Apple iPad (9.7-inch, 2018) review

The Good The 2018 entry-level iPad supports the Apple Pencil for art work and annotation, and adds a faster A10 processor. iOS continues to offer the best overall selection of free and paid apps on affordable tablets.

The Bad Lacks the bigger, better screen, quad speakers and Smart Connector found on pricier iPad Pros. The Pencil, case and keyboard add-ons will bring the price up to laptop level.

The Bottom Line The 2018 entry-level iPad doesn't add much, but it makes an already excellent tablet a better buy than ever.

pple's newest 2018 iPad is basically the 2017 model with a faster processor and support for the Apple Pencil, a pricey stylus that lets you draw on the screen with remarkable accuracy. It's the same price as last year's model, too, starting at $329, £319 or AU$469 for the 32GB model. 128GB and LTE cellular options cost more, as you can see in the chart below. Don't expect something new here: This is a familiar iPad, with a couple of nice upgrades.

For schools, it's unclear how useful the new iPad is. Apple unveiled the new iPad at a March event in Chicago touting its commitment to education. And insofar as the new iPad's pricing goes, it still feels like a miss compared to its primary Chromebook competitors. Students and educators in the US get a modest $30 break, and another $10 off the price of the $99 Pencil. I'm guessing school boards and taxpayers will grade that pricing plan with a C+ -- maybe a B- at best.

Apple iPad prices (2018)

	32GB Wi-Fi	128GB Wi-Fi	32GB LTE	128GB LTE	Pencil
US	$329	$429	$459	$559	$99
UK	£319	£409	£449	£539	£89
Australia	AU$469	AU$599	AU$669	AU$799	AU$145

But for average consumers, this updated iPad feels like a solid A, with the iPad Pro remaining the A+. Yes, you're still paying a premium for the iPad versus, say, ultrabudget Amazon Fire ($39.99 at Amazon.com) tablets. But the addition of Pencil support -- here if you want it, but not required -- is the icing on the cake of what was already a top-notch consumer tablet. The world of iOS apps is chock-full of everything you need, and even without the fancy screen upgrades of the iPad Pro, the Retina screen remains gorgeous and responsive. 

Yes, buying the Pencil and a good keyboard or case gets you back up into the pricing territory of a midrange Windows laptop. But the baseline iPad is delivering the bulk of the features of its step-up Pro siblings at almost half the price. And it runs circles around that old 16GB iPad you own, which you probably paid $500 for 

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Source  https://www.cnet.com/products/apple-ipad-2018-9-7-inch/review/