The 2017 iPad offers higher performance, brighter screen and better sound quality. It is equipped with A9 processor, embedded M9 coprocessor and 2GB ram, 9.7-inch screen resolution of 2048 × 1536, pixel density of 264ppi, and storage space of 32-128gb. The maximum aperture of the rear 8 megapixel camera is f / 2.4, and that of the front 1.2 megapixel camera is f / 2.2. Touch ID and apple pay are available in silver, gold and deep grey. It supports 802.11ac wireless network, Bluetooth 4.2 and LTE, uses IOS 10.3 operating system, and is equipped with a protective case with bracket function.

The new iPad is mainly used to replace the iPad air 2, which was released in 2014, but is actually closer to the iPad air in some ways. It has the same 7.5mm thickness and 469g weight as the 2013 iPad air. By contrast, the Wi Fi version of the iPad air 2 is 6.1 mm thick and weighs 437 grams (the same as the 9.7 inch iPad Pro). The LTE versions of these tablets all add 7-9 grams. In practice, the new iPad is thicker and heavier, so Apple wants it to return to the classic iPad rather than continue the iPad air style.

In terms of screen, the new iPad screen has higher brightness, and the resolution is the same as the 9.7 inch pro and air 2, both 2048 × 1536, but there are some differences between the screens.

According to data released by apple, the new iPad doesn’t use the anti reflection coating of the iPad air 2, but the brightness is improved by 25%. In the actual experience, we can obviously feel that the screen is brighter, but the radiation phenomenon is more obvious. But frankly, even if the air 2 is equipped with anti reflection coating, it also has some reflection phenomenon.

In contrast, the price of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is almost twice as much as that of the new iPad. Although the screen resolution is the same, it has increased the support for dct-p3 wide color gamut, which is more suitable for professional drawing, video editing or other users with high image quality requirements. In the actual experience, put these two machines together, you can obviously feel the difference in image quality, after all, the reduction of cost will lead to the shrinkage of configuration.

The new iPad uses the A9 processor, which is faster than the A8 processor of the iPad air 2, but not as powerful as the a9x in the iPad pro or the A10 in the iPhone 7. In the antutu processor benchmark, we can see that the new iPad processor scores 20% higher than the iPad air 2. In 3dmark ice storm and sling shot graphics tests, the new iPad scores also increased by 10% – 20%. Of course, those scores still lag behind the iPad pro or iPhone 7. However, unless you use complex Excel spreadsheets, or perform large tasks such as editing video and multi track audio, you won’t feel much difference in performance.

On the other hand, the difference in Wi Fi performance is impressive. Apple air 2 has upgraded its dual band Wi Fi chip. In several tests at 5GHz, Wi Fi on the new iPad is twice as fast as the air 2. Under very poor Wi Fi conditions, the connection delay of the new iPad is 10ms, much shorter than 200ms of air. The global LTE mode supports band 12, which means that the new iPad has better compatibility with mobile network connection than the air 2.

Although the weight of the new iPad has increased, so has the battery capacity. The new iPad has a battery capacity of 32.9wh, while the air 2 has a battery capacity of 27.6wh. In the actual test, the maximum screen brightness is used to play the video, which can last for 5 hours and 15 minutes, similar to the old iPad. Apple’s official battery life is 10 hours at medium screen brightness.

In general, foreign media all think that the 2017 iPad is a tablet computer with high cost performance. It allows users to get the main functions of tablet computers at a lower price. According to past experience, such as online video, small games, browsing web pages and e-books, these main functions are usually the most utilized. If users who already own the iPad air, air 2, Mini 3 or mini 4 want to improve their performance through the new iPad, it is really unnecessary. Although the processor and Wi Fi performance of the new iPad have been improved to some extent, the improvement of the user experience is not obvious.

However, the new iPad is more practical than the iPad mini4 and iPad pro, and even surpasses the competitor ASUS zenpad 3S 10 in some aspects. The new iPad has larger storage space and better speaker quality, but there are still some gaps in camera, battery life and game performance.