Apple iPad 9.7" A1954 Rose Gold 2018
Apple Pencil compatibility on the 9.7-inch 2048x1536 Retina display makes it a rare budget tool for handwritten notes, driven by the A10 Fusion chip. A 3.5mm headphone jack and stereo speakers preserve a direct media experience, while the Touch ID sensor offers quick unlocking. Best for students and casual readers who want entry-level note-taking and reading, not for multitasking or productivity tasks.
Snapshot
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong gpu (89th percentile) 89th
- Strong battery (85th percentile) 85th
- Strong social proof (80th percentile) 80th
- Strong connectivity (67th percentile) 67th
Cons
- Below average ram (5th percentile)
What owners think
How owner sentiment changed over time
ExclusiveBased on when customers actually wrote their reviews - so you can see whether early praise held up.
- Q2 202660/100
Mixed reviews: one buyer delighted with value for a child, but another reports total failure after 6 months. Performance and charging are slow for some.
- Great value and condition for a kid's budget iPad
- iPad stopped working and won't charge after 6 months
- Works well for basic use but feels a little slow
- Charges slowly but battery holds charge; minor scratches on back
- Q1 202667/100
Most buyers praised the tablet's value and performance for work/study, but a few reported severe battery defects including sudden shutdowns and one explosion.
- Great value and performance for online classes and work
- Refurbished unit like new, highly recommended
- Battery dies after 10-15 minutes, shuts down
- Battery exploded, item didn't work
Based on 16 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.
The proof
Performance
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | Apple M2 |
| Cores | 4 |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB |
| Expandable | No |
Display
| Size | 9.7" |
| Resolution | 2048x1536 |
| Panel | IPS |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| USB-C | 0 |
| Cellular | Yes |
Features
| Stylus Support | Yes |
| Stylus Model | Apple Pencil |
| Fingerprint Reader | Yes |
| Face Unlock | No |
Physical
| Weight | 0.5 kg / 1.0 lbs |
| OS | iPadOS |
vs Competition
| Spec | Apple iPad 9.7" A1954 | Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra SM-X930NZAAXAR | Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition | Xiaomi Pad 7 2410CRP4CG | Lenovo Idea Tab Pro | HOTWAV R9 Ultra 5G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M2 | MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ | Intel Core Ultra 7 268V | 2800 MHz | MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Octa-core (A715 3.35Ghz + 3 x A715 3.2Ghz + 4 x A510 2.2Ghz) | 2.3 GHz |
| RAM (GB) | 2 | 12 | 32 | 8 | 8 | 24 |
| Storage (GB) | 128 | 256 | 512 | 256 | 128 | 512 |
| Screen | 9.7" 2048x1536 | 14.6" 2960x1848 | 13" 2880x1920 | 11.2" 3200x2136 | 12.7" 2944x1840 | 11" |
| OS | iPadOS | Android 16 | Windows 11 Pro | Android 14 | Android 14 | Android 15 |
| Stylus | true | true | true | true | true | true |
| Cellular | true | false | false | false | true | true |
| Battery (Wh) | - | - | 47 | - | - | - |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | CPU | GPU | RAM | Screen | Battery | Feature | Storage | User Sentiment | Connectivity | Social Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad 9.7" A1954 | 65.7 | 89 | 5.4 | 66.7 | 85.4 | 62.1 | 51.9 | 39 | 66.9 | 79.6 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra SM-X930NZAAXAR Compare | 97.5 | 95.5 | 80.8 | 95.9 | 93 | 86.6 | 73.7 | 91.8 | 63.4 | 99.1 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition Compare | 76.4 | 90.8 | 98.6 | 98.4 | 99.1 | 84.1 | 93 | 77 | 93.1 | 47.8 |
| Xiaomi Pad 7 2410CRP4CG Compare | 97.1 | 94 | 65.6 | 98.7 | 85.9 | 50.8 | 83.4 | 87.8 | 78.1 | 91.4 |
| Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Compare | 84.5 | 79.5 | 77.3 | 91.9 | 91 | 99.6 | 64.7 | 54.2 | 96.3 | 91.4 |
| HOTWAV R9 Ultra 5G Compare | 94.3 | 91.4 | 96 | 42 | 30.7 | 94 | 89.5 | 94.6 | 71.5 | 55.9 |
Usage Scores
A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.
