The iPad (6th generation) (also referred to as the iPad 9.7-inch) is a

tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers ...

developed and marketed by

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

It was announced on March 27, 2018, during an education-focused event at Lane Tech High School in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and is the successor to the fifth-generation iPad, upgraded with the Apple A10 Fusion processor and support for styluses such as

Apple Pencil Apple Pencil is a line of wireless stylus pen accessories designed and developed by Apple Inc. for use with supported iPad tablets. The first-generation Apple Pencil was announced alongside the first iPad Pro on September 9, 2015. It communi ...

. The iPad is also marketed towards educators and schools. It was replaced in September 2019, by the seventh-generation iPad. This is the last iPad to have the original 9.7 inch display.

Specifications

The iPad shipped with

iOS 11 iOS 11 is the iOS version history, eleventh major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., Apple, being the successor to iOS 10. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5, 2017, and w ...

, and had the

iWork iWork is an office suite of applications created by Apple Inc., Apple for its macOS, iPadOS, and iOS operating systems, and also available cross-platform through the iCloud website. iWork includes the presentation program, presentation applicat ...

suite of apps pre-installed and included Apple Pencil stylus support. The iPad supports up to

iPadOS 17 iPadOS 17 is the fifth major release of the iPadOS operating system developed by Apple for its iPad line of tablet computers. The successor to iPadOS 16, it was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 5, 2023 ...

, and does not support

iPadOS 18 iPadOS 18 is the sixth and current major release of Apple's iPadOS operating system for the iPad. It was revealed at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). It is the direct successor to iPadOS 17 and was announced alongside iOS 18 ...

. In June 2025, a developer on GitHub unofficially ported iPadOS 18 to the iPad. The iPad's hardware is nearly identical to the previous generation, except for a few upgrades, such as

and stylus support and an upgraded processor, the Apple A10 Fusion. It is available in three colors: Silver, Space Gray, and a new Gold color to match the updated color introduced with the

iPhone 8 The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the eleventh generation of the iPhone. The iPhone 8 was released on September 22, 2017, succeeding the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, respectively. T ...

. The iPad has 2

gigabyte The gigabyte () is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The SI prefix, prefix ''giga-, giga'' means 109 in the International System of Units (SI). Therefore, one gigabyte is one billion bytes. The unit symbol for the gigabyte i ...

s of RAM. It is 7.5 mm thick. The iPad is available in 32 and 128 GB storage options. Unlike other iPad models, the iPad 6 does not feature a laminated display.

Reception

The 2018 iPad received positive reviews. Gareth Beavis of ''TechRadar'' praised the addition of the Apple Pencil and the powerful A10 chip, but noted that it was as costly as the previous generation iPad. Scott Stein of ''CNET'' also praised the addition of support for

and the upgrade to the A10 chip, but criticized it for lacking the Smart Connector as well as not having the same display technology as the iPad Pro, writing "the 2018 entry-level iPad doesn't add much, but it makes an already excellent tablet a better buy than ever."

Timeline of models

Notes

References

External links

{{Apple 6th generation Tablet computers Touchscreen portable media players Tablet computers introduced in 2018 Discontinued Apple Inc. products