Which IPad To Choose And Buy In 2019: All Models, Comparisons And Prices

2023 Author: Gordon Kinson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 08:36

Are you planning to buy an Apple tablet for the first time and faced difficulties in choosing? Which iPad to buy in 2019 so as not to overpay and get the most out of it? In this article, we will talk about the key differences from each other, strengths and weaknesses, and what factors influence the choice of a tablet?

All current iPad models in 2019

Apple officially sells the following iPad tablet models in 2019:

• 12.9-inch iPad Pro (buy);
• 11-inch iPad Pro (buy)
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro (2017) (buy);
• 9.7-inch iPad (2018) (buy);
• 7.9-inch iPad mini 4 (buy).

General principles for choosing a tablet model

The main evaluation criteria are the dimensions and size of the diagonal of the device (12.9 inches, 11 inches, 10.5 inches, 9.7 inches and 7.9 inches), screen resolution, parameters of the front camera, the presence of a cellular module (support for SIM- cards), the amount of internal memory and the cost of the gadget. Contrary to expectations, the most advanced 12.9-inch iPad Pro does not top the list at all. Yes, it is the most, most, but at the same time it is the largest, heaviest and most expensive, which not every user will like.

Thickness

Apple's largest 7.5mm tablet is the 9.7-inch iPad 2018, while the 12.9-inch and 11-inch iPad Pros are 5.9mm thick and the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and iPad mini 4 - only 6.1mm

Display and cameras

Every Apple tablet has a stunning Retina display, but due to the maximum resolution to area ratio, only the iPad mini 4's screen boasts 326 ppi, while the rest of the models only reach 264 ppi. The situation is even more interesting with the main cameras of iSight gadgets - the best cameras for both iPad Pro are 12 MP, while the iPad (2018) and iPad mini 4 are equipped with 8 MP modules.

It is worth noting that in addition to the maximum resolution of the iPad Pro cameras, Apple's flagship tablets also have a better ƒ / 1.8 aperture (the rest have ƒ / 2.4), as well as a True Tone flash.

All current Apple tablets have Live Photos support, except for the iPad mini 4.

As for the quality of the front-facing FaceTime camera, the iPad Pro is equipped with a 7 megapixel module, and the 9.7-inch iPad (2018) and iPad mini 4 received a very modest front-facing camera with a resolution of only 1.2 megapixels.

Connectors

Both versions of the iPad Pro (2018) received a USB-C interface instead of the usual Lightning in the iPad Pro (2017). All three iPad Pro models have a magnetic Smart Connector for keyboard connections.

3.5mm audio output for headphones is missing on all current iPad Pro tablets, but is still available on iPad Pro (2018) and iPad mini 4.

Biometric scanner (Face ID and Touch ID)

Beginning in 2018, Apple began ditching the familiar Touch ID fingerprint home button in its tablets. So, the flagship 12.9-inch and 11-inch iPad Pro instead of the Home button received support for Face ID technology, which allows you to recognize the owner of the device by face.

In turn, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro (2017), iPad (2018) and iPad mini 4 are equipped with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

Support for the Apple Pencil (sold separately) is likely to be an important consideration when choosing a tablet for artists. The accessory is supported by all modern Apple tablets except iPad mini 4.

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Is it worth paying extra for a modification with a Cellular module (SIM card support)?

It makes sense to formulate this question in a slightly different way - how confident are you in your ability to plot a route so as not to get lost outside the access points to Wi-Fi networks? In a modern metropolis, the lack of wireless communication at a particular point is rather rare, a person with a tablet becomes lazy and relaxed, ceases to control this aspect. But it is worth moving a couple of tens of kilometers from the city and now the connection is lost. The desired, and sometimes catastrophically necessary, access to the Internet is absent, and without the availability of offline maps it will not even be possible to navigate the terrain in order to understand in which direction the cafe with a life-saving service is located.

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To make matters worse, Apple does not consider it necessary to equip non-cellular versions with the GLONASS module and its foreign analogue GPS. Thus, in fact, dividing iPad owners into “couch potatoes” and “travelers” - the former save about 10,000 rubles on purchases, but are forced to move from one Wi-Fi zone to another, preferring free ones. With a cellular connection (Cellular version), additional traffic costs are inevitable, but this is a relatively small fee for complete freedom of action. There is no fundamental difference between all iPad models in this regard - both types of configuration are available for each of them.

Please note that iPhone users can easily do without buying an iPad with support for SIM cards, because creating an access point (Wi-Fi) on a smartphone and distributing the Internet to a tablet is easy.

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Also, it will not be superfluous to get acquainted with the Apple SIM service, which has recently become widespread, including in Russia.

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What is the best internal storage (GB) for iPad?

Based on the results of the latest presentations, it became clear that Apple is starting to move away from an authoritarian policy with regard to physical interfaces in its products - the minimum disk space of the latest iPad versions is 64 GB, and the maximum is 1 TB (however, it is worth remembering that the user all gigabytes declared by the manufacturer will not be available and here's why).

The iPad does not have a memory card slot.

You have to be careful when choosing the base amount of tablet memory, since it can only be increased through cloud storage or external drives. For those who consider this insignificant, serious gaming applications can easily take from 1 GB each, not to mention a heap of small software, whose volume tends to accumulate like a snowball.

Apple currently offers iPads with the following storage options:

• 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro - 64GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB.
• 10.5-inch (2017) - 64GB, 256GB, 512GB.
• 9.7-inch iPad (2018) - 32GB, 128GB.
• The 7.9-inch iPad mini 4 is only available with 128GB storage.

For those who are forced to save money, we repeat - of the nominal declared gigabytes of memory, a part, quite considerable, is occupied by iOS files by default.



Those who are prone to spontaneous actions, from installing the "app of the day" to an impromptu photo session, downloading movies, should pay attention to the iPad with a lot of memory.

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12.9-inch, 11-inch, and 10.5-inch iPad Pro

These models can compete with mid-range laptops (to a greater extent this refers to the 12.9-inch version), including those made by Apple itself. The presence of a keyboard cover (sold separately, connects to a special Smart Connector, which is only present in the Pro line of tablets) and an Apple Pencil (sold separately) by default turn the tablet into a direct opponent of the Microsoft Surface in the hybrids market, and no one hides this.

Key differences between iPad Pro 2018 (11 and 12.9 inches) and iPad Pro 2017 (10.5 inches)

Design

Apple's new professional tablets, in contrast to the 10.5-inch one, received a "frameless" design a la iPhone X. As mentioned above, the new iPad Pro 2018 uses Face ID, which implies the presence of True Depth functionality., portrait mode of the front camera (7 MP), the ability to create Animoji, Memoji and other goodies.

In addition, the iPad Pro (2018) is the first iOS device to feature a USB-C connector instead of the usual Lightning.

IPad Pro processors

The matter is not limited to bare ambitions - the last two versions of the iPad Pro (11 and 12.9 inches) received a special modification of the latest A12X Bionic processor, which is 3.5 times faster than the A8 chip installed in the iPad mini 4. And in the field of graphics tasks PRO -the tablets have become 5 times faster than the "mini-brother".

In turn, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, released in 2017, is equipped with the A10X Fusion processor, which is also quite powerful.

Apple Pencil support

The 2018 iPad Pro, unlike the 10.5-inch iPad, only works with the second-generation Apple Pencil.

IPad Pro colors

The 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro are available in only 2 colors: Silver and Space Gray.

The 10.5-inch iPad Pro comes in 4 colors: Silver, Space Gray, Gold, and Rose Gold.

10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro pricing

12.5-inch iPad Pro

• 12.5-inch iPad Pro, 64 GB, Wi-Fi - 81,990 rubles (buy);
• 12.5-inch iPad Pro, 256 GB, Wi-Fi - 93,990 rubles (buy);
• 12.5-inch iPad Pro, 512 GB, Wi-Fi - 109,990 rubles (buy);
• 12.5-inch iPad Pro, 1 TB, Wi-Fi - 141,990 rubles (buy);
• 12.5-inch iPad Pro, 64 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 93,990 rubles (buy);
• 12.5-inch iPad Pro, 256 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 105,990 rubles (buy);
• 12.5-inch iPad Pro, 512 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 121,990 rubles (buy);
• 12.5-inch iPad Pro, 512 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 153,990 rubles (buy).

11-inch iPad Pro

• 11-inch iPad Pro, 64 GB, Wi-Fi - 65,990 rubles (buy);
• 11-inch iPad Pro, 256 GB, Wi-Fi - 77,990 rubles (buy);
• 11-inch iPad Pro, 512 GB, Wi-Fi - 93,990 rubles (buy);
• 11-inch iPad Pro, 1 TB, Wi-Fi - 137,990 rubles (buy);
• 11-inch iPad Pro, 64 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 77,990 rubles (buy);
• 11-inch iPad Pro, 256 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 89,990 rubles (buy);
• 11-inch iPad Pro, 512 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 105,990 rubles (buy);
• 11-inch iPad Pro, 1 TB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 137,990 rubles (buy).

10.5-inch iPad Pro

• 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 64 GB, Wi-Fi - 43,990 rubles (buy);
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 256 GB, Wi-Fi - 54,990 rubles (buy);
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 512 GB, Wi-Fi - 62,990 rubles (buy);
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 64 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 52,990 rubles (buy);
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 256 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 62,990 rubles (buy);
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 512 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 76,990 rubles (buy).

iPad (2018)

Released in March 2018, the iPad aims to be Apple's most popular tablet for casual users. iPad 2018 (review) replaces last year's iPad 2017, which in turn differed from iPad Air 2 only in thicker, improved A9 processor, slightly worse screen quality and lower cost. By the way, one of the greatest strengths of the 2018 iPad is its low price.

The main differences between the iPad 2018 and the iPad 2017 are the improved A10 Fusion processor (like the iPhone 7) and support for Apple Pencil.

Of all Apple tablets, only the 2018 iPad display has a non-fully laminated display with no anti-reflective coating.

The iPad is still comfortable to hold with one hand, unlike the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The performance of the 2018 iPad will probably suffice for most users.

The iPad is the best Apple tablet in terms of price / performance ratio.

Colors: gold, silver and space gray.

Prices for iPad 2018:

• iPad (2018), 32 GB, Wi-Fi - 23 490 rubles (buy);
• iPad (2018), 128 GB, Wi-Fi - 31,990 rubles (buy);
• iPad (2018), 32 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 33,990 rubles (buy);
• iPad (2018), 128 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 41,990 rubles (buy).

iPad Mini 4

This model is often called a miniature version of the old flagship iPad Air 2. The main differences between the iPad Mini 4 and its older brother are: a regular A8 processor, not its modification A8X, a smaller screen diagonal of 7.9 inches versus 9.7 inches and smaller overall dimensions. For all other system characteristics - we have two identical devices, for the implementation of which Apple uses a similar approach.

The advantage of iPad Mini 4 in its compact size is that there are many pockets where such a tablet can fit. The low weight of 300 grams also contributes to the constant carrying of the gadget with you, so it is appropriate to talk about it as an alternative to smartphones. But the iPad Mini 4 is not even a competitor to the "old" iPhone 7, it does not have a 3D Touch screen, it has not received an updated 12-megapixel camera.

Prices for iPad mini 4:

• iPad mini 4, 128 GB, Wi-Fi - 26,990 rubles (buy);
• iPad mini 4, 32 GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular (with support for a SIM card) - 34,990 rubles (buy).

Detailed specifications comparison for 12.9-inch, 11-inch, and 10.5-inch iPad Pro

Detailed comparison of technical characteristics of iPad (2018) and iPad mini 4

See also:

• How to buy a used iPad (hand-held) and not have any problems after that.
• The best gadgets for Apple, home, work and leisure with AliExpress (updated daily).
• Tax Free, or how to buy iPhone, clothes, food abroad is much cheaper than ours.