As someone who constantly finds themselves on planes, trains and coaches, I seldom leave the house without my trusty iPad. I've cycled through a few models in recent years including the iPad Mini and iPad Air, though Apple's entry-level model – which is simply called "iPad" – has stuck out to me as offering the best bang for your buck performance out of the whole lineup.
While this device didn't have to pull out the stops when it came to AV performance, we still found it to be a five-star tablet for movies and music. We liked it so much that it took home a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2023.
In our full review, already considered it to offer a solid performance-per-pound ratio back when it cost £499, however, you can now pick it up for much less than that thanks to the Black Friday sales.
It's just £289 in Argos which, by our records, is the lowest price it has ever been. However, we regrettably inform you that it's not currently available in the fetching hot pink finish – blue, yellow and silver are all available, though.
The 10th Generation iPad delivers the first major design overhaul, practically since the first iPad launched back in 2010. Now, the basic iPad is uncannily similar to the more expensive iPad Air, with slimmer bezels and smoothed-off edges that Apple calls an “all-screen” design.
There's also a more fun element here too, with Apple ditching the Space Grey of bygone years for Silver but offering a pop of colour too, with options for Yellow, Blue and Pink hues.
Expect a touch more screen real estate this time round, creeping up from 10.2 inches to 10.9 inches, and a slight resolution increase to match, up to 2360 x 1640. It's plenty sharp enough despite the pixels-per-inch remaining the same, and at 500 nits peak brightness, it's bright enough too.
As for how it looks when watching movies, there's a good level of detail retrieval, a careful handling of both light and dark scenes and a richer, bolder colour palette than its 9th Generation predecessor. Better yet, it supports HDR playback with both HDR10 and Dolby Vision included, while Dolby Atmos sound is provided for immersive audio.
Speaking of sound, the iPad is just as talented in the audio department. It carries Apple's signature characteristics, with a warm, expressive and detailed sound that makes it just as good for listening to music as it is for watching films. Speaker audio is also improved from the 9th-gen model, as Apple has separated the built-in stereo speakers to the two opposite edges of the device, resulting in a more spacious and full-bodied sound.
We're huge fans of this entry-level iPad, and thoroughly recommended it at its full asking price back in 2022. Now with a whopping £210 slashed from the price (a rarely hefty discount for Apple products might we add), it becomes an even easier recommendation.
MORE:
Read our full Apple iPad 2022 review
Find the best Black Friday deals here
As well as our picks for the best iPads