Apple iPad 8 vs iPad 7: Should you upgrade? What's the difference?

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Apple iPad 8 vs iPad 7: Should you upgrade? What's the difference?
With the release of the new budget 2020 iPad, also confusingly sometimes listed as "iPad 10.2-inch" or "iPad 8", you may be wondering if it's worth upgrading to it over its predecessor – the 2019 base iPad.

What even are the differences between the two, considering they look exactly the same? Internals, right? Without further ado, let's dive into what's been upgraded and what stayed the same, and see if Apple's new 2020 iPad is worth upgrading to.

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2020 iPad vs 2019 iPad: The performance boost



The most notable change with the newer budget iPad is that it now rocks the A12 Bionic chip, which first appeared on the iPhone XS series in 2019. Thanks to it, the new 2020 iPad offers 40% faster CPU performance and twice the graphics capability of the 2019 iPad, which itself runs on the A10 Fusion chip from 2016.

And while the 2019 iPad is quite a capable tablet still, the new one is way more future proof, as was to be expected. It's also an even more enticing choice for serious work, such as video editing, music production or school tasks, in addition to serious gaming.

2020 iPad vs 2019 iPad: No display differences



The display is essentially the same between the two – 10.2-inches in size, IPS LCD, and sadly still not laminated on the 2020 model. The lack of lamination means there's a visible gap between the glass covering the display, and the display itself. So especially when you're writing with the Apple Pencil, you get a slight hollow feel and sound when touching the screen of the iPad. For many users, though, this will be unnoticeable.

If we grasp for straws, the new budget iPad 8 has a slightly higher (1.08%) screen-to-body ratio than the iPad 7, but that's it. No reason to upgrade purely in hopes of a better display. It still looks equally as sharp, nice and vivid on the 2020 iPad as it does on the 2019 one.

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2020 iPad vs 2019 iPad: Same cameras



Yep, no upgrades on this front also, although cameras generally don't hold much significance on tablets anyways. Both the new and old budget iPads sport a 1.2-megapixel selfie camera that's acceptable for FaceTime and can shoot video at 1280 x 720 HD. On the back, both also have the same main camera, 8 megapixels, that can shoot video at 1920x1080.

2020 iPad vs 2019 iPad: Software and accessories


Both budget iPad models now run on iPadOS 14, but the 2020 one is going to continue getting software updates for several years longer, thanks to its more powerful internals. It's also much less likely to start slowing down three or four years from now, for that same reason – its flagship 2019 chip.

The Apple Pencil and Apple Smart Keyboard accessories are available for both the iPad 7 and iPad 8, so students will be happy with either tablet for basic school tasks. The two iPads are more than powerful enough for writing essays, researching topics, video conferencing, sketching and the likes.

2020 iPad vs 2019 iPad: Color options and storage options



Apple still isn't quite too generous with the iPad's base storage option in 2020, as the new iPad 8 also starts at a measly 32GB of storage, much like last year's iPad 7. For $100 extra, you can get 256GB of storage on the new iPad, which is also its only other option.

Needless to say, there's no expandable storage on both budget iPads, or any other iPad models for that matter. The color options are also still just Gray, Silver and Gold, not quite as fun and various as they are on the 2020 iPad Air 4.

2020 iPad vs 2019 iPad: The verdict


Unless you want the more future proof and powerful iPad, you don't need to upgrade from the iPad 7 to the iPad 8. Both have the same classic design, similar non-laminated displays, same two speakers on just one side, that fail to deliver true stereo in landscape mode, and the same Apple Pencil support. Both are perfect for students, children, or anyone looking for the best-priced iPad that's still more capable than many laptops.

2020 iPad vs 2019 iPad: Detailed spec comparison


Apple iPad (2020) Apple iPad 10.2-inch

Design

Dimensions
9.87 x 6.85 x 0.30 inches
250.6 x 174.1 x 7.5 mm
9.8 x 6.8 x 0.29 inches
248.9 x 172.7 x 7.4 mm
Weight
17.46 oz (495.0 g) 17.39 oz (493.0 g)
Materials
Back: Aluminum Back: Aluminum
Biometrics
Fingerprint (touch) Fingerprint (touch)
Keys
Right: Volume control Right: Volume control
Colors
Silver, Space gray, Gold Silver, Space gray, Gold

Display

Size
10.2-inch 10.2-inch
Resolution
2160x1620px, 4:3 ratio, 265 PPI 2160x1620px, 4:3 ratio, 265 PPI
Technology
IPS LCD IPS LCD
Screen-to-body
73.86 % 74.94 %
Peak brightness
500 cd/m2 (nit) 500 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor

Hardware

System chip
Apple A12 Bionic APL1W81 (7 nm) Apple A10 Fusion APL1W24 (16 nm)
Processor
Quad-core
2490 MHz
Vortex and Tempest
Quad-core
2340 MHz
Hurricane and Zephy
GPU
Apple G11P PowerVR 7XT GT7600 Plus
RAM
3GB
Internal storage
32GB 128GB
Storage expansion
not expandable
OS
iPadOS (14.x) iPadOS (13.x)

Battery

Capacity
8827 mAh 8827 mAh
Type
Li - Ion Li - Ion

Camera

Rear
Single camera Single camera
Main camera
8 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.4
8 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.4
Video recording
1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)
Time-lapse video, EIS
1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)
Time-lapse video, EIS
Front
1.2 MP (HDR), Video capture: 1280x720 (HD) 1.2 MP (HDR), Video capture: 1280x720 (HD)

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.2 4.2
WLAN
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
MIMO
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct
USB
Lightning Lightning
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer
Other
UMA (Wi-Fi Calling) UMA (Wi-Fi Calling)

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Multiple speakers Multiple speakers
Additional microphone(s)
Video recording Video recording

Cellular

4G (FDD)
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 21(1500 Upper), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3), 71(600) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 21(1500 Upper), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD)
Bands 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+) Bands 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+)
3G
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900) Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100)
Data Speed
LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS
Dual SIM
Yes Yes
SIM type
Nano SIM, eSIM Nano SIM, eSIM

Buyers information

MSRP
$ 459 $ 559
In The Box
Lightning to USB cable, USB-C Power Adapter Lightning to USB cable, USB power adapter

Availability

Officially announced
Sep 15, 2020 Sep 10, 2019
See the full Apple iPad (2020) vs Apple iPad 10.2-inch specs comparison or compare them to other phones using our Phone Comparison tool

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