Apple brings the A12 Bionic and the USB Type-C port to the iPad for US$329

Apple has launched the 8th generation iPad, but it does not quite match the specifications alleged by Evan Blass yesterday. The new iPad is a considerable upgrade on the 7th generation model that we reviewed last year, though.

The 10.2-inch Retina display from previous iPads remains, as does the 8 MP camera and FaceTime HD camera. However, Apple has upgraded the iPad to the A12 Bionic, a 7 nm chip that Apple introduced in 2018 with iPhone XS series. According to Apple, the A12 Bionic will give the new iPad a 40% performance uplift from last year's model, which had the ageing A10 Fusion chipset.

On top of that, Apple claims that the latest iPad will have 2x faster graphics than its predecessor. Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard support return, allowing you to use the iPad for some drawing or typing work.

Apple's Lightning connector has been consigned to history though, as the new iPad has a USB Type-C port. The new iPad starts at US$329 with 32 GB of storage but can be configured with 128 GB and LTE connectivity for US$100 and US$130 surcharges, respectively.