Apple’s entry-level iPad 9 is a contender for the best back-to-school tablet

Apple is holding its big fall event today, and the first thing that it announced is the ninth-generation iPad. It’s the entry-level full-size tablet from the company, and it’s now being refreshed with an A13 Bionic chipset.

The Cupertino firm said that its new iPad is three times faster than the best-selling Chromebook and six times faster than the best-selling Android tablet. Of course, it’s important to keep those numbers in perspective. Apple really doesn’t talk about which model it’s testing against, and the best-selling one if often not the best one. Still, it’s against a $329 iPad.

With the spec bump, Apple not only touted speed improvements, but there will also be camera improvements. A new chipset has a new image signal processor, so that means you can use the same 8MP sensor to get better pictures. Apple did the same thing with the latest iPhone SE, which was basically an iPhone 8 with better internals.

There is a new front camera though. Apple talked about a new 12MP front sensor, which has a 122-degree field of view. This should make for better selfies, video calls, and more. The 10.2-inch Retina display is another thing that Apple talked about on-stage, with the company touting the True Tone display, which adjusts the temperature of the screen based on lighting.

Basically, it adds up to a new processor and a new front camera. The screen is the same, as is the rear camera and the design. That also means that the same accessories work with it, such as Apple Pencil and the keyboard.

One thing that hasn’t changed about the ninth-generation iPad is the price. It still starts at $329 for 64GB of storage, and you can get it for $299 with an educational discount. The only colors it comes in are Space Gray and Silver, and of course, there are cellular models. Unlike the iPad Mini, the cellular is still just 4G LTE. You can order the ninth-generation iPad today, and it will ship next week.

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