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 | Microsoft Surface Pro 7 | UMIDIGI Active T1 | VekfulPC T60 Pro | Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2 | MENTUME K30 K70 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M2 | Intel 10th Generation Core i5 | 2000 MHz | 2.2 GHz | MediaTek | 2 GHz |
| RAM (GB) | 2 | 8 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 18 |
| Storage (GB) | 128 | 256 | 128 | 256 | 256 | 128 |
| Screen | 9.7" 2048x1536 | 12.3" 2736x1824 | 11" | 13.4" | 11" 2560x1600 | 10.1" |
| OS | iPadOS | Windows 10 Home | Android | Android 15 | Android 15 | Android 15 |
| Stylus | true | true | true | true | false | true |
| Cellular | true | false | true | true | false | false |
| 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 | 79.5 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Compare | 93 | 87.6 | 65.6 | 76.3 | 30.7 | 80.6 | 83.4 | 77.1 | 78.1 | 64.5 |
| UMIDIGI Active T1 Compare | 84.5 | 79.5 | 87.9 | 26.2 | 87.8 | 77.2 | 51.9 | 87.9 | 88 | 71.1 |
| VekfulPC T60 Pro Compare | 92.6 | 87.2 | 65.6 | 58.1 | 87.8 | 88.4 | 73.7 | 54.3 | 59.4 | 56.7 |
| Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2 Compare | 92.6 | 87.2 | 65.6 | 80 | 86.4 | 27.5 | 73.7 | 0 | 63.4 | 94.5 |
| MENTUME K30 K70 Compare | 84.5 | 79.5 | 91.5 | 49.1 | 63.4 | 88.4 | 51.9 | 0 | 78.1 | 84.2 |
Price
Value & Pricing
Amazon 5 offers From $89
Best Buy 2 offers From $107
Newegg 4 offers From $129
Price History
Usage Scores
A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.
