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Tech · Apple · 2022

Apple iPad (10th generation)

The base iPad finally with USB-C and a landscape camera. The Pencil story is still awkward.

Used iPads on eBay: where M1 pays off and where it doesn't — #4

Overall

8.0

out of 10

Axis scores

No axis sits more than 0.6 from another, from Performance at 7.6 to Value at 8.2. The 8.0 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Apple iPad (10th generation) — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Apple iPad (10th generation): Performance 7.6, Value 8.2, Durability 8.0, Ease of use 8.2, Design 7.8.PerformanceApple iPad (10th generation) — Performance 7.6 out of 107.6ValueApple iPad (10th generation) — Value 8.2 out of 108.2DurabilityApple iPad (10th generation) — Durability 8.0 out of 108.0Ease of useApple iPad (10th generation) — Ease of use 8.2 out of 108.2DesignApple iPad (10th generation) — Design 7.8 out of 107.8Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Display
10.9-inch Liquid Retina (LCD)
Chip
A14 Bionic
Unlock
Touch ID (top button)
Port
USB-C
Pencil
Apple Pencil (1st gen, via adapter) or Apple Pencil (USB-C)
Storage
64GB, 256GB

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • Video calls; the front camera sits on the long edge where it belongs
  • A family tablet for streaming, browsing, and school apps
  • You want USB-C so it shares a charger with everything else

Skip it if

  • Handwritten notes are the point; the Pencil options lag the Air's
  • You'd use it with a keyboard for hours; the Air's M1 handles multitasking better

This is the first entry-level iPad with the Air’s squared-off design and USB-C, and the first iPad of any kind with the front camera on the landscape edge. For calls with the tablet propped on a keyboard or a stand, that placement fixes the sideways stare every earlier iPad gave you.

The Pencil situation is a known mess. It doesn’t support the magnetic second-generation Pencil. The first-generation Pencil works through a USB-C adapter, and the cheaper Apple Pencil (USB-C) works without pressure sensitivity. If note-taking is the point, the Air above it is the better used buy.

The laminated screens on the Air and mini have no air gap above the display. This one does, so the Pencil tip looks like it hovers slightly above the line. Reviewers flagged it at launch and it’s the clearest sign this is the budget model.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.