iPad 10th Generation (2025)

The Practical Family Tablet

Let's be honest, when you're shopping for a tablet under $350, you're not expecting magic. You just want something that works, lasts through the day, and doesn't frustrate you. The iPad 10th gen does exactly that.

This tablet has become the go-to recommendation for families who want to dip their toes into the Apple ecosystem without committing $600 to an iPad Air. And for that price point, it's genuinely impressive.

What Makes It Work for Real Life

The display is the first thing you notice. At 10.9 inches, it's big enough that you can actually watch shows together without squinting, and the colors are vibrant without being oversaturated. Whether your kids are watching Disney+ or you're following a recipe on a cooking site, the screen just works. The brightness handles sunlight reasonably well, too.

Performance-wise, the A15 Bionic keeps everything smooth. Apps open quickly, multitasking doesn't cause stutters, and gaming runs without drama. Yes, it's not the newest chip, but it's more than capable for what families actually do with tablets. Scrolling through social media, video calls, homework apps, light gaming, streaming, even photo editing, it handles it all without complaint.

Battery life is where this tablet really shines. You get a full day of heavy use without anxiety. That matters when you've got kids who forget to charge things and a parent who's juggling five things at once.

The Trade-offs

The one real frustration is the storage situation. The base model comes with 64GB, which sounds fine until you download a few apps, take some photos, and suddenly you're managing space like you're back in 2015. If you can stretch your budget to 128GB, you'll be much happier long-term.

Also, this model only supports the 1st generation Apple Pencil, which is a bit clunky compared to the newer version. If you're thinking about serious drawing or note-taking, you might want to budget for that separately, or consider stepping up to a different iPad.

The Bottom Line

This is a tablet that respects your budget while delivering real value. It's durable, it's reliable, and it'll get software updates for years. For families who want a quality tablet without the premium price tag, it's hard to argue with.

The Real Story: Apple's Honest Budget Play

Let's cut through the noise. The iPad 10th Gen is doing exactly what Apple wants it to do: be the gateway drug to the iPad ecosystem without cutting into premium model margins. At $349, it works.

The A15 Bionic is the elephant in the room. Yes, it's two years old. Yes, the M4 exists. But here's the thing: for scrolling, streaming, and light productivity, the A15 is overkill anyway. The real constraint isn't the processor, it's the 4GB of RAM. That's Apple being aggressive with costs. Competitors like Samsung's Galaxy Tab S6 Lite often ship with 4GB too at this price, so it's market standard, but it means don't expect smooth multitasking if you're jumping between heavy apps.

The display is genuinely impressive for the price tier. That 10.9-inch Liquid Retina panel delivers the kind of color accuracy and brightness that makes media consumption actually enjoyable. It's not an iPad Pro display, but reviewers consistently praise it, and that matters more than specs on paper.

Here's where Apple's product strategy gets obvious: the Pencil 2 limitation. They're forcing you to choose between the budget tablet and the slightly pricier iPad Air if you want proper stylus support. That's not a technical limitation, it's a business decision. The first-gen Pencil is older tech, and the pairing process is annoying by modern standards. It's a gentle nudge toward spending more.

Battery life is solid. We're talking full-day usage without drama, which is what matters for a device positioned as a casual consumption tool. USB-C is a welcome addition that actually improves the experience compared to Lightning.

The real value proposition here is longevity. Apple supports iPads for years, sometimes five-plus. You're not buying a device that'll become a paperweight in two years. That's worth something, and it's why the $349 price actually stacks up as reasonable.

Don't mistake this for a professional tool. It's not. But if you're shopping for a tablet to read, watch, and browse without spending $800, this is the least compromised option Apple offers. The A15 will handle everything you throw at it, and the display makes everything look good doing it.