Apple iPad 3

The new Apple iPad may resemble its precursor the iPad2, but with its stunning features the latter does appear out-dated. Noticeable amongst the many upgrades is the retina display, improved UI, amazing multi-touch use, better camera and some solid hardware boost to the quadcore GPU. Despite the same looks as the iPad 2, the new iPad is 50 gms heavier at 660 gms and slightly thicker at 9.4 mm. It has a 9.7 inch display that graces the entire front panel. The few buttons that are present on the tablet include volume and screen lock/unlock keys along with a 30 pin dock connector slot at the bottom and a 3.5mm port. The new ipad looks immensely stylish with its solid metal back and stunning display at the front.

Finest display for tablets

With retina display and a scratch resistant oleophobic glass, it has an immensely crisp and stunning screen, which leaves the iPad 2 far behind. Its 9.7 inch display has a resolution of 2048x1536, which is almost twice the ipad 2's screen resolution. The display renders the overall experience to more realistic levels with clear text and sharp edges in the visuals. The icons are bigger and look striking. Also, the multi-touch gestures can be used to perform plenty of tasks like 5 finger pinch to see multiple apps that are running in the background. Also, multi-touch gestures can be used to adjust screen brightness and zoom in/out.

Improved quadcore graphics

The tablet is faster and powerful due to the A5X dual-core chip, with a Quadcore GPU and so is immensely responsive. The iPad boasts of clear Wi-Fi signals, 4G SIM support and has a battery that lasts almost 10 hours even with several apps running, along with tasks like web browsing, video or music. There were some initial reports about its heating up, which may be the case in certain units but we didn't feel it in the one we reviewed. Due to better graphics and processor one can run games on it. The best part that it is 4G ready, so when 4G services do arrive in India, buying it makes more sense.

Shoot videos in full HD with its 5MP camera

The new iPad has a 5MP iSight camera with auto focus, white balance and face detection capability and can shoot videos at 1080p. It also has a VGA camera on the front panel which is quite handy for video chats or Skype calls. The little speaker is very good and produces decent sound. The camera shoots decent quality images in daylight; however, the 1080p HD video recording is brilliant. It also features iCloud functionality, which allows users to store any form of data on remote computer servers, which can be accessed from multiple iOS based devices.

The Bottomline

It doesn't have an external memory slot or HDMI slot and that seems to be the only flaw in this device. It is available in three variants 16GB, 32GB and 64GB with Wi-Fi and 4G. Though it hasn't been officially launched in India but the 16GB model is available online at Tradus.in for Rs. 36,799, after discount. Now, that is almost what the iPad is available for. With its stunning display and powerful features, it is the best tablet around so if you were planning to go for the iPad 2, then it's time to reconsider and take this one instead.