iPad A10 Fusion 2018

Marketed with a strong focus on the education sector but also available to the general public, the 9.7-Inch iPad (6th Gen), introduced in "Early 2018," is primarily notable for being the first non-Pro iPad to support the Apple Pencil. It essentially combines many internals from the iPhone 7 with a design similar to the iPad (5th Gen) it replaced.

All iPad (6th Gen) devices, including this Wi-Fi only model, are housed in white and gold, white and silver, or black and "Space Gray" cases. They feature a 9.7" 2048x1536 (264 ppi) LED-backlit IPS touch-sensitive "Retina" display that is not fully laminated or antireflective but does support the Apple Pencil. It includes a "Touch ID" fingerprint sensor. Each is powered by a four-core 2.3 GHz Apple A10 Fusion processor, has 2 GB of RAM, and comes with 32 GB or 128 GB of flash storage.

Other key features include dual cameras: a rear 8-megapixel "iSight" camera for stills, Live Photos, and 1080p 30 fps video, and a front 1.2-megapixel "FaceTime HD" camera for stills, Live Photos, and 720p video. It supports dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi with HT80 with MIMO and Bluetooth 4.2, plus stereo speakers. A Lightning port provides power and computer connectivity. It lacks a "Smart Connector" for the Apple Smart Keyboard but can be used with a Bluetooth keyboard.

Battery life is rated at 10 hours of "surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music."

This Wi-Fi Only model does not support 4G LTE or A-GPS.

Compared to the iPad (5th Gen), this 6th Gen model is faster and adds Apple Pencil and Retina Flash support. It was also sold at a lower price for educational customers.

The 2018 Wi-Fi-only iPad (6th generation) was a highly significant release because it brought Apple Pencil support to the most affordable iPad for the first time. This single feature transformed the device from primarily a media consumption tablet into a powerful and accessible tool for students and creatives. The upgrade to the A10 Fusion chip provided a noticeable performance boost over its predecessor, making the experience snappier and more capable for gaming and multitasking. While it retained the same traditional design with large bezels and a non-laminated display, these compromises were deemed acceptable given its budget-friendly price point. It was widely praised as the best value in the entire tablet market, offering more than enough power and functionality for the vast majority of users, and finally democratizing the excellent Apple Pencil experience.