Though having familiar design, the
fourth-generation iPad has specifications upgraded along with display enhanced.
Apple’s
fourth-generation iPad
iPad 4 is also called iPad with Retina
screen, released 7months after The New iPad. Basically, iPad 4 only has specs
upgraded to increase performance and it is not a breakthrough from Apple.
iPad 4 owns a 9.7in Retina screen, iSight
5MP camera featuring handling speed twice as fast as iPad 3. The device uses A6X
dual-core chipset (1.4GHz clock rate) and PowerVR SGX554MP4 quad-core graphic
chip.
Though well equipped, the model’s runtime
is still 10h. Front camera’s resolution was increased up to 1.2MP for HD video
recording and Face Time video call.
iPad 4 is offered at the same price of
iPad3. Particularly, 16GB + Wi-Fi version costs $499 whilst Wi-Fi + 4G LTE 16GB
version costs $629.
Design
iPad 4 weighs 662g and seizes 241.2x185.7x9.4mm,
comparable to its predecessor. Basically, Apple retained the old design for
this iPad.
The
design doesn’t look much different from the old ones.
The
back shines with Apple logo.
Volume
key and screen lock button lie on the side.
3.5mm
jack and power button are placed near two ends of the top while in the middle
is an anti-noise micro.
The
device is fragile and easily deformed by forceful impact.
User will meet sturdy-looking curves in the
solid-state aluminum chassis. They are white or black, surrounding the screen, like
from iPad 2 or 3. This design helps user to hold the device firmly without worrying
about accidentally touching into the touchscreen. However, the device is
fragile and easily deformed by forceful impact.
In the front, iPad still uses the
conventional Home button; sturdy physical buttons, such as volume key and power
button, are placed around the hinge. 5MP camera supporting full-HD 1080p video
recording lies on the back it has no flash.
iPad
4’s main camera still owns 5MP resolution like iPad 3’s one.
Front
camera is able to capture HD 720p videos at 30fps.
The
new lighting contact appear quite compact but incompatible with the
last-generation iPhones or iPads.
One of the biggest changes is that 30-pin
contact was replaced by Lighting contact. The Lighting contact is 80% smaller
than 30-pin contact. If user wants to use old cable with this new iPad, it’s
compulsory to buy a converter sold on Apple Store.
Screen
The 9.7in Retina screen is iPad 4’s most
outstanding feature, with 2048x1536pixel resolution and 264ppi density. These
parameters were once the top, yet it has been beaten by Nexus 10
(2650x1600pixel, 300ppi).
The display has excellent color saturation
and wide viewing-angle, giving user interesting experience through games and
apps. At maximum brightness, we saw that iPad was less than Nexus 10 yet
display were quite sharp and comfortable. Retina screen also prevents glare
under sunlight, delivering clear and vibrant texts.
Generally, iPad 4 is as good as its
predecessor in term of image quality and it only loses to Nexus 10.
Features
Bundled with iOS 6, iPad 4 inherits latest
features this version ever had. However, the operating system’s interface seems
old-fashioned and less customizable than Android or Windows Phone.
iOS
Maps is really disappointing in comparison with Google Maps. With reference to
pointing ability, both maps’ accuracy are alike but Google Maps provides better
information than Apple Maps.
Camera
iPad 4 is equipped with a rear 5MP camera
featuring auto-focus and a front 1.2MP camera. Main camera delivers medium
quality whose color plus white balance are nice. In low-lit, image looked
dimmed a bit. Lack of panorama is a downside of iPad 4.
A
night scene captured by rear 5MP camera
A
day scene
The front camera’s recording quality was
considerably increased as image looked much sharper than from previous models. However,
for rear camera, video recording in 1080p resolution at 30fps didn’t look
impressive.
Hardware and performance
iPad incorporates Apple’s latest dual-core
A6X (1.4GHz) processor, doubling the device’s process without affecting
runtime.
The A6X processor uses 32nm technology
seizing 123mm2, smaller than A5X (165mm2, 45nm tech) used in iPad 3. The 32nm
tech allows for reducing the size of transistor half as much as 45nm tech. Though
having size reduced, A6X processor is equipped with quad-core PowerVR SGX543MP4
graphic unit featuring higher clock rate than from A5X.
Each graphic core of A6X is divided into 9
miniature processor (including two 4-core blocks and a central core). Thanks to
this processor, iPad 4 shares the same runtime with iPad 3 though iPad 4’s
specs are more powerful whereas batteries are still the same. A5-chipped iPad
manufactured following 32nm tech was convinced to improve runtime by 15% (for
web-browsing) or 30% (for gaming).
Practice showed that iPad 4’s overall
performance was superior to iPad 3’s one. Tested by Performance Test, iPad 4’s
CPU got 26,362score, surpassing iPad 3’s one (11,041) while iPhone 5’s result
was 21,856.
Score
of CPU
Score
of performance
Our tests showed that iPad 4’s web-browsing
was impressive yet it lost to Nexus 10. Browsermark gave iPad 4 and Nexus 10
the scores of 2,550 and 3,057 respectively.
Though having three storage options (16GB, 32GB
and 64GB), lack of external memory support is also this tablet’s downside.
iPad comes with a Li-ion polymer 43Wh
battery. Practically, we could browse webs for 9 hours continuously. This iPad
uses a 12W charger which was different from the old 10W one. The new charger
increases 9% of power, helping user to narrow down charging time by 5h 40min
while the old iPad took 6h for charging.
iPad
4 got warm after one-hour gaming. The highest temperature was 40 degree Celsius,
higher than from iPad 3 and Google Nexus.
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General info
·
2G network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
·
3G network: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
·
Release date: Oct, 2012
·
Status: Available
Body
·
Size: 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4 mm
·
Weight: 652 g
Screen
·
Type: LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive
touchscreen, 16M color
·
Size: 1536x2048pixel, 9.7 inch (264 ppi)
·
Multi-touching: Yes
·
Glass type: Scratch-resistant glass,
oleophobic coating
Sound
·
Notification: Yes
·
Stereo: Yes
·
3.5mm jack: Yes
Memory
·
Card slot: No
·
Storage: 16/32/64 GB
·
RAM: 1GB
Data
·
GPRS: Yes
·
EDGE: Yes
·
Speed: HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps
·
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
·
Bluetooth: Yes, v4.0
·
USB: Yes, v2.0
Camera
·
Main: 5 MP, 2592x1944pixel
·
Feature: No
·
Video: Yes, 1080p@30fpss
·
Sub-camera: Yes, HD
Features
·
Operating system: iOS 6
·
Chipset: Apple A6X
·
CPU: Dual-core 1.4 GHz
·
GPU: PowerVR SGX543MP4
·
Sensor: Accelerometer, gyro, compass
·
Messaging: iMessage, Email, Push Email, IM
·
Browser: HTML (Safari)
·
Radio: No
·
GPS: Yes
·
Java: No
·
Color: Black and whiet
Battery
·
Type: Standard battery, Li-Po 6930 mAh (25 Wh)
·
Standby time: 720h
·
Runtime: 10h
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