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Apple announces new $329 iPad with bigger Retina Display, Smart Keyboard support

Updated: Sep 10, 2019, 1:43 PM

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Apple announces new $329 iPad with bigger Retina Display

The much-anticipated Apple event is in full swing, and announcements are pouring like there's no tomorrow. On stage, Apple VP Greg Joswiak unveiled the latest addition to the iPad family – the 7th generation Apple iPad.

This new iPad arrives to replace the 6th gen model, Apple's most popular iPad. And just like its predecessor, it is meant to be a full-sized, feature-rich iPad for the masses and first-time iPad users, as well as for students in need of a digital companion.

7th generation Apple iPad: specs and features

Apple announces new $329 iPad with bigger Retina Display, Smart Keyboard support

Little in terms of specs was highlighted during the announcement, but we do know that the new iPad comes with a bigger, 10.2-inch Retina Display with 3.5-million pixels. It's one of the biggest upgrades over the 6th-gen model, which came with a 9.7-inch display.

Additionally, the display supports the Apple Pencil – but only the first generation of the accessory, meaning that it doesn't snap magnetically to the edge of the tablet, and it needs to be plugged into a Lighting port to be charged. But the addition of Apple's full-size Smart Keyboard is a nice bonus.


Display:	10.2-inch, IPS LCD, 2160x1620 pixels (264ppi) 500 nits of brightness
System chip:	Apple A10
Storage capacity:	32GB or 128GB
Biometric authentication:	Touch ID in home button
Main camera:	8MP, f2.4, 1080p video
Selfie camera:	1.2MP, f/2.2, 720p HD video
Sound:	Stereo speakers, 3.5mm audio jack
Battery:	32.4Wh; estimated 10 hours of Wi-Fi web surfing or watching video
Size:	6.8 x 9.8 x 0.29 inches (174.1 x 250.6 x 7.5 mm)
Colors:	Silver, Space Gray, Gold
Weight:	1.07 pounds (483 grams) or 1.09 pounds (493 grams) for Wi-Fi + Cellular model
Accessories:	Apple Pencil and Apple Smart Keyboard support

Under the hood of the 7th generation iPad is an Apple A10 system chip. This is the quad-core silicon – with 2 high-performance and 2 low-power cores in tow – that we first saw with the iPhone 7 in 2016. It is also the same chip that powered the previous, 6th-gen iPad.

The 7th generation iPad comes with iPadOS

Of course, what matters most is what you can do with the new iPad. And Apple did spend a lot of time pointing out how the tablet has been engineered to take advantage of the new iPadOS and its features.

The tablet comes with support for services like Apple Arcade and Apple TV+, of course, but also let you use iPadOS's new multitasking abilities, image and video editor tools, and support for SD cards and thumb drives – as long as you have the necessary dongle.

7th generation iPad price and release date

The new iPad will start at $329 for the base model with 32GB of storage. An upgrade to the 128GB tier will cost you $429. The Wi-Fi + Cellular variants of the new iPad are priced at $459 (with 32GB of storage) and $559 (for the 128GB option).

The Apple Pencil is still sold separately for $99. So is the Apple Smart Keyboard, retailing at $159.

Schools can get the new iPad at a discounted price of $299 for the base model, and an Apple Pencil can be had for $89 extra.

The tablet will start shipping on September 30, but you can pre-order one as soon as today. Buyers receive a full year of Apple TV+ service for free with their purchase.