Apple’s most affordable iPad has seen some decent upgrades in recent years, but thoughts are turning towards the next iteration to bear iPadOS. What has Apple got in store for us in the tenth-gen iPad 10.2in?
In this article we gather all the latest news, leaks and rumours about the highly anticipated new iPad 10.2in for 2022, including release date, new features, design changes, tech specs and pricing.
When will the new iPad 10.2in be released?
Apple has settled into a groove since the switch from the 9.7in iPad format to the larger 10.2in models. Usually you’ll find them being unveiled in September, as you can see from when the last few models arrived:
- iPad 10.2in (9th gen): September 2021
- iPad 10.2in (8th gen): September 2020
- iPad 10.2in (7th gen): September 2019
We’ve no reason to believe that Apple will change this scheduling, as it fits nicely around its other products. So, if you’re waiting for the new 10.2in iPad then there’s a good chance it will launch in the autumn/fall of 2022.
How much will the new iPad 10.2in cost?
Apple has been settling on its pricing strategy over the last few years, with the surprising trend of prices going down rather than up, as illustrated by the last few models:
- iPad 10.2in (9th gen): £319/$329/€329
- iPad 10.2in (8th gen): £329/$329/€329
- iPad 10.2in (7th gen): £349/$329/€349
We expect the new 10th-gen iPad to come in at around the same price, although the worldwide chip shortage, continued COVID disruptions to manufacturing and distribution and creeping rise of inflation in many countries could see a slight increase on the ticket price when the new device arrives.
Tech specs and new features
There have been very few strong rumours so far about what Apple intends to bring to the new 10.2in iPad (2022), but there are a few areas that are safe to assume when you look at the past history of the range, plus a few improvements we’d like to see.
New A14 Bionic processor
A pretty safe bet when it comes to upgrades is that Apple will move the 10.2in iPad up to a newer processor.
At the moment, the 10.2in iPad (2021) comes with an A13 Bionic processor, so it seems very likely this will move up to the A14 Bionic found in the iPad Air (4th gen). Since the arrival of the 10.2in iPad format, Apple has consistently upgraded the processor each year, so it would be a surprise if this didn’t happen with the 10th-gen model.
Laminated display
One of the features we’d very much like to see introduced with the new 10.2in iPad is a fully laminated display.
On the current model (and all that preceded it) there is a slight gap between the glass and the touch-panel of the display, which makes it not quite the same experience as when using any of the other current iPads. Obviously, this is to save money, but we’d like to see this finally brought into parity with the other members of the family for 2022.
New design
With the iPad mini (2021) receiving a massive facelift that saw the removal of the Home button and a move to more colourful liveries, this means that the 10.2in iPad is now the only model in the range to still retain the old design aesthetics.
We saw rumours last year that rather than a complete overhaul, Apple was planning to move its entry-level device into the furnishings recently vacated by the iPad Air (3rd gen). This would mean an increase to a 10.5in display with little else changing.
Another option would be for Apple to go the whole hog and move to the non Home-button approach, but we saw with the iPad mini (6th gen) that this brought with it a price increase. So this might not be the best route for keeping the standard iPad affordable.
5G
While LTE-enabled iPads might not be on everyone’s shopping list, especially at the more affordable end, if Apple does replace the A13 Bionic chip with the newer A14 Bionic, then this means that technically 5G capabilities would be available. Whether Apple chooses to bestow this on its baseline iPad is questionable, but with the iPad Air and iPhone SE expected to be upgraded to 5G in 2022, why leave the 10.2in iPad behind?
Obviously, it’s still early days for news on the new 10.2in iPad, but we’ll keep updating this article as more details become available. Before then, Apple is rumoured to be preparing a new iPad Air to release in the spring, as well as an update for the iPad mini.
You can check out our roundup of the best iPad deals or best iPad mini (6th generation) deals to get the best possible prices on Apple’s other affordable tablet.
