At Apple’s September event 2020, Apple announced new 8th gen iPad 10.2 inches with newer hardware. Although the design has remained the same just like its predecessors.
The biggest upgrade is the SoC. The new 8th gen iPad is getting an A12 Bionic chip which is a big upgrade over the last gen’s A10 Bionic. Apple claims the new more affordable iPad is twice as fast as the top-selling Windows laptop, three times faster than the top-selling Android tablet, and six times faster than the top-selling Chromebook.
With the introduction of A12 Bionic means that the new 8th gen iPad will support Apple’s “Neural Engine” processing capabilities, making it the first entry-level iPad to have this feature. It’ll also still work with the first-gen Apple Pencil, like the previous model.
The new 8th iPad runs on the iPad OS 14 which will bring new features including the new Apple Pencil features like hand-written text input.
Apple is still using its proprietary lighting port for the 8th gen iPad whereas another iPad model has support for the more standard type-C port. It also includes a standard touch ID button which rare in the Apple lineup.
The new iPad will be available in space gray, silver, and gold colors in both 32GB and 128GB configurations. The new iPad starts at $329, or $299 for education customers, while the Wi-Fi plus cellular model costs $459. All versions can be ordered today on the Apple online store with availability starting Friday.