The iPad landscape is quite structured after yesterday's "Time Flies" presentation. In addition to the Apple Watch Series 6 and the SE, two new iPads were introduced. On the one hand, the iPad Air 4 which aims to be the true bridge between the conventional iPad and the iPad Pro. And, on the other hand, we have the new iPad 8 or iPad 2020 whose novelties with respect to the seventh generation are not many. Although it brings with it a new interior with the A12 Bionic chip and 2nd generation Neural Engine. Let's take a closer look at all the specifications of an affordable iPad for everyone.
A 10,2-inch Retina display to enjoy it all
IPad 8 features a 10,2-inch IPS LED-backlit Retina display with multitouch technology. There is no variation from the 7th generation iPad. To remember, the panel has 2160 × 1620 resolution which gives a resolution of 264 pixels per inch. In addition, it has an oleophobic anti-fingerprint cover and a maximum brightness of 500 nits is obtained.
If we analyze in perspective, the next two iPad closest in size would be the iPad Air 4 presented yesterday and the 11-inch iPad Pro. The difference in terms of screens is quite noticeable since the latter two also have a higher resolution, integral lamination, one film anti-reflective, True ToneIP3.
That is, the iPad 8 is a basal tablet, of daily use without reaching the professional use to which the rest of the models could be dedicated. Nevertheless, the result of the 8th generation iPad is more than enough and satisfactory in value for money.
More power with the A12 Bionic chip and 2nd generation Neural Engine
This chip offers incredible performance for editing photos and playing games with epic graphics. And the second-generation Neural Engine enables extraordinary fluidity in your creative projects.
El chip A12 Bionic It is an adaptation of Apple's A12 chip. It is the same that is integrated into the iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, the iPad Air 3 and the iPad Mini 5 except with integrated improvements for the iPad 8. It consists of two high-performance cores, four high-efficiency cores, and one high-performance controller.
In addition, this A12 Bionic chip integrates for the first time in the basic iPad the nuronal motor or Neural Engine 2nd generation. It is an 8-core neural network hardware that can perform, according to the latest checks on the devices that carry it, up to 5 trillion operations per second.
Apple commented yesterday that the iPad with the A12 Bionic chip is 40% faster than the 7th generation iPad It carried the A10 Fusion chip. In addition, the Apple team made a comparison with Windows and Android that is worth noting:
IPad 8 is up to two times faster than the best-selling Windows PC and three times faster than the best-selling Android tablet.
A design that remains without much frills
The design of the iPad 8 is unchanged from its predecessor. Apple has decided invest in substantial performance changes and put design aside. The original iPad frames and dimensions are maintained at 25cm high, 17cm wide and 0,75cm thick. If we analyze the specifications, the weight is slightly increased by 7 grams compared to iPad 2019.
IPad is designed to be ultra-tough, so you can take it to the end of the world with complete peace of mind. And now the housing is made of 100% recycled aluminum.
Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard and much more
The Apple Pencil gives you the precision and fluidity of a lifelong pencil, but it puts so many more possibilities in your hands. Your iPad can become a notebook, a canvas or whatever comes to your imagination.
Apple has decided to dedicate a large part of its presentation to highlighting how important is the Apple Pencil and external accessories to enhance the iPad experience. It is compatible with the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard. In addition, it has also highlighted the compatibility with wireless controllers for Xbox, PlayStation or other MFi controllers to improve playability.
The use of Apple Pencil improves in equal parts with iPadOS 14. In this way, the great capacity of the stylus of the big apple in this iPad 8 is thanks to the innovation of the operating system capable of writing anywhere, recognizing and transcribing what we write by hand and many other functions.
The Smart Keyboard is a standard size perfect for typing and turns into a slim, super-light case when you don't need it. Without loading or linking anything.
Autonomy, cameras and much more
Hand in hand with the A12 Bionic chip goes the battery consumption associated with the increase in performance. However, Apple has managed to keep them 10 hours of autonomy that were promised in the previous version. It is something fundamental for the user taking into account the size of the device.
As for the cameras that this 8th generation of iPad carries there is no change with respect to the 7th generation. On the one hand, the rear camera has a sensor 8 Mpx with an aperture of ƒ / 2,4, capable of panning up to 43MP and 1080p HD video recording at 30fps and 720p slow-motion video at 120fps.
La frontal camera is the known FaceTime HD capable of 1,2MP photos and 720p video recording.
Prices, availability and finishes
This iPad is available for shipments from next Friday, September 18, although the first reservations can already be made from the official website or the Apple Store application. As to Finished nothing has changed. We have three finishes: space gray, gold and silver. In terms of capabilities, Apple has decided to have two: 32GB and 128GB.
Also remember that there are two models in terms of connections are concerned. On the one hand, we have the model that only has a WiFi connection. On the other hand, we have a connection to mobile data by inserting a nanoSIM or an eSIM. These are the prices according to the differences in model and storage:
| Model | 32 GB | 128 GB |
|---|---|---|
| WiFi | 379€ | 519€ |
| WiFi + Cellular | 479€ | 619€ |