Apple iPad (2017) Tablet Review

The latest Apple iPad has a 9.7-inch screen and looks … just like its two predecessors, the iPad Air & iPad Air 2. To make it short: It is the case of the first-generation iPad Air. We cannot see any changes even if there are any. Our colleagues from iFixit share this opinion and give the new iPad a better reparability score compared to the models with fully laminated panels. The case dimensions are also identical to the iPad Air at 7.5 x 240 x 169.5 millimeters (~0.3 x 9.4 x 6.7 in). The slightly higher weight (additional 5 grams/~0.18 oz) is probably a result of the fingerprint scanner Touch ID – one of the few new features on the iPad (2017). Otherwise, the chassis characteristics are identical to the first iPad Air: It is still one of the slimmest and lightest tablets without making compromises in terms of stability or build quality. Quite the contrary: Materials and build quality are still top-notch, even though the aluminum unibody design is almost four years old. There is no criticism for the stability, either. Only a lot of pressure will warp the case, and the liquid crystal display shows ripples only when you twist the device.

The current Apple operating system is iOS 10, which was launched on September 13, 2016. The iPad (2017) is obviously shipped with this version as well, and the minor release now carries the number 10.3 and was launched on March 27th. The focus of the latest update is the new Apple file system APFS, which is already used for the installation of iOS 10.3, so the internal storage is reformatted. You should therefore not forget to create a backup before the update. The new file system, which will be used on all Apple devices, replaces HFS+ or HFS, respectively, which is already 30 years old. The new system is optimized for fast flash storage according to the manufacturer, and it is supposed to improve the handling with encrypted files.

Reports also speculated about a theater mode, which is already available on the Apple Watch. It will stop the activation of the screen when you lift the device and mute all sources of noise. It is unfortunately not included in iOS 10.3, but you get modifiable app symbols in return. Developers of third-party software can change the symbols of their apps or offer a collection of alternative symbols. 10.3 will most likely be the last major release for iOS 10. Apple launched a small update to 10.3.1 during the review period, but iOS 11 is already in the works. However, some models will once again be left out. The minimum requirement for iOS 11 is a 64-bit processor, which is the case for all iPhones since the 5S. This will probably rule out the original iPad Air as well as the predecessors.

The first devices with iOS 10 were the Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, so we refer to these reviews for more information about the current iOS release. There is not much to add for the 2017 iPad, except: iOS 10 also runs smoothly on the latest tablet from Cupertino and does not affect the workflow.

The wireless communication modules are still up to date, despite their somewhat old technology. The dual-band Wi-Fi module supports the 802.11 standards a/b/g/n/ac as well as the MIMO technology, so the theoretical maximum transfer rate is 866 Mbps. The cellular connection is not quite as fast. LTE at up to 300 Mbps downstream and 50 Mbps upstream, respectively, should still be more than sufficient for Internet on the go, though, especially since these transfer rates are still not common among mobile carriers. The number of bands is more important, and the iPad does not cause any criticism with 21 bands. The Apple SIM is supported as well. The SIM card standard is – as per usual – "nano". Bluetooth 4.2 is still up to date, even though the successor Bluetooth 5 was already announced a couple of months ago.

We check the performance of the Wi-Fi module with our reference router Linksys EA8500. The performance of the iPad is very good, but cannot quite keep up with the iPhone 7. 465 Mbps receive and 389 Mbps send is still clearly ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S7. The new iPad can therefore benefit from very fast Internet connections and will usually not be the bottleneck.

The scope of delivery does not offer any surprises, but we did not expect any to begin with. Besides the mandatory power adapter (10 W) and the Lightning-to-USB cable, the LTE model is also shipped with the typical Apple SIM-card tool. You also get some service brochures.

The Apple Store offers many optional accessories. You can find almost everything starting with covers, cases, cables, and adapters all the way up to wall mounts.

Apple only grants a 12-month warranty, but offers an additional hardware protection called AppleCare+ for 99 Euros ($99), which must be added within 60 days of the purchase. It will extend the service period to two years and covers two accidental repairs, each subject to a 49 Euros ($49) service fee. 24 months phone support is included as well.

Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

This is probably the section with the least amount of new information. The input devices, more precisely the touchscreen and the physical buttons, hardly changed on the iPad models over the last couple of years. The Apple iPad (2017) does not support the Apple Pencil, so we cannot say anything about that, either. The touchscreen of the new iPad works as usual: quick, reliable, precise. The physical buttons are carefully implemented and provide a good pressure point. The fingerprint scanner Touch ID is also available for the 2017 iPad and works flawlessly.

Neither the size nor the resolution – once again – changed compared to the previous models, but Apple still claims they have changed or improved it, respectively. The new screen is primarily supposed to be brighter compared to the iPad Air & iPad Air 2. Not a bad idea in general, but it seems Apple wants to use the higher luminance to hide a drawback compared to the current generation: The display of the new iPad is not fully laminated, which was still the case for the iPad Air 2. Apple could reduce annoying reflections to a minimum with this technology, and it was one of the big advantages over the competition. The wide color gamut from the iPad Air 2 and the Pro model is also gone, although this is probably not a deal-breaker for most users, especially considering the affordable price.

But let's get back to the measurement results for the 9.7-inch screen with the 4:3 aspect ratio. The panel is based on the IPS technology, but we did not expect anything else at this price point. The resolution is also unchanged at 2048x1536 pixels, which results in a pixel density of 264 PPI. This does not set any records anymore, but it is still sufficient for crisp contents. We cannot confirm the supposedly grease repellant display coating; it did not really work for the predecessors, either.

One thing that works is the increased luminance compared to the iPad Air, just as Apple promised. The maximum luminance is now 514 nits vs. 473 nits on the Air. The average luminance for the new model is still 485 nits – about 10 percent more compared to the previous model. The brightness distribution took a small hit, but 88 percent is still a decent result, just like the contrast ratio (1117:1), which is also just beaten by the iPad Air. This is due to the slightly increased black value (0.46); other devices perform better in this respect.

The A9 chip is manufactured in a significantly smaller process compared to the A7 SoC from the original Apple iPad Air. This increases the performance, but is also supposed to reduce the power consumption and the temperature development. At least the latter is definitely the case for the new iPad. All the temperatures are lower compared to the predecessor. There is a small hotspot at the center of the right edge, but even this spot is hardly more than lukewarm – even after one hour maximum load that we test with the Relative Benchmark. There is still some criticism for Apple: At around 47 °C (~117 °F), the power adapter is getting almost inconveniently warm, but there is no risk of burns or the like. For the sake of completeness: We measure up to 33.3 °C (~92 °F) while idling with an average of about 31 °C (~88 °F). The power adapter is once again comparatively warm at almost 40 °C (104 °F).

Frequency Comparison (Checkboxes select/deselectable!)

The capacity of the lithium-polymer battery did not change compared to the iPad Air and is still 32.4 Wh. This is a very generous capacity compared to similarly sized rivals, which is also evident when we look at the runtime figures. The iPad Air is also beaten here. The 2017 model lasts for almost 13 hours in the Wi-Fi browsing test, so it is much more enduring than the iPad Air and roughly on par with the iPad Pro 9.7. How is this possible considering the higher consumption and the identical battery size? The explanation is simple: The Wi-Fi test is performed at an adjusted luminance (150 nits), so the increased power consumption of the brighter display does not affect the result. We also test video playback (FHD, H.264) at the same luminance, and the new iPad is once again pretty enduring: Almost 14 hours is a great result. The load test at the highest luminance suffers a bit from the high power consumption. 3:45 hours is reasonable, but the pre-predecessor lasted half an hour longer.