s little to nothing to differentiate it from its predecessor, with the “rim” of the device housing a Lightning port on the bottom, headphone jack and power button on the top, and the volume buttons on the right hand side of the device. The front houses the Home button with integrated TouchID sensor. Right away I can say that I’m glad that Apple has decided to keep the 3.5mm jack. I’ve never understood the reasoning behind removing the headphone jack. But then again, this is a company that claims Beats is high quality audio. But I digress.

Image: Apple Press Kit

The bezel surrounding the display is again pretty much identical to its predecessor, and significantly thicker than on the iPad Pro. Not a deal breaker for me, there’s still more than enough usable “real estate” on the screen. And it’s a damn good screen, as I’ve come to expect from Apple’s Retina displays by now. The 9.7” display has a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels, and is crystal clear. There is a bit of an air gap between the actual display and the display glass, but this isn’t too much of an issue from my perspective. It is this display, however, that contains the biggest difference to the predecessor. The 2018 iPad now supports Apple Pencil, something previously reserved for Apple’s premium iPad Pro range. Granted, it doesn’t refresh quite as fast as the iPad Pro display, but given the price gap between the two devices, I’d say that’s a more than acceptable trade-off.

Image: Apple Press Kit

The CPU is the other big differentiator to the previous iPad. The 2018 iPad sports the A10 Fusion chip, the same chip used in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. While users moving up from the 2017 iPad might not notice much of a difference, the difference becomes immediately obvious to anyone moving up from older devices, such as the iPad mini 2. The amount of RAM doesn’t appear to have changed, although I doubt that the current machine will run “out of breath” in all but the most demanding scenarios. 

So, how does all this fancy technobabble work in real life? Damn good. The device is nice and snappy. Granted, the most demanding app I’ve used so far is the 3D view of  flightradar24.com, after changing my password of course. still, there’s no noticeable lack, even when switching between multiple large apps, or using features such as slide-over or split screen, something I used vigorously while writing this review. Graphics apps like Procreate run smooth as silk, and although I haven‘t tried much in the way of games yet, I‘d say that both Civilization VI and the upcoming Tropico for iPad (which I‘m REALLY looking forward to) should run equally smooth. Video editing is certainly a breeze. Speaking of speed and „snappiness“, some of the more, shall we say „jaded“, reviewers complained that Apple had used its first generation Touch ID sensor in the new iPad, which is slower than the latest iteration used in the latest generation of iPhones. To quote one of the seminal works of American literature: „Frankly my darling, I just don‘t give a damn!“ Any speed difference is so minute that it really doesn‘t make a difference in your everyday life, while on the plus side, it is really so damn convenient to just use your fingerprint for unlocking the device or purchasing content. 

Image: Apple Press Kit

However, any review of the 2018 iPad would be incomplete without mentioning what I consider the „killer feature“ of the latest model – Apple Pencil compatibility. Now, to be fair, when Apple originally announced the Pencil back in 2015, it was widely ridiculed. I should know, I was one, even though I was still working at Apple at the time. However, setting aside the spectacularly uninspiring name and hefty pricetag for a second, the technology behind the  Apple Pencil is actually quite impressive, and once you’ve used it, it definitely does not feel like a gimmick anymore. Rather, it feels like a natural extension of the iPad, extending well into 3rd party apps like Microsoft’s Office suite, or Procreate. What’s more, the small tip actually allows for a lot finer control for people with gorilla hands like yours truly. The actual feel of the Pencil is quite nice as well. It is nice and solid, while being heavy enough to comfortably rest in your hand. It is a bit long for my taste, but hey, you can’t have everything. I’ve certainly come around to seeing its advantages.

Now, since the Apple Pencil was originally limited to being used with the iPad Pro lineup, the question has been asked whether the 2018 iPad undercuts the market for the iPad Pro, and whether Apple is cannibalizing its own sales potential for its higher priced iPad. I don’t see any chance of that happening. The iPad Pro is in a league of its own, its screen offers a much wider colour range, and a 120Hz refresh rate, a stronger CPU, more RAM, and not least the Smart Connector for the Smart Keyboard, if that keyboard is your thing. All this is lacking in the 2018 iPad. What’s more, battery life is identical across Apple’s entire product lineup, with up to ten hours promised on the website, something that seems pretty achievable from my perspective. So, there’s really no reason for Pro user to downgrade.

Personally, I’ve found the 2018 iPad to be the perfect blogging/writing kit for travelling “light”. I’m using it in conjunction with my trusty Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard and the Apple Pencil, which is ideal for just chugging it into a messenger bag and heading off somewhere. At home, I use The Bergenes phone/tablet stand from IKEA, which not only holds the device stable, but is also dirt cheap, at just 2.75€ here in Ireland, and probably less on the continent. The battery life is good enough to keep you going on the road, and the larger screen size compared to my previous iPad mini 2 makes the device much more comfortable to work on. Unless you’ve just recently purchased a 2017 iPad, or own an iPad Pro, the 2018 iPad should be your go-to-device when it comes to upgrading your device. And if you’re just considering getting your first iPad, the 2018 iPad is a good choice as well, given that it is by far the cheapest device in the iPad range. Now, if only Apple would start selling a “Combo Pack” with the Apple Pencil…