Conclusion Get the lowdown
Features How it compares
Performance Real world benchmarks
Differences Technical showdown
Reviews Word on the street
Competition Others to consider
Discussion Answers and opinions

Full specs

Apple iPad 3

9.7"
32 GB
WiFi 3G
iOS 6

Released March, 2012

Still, the addition of voice dictation is a welcome feature, and it can be handy for composing quick e-mails and bypassing the touch-screen keyboard when searching for information online.

Rated 87% by by c|net (Mar, 2012)

Conclusion Check out the Apple iPad 3

Apple iPad 3

Google Nexus 10

Apple iPad mini

97%

93%

91%

FeaturesView Details

61%

100%

87%

Popularity

88%

95%

90%

PerformanceView Details

86%

81%

87%

ReviewsView Details

SortableScore

First reviewed March, 2012

Features Key features of the Apple iPad 3

9.7”

iOS 6

If you've ever used an iPhone or iPod Touch, the new iPad will feel immediately familiar.

Rated 87% by by c|net (Mar, 2012)

screen size

iPad 39.7"

iPad mini7.9"

Galaxy Note 10.110.1"

The big screen makes it fun to take pictures or videos as I recently did at the National Air and Space Museum.

iPad 3 by Roaming-Seer--RoamingSeer (Jun, 2012)

With a breathtaking display and big hardware upgrades, does the tablet king retain its crown?

iPad 3 by The Verge (Mar, 2012)

screen resolution

Apple iPad 3

2048 x 1536 resolution screen

iPad 3 2048 x 1536 resolution screen

Apple iPad mini

1024 x 768 resolution screen

iPad mini 1024 x 768 resolution screen

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

1280 x 800 resolution screen

Galaxy Note 10.1 1280 x 800 resolution screen

Whether it's a simple round of Scrabble or an intense romp through Grand Theft Auto 3, the iPad's combination of Retina Display and quad-core graphics processor add up to a dramatic improvement for gaming.

iPad 3 by c|net (Mar, 2012)

This a Great product, the retina display is simple great, much more stable because of the memory and the graphics in games are much better.

iPad 3 by Gabriel (Aug, 2012)

memory

0 GB

Galaxy Note 10.12 GB

iPad 31 GB

Nexus 102 GB

2 GB

camera resolution

0 MP

Galaxy Note 10.11.9 MP

iPad 30.3 MP

Nexus 101.9 MP

2 MP

I'm really disappointed Apple didn't improve the front camera.

iPad 3 by William-B.-Partridge

The front camera is also still VGA.

iPad 3 by William-B.-Partridge

processor

Apple iPad 3

Dual core

iPad 3 Dual core

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Quad core

Galaxy Note 10.1 Quad core

Sony Xperia Tablet S

Quad core

Xperia Tablet S Quad core

Featuring an Apple designed Dual-core A5X, low power, high performance processor, the 1.44 pound (1.46 pounds for the Wi-Fi + 4G) iPad 3 is a tad thinner than the iPad 2, though the screen size stays the same.

iPad 3 by Vincent-E.-Martin--Darkbard (Apr, 2012)

At the center of that chip is an ARM-based, dual core SoC clocked to 1GHz, along with a quad-core GPU.

iPad 3 by The Verge (Mar, 2012)

Performance Real world tests of Apple iPad 3

cpu speed

iPad 31 GHz

Nexus 101.7 GHz

PadFone 21.5 GHz

appleinsider.com

Processor speed is excellent.

iPad 3 by Brad-Gordon (May, 2012)

processor speed between A5 and A5x isn't something you'll really notice during regular browsing but its nice to still know you have that extra headroom of processor power though...BUT for high GPU demanding games such as Infinity Blade 2 you'll definately benefit from a smooother gaming experience and more frames per second.

iPad 3 by casper (Apr, 2012)

sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark

Apple iPad 3

1,817 ms

iPad 3 1,817 ms

Apple iPad 4

850 ms

iPad 4 850 ms

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

1,193 ms

Galaxy Note 10.1 1,193 ms

blog.gsmarena.com

battery life

0 hour10 hour

iPad 3 10 hour

Galaxy Note 10.1 8 hour

Nexus 10 9 hour

Another nice perk is that if you buy into the Verizon version, not only do you get your LTE service on the iPad, but you also can use the device as a wireless hotspot at no extra charge (AT&T says they're working on it, but they don't offer the same luxury).

iPad 3 by The Verge (Mar, 2012)

10 Watt power supply is somewhat ridiculous considering iPad contains laptop size battery; charges take about 6-8 hours, depending on how far one lets it run down; for comparison, typical laptop comes with 40-60 watt power supply and charge in 1.5-2.5 hours.

iPad 3 by J.-Anderson (Mar, 2012)

Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors

pros

Quite good touch screen

Capacitive
Has a webcam

0.3 MP
Has a rear camera

5 MP
Longer battery life

10 hour
Very high resolution screen

2048 x 1536
Very sharp screen

263 ppi
Has a gyroscope

Play games and use applications that take advantage of device rotation
Has a light sensor

Automatically adjust screen brightness for environmental factors
Big screen

9.7"
Supports 3G

be online anywhere that has cell coverage
Has an accelerometer

Detects movement for interactive apps
Has a compass

Great for maps and navigation apps
Fast Bluetooth

24 Mbit/s (Bluetooth v4.0)
Has a GPS

Get directions and navigation, geotag photos
Is multitouch

use multiple fingers at once for more complex interactions
Supports voice commands

Can be operated hands free

cons

Supported card formats

None
OS can't multitask

Only one app at a time can run
Low resolution front camera

0.3 MP
Doesn't have an open source operating system

How you can use your tablet is controlled by a corporation
Doesn't support Flash

Many games and videos on the Internet require Adobe Flash
Doesn't have a microphone jack

Poorer input sound quality
Slow processor

1 GHz
Doesn't support face unlock

must unlock manually

full specs

Reviews Word on the street

	Rated 80% Read the review (Sep, 2012) It’s now a 5 megapixel, backside-illuminated affair with a five element f/2.4 lens and autofocus, and it can shoot stabilized 1080p video at 30fps.

	Rated 93% Read the review (Mar, 2012) The new iPad is also equipped with a greatly improved camera on its back (a 5 megapixel shooter, not unlike the one featured on the iPhone 4), new 4G LTE options (for both Verizon and AT&T), and a considerably more powerful processor.

	Rated 87% Read the review (Mar, 2012) It is a huge improvement over the iPad 2's 0.7-megapixel shooter; this updated shooter is now 5 megapixels.

	Rated 84% by 190 users at amazon.com As Apple advertises, if you look closely at, say, someone with a white shirt in a photo on the iPad 2 you can actually see the display pixels, which obviously limits the sharpness of the photo. Rated 100% by by AgingBoomer This is a major flaw because I would love to see the life of these getting points and an easily changeable screen. Rated 20% by by reviewman (Jul, 2012) If I attempt to sync the apps using itunes, then itunes will attempt to sync ALL apps that I have purchased, including apps for the iphone that are not meant to work on the ipad, which results in the sync canceling itself and only about 3 apps being installed. Rated 80% by by x59htes (Apr, 2012)

Apps

Notifications are better, multitasking is better, and just the general usability of the device is better - especially with regard to the home screen.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 80% by by William-B.-Partridge

I use my Gmail account to backup all my contacts, as well as send/receive emails.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 40% by by Serpentiz (Sep, 2012)

Of course, all the standard apps have been reworked to support the new resolution, and most of the premium apps coming out will support it.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)

Screen

Expensive tablet, beautiful high screen resolution so do not purchase a screen protector (I did and it caused the resolution quality to fade...just get a jacket that protects the front and back like a book cover does), adapter can also be used for iPhone, good size (Apple please do not make the iPad any bigger or smaller...this is a very GOOD size).

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 80% by by Lee-the-Reader

The retina display is excellent, although the difference may not be obvious at first glance.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 100% by by Debbie-Lee-Wesselmann (Jul, 2012)

I showed the iPad off to a few co-workers today and they loved the new Retina display.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 100% by by D.-Miyao

Ports

Other tablets may have more ports or larger screens, but few can match the elegance, sleekness, or solidness of this device.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 93% by by The Verge (Mar, 2012)

And Apple has made it possible to see whatever is on the screen of the iPad on a bigger screen, and you can buy HDMI adapters now: Apple Digital AV Adapter (MC953).

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 80% by by Just-Trying-to-Help (Mar, 2012)

The back camera can be used for HD (1080p) video recording of up to 30 frames per second with audio, as well as still camera with 5x zoom.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 100% by by Vincent-E.-Martin--Darkbard (Apr, 2012)

Video

Apple has released an updated version of its HDMI Digital AV Adapter that is optimized for the new iPad, but the older adapter will still work.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 87% by by c|net (Mar, 2012)

I own the AppleTV and the HDMI adapter, and use them in different ways at different times.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 80% by by Just-Trying-to-Help (Mar, 2012)

A bit more about usage, someone pointed out in a comment that you don't need the HDMI adapter if you intend to use AirPlay.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 80% by by Just-Trying-to-Help (Mar, 2012)

Type

+. I truly enjoy the device and its amazing!!! The iPad is the 'King of the Hill' in the tablet world and much better than the Good Android tablets that I have used.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 80% by by Roche (Jun, 2012)

The policy can also control other aspect of the iPad 3 64GB Wi-Fi +4G's including third-party e-mail account creation; Windows SharePoint Services and Windows File Shares access; message size limits; attachment downloading, as well as a host of other security related features and functions.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 100% by by Vincent-E.-Martin--Darkbard (Apr, 2012)

It feels cleaner and still just a little shinier than the best Android has to offer, but to be honest, with Android 4 – known as Ice Cream Sandwich, or ICS – running on a powerful tablet, it’s a close battle.

Apple iPad 3 32 GB 4G | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)