New Apple iPad with a better camera, true-tone display, and faster A13 processor

An inexpensive new Apple iPad gets a faster processor, an improved display with true-tone function, and twice the amount of memory, among other things. But an improved front camera is also on board.

Apple surprisingly also introduced a new iPad mini that has been fundamentally redesigned – the compact tablet is finally getting a modernized design with a larger display and slimmer bezels, a fast USB-C port, and significantly better performance thanks to the A15 Bionic.

While the rumor mill of the iPhone 13 and the Apple Watch Series 7, has long been certain of the innovations to be expected, there have been no clear indications with the iPad until recently whether Apple might update its cheapest tablet. At the California Streaming Event, the Cupertino company announced a new Apple iPad.

The technical data revealed during the official keynote show that Apple has not neglected its entry-level iPad tablet and keeps it up to date for everyday applications. For this, the iPad gets a performance boost from the Apple A13 Bionic SoC, which is said to be around 20 percent faster than the A12 Bionic processor installed in the predecessor (from $349 on Amazon). Furthermore, the new Apple iPad comes with a greatly improved 12-megapixel wide-angle front camera, which also supports the center stage function known from the iPad Pro. But the display, which still measures 10.2 inches, is also getting a welcome upgrade with True Tone technology.

The new Apple iPad mini offers an 8.3 inch LCD – an upgrade compared to the 7.9-inch display of the older model. The device is hardly any bigger, however, because Apple relies on a fundamentally revised design that is strongly reminiscent of the current iPad Air (approx. $560 on Amazon) – and there are many overlaps, such as the Touch ID fingerprint sensor in the power button.

Apple has installed a new 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle front camera that supports Center Stage so that the user can automatically be zoomed in during video chats. On the back, there is an improved 12 MP f/1.8 main camera with True Tone and support for Smart HDR. A new image processor (ISP) is intended to further improve the image quality.

Apple installs the brand new Apple A15 Bionic, which is also used in the iPhone 13 Pro. Compared to the Apple A12 Bionic of the previous model, the processor should be 40 percent faster, the graphics chip 80 percent, and the neural engine even 100 percent.

Apple has installed a USB-C port so that the iPad mini can be charged with the same cable as many Android smartphones and notebooks, although Apple emphasizes that this connector also makes it easier to connect accessories such as cameras. There is an optional 5G model, which should achieve a bandwidth of up to 3.5 Gbit/s. The iPad mini is compatible with the second-generation Apple Pencil, which is held magnetically on the right side of the tablet and can also be charged.

New Apple iPad price and availability

The pre-orders for the new iPad start today on Bhphotovideo.com, Adorama.com, Amazon.com, and Bestbuy.com, the delivery will then take place as usual in the coming week.

The cost of the new iPad remains unchanged at $329, but in the future, you will get double the amount of storage with 64GB. Apple’s cheapest iPad is still available in space gray and silver. The sixth generation of the iPad mini price starts from $549 for the basic model with 64 GB of storage, for 256 GB of storage a surcharge of $170 is due, for the 5G modem Apple also charges $170 extra.