Apple iPad (2017) review: Features and design

There’s nothing bad to say about the look and feel of the new iPad. It’s built from metal and glass and is available in three different colours – silver, “space grey” and gold – all of which look great.
The physical layout follows a familiar pattern. At the front, the iPad’s 4:3 Retina-class 2,048 x 1,536, 264ppi display dominates affairs, with a FaceTime HD 720p webcam above it and a fingerprint reader/home button in the centre below the screen. The top edge hosts a 3.5mm headphone jack and the power button; the volume buttons are on the right edge near the top; and for charging, data transfer and sync, there’s a Lightning port in the centre on the bottom edge.
You don’t get the “smart” keyboard connector on the left long edge as you do with the iPad Pro 9.7 and 12.9, but there’s still a series of magnets here that allow you to quickly attach and detach Apple’s range of folding iPad covers.
The worst thing you could say about the new iPad is that, in fact, there’s nothing new about the design at all. The design is tried and tested, however, and despite the increase in size and weight over the iPad Air 2, you won’t notice the difference unless you’re holding one in each hand. Sling the new iPad in your bag and you’ll barely notice it’s there at all.

Apple iPad (2017) review: Display

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The new iPad’s display isn’t as good as the iPad Air 2’s nor the iPad Pro 9.7’s. It doesn’t have the same anti-reflective coating as those tablets, and there’s a visible air gap between the LCD panel and the glass above it where those other tablets have laminated displays.
That means the iPad’s display isn’t quite as vibrant and the onscreen image doesn't look quite as immediate. This is because the contrast isn’t as good and reflections aren’t dispelled as effectively.
That isn’t to say it’s a poor display, though. Maximum brightness reaches an impressive 520cd/m2, which is a good deal brighter than the original iPad Air's screen and although the contrast ratio is at the same level – a rather disappointing 861:1 – Apple has been able to tweak things so it reproduces more of the sRGB colour gamut. Colours are well balanced and highly accurate, too.

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