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At this year’s Apple conference, the three-shot iPhone 11 Pro went so far, so when I told my friends that I got the seventh-generation iPad, most of their reactions were:

You don’t say that I have forgotten that the iPad has new products.

In fact, the seventh-generation iPad should never be taken lightly. With the upgrade of hardware and software, this entry-level “cheapest big-screen iPad” has long grown from a cost-effective tablet product to a productivity tool that can be used alone.

Larger screen and stronger compatibility, still A10 chip

The Retina display has grown to 10.2 inches, the most obvious change from the 7th generation iPad to the 9.7-inch 6th generation iPad introduced in 2018.

It’s worth mentioning that despite the larger screen, official data shows that the seventh-generation iPad still has 10 hours of battery life. However, while using the same 32.9Wh battery as the previous two generations of iPad, the seventh-generation iPad continues the low-cost, non-compact screen, and it is inevitable that it will be reflective and easy to enter.

In addition to the advantages of screen size, the seventh-generation iPad has also made progress in shipping, and the ability to handle multi-tasking has been strengthened. According to the disassembly of iFixit, the 7th generation iPad has a RAM size of 3GB in the past few years. This is only the iPhone Plus series, the most typical reference object is the iPhone 7 Plus, this model and the seventh-generation iPad also take the 3GB RAM + A10 Fusion chip.

Before the official release, many media predicted that the seventh-generation iPad will be equipped with 10nm A11 Fusion. What Apple did not want to bring is still the 16nm A10. Even if it is 40% behind the A10X, this is not the case. Less people are not optimistic about the important reasons for the seventh generation iPad.

But it seems understandable to look at the price in combination with the price of $2,699 and the “entry level” positioning.

The A10 Fusion, which debuted in 2016, was called “the fastest processor in iPhone history“, even now It can also satisfy most of the operations, and can smoothly complete the real-time computing requirements of AR applications, and still emit light and heat on the new iPod touch 7. It is also sufficient for student parties or work parties who mainly use the iPad for taking notes, watching movies, and browsing the web.

On the system, the 7th generation iPad is preloaded with iPadOS, in addition to the desktop-level Safari browser, Powerful multitasking management and split screen capabilities, as well as a more complete file management system, the iPad is also available with macOS Catalina It can be a digital screen or another display, and the Mac and iPad can be truly linked by the Sidecar function.

It should be noted that since the 7th generation iPad does not support P3 color gamut display, there will be color difference with Mac, it is recommended to observe on Mac when using navigation and opening design related software.

Supporting Apple Pencil (first generation) is not a rare thing, noIt is unexpected to be compatible with the smart keyboard.

As we all know, Apple’s smart keyboard is not only a keyboard, but also a thin protective case and bracket. On the 7th generation iPad, there are 3 contacts on the side, which can be quickly matched and powered by the keyboard. There is no need to charge or place the battery separately like a Bluetooth keyboard, and the response is more stable.

If you are used to the macOS operating system, then congratulations, when you connect the smart keyboard, in addition to the need to adapt to the touch of the keyboard for a short time, the use of alternating will not have too much stagnation, the combination of large screen + smart keyboard will Greatly increase productivity.

However, for buyers who are looking for a price/performance ratio, the price of a smart keyboard may be hesitant.

The 7th generation iPad and the 3rd generation iPad Air, 10.5-inch iPad Pro are 9.8 inches in length and use the same smart keyboard. Apple’s official website is priced at 1,243 yuan, which is almost the lowest price of the 7th generation iPad. Half of the 2,699 yuan. And if you want to buy another Apple Pencil (first generation), you need to spend another 722 yuan. It is necessary to equip an entry-level product with an expensive keyboard, which is a question worth pondering.

Overall, the seventh-generation iPad hasn’t changed much, and it’s not a surprisingly iterative update, but it does offer an alternative to the mid- to low-end iPad.

Run the test to see where the gap between the iPad and the strongest iPad is

The seventh-generation iPad has just been released, and has not yet included relevant data in various running points. For this reason, we have also done a simple performance test.

Considering that the operating system is different from the previous iPad, we simply chose the 11-inch iPad Pro upgraded to iPadOS 13.1.2 as a reference. This model is at Antu rabbits ranked first in the iOS device running list in September, so it will be the seventh performance limit of the iPad series. What is the level of the iPad?

In order to minimize the interference factor, the following test turns off the night view and original color display of the two devices and tests on the same network. It should be noted that the 11-inch iPad Pro used in the test was purchased a year ago, and the score is inevitably a little different from the new one.

First look at the running results of the CPU in Geekbench 5.0.2. The A10 Fusion single-core performance is really eye-catching. The seventh-generation iPad has a single-core score of 763, which is almost 70% of the 11-inch iPad Pro and only 30.53% of multi-core:

An Bunny Review 7.2.3 Running points don’t look so optimistic. The seventh-generation iPad scored 36.49% for the 11-inch iPad Pro, and the GPU accounted for only 20.93%. The single-core score is good:

Speedtest speed test results:

In addition to the above test, we also recorded the boot time of the two models, the app open time, and the time to export a video with a length of 10:00:00 and a size of 7.23GB to 4K format using Lumafusion. The results are organized in the table below.

Because the 3DMark Sling Shot Benchmark flashed back in the 11-inch iPad Pro, we can only see the average score of this model from the leaderboard at 6471, and the seventh-generation iPad got the Sling Shot Extreme test. 2470 points.

In the running test, I have a strong feeling: although the 11-inch iPad Pro on the hardware data is far ahead, I can’t understand the difference between the two in actual use.

With the iPadOS blessing, the iPad Pro can do the same, iPad can do it. Even if you say that the 7th generation iPad does not display as well, the Lightning interface does not have the Type-C scalability so high, it is not convenient for external monitors or cameras, but under limited hardware conditions, it achieves just the right performance. Point, this is the sagacity of Apple.

Budget 3000 yuan, buy iPad or iPad mini?

I always think that the difference between the hardware and software of the previous generation is not significant. Especially when the price of the seventh-generation iPad can still be as low as 3,000 yuan, I believe that I will buy new ones.

It’s better to focus on the two new iPads released this year. Looking at the parameters, the seventh-generation iPad is more like a third-generation iPad Air with a lower version; but in terms of price, it is closer to the fifth-generation iPad mini.

Speaking of price, I also took the opportunity to make a purchase analysis, set the budget at 3,000 yuan, and see which of the many iPad products is the most worthwhile.

Under the guarantee that the budget is not exceeded and the delivery time is as late as possible, I selected the seventh generation iPad, the fifth generation iPad mini, and the iPad from the iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro models. Air 2, 9.7-inch iPad Pro to compare.

It should be noted that the iPad Air 2 and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro are old models and cannot be purchased on Apple’s official website. The prices in the table below are for third-party channel prices and are for reference only.

Obviously, the first to be eliminated is the iPad Ai.r 2, five years of development time makes it uncompetitive; look at the seventh-generation iPad and 9.7-inch iPad Pro, the former is slightly better in display size, chip performance, running memory, the latter on the screen display, Shooting, sound effects, storage capacity and selectivity are more advantageous, as a tie; the fifth-generation iPad mini wins very beautiful, with the performance of the flagship product, and it is worth mentioning that, also within the 3,000 yuan, the fifth generation The iPad mini has the largest storage capacity.

In summary, if you don’t plan to connect a smart keyboard, it is mostly used for playing games and reading e-books. The portable iPad mini is undoubtedly the best; if you consider the iPad as a thin and light laptop, the old one The 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a small advantage, but because it can only be purchased in third-party channels, there is a certain risk of refurbishment; if you are pursuing a more balanced performance, taking notes, processing documents, watching TV is everyday, then The seven-generation iPad will become an auxiliary tool for your work, study and life.