iPad (9th generation) vs iPad (10th generation)

For a while Apple sold these side by side. iPad (9th generation) went on order on 14 September 2021 and reached stores on 24 September 2021, the last base iPad with a Home button and Lightning. When iPad (10th generation) arrived on 18 October 2022, with stores from 26 October 2022, Apple kept the older one on sale at $329 and $459. Then iPad (A16) took over as the current base iPad on 4 March 2025, so both of these are previous models you’d keep or buy used.

The differences at a glance

Spec	iPad (9th generation)	iPad (10th generation)
Announced	14 September 2021; stores 24 September 2021	18 October 2022; stores 26 October 2022
US launch price	$329 Wi-Fi, $459 cellular (64GB)	$449 Wi-Fi, $599 cellular (64GB)
Connector	Lightning; 3.5mm headphone jack	USB-C at USB 2.0, up to 480Mb/s; no headphone jack listed
Touch ID	Home button	Top button
Display	10.2-inch Retina, 2160 × 1620, 264 ppi, 500 nits	10.86-inch Liquid Retina, 2360 × 1640, 264 ppi, 500 nits
Chip	A13 Bionic with Neural Engine; core counts not published	A14 Bionic: 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory	Not published	Not published
Storage	64GB or 256GB	64GB or 256GB
Apple Pencil	1st generation only	Pencil (USB-C); 1st generation with an adapter
Keyboard	Smart Keyboard	Magic Keyboard Folio
External display	Up to 1080p through a Lightning adapter	Resolution not published
Rear camera	8 MP Wide, f/2.4, 1080p at 25 or 30 fps	12 MP Wide, f/1.8, 4K up to 60 fps
Front camera	12 MP ultra-wide, 122°, f/2.4, Center Stage, Retina Flash	Landscape 12 MP Center Stage, f/2.4, 1080p
Speakers	Stereo	Landscape stereo
Wireless	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) up to 866Mbps; Bluetooth 4.2	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax); Bluetooth 5.2
Cellular	Gigabit-class LTE, model A2603; nano-SIM and eSIM	5G, model A2757; nano-SIM and eSIM; data only
Size	250.6 × 174.1 × 7.5mm	248.6 × 179.5 × 7mm
Weight	487g Wi-Fi, 498g cellular	477g Wi-Fi, 481g cellular
Battery	32.4Wh; up to 10 hours Wi-Fi, 9 hours cellular	28.6Wh; same ratings
In the box	Lightning to USB-C cable, 20W USB-C adapter	USB-C cable, 20W USB-C adapter
Colors	Silver, Space Gray	Silver, Blue, Pink, Yellow

Lightning and a headphone jack, or USB-C

This is the real decision. The 9th generation has a Lightning connector, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Smart Connector, plus a SIM tray on cellular models. It comes with a Lightning to USB-C cable and a 20-watt USB-C adapter. External video goes up to 1080p through Apple’s Lightning Digital AV or Lightning to VGA adapter, sold separately, and the keyboard Apple paired with it is the Smart Keyboard.

The 10th generation swaps Lightning for USB-C, with charging and DisplayPort, and drops the headphone jack. Its USB-C port runs at USB 2.0 speed, up to 480Mb/s, so it’s the slow kind, not USB 3. It also has a Smart Connector and a SIM tray on cellular models, comes with a 1-meter USB-C cable and the same 20-watt adapter, and launched alongside the Magic Keyboard Folio, sold separately.

If your drawer is full of Lightning cables and dongles, or you listen on wired headphones, the 9th generation still fits. If everything else you own charges over USB-C, the 10th generation does.

Pencil support

The 9th generation works with the 1st-generation Apple Pencil only. The 10th generation adds Apple Pencil (USB-C) and still takes the 1st-generation Pencil through Apple’s USB-C adapter. A school that already owns 1st-generation Pencils can keep using them on either, but a USB-C Pencil won’t work on the 9th generation. Hover and Pencil Pro aren’t on either tablet’s list.

A bigger screen and a long-edge camera

Both screens have 264 pixels per inch and are rated 500 nits, with True Tone and an oleophobic coating. The 9th generation’s is a 10.2-inch Retina display at 2160 × 1620; the 10th generation’s is a 10.86-inch Liquid Retina display at 2360 × 1640, so the extra pixels come from the larger glass. Apple marketed it as the 10.9-inch class. Neither lists P3 color, full lamination, an antireflective coating or ProMotion.

The cameras are a clear step. The 9th generation’s rear camera is an 8-megapixel Wide at f/2.4 that records 1080p at 25 or 30 fps; the 10th generation’s is a 12-megapixel Wide at f/1.8 that records 4K at up to 60 fps. Up front, the 9th generation has a 12-megapixel ultra-wide at f/2.4 with a 122-degree view, Center Stage and a Retina Flash. The 10th generation moves its 12-megapixel Center Stage camera, also f/2.4, to the long edge, which is where you want it when you hold the iPad sideways for a call. Its speakers are landscape stereo too; the 9th generation’s are stereo. Both have dual microphones.

The newer iPad is slightly shorter, a bit wider, half a millimeter thinner and about 10 grams lighter with Wi-Fi. At 7mm it’s still thicker than an Air at 6.1mm.

A13 against A14

The 9th generation runs the A13 Bionic with a Neural Engine, and Apple gives no core counts for it. The 10th generation moved up to the A14 Bionic, with a 6-core CPU, a 4-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. Neither is an M-series chip like the Air’s.

Wi-Fi 5 and LTE, or Wi-Fi 6 and 5G

The 9th generation has Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac, 2x2 MIMO, up to 866Mbps) and Bluetooth 4.2. Its cellular model, A2603, is Gigabit-class LTE with a nano-SIM and eSIM, and it isn’t 5G. The 10th generation has Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax, 2x2 MIMO, simultaneous dual band) and Bluetooth 5.2, and its cellular model, A2757, is 5G with a nano-SIM and eSIM, for data only. Every model of both has a compass, Wi-Fi and iBeacon; only the cellular models add GPS.

Battery life is rated the same, up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi and 9 hours on cellular, even though the 9th generation’s battery is larger at 32.4Wh against 28.6Wh.

Price, and the current base iPad

At launch the 9th generation cost $329 for Wi-Fi and $459 with cellular, and the 10th generation $449 and $599, both starting at 64GB. That $120 Wi-Fi gap bought USB-C, the larger screen, landscape speakers, Wi-Fi 6, 5G and 4K on the rear camera. It didn’t buy more storage.

On a used listing, a Home button means the 9th generation, and an all-screen case in blue, pink or yellow means the 10th; silver came in both. Check the connector, the storage and the iPadOS version a used unit runs before you buy.

If you’d rather buy new, the current base iPad is iPad (A16): see iPad (10th generation) vs iPad (A16). For Pencil Pro or a USB 3 port you’d need to step up to an Air.