Among the new products launched by Apple in October, the new iPad is undoubtedly the most controversial one. Is the A14 chip performance usable? Will the new screen freeze and not follow the screen? Will the appearance and texture of the product deteriorate? ——Like many people, I also had these questions and confusions on the night of the new product launch day. With these questions in mind, I got started with the new iPad in advance and compared it with the fifth-generation iPad Air (hereinafter referred to as "iPad Air").

New iPad and keyboard

Appearance and Screen

The overall design of the new iPad is very close to the iPad Air. Both use straight edges and rounded corners, and the screen ratio and camera position , the Touch ID integrated with the power button and the visual look and feel are very similar. However, after careful comparison, there are still some differences between the two - the sand texture on the back of the iPad Air has a stronger touch, while the new iPad is smoother, and the new iPad is thicker and heavier. The most obvious point is that the new iPad's frame has a larger chamfering arc and feels a bit rounded in the hand, while the iPad Air feels much sharper. My first reaction after using it was "Hey, why has this iPad gained weight?"

iPad Air (left) and new iPad

Rounded arc edges

Blue saturation on the new iPad Taller, the overall appearance is more youthful and public. The blue color of iPad Air is more cyan, and its temperament is much lower-key than that of the new iPad.

iPad Air

New iPad

If you have an iPad Air or Pro User, if you accidentally touch an iPad mini one day, you will definitely feel an obvious lag on the iPad mini. This problem does not exist with the new iPad Air. Its color, clarity, and refresh rate are at the same level as the iPad Air. And judging from the comparison in the picture below, the iPad Air is slightly purple overall, and the new iPad looks even better.

Comparison of the display effects of the new iPad (left) and iPad Air when playing the same video source, both with the highest brightness turned on

However, the iPad Air’s screen usage It has full lamination technology (i.e. "fully laminated display") and has an anti-reflective coating, so the iPad Air's screen is significantly darker when illuminated by light. In addition, iPad Air supports P3 color gamut display, which theoretically has a higher degree of color reproduction for Internet content. But overall, the touch control and display effects of the new iPad are fine and will not hinder your daily use.

Performance

The new iPad is equipped with the A14 chip. This old chip is also the biggest controversial point of the new iPad. Under the premise that the "junior" iPad mini has already used A15, Apple still uses the old chip from two years ago in the new product launched at the end of 2022, which does seem a bit stingy.

Although I was using an iPad before Air is equipped with a desktop-level M1 chip, but in terms of actual usage experience, I didn't notice any performance difference between the two in daily use - typing, multi-tasking, watching dramas and YouTube, etc. were all very smooth. No lag. Of course, A14 is the flagship chip from two years ago after all, so it can handle non-high load scenarios. And I don’t use the iPad to edit videos or play large games, so I don’t have the opportunity to use the M1’s full capabilities.

Really let the new iPad be affected by chip performance What is limited is the trump card function of iPadOS 16 - Stage Manager. Apple clearly stated on the iPadOS 16 page that this feature is only available for iPads equipped with Apple silicon and some iPad Pros. It can be seen that front-end scheduling is a key feature in Apple's product positioning to distinguish whether it is "Pro" or not. At the same time, the highest specifications that the new iPad's external display can reach are only 1080p at 60 frames or 4K at 30 frames. In other words, no matter at the software or hardware level, the upper limit of the new iPad's capabilities is just a simple tablet, with no more room for expansion. Under the general trend of the gradual integration of the boundaries between iPad and desktop computers, the A14 chip has engraved some "old era" marks on the new iPad.

In addition, according to Federico Viticci, The new iPad does not support display zoom, and the zoom status of some apps will be different from that of iPad Air when split screen. Although this small difference does not affect the core experience, if you usually like to use your iPad in split screen, you may consider it when purchasing.

Federico's description and screenshot of the situation

Keyboard

The "Magic Keyboard Folio" that comes with the new iPad is really something I love and hate.

It’s so good to love it I have used it. I like this keyboard mainly for two reasons——

One ​​is its shape and The Magic Keyboard is more flexible and free. The iPad's Magic Keyboard comes with a stand, which can make the iPad feel closer to a laptop. However, the problem is that the Magic Keyboard only has a "stand up iPad" state. If I want to use the iPad to read a book or take notes, I still have to use it. You have to take it off the keyboard to use it alone, which is very troublesome. The Magic Keyboard Double-Sided Folder is composed of front and back parts, both of which are connected to the iPad through magnetic suction. When I don’t need the keyboard, I just need to fold the keyboard part behind the iPad without having to disassemble and assemble it repeatedly.

The keyboard and back cover of the Magic Keyboard Double-sided Folder are two separate parts

Secondly, this keyboard is new The ribbon has been added, especially the independent Esc key. I believe that friends who have used iPad first-party keyboards have deeply experienced the pain of not having Esc. Every time I make a typo, I have to rely on the delete key to backspace in sequence, which is a waste of time. With the addition of the Ribbon, the experience of typing and operating the keyboard on the iPad is infinitely close to that of a Mac. The "Lock" button in the upper right corner of the Ribbon can even lock the screen and wake up the iPad, which is quite convenient.

One ​​more thing, Magic Keyboard The feel of the double-sided folder is very similar to the butterfly keyboard on the MacBook. I personally like the short, crisp key rebound, so I have always liked butterfly keyboards before. But I also know that many friends don’t like this kind of feel. If you are hesitant about this, I suggest you go to an Apple retail store and touch a real phone to see if you can adapt to it.

However, the Magic Keyboard is double-sided The folding shape of the clip is not perfect either. Since it is supported on the back, it is a bit difficult to place it on your lap for typing - the legs are against your legs and it will shake when typing. In addition, the keyboard part of the double-sided clip will directly cover the screen, and the adsorption force on the front is not strong, making it appear a bit loose.

The demonstration of the fit of the keyboard cover on the screen is fine in actual use, but deliberately rubbing it like this will indeed produce similar funny scenes.

There are two reasons why I hate it ——The convoluted Chinese name, and “Why can’t I use the higher-end iPad?”.

On the night the new iPad was released, " The name "Magic Keyboard Dual Folder" has become the focus of my complaints. In addition to the Magic Keyboard Folio, Apple has also launched the “Magic Keyboard”, “Smart Keyboard” and “Smart Keyboard Folio”. Putting these names together seems to be a game about “Magic”, “Magic Keyboard” and “Smart Keyboard Folio”. The word combination game of "Smart", "Folio" and "Keyboard" made me dizzy.

Actually, what really makes me feel something is wrong The translation is "double-sided folder". The original English text corresponding to "Magic Keyboard Folio" is "Magic Keyboard Folio". In my opinion, it may be simpler and more intuitive to translate it directly into "Magic Folding Keyboard", even for users who are not familiar with Apple's product line. This name can also roughly guess the product form. Although this keyboard is technically a double-sided clip, the product name is not a scientific definition after all, and its ease of recognition and dissemination should be more important than accuracy. Of course, Apple has already decided on a name. All I can do is memorize more fruit-like words and keep in mind various prefix combinations to avoid being confused next time I see it.

This is the situation

As mentioned above, in After adding the functional area, the Magic Keyboard Folio has a high degree of completion and practicality, so it is my biggest complaint against Apple that it cannot be used on higher-end iPads. When I used iPad Air before, most of my office scenes were typing. Shortcomings such as the Magic Keyboard's inflexible shape and lack of Esc have become obstacles that "make me love working on iPad even more." Fortunately, although the performance of the new iPad cannot be called powerful, it is not bad. As far as writing is concerned, the new iPad equipped with the Magic Keyboard Double-sided Folio can even do better than my iPad Air. However, having a keyboard without Esc is not a long-term solution after all, and Apple is asked to work hard on the next generation Magic Keyboard.

Some buying suggestions

From product web pages, promotional texts to commercials, Apple has clearly conveyed that "the new iPad is more suitable for taking notes and holding video meetings." intention. Judging from my use, the two main groups of people who are most suitable for the new iPad are indeed students who need to take their computers with them to take online classes and take notes at any time; and those whose work does not require computer performance and is mainly used for meetings and reading. An office worker in a drama. If your usage needs happen to meet the positioning of the new iPad, then "iPad is still iPad" - it can serve you well and satisfy you most of the time. On the contrary, if you definitely need a better screen or more performance, then go for the M chip series.

What really makes me feel difficult to give The recommended purchase is the Magic Keyboard Dual-Sided Folder. This keyboard is impeccable in terms of functionality, but the price of RMB 2,000 is not cheap. Especially considering that it can only be used with the iPad, which starts at less than 4,000 yuan, even if you are a user who is not short of money, it may be difficult to accept such a price combination. Taken together, the only thing that may affect your shopping decision is whether typing plays an important role in your use of iPad. If it does account for a large proportion, then maybe it’s not a loss to invest 2,000 yuan for a handy keyboard?

Overall, since I am I had low expectations and worries about the 10th generation iPad before I bought it. After I got it, it became the product that exceeded my expectations the most recently. The new iPad is neither laggy nor cheap. As long as it meets your needs in terms of price and functionality, you can definitely buy it decisively.