This consumption device wants to be a creative one, too, but is a Pencil enough? Just like last year's iPad, this year's model is still the best tablet at its price point for watching videos, playing games, reading emails, and browsing the Web. But by adding Pencil support and extolling the device's virtues for educators, Apple has tried to position this new release as an entry-level machine not just for consuming content but for creating it.

In 2017, iPad sales grew year over year for the first time since 2013. Obviously, Apple improved the iPad Pro by introducing a 120Hz display, but it might have been that year's low-end, $329 iPad—which we had good things to say about—that finally started to move the needle upward.