We're back with a more comprehensive review of Apple's new iPad 3, including new gamut benchmarks pitting the iPad 3 against an array of recent Android-based tablets. Is Apple's latest offering a disappointment to those expecting more—or a game-changer?
Every new product launch from Apple is enveloped in hype and hoopla. Some folks look for reasons to love the new hardware, while others spend hours looking for that one flaw that'll get everyone's attention. Not surprisingly, the iPad 3 launched to a full media circus.
But not everyone's expectations were satisfied by Apple’s third-generation tablet. Looking back at how this product family has evolved, the iPad 2 advanced in a pretty clear way. It was smaller, thinner, lighter, and delivered better performance. The iPad 2 was expensive, yes. However, its improvements over the company's first-generation effort made the price tag worthwhile for a great many.

The third-generation iPad is a different beast. Rather than tackle "smaller, thinner, lighter, and faster" again, Apple bolsters this device's image quality with a significantly higher-resolution display. The HD resolution is accompanied by a more powerful graphics processor able to maintain performance, even under the load of greater pixel density.
Our LCD benchmarks allow us to accurately quantify the image quality improvements, which you may have already seen in our first look at the iPad 3. To briefly recap, we found substantially better color performance and saturation.
To focus exclusively on the iPad's new screen is to overlook a multitude of other small changes that Apple made, though. Today, we're going back to explore all of that in a more comprehensive review of Apple's newest tablet.
Buttons
SIM Holder, Same Size
SIM Cards
Compared to the iPad 2, The New iPad, as Apple calls it, feels very familiar. It's virtually the same size as its predecessor, and there are almost no changes to where notable components appear. The camera, microSIM card (4G model), speakers, buttons, and docking connector are all right where someone with an iPad 2 would expect to find them.
Last year, we noted that the iPad 2's docking connector was a bit of a bother, and even this point carries over. The curved casing makes it difficult to easily dock, often resulting in the connector scratching the tablet's chassis near the port. From a usability standpoint, the curved design also makes it harder to get tactile feedback from the power, volume, and mute buttons.
Although the design isn't any different, some folks can easily distinguish between the iPad 2 and 3. If you set one down next to the other, you'll notice that The New iPad is slightly thicker (though not by much; it's just a .03-inch difference).
More notable is that the newest iPad is about 10% heavier. Even that's pretty minor, though. About 18 g separates the third-gen 4G model and the first-gen Wi-Fi model.
| Specifications | iPad | iPad 3G | iPad 2 | iPad 2 3G | iPad 3 | iPad 3 4G LTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 9.56" | 9.50" | ||||
| Height | 7.47" | 7.31" | ||||
| Width | .5" | 0.34" | 0.37" | |||
| Weight | 1.5 lb (680 g) | 1.6 lb (730 g) | 1.33 lb (601 g) | GSM: 1.35 lb (613 g) CDMA: 1.34 lb (607 g) | 1.44 lb (652 g) | 1.46 lb (662 g) |
- The New iPad Is Heavier, But Features A Dazzling Display
- Wide-Gamut Color Performance
- Driving Higher Resolutions Requires More Power
- Battery Life: What To Expect
- Is There A Problem With Heat? We Profile Power
- Mapping Out iPad 3's Heat: Surface Temperature
- Taking An Infrared Camera To The iPad 3
- 4G LTE Performance: Verizon Versus AT&T
- HDMI Output Disappoints; Camera Quality Impresses
- The New iPad: Making Life Hard For The Competition, Again


+1 to the keyboard thing. But remember that most tablets (all?) don't have full size HDMI so you probably need a dongle 99% of the time anyway.
Really?
100 degrees is damn hot but I think the results are justified.
+1 to the keyboard thing. But remember that most tablets (all?) don't have full size HDMI so you probably need a dongle 99% of the time anyway.
The port isn't all that's needed. There's also a bit of hardware around it for the socket that makes it a tad thicker and a stretch to fit in the chasis of tablets.
Really?
Yeah I thought that comment was bunk too. Typically I use my tablet 1-2 feet away as less that 1 foot away would have the thing shoved up in my face too much and not give me any arm reach to operate the device properly.
As for the display in the iPad3 I went to the apple store and looked at it side by side with the iPad2. The colors look great but the super high pixel density was not as big of a difference as these reviews made it out to be.
The biggest things I noticed when comparing iPad2 and 3 side by side was the increased thickness and weight. Those 2 factors were enough for me to want to choose the iPad2, especially if I could get it a little cheaper than the iPad 3.
I also am curious about who will get the gaming win (more depends on where the devs go):
android tegra3, ipad3, vita, 3ds, or maybe microsoft will pull a rabbit out of their hat with win8.
I'm just saying if we are supposed to be a technology site we should be sure the facts are correct.
If I am going to pay $830 for a limited use tablet with 64GB storage and 4G, then I think I would rather spend that money on a notebook or ultrabook. I can still get a touch screen, I still get good graphics, I get a real keyboard/mouse, can still get a 4G option, and I get real x86 programs, removable storage, better connectivity options (USB3, thunderbolt), and (most importantly) real storage space.
Also, I would prefer win8 over iOS, but iOS is not a deal breaker if they would come out with something that would fit my use.
My fault. Corrected.
Cheers,
Andrew Ku