Apple iPad 4 review

One area where the iPad trumps all of the competition is with its build quality. With its aluminium case, the iPad feels reassuringly tough and is streets ahead of the competition with their plastic cases. With the neat bezel (available in black and white), the iPad looks and feels like a premium device.

Build quality is fantastic thanks to the aluminium case?

Despite the improvements to the processor and the new wireless chips, the iPad 4 is exactly the same size as the iPad 3. At 652g for the Wi-Fi version, it’s also the same weight. It’s a touch heavier than some Android devices, but given that it’s made from Aluminium and the build quality is so much better, we’re happy for the few extra grams.

The iPad 4 is the same size and weight as the previous model

As with previous iPad models, you can buy the iPad 4 in black and white, and in Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular models that have 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of storage. However, while the iPad 4 is still a great tablet, Apple’s price-drops on the iPad Air and iPad Mini lines makes it poor value if you’re buying one today.

The cheapest iPad available direct from Apple is the iPad Mini, which costs £199 for the 16GB version. If you want a bigger screen then the regular iPad Air 16GB costs £319, the same price as the all-new iPad Mini 3. Despite only being a couple of years old, the iPad 4 is now definitely ‘old’ technology, so unless you can pick it up for significantly less than the iPad Air or iPad Mini then it isn’t worth your money.