Apple launched the 11-inch iPad with an A16 chip back in March of this year, and now Amazon’s dropping the 128GB/Wi-Fi mode to a record low of $279 for Black Friday, down from its $349 retail price. You won’t find this discount on Apple’s official website or in their retail stores because the company keeps tight pricing controls.
iPhone Performance to Tablet Form
The A16 Bionic chip delivers processing power that rivals many laptops and maintains the instant responsiveness that iPads are known for. The 6-core CPU splits tasks between performance and efficiency cores that balance speed and battery life based on workload demands. The 5-core GPU accelerates graphics rendering, gaming performance, and augmented reality applications. It allows the 16-core Neural Engine to process 17 trillion operations per second and powers machine learning functions like Live Text, subject isolation in Photos, and real-time translation.
The 11-inch Liquid Retina display pushes 2360 by 1640 resolution with True Tone technology that adjusts color temperature based on ambient lighting. The display covers the P3 wide color gamut, reproducing vibrant colors that look accurate for photo editing and creative work. The IPS panel maintains excellent viewing angles, so colors and contrast stay consistent when viewing the screen from the side.
A 128GB storage configuration provides enough space for essential apps and working files without forcing you into constant cloud storage management. Modern apps and high-resolution photos consume storage fast, and 128GB is the minimum viable capacity required to enjoy comfortable use. You can store dozens of apps, thousands of photos, hours of offline video content, and still have room for documents and downloads.
With WiFi 6 connectivity, this iPad offers faster and wireless speeds and better performance in crowded network conditions than earlier WiFi standards. The increased efficiency reduces battery drain when using the internet for several hours continuously, while the low latency further enhances video calls and online gaming. WiFi 6 routers are slowly becoming commonplace in many homes and businesses, and this iPad fully leverages the new and improved technology.
The Touch ID built into the power button allows for secure authentication without the TrueDepth camera setup of Face ID. The fingerprint sensor instantly unlocks the iPad, authorizes purchases, and allows you to switch between user profiles with the touch of a finger. This method of authentication works in any environment with no light limitation and does not require you to position your face in front of the device. Finally, with all-day battery life, up to 10 hours of web surfing or video playback on a single charge covers full work days, long flights, or weekend road trips without needing a charger.
The iPad runs iPadOS with access to millions of tablet-optimized apps that take advantage of the larger screen compared to the apps on the iPhone. The operating system supports multitasking with Split View and Slide Over which let you run multiple apps at the same time. Support for the Apple Pencil allows for note-taking, digital art, and document annotation, though the stylus sells separately.
For $279, this iPad is cheaper than a lot of budget Android tablets that deliver far worse performance, worse displays and app ecosystems that pale in comparison.
