Announced alongside the redesigned iPad Air 4, the iPad 8 is the 10.2-inch basic tablet in Apple’s line-up.
What we love – Fast internals, wide accessory support and iOS
The iPad 8 is Apple’s cheapest tablet offering, sitting below the mid-range iPad Air 4 and the top-end iPad Pro. If you’re on the hunt for a tablet that’ll be mainly used for media binges, the odd bout of gaming and browsing the web then you probably don’t need anything more than this.
The main upgrade here over the previous version is a newer chip running the show, meaning everything is slightly faster and smoother.
It’s got a sharp 10.2-inch display that displays vibrant colours and, if you spend an extra £89, you can pair the tablet with the Apple Pencil for drawing and notetaking.
Along with the Apple Pencil, there’s also the Folio Keyboard that’ll attach magnetically and offer up a decent writing experience. You’ve also got a load of other accessory options, both for that Lightning charging port and the Smart Connector on the side.
What really sets the iPad apart from other Android tablets is the software. Not only does iOS feature a slick UI, multitasking features and plenty of updates, but it has the App Store. This is packed with plenty of tablet-optimised apps that really make use of the big screen.
Battery life is good at roughly 10 hours if you’re streaming video, there’s an ok camera on the front for FaceTime video calls and a TouchID fingerprint scanner.
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What we don’t like – Very little has changed, a design update would be nice
Aside from the faster chip, very little has changed when you compare the iPad 8 to the iPad 7. They look the same, have the same display and same colour options.
With the iPad Air 4 getting a big facelift, the iPad 8 feels a little dull when it comes to the design. It’s functional yes, but not exactly exciting.
You also still only get 32GB of internal storage by default, meaning you need to fork out if you want more than just a few movies, games and apps.
Verdict
The iPad 8 is a great tablet, and one that’ll do a good job at replacing an ageing iPad or Android slate. It’s not a huge upgrade over the previous though, with a faster processor the only notable addition.
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