Apple reaches into the chip bag: The iPad 8 keeps the competition at a distance

It's hard to believe, but Apple can also be the price-performance winner: The new iPad 8 offers economical users more than any other tablet they can currently buy. Apple doesn't have to do a lot for this, a handle in the chip bag is enough.

Tablets are clearly the winners of the corona crisis. According to Canalys, all five leading manufacturers sold significantly more devices in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year. Apple was able to gain the least of them with around 20 percent, albeit from a much higher level. From April to June around 14.2 million iPads went over the counter, while the runner-up Samsung was able to sell almost 7 million tablets.

To prevent Samsung, Huawei, Amazon and Lenovo from catching up, Apple introduced the iPad 8 last week, among other things, and ntv.de has already been able to try it out.

Just change the engine

The device is easy to explain, because the manufacturer has changed practically nothing compared to its predecessor, except to install a new chip: The iPad is upgraded with the A12, which is in the iPhone XS and iPhone XR. Although this is already two years old, it is still so powerful that Apple's cheapest tablet can show the heels of the competition in this price range.

The chip is also powerful enough that users can expect at least four major updates to the operating system. This means that even the simplest iPad is far more durable than any Android tablet. In addition, iPadOS makes every Android variant look old and the range in Apple's App Store is larger and better than the competition.

Most users shouldn't be bothered by the fact that the design now looks very old-fashioned. The display has a fat edge compared to the iPad Pro models and the new iPad Air, but it is still a very good LCD with beautiful colors and contrasts. The sharpness is also okay with around 260 pixels per inch (ppi). And a real home button below the screen also has something of its own.

Apple is skimpy on storage

Most buyers shouldn't care that the iPad only supports the first generation Apple Pencil or that it didn't get a better rear camera. They will not like the fact that Apple has again only equipped the base model with 32 gigabytes (GB) of flash memory and the 128 GB version is almost 100 euros more expensive.

By upgrading to the A12 chip, Apple only did what was absolutely necessary to keep the pursuers in the price range under 400 euros at a distance. It's very convenient, but it works out. The design and display are now a bit backward, but still good enough not to spoil the fun. The operating system and app offer are superior to the Android competition, which together with the performance makes the difference.