I tried Apple’s fancy new iPad and iPad Pro – should you buy either of them?

I’VE been trying out Apple’s new pair of iPads – at opposite ends of the price spectrum – and I’m in love.

If you’re looking to upgrade your tablet, ditch a laptop, or see what all the fuss is about, you’ll want to read our full reviews right here.

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New iPad 2022

This is a big year for iPad.

Finally Apple has revamped the entry-level iPad (10th gen) to have the newer square-edged design.

It means it’s more in keeping with the rest of the line-up. And frankly, it looks better.

Now it feels like you’re holding a quality modern iPad in your hand.

These attractive new looks are bolstered by a rainbow of new colours, including blue, pink and yellow.

Silver remains, for those who want something safer.

This is the best that iPad has looked since its inception in 2010.

The new model has a large 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, which looks fantastic – especially with the revamped front.

And it’s powered by an absolutely rapid A14 Bionic chip. Apple fans will remember it from the impressive iPhone 12 Pro.

The Lightning charger (still remaining on the iPhone, but not for long) has finally been binned on the new iPad.

Instead we have the increasingly common and much more versatile USB-C port, bringing the iPad in line with other Apple tablets.

The camera system has been updated with an Ultra Wide 12-megapixel selfie shooter and a new 12-megapixel back camera.

You’re probably not using the iPad for proper photography anyway (save that for the iPhone).

But it’s fine for taking quick pics: think of a student snapping a presentation slide in a lecture.

FaceTime quality is also good, for what it’s worth.

This time around, Apple has introduced a new Magic Keyboard Folio with a built-in trackpad.

It lets you use the iPadOS software in a more productive MacBook-style way.

Sadly you’ll pay an extra $249/£249 for this luxury.

But if you’re a student, office worker or someone who needs to type a lot, it’s a significant improvement on the iPad’s software keyboard.

If you’re looking for a laptop replacement, the add-on keyboard is arguably essential.

Overall Apple has made some very nice improvements to this year’s new iPad.

The only real downside is the price.

You’re looking at a starting price of $449/£499, which is no small sum.

The upgrades make this model very tempting, but thankfully it’s not your only option.

Apple has kept the older 9th gen iPad model on as a more budget-friendly entry-level option.

For that, you’ll pay a far friendlier $329/£369.

So you’ll need to gauge whether the higher sum is worth paying for the new design, more powerful chip, and USB-C charging.

The Sun says: A much-improved (but pricier) iPad looks and works great. An effective and very versatile laptop replacement for casual users. The best tablet in this price range. 5/5

New iPad Pro 2022

Reviewing the new iPad Pro is tricky. After all, the old iPad Pro was already so good – it’s ultimately a hard gadget to improve on.

Apple has managed to introduce a few decent upgrades for 2022, which should satisfy pro users.

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The headline update is the addition of Apple’s own custom-built M2 chip.

It’s the same processor that debuted in this year’s new MacBook Pro.

This is a tremendously speedy chip ostensibly built for laptops, but works brilliantly inside the new iPad Pro.

Apple claims it’s 15% more powerful than the M1, with 35% faster graphics to boot.

You can do very serious video and photo editing, music production and design on this machine.

Its performance goes far beyond being a simple laptop replacement for doing a bit of word processing.

But if that’s what you’re into, you’ll definitely want to tack on the Magic Keyboard.

This lets the iPad “float” using magnets, with a MacBook-style keyboard and trackpad that makes it much more versatile.

You’ll pay $299/£319 for the luxury, but it’s well worth it if this is one of your main devices.

I was comfortably able to use my previous-gen iPad Pro as a proper work machine, and this new model is even better.

Anyway, back to the improvements.

The Apple Pencil has now been improved with a new “hover” experience.

You’ll notice this if you drag it across the Home Screen without making contact: you’ll notice that apps appear to “pop” as you move over them.

Perhaps a better use is for artists.

In the new version of digital art app Procreate, you can hover a brush to its exact size or colour effect – before you making contact. Handy!

The full detection height is up to 12mm above the display, which feels about right.

Finally, Apple’s new iPad Pro also supports speedier WiFi connections including WiFi 6E, offering download speeds right up to 2.4Gb/s (if your provider can deliver it).

Not much else has changed and, really, it didn’t need to.

This almost certainly won’t be worth the upgrade from the previous-gen iPad Pro, unless you’re cash-flush and an extreme power user.

But it’s a great buy if you need a powerful machine for creating art, editing on the fly, or any other number of pro uses.

You’ve still got all the same great perks from last year’s model.

That includes a 5G option, a stunning all-screen 12.9-inch (or 11-inch without the XDR tech for viewing HDR content in full fidelity) Liquid Retina XDR display and Face ID.

It’s powered by the increasingly impressive iPadOS, and handles pretty much anything you can throw at it.

There are a few downsides.

For instance, it’s possible that some work apps you might normally use on a laptop aren’t available on the App Store. You’ll just need to check ahead of time.

And while the iPad Pro is an extremely good mobile gaming machine, it will miss out on some core PC games that you’d also be able to access on a laptop.

The price is also quite high, but not totally out of reach. It’s comparable to a decent laptop.

The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799/£899, or $1,099/£1,249 for the 12.9-inch model.

Nevertheless, this is as good as it gets when it comes to tablets. So if you’re looking for the best, you’ve found it.

The Sun says: Apple retains the crown for making the world’s best tablet. It’s not cheap, but nothing comes close to the new iPad Pro 2022. 5/5

All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.

Always do your own research before making any purchase.

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