If you're in the market for a tablet, it's wise to consider Apple and its popular iPad brand. The problem is that Apple has quite a number of iPads to choose from. To make things easier for the buyer, here is a compilation of the features and other details of some of the more popular of the current crop of iPad devices.
Dimensions
The new kid on the block, the 2017 iPad 9.7, sports a fatter look than the iPad Pro 9.7 and the iPad Air 2 which all share almost identical physical attributes. This tidbit is rather interesting especially since the company did not indicate why the iPad 9.7 is a bit overweight as compared to other tablets. The iPad 9.7 measures 9.45 x 6.67 x 0.3 inches and weighs as much as 1.05 lbs. The iPad Air 2 and iPad Pro 9.7 shares the same measurements with a size of 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.24 inches and up to 0.98lbs in weight. The iPad mini 4 weighs a paltry 0.67 pounds and measures 8 x 5.3 x 0.24 inches. The iPad Pro 12.9 is the biggest of the current tablet line-up at 12 x 8.86 x 0.27 inches and 1.59 lbs.
Display
All the iPads discussed sport LED-backlit multi-touch displays. The difference lies in the resolution of the iPad Air 2, iPad Pro 9.7 and iPad 9.7 going with 2732 x 2048 pixels while the iPad Mini 4 comes with a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. The iPad Pro 12.9 has a pixel resolution of 2732 x 2048.
Specifications
Both the iPad Pro 9.7 and iPad Pro 12.9 are powered by Apple A9X and comes with 12-core PowerVR Series 7 GPU. The former also comes with a dual-core 2.16 GHz processor and 2GB of RAM while the latter has a dual-core 2.26 GHz CPU as well as 4GB of RAM. The new iPad 9.7 comes with Apple A9 with dual-core 1.84 GHz processor, six-core PowerVR GT7600 GPU and only 2GB of RAM. The iPad Air 2 is powered by Apple A8X, triple-core 1.5 GHz Thypoon processor, octa-core PowerVR GPU and 2GB of RAM. Finally, the iPad Mini 4 has an Apple A8 2nd-gen CPU, Quad-core PowerVR GPU and 2GB of RAM.
Camera
As Forbes noted, the camera is not a strong suit for all Apple tablets though the best among the lot is the iPad Pro 9.7 which comes with a 12 megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera. The rest have 8 megapixel rear cameras and 1.2-megapixel front cameras. If the user plans on using their tablet to take photos, they may be better off getting the iPad Pro 9.7 or buying a separate device for that task.
Battery
As with every other electronic device, battery life is of utmost importance. In this line-up, the iPad 9.7 is one step ahead with a 10-hour battery life. The rest of the tablets can also boast of impressive battery life but the newest member of the team takes the cake.
As MacWorld noted, the iPad Mini 4 is the tablet of choice for those going for portability. Among the 9.7-inch Apple tablets, the iPad Pro is better than the new 2017 iPad 9.7 if we're talking about power but the much higher price of the former is one factor that needs to be considered. The iPad Pro 12.9, meanwhile, is more appropriate for artists, businesspeople, and gamers. For those who still can't decide which f the current iPads to purchase, they may want to wait for the rumored iPad Pro 2 which is now rumored to be coming this June.
