Along with the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, Apple unveiled the new iPad 7, which replaces the 6th gen iPad, aka the iPad 2018. How do the two compare?
iPad 7 vs iPad 6 – Specs and features
The most obvious difference is display size – the new iPad 7th gen comes with a 10.2-inch screen, while the iPad 6th gen rocks a more traditional 9.7-inch display.
The Smart Connector of the new Apple iPad 7th gen will also let you connect a full-sized Smart Keyboard dock. This now means every full-size iPad Apple sells (sorry iPad Mini 5) works with both Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard.
Related: Apple shot itself in the foot with the iPad 7
The new iPad 7 will let you connect thumb drives and SD cards via the Lightning port (provided you’ve got the right drives/adapters), a feature we saw arrive with the iPad Pro, but hasn’t quite trickled down to the cheaper iPad models – unless you have iPadOS beta installed.
Other than that, there are a lot of similarities between the iPad 7 and the iPad 6. The iPad 7’s 10.2-inch display comes with a 2160 x 1620 resolution, which gives you a pixels-per-inch (ppi) count of 264 – roughly the same as what you get with the iPad 6’s 9.7-inch 2048 x 1536 display. Both displays boast 500 nits of maximum brightness.
Related: iPadOS
Both the iPad 7 and iPad 6 are powered by the same processor – an Apple A10 Fusion – meaning neither are on par, processor-wise with the iPad Pro, which features a more sophisticated A12X Bionic chip, and both feature support for the 1st gen Apple Pencil stylus. This means you’ll have to stick the stylus into the Lightning port to charge it up.
In short, you can expect that overall performance to be roughly the same here, with a few key differences – namely a bigger screen, the ability to transfer files from physical storage and attach a bigger keyboard.
Related: iPhone 11 Pro vs iPhone 11
Another big difference is price – an entry-level iPad 7 with 32GB of storage will start at £349, while the 128GB version is priced at £449. By comparison, the iPad 6 starts at £319 for the 32GB version and £409 for the 128GB counterpart. An extra half an inch of screen space will cost you an extra £30-£40 apparently.
iPad 7 vs iPad 6 – Price and release date
The base model of the iPad 7 will retail for £349. This makes it slightly more expensive than its predecessor when it first launched. The iPad 6 cost £319 when it launched, by comparison.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.