iPad (10th Generation) Review: The Simple, Safe Tablet Choice

The 10th-generation iPad is Apple’s entry point into iPadOS, and after years of an aging design carried over from the iPad Air, it finally got the flat-edge redesign, USB-C port, and larger 10.9" Liquid Retina display that the rest of the lineup had already moved to. It is, in effect, a smaller-screened iPad Air from a couple of generations back wearing a fresh coat of paint — which is either a compliment or a criticism depending on how much you value novelty versus a proven formula.

The A14 Bionic chip inside is now four years old as a piece of silicon, first appearing in the iPhone 12 in 2020. That sounds concerning on a spec sheet, but in practice the A14 remains comfortably capable for the tablet use cases most people actually have: web browsing, video streaming, note-taking, light photo editing, and undemanding games. It does mean the base iPad is not a great fit for heavier creative work like multi-track video editing or console-quality gaming, where the iPad Air or iPad Pro’s newer chips pull meaningfully ahead.

Display and design

The 10.9" Liquid Retina LCD panel at 2360x1640 is sharp and color-accurate for the price, though it is capped at a standard 60Hz refresh rate — the smoother 120Hz ProMotion displays remain reserved for the Pro line. The new straight-edge design brings it visually in line with the iPad Air and Pro, and the front camera moved to the landscape edge, which finally makes video calls look natural when the iPad is propped up on its (separately sold) Smart Folio in landscape orientation, a genuinely overdue fix.

Accessories and the Apple Pencil situation

This is the base iPad’s biggest asterisk: it only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, which requires an awkward USB-C-to-Lightning dongle to pair and charge since the tablet itself moved to USB-C. If handwriting or drawing with the Pencil 2’s magnetic pairing and wireless charging matters to you, the iPad Air is the meaningfully better fit despite the higher price.

How it compares

Against the Galaxy Tab S9, the base iPad gives up a sharper 120Hz AMOLED display and S Pen support in exchange for a notably lower price and Apple’s more polished, longer-supported tablet software. Against the Xiaomi Pad 6, the iPad costs more but includes a more mature app ecosystem specifically optimized for tablets, an area where Android tablet software still lags.

Everyday use and app ecosystem

Where the base iPad continues to earn its recommendation is the sheer depth of Apple’s tablet-optimized app library, built up over more than a decade since the original iPad launched in 2010. Apps like Procreate, GoodNotes, and Apple’s own Freeform genuinely take advantage of the larger screen rather than simply stretching a phone layout, something Android tablet software as a category still struggles to match consistently across third-party apps, even on premium Android tablets with more powerful hardware.

Pricing and where it fits

At $449 at launch, the base iPad sits well below the iPad Air’s price while still carrying the "iPad" name and most of the software experience buyers actually associate with that name. Apple’s education pricing and periodic refurbished-store discounts can bring the effective price down further, and because Apple tends to keep the base iPad in its lineup for two to three years at a time without updates, buying at any point in that window tends to be a similarly good value rather than risking an imminent price drop from a new model.

Common complaints

The most consistent frustration among reviewers and owners is the first-generation Apple Pencil compatibility requiring a USB-C-to-Lightning adapter dongle just to charge and pair — a genuinely awkward experience that undermines what should be a simple accessory purchase, and one Apple has not addressed across multiple iPad generations despite the obvious mismatch since the tablet itself moved to USB-C. The 60Hz display, while perfectly serviceable, will feel noticeably less smooth to anyone who has recently used a 120Hz phone or the pricier iPad Pro and Air models.

Storage and connectivity options

The base iPad ships in 64GB and 256GB configurations, a large gap that leaves little middle ground — buyers who shoot video, download offline media for travel, or install several large games should strongly consider the 256GB tier at purchase, since Apple offers no way to expand storage afterward. A cellular variant with 5G support is available at a premium for anyone wanting mobile data without relying on a phone’s hotspot, though most buyers in practice rely on Wi-Fi alone for a secondary device like this.

Build quality and longevity

The all-aluminum unibody construction has remained essentially unchanged in build quality across several iPad generations, and Apple’s tablets have a well-earned reputation for holding up physically over many years of use, with the aluminum finish resisting the kind of visible wear that some plastic-backed Android tablets show after a year or two of daily handling. This durability, combined with the long iPadOS update window, is a large part of why secondhand and refurbished base iPads retain unusually strong resale value compared to most Android tablets of similar age.

Speakers and media playback

The landscape stereo speakers, positioned at each end of the tablet when held horizontally, deliver noticeably fuller sound than most Android tablets in this price range manage, making the base iPad a genuinely pleasant device for watching video without headphones, whether that is streaming a show in bed or following a recipe video in the kitchen propped against a stand.

Who should skip it

Anyone who already owns an iPad Air from the last two generations gains little from switching, and anyone who knows they will use the Apple Pencil frequently should budget for the Air instead to avoid the first-generation Pencil’s charging dongle altogether rather than living with that friction for years of ownership.

Verdict

The 10th-gen iPad is not the most exciting tablet Apple sells, but it remains one of the safest recommendations for anyone who wants a straightforward, long-supported tablet for browsing, streaming, and note-taking without spending Air or Pro money, provided the Apple Pencil dongle situation does not bother you enough to look elsewhere. Score: 7.9/10.

Related Reading

Before you buy, our resale value guide explains how tablets depreciate differently than phones, and our storage guide helps you pick the right capacity.