iPad Picked up a 9th gen iPad the other day...

[Drewps5co0tt]

I don't use tablets much but decided I wanted an iPad again so I got the 9th gen 256GB Wi-Fi model. Boy can you tell the difference (physically) with a non-laminated display! The touch experience feels cheap and you can actually push on the glass (which I don't recommend). I'll probably keep it because returning it and buying a different model that costs almost twice the price makes no sense for an item I won't be using that much. However, I wanted to have one anyways just to have one, it never hurts to have extra displays sitting around the house!

 

[Richard8655]

I have a couple 9th gens and actually prefer the solid feel of the non-laminated display. It's on laminated iPads that I can push the display and get a slight visual rippling and soft gel-like feel (as on my Air 3). The solid glass on non-laminated doesn't give, and to me is visually just as good. But that's maybe just me as everyone has their personal preferences.

 

[retta283]

For the price point I think it's fine, I do agree that it's a bit weird at first though. That 'hollow' sound it makes when you tap it isn't pleasant, but you do get used to it. There are upsides to this, if the glass breaks but the screen is fine you don't have to buy a new screen like you do on the laminated iPads.

I hadn't realized that the 10th gen also is non-laminated, I thought the new design made them laminate it. I still think it's fine (even though a bit less justified at a higher price) and for the most part the screen is of a very high optical quality. I've owned both laminated and non-laminated iPads and find them to be about the same in day-to-day use, gamut and brightness differences are where the appreciable quality increase are found.

 

[Spock]

I really could not tell a difference unless I am using the Apple Pencil, that is when I notice the most. Otherwise, I think it works just fine.

 

[AlexJaye]

Lol. I enjoy my 9th gen iPad (randomly got it last November) and use it 90% of the time. My M1 MacBook Pro barely gets any use now. I haven’t used or seen the newer iPads to compare, though, so perhaps ignorance is bliss (and money saved!)

 

[supergt]

It’s the combination of the laminated and promotion (120Hz) display tech that makes iPad Pro slightly more premium. There’s a pleasant visual smoothness that’s lacking on the base iPad models. That said, I feel that the base iPads represent some of the best value Apple products currently available relative to the price. Use your 9th gen and enjoy 95ish percent of the iPad Pro experience for a lot less money.

 

[Drewps5co0tt]

I have a couple 9th gens and actually prefer the solid feel of the non-laminated display. It's on laminated iPads that I can push the display and get a slight visual rippling and soft gel-like feel (as on my Air 3). The solid glass on non-laminated doesn't give, and to me is visually just as good. But that's maybe just me as everyone has their personal preferences.

It doesn't give? Yes it does, if you push on the glass you can actually feel it flexing inwards. The laminated displays don't do that, but yes you will put pressure on the LCD (which would be normal to happen).

 

[Drewps5co0tt]

BTW, this sucker feels heavy af! It's only 1.07 lbs but it feels like a brick. I guess it's been longer than I thought since I had a full sized iPad in my hand (plus this is the largest one I've ever had). 😂🤣

 

[FeliApple]

For basic use and content consumption, you can go with any model. In fact, I’d even call a 9th-gen iPad overpowered. Any model starting with the Air 2 is good for that.

My 9.7-inch iPad Pro running iOS 12 is amazing for that, and it is 7 years old. Age doesn’t matter, their longevity is outstanding.

 

[Adelphos33]

I have both the 9th gen and the 12.9" iPad Pro, M1 version. I am actually using the 9th gen a ton for work and play recently - it is portable, light with the Smart Keyboard, and does everything I need with LTE. It's a good iPad.

 

[Richard8655]

It doesn't give? Yes it does, if you push on the glass you can actually feel it flexing inwards. The laminated displays don't do that, but yes you will put pressure on the LCD (which would be normal to happen).

I've had many non-laminated display iPads, and none of them flexed with finger pressure for me. Maybe you have a defective one?

 

[muzzy996]

I've had many non-laminated display iPads, and none of them flexed with finger pressure for me. Maybe you have a defective one?

Yeah, one can surely press hard enough to get flex and affect the display panel but the touch sensitivity of these devices is plenty sensitive enough to not require such pressure for normal operation.

 

[Drewps5co0tt]

BTW I mean to ask...why does the 9th gen have a USB-C charging brick with a lightening port on the device itself? Faster charging?

 

[Drewps5co0tt]

Yeah, one can surely press hard enough to get flex and affect the display panel but the touch sensitivity of these devices is plenty sensitive enough to not require such pressure for normal operation.

Yeah, I'm not saying it's a good idea to press on the glass lol, but it most certainly does "flex" a tiny bit if you do.

 

[Richard8655]

Yeah, one can surely press hard enough to get flex and affect the display panel but the touch sensitivity of these devices is plenty sensitive enough to not require such pressure for normal operation.

I just tried and you have to apply really hard finger pressure to get the slightest movement. I never had a need to press that hard and feels like potentially cracking the screen when doing that. To me, the laminated display is much more susceptible to the slightest pressure.

But I agree, the 9th gen is a great iPad and to me in every way.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

There’s a couple of 9th gen iPads in our house as my daughters have one each. Really good iPads in my opinion and I can’t say I feel the screens are cheap feeling at all.

The last of the entry level iPads too unless Apple return to them this year. I think most will be hanging onto them.

 

[I7guy]

I have the 7th gen and I bought my wife the m1 iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard when it came out. For my usage the 7th gen is all I need and as said before represents a good value. iPadOS 16 runs excellently on it and battery life is pretty stellar.

 

[Adelphos33]

It’s a good iPad. iPad Air and Pro are better? Sure. But iPad 9th gen works great.

 

[1BadManVan]

BTW I mean to ask...why does the 9th gen have a USB-C charging brick with a lightening port on the device itself? Faster charging?

Been the new standard charging brick for a couple years now on the ipads. Standard 20w usb c across the board and yes the 9th gen does support fast charging as well.

 

[hotr32]

For what it’s worth, the 9th gen is a great iPad, especially its price point. And for 90% of all tablet users, it’s more than enough. I had 4 iPads and decided to keep this over a 4th gen 11” Pro, I use it for browsing and light media consumption, and the 11” Pro was overkill, I ended up giving that to my brother as his main device. It’s definitely more portable than my 12.9” Pro, and for what I use it for, it’s great.

 

[Adelphos33]

For what it’s worth, the 9th gen is a great iPad, especially its price point. And for 90% of all tablet users, it’s more than enough. I had 4 iPads and decided to keep this over a 4th gen 11” Pro, I use it for browsing and light media consumption, and the 11” Pro was overkill, I ended up giving that to my brother as his main device. It’s definitely more portable than my 12.9” Pro, and for what I use it for, it’s great.

Yeah - I have both the 12.9” M1 and the 9th gen. In theory I should want to upgrade the 9th gen, but the other 11 inch iPads don’t offer much more actual functionality, and they cost $1,000 or more to spec like I want (cell, 256GB, keyboard case). I can run all my work and personal apps seamlessly on the 9th gen. At some point I may want an upgraded camera system, or 5G or whatever, but right now it is fine.

 

[Drewps5co0tt]

I'm not knocking it, I just prefer a laminated display. It's been so long since I had a phone or tablet without one, it just feels strange to me. I'll get use to it though.

 

[hotr32]

I'm not knocking it, I just prefer a laminated display. It's been so long since I had a phone or tablet without one, it just feels strange to me. I'll get use to it though.

I get what you mean about the display, as I type this on my 9th gen I can hear the “tapping on the glass”, but for what I use it for, it works. But I can tell the difference in the displays.

 

[Drewps5co0tt]

After inspecting my iPad (I finally got into it) and checked everything out to make sure there was no issues. I'm happy to report I have a perfect display and build quality! I remember back in the early days of the iPhones & iPads, there were always display issues with me. I would get displays with dead pixels, or dust in between the glass and the LCD. Glad to see that Apple has stepped up their game on QC! I haven't had this issue for several years now with iPhones either. So kudos to Apple!

 

[ssledoux]

I have a 12.9 pro and a 6th gen mini, but I upgraded all the grandkids to 9th gens last summer, so I wind up using them here and there to help them with stuff. I like the display just fine. My 12.9 is way more than I need for iPad purposes, but I use it as my main computing device, so I wanted a more full-sized keyboard.