Stuff Verdict

It might have a dated design, but there’s so much here for the price. For many, this is all the iPad they’ll need.

Pros

More powerful than ever

Double the memory this time around

TrueTone very welcome

A lot of bang for buck

Cons

Design needs refreshing

Accessories add expense

No 5G

Apple Pencil 1st gen doesn’t magnetically attach

Apple’s entry-level iPad remains one of the best tablets around, but an ever-stronger lineup of sibling iPads have put it in a somewhat odd position. This new 9th generation device is more powerful than ever, yet it’s clear that Apple will have to refresh its design over the next couple of years.

The 2020 iPad Air and also-new 2021 iPad Mini binned the traditional Home button for a Touch ID sensor on the sleep/wake button and this arrangement will surely come to the entry-level device, too. It’s just a matter of when.

So does the 2021 version of the entry-level iPad still make sense to buy? For many, it certainly does – we’ll get to that – so let’s firstly consider the design of the latest-gen tablet.