2017 iPad Review

Lisa Gade reviews the 2017 iPad (7th generation, if you count the Air models). This is Apple’s new “affordable” iPad that starts at $329 for the 32 gig WiFi model. It’s a modernized iPad Air original edition, and it uses the same casing, cameras and display (albeit 25% brighter in the 2017 model) as the first gen iPad Air. Think of it as the iPad SE- rather than sell older generation models for less, Apple is offering a new model with good, but not iPad Pro level specs.

The 2017 iPad is 7.5mm thin and 470g (1.03 lb.). It sports several key improvements over the iPad Air, including the Apple A9 CPU that’s also faster than the iPad Air 2, a Touch ID fingerprint scanner that works with Apple Pay, faster storage and a brighter 2048 x 1536 Retina display. The standard iPad line now stands distinctly apart from the Pro line that offers superior displays, even faster CPUs and Apple Pencil support. The 2017 iPad is also available with 128 gigs of storage for $100 more. The WiFi + LTE model starts at $459. It’s available in silver, space gray and gold (no rose gold).