Apple is starting off its big fall event with an updated entry-level iPad. Now packed with Apple’s A13 Bionic chip – the same one that powers the iPhone 11 series – the new iPad is now faster than ever, along with a new 12MP ultra-wide angle selfie camera.

Let’s start with the Malaysian pricing of the updated 9th generation iPad. The base WiFi model with 64GB retails at RM1,499, while the cellular variant with the same amount of storage starts at RM2,119. If you want the 256GB model instead, that will set you back RM2,149 and RM2,769 for the WiFi-only and cellular models respectively.

Thanks to the A13 Bionic chip, the new iPad now offers 20% faster CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine performances compared to its predecessor. It also gains a new 12MP ultra-wide angle front camera, which enables the Center Stage feature.

Initially offered on the iPad Pro, Center Stage pans the camera to keep the user (or users) in view. When other people get into the viewfinder, the camera will “smoothly zoom out to include them in the conversation,” as Apple puts it.

Beyond these new additions, other specifications of the new iPad are mostly the same. It still has a 10.2-inch 2160 x 1620 Retina display – now with True Tone technology and support for the first generation Apple Pencil – and the same design as its predecessor.

To recap, the 9th generation entry-level iPad will retail from RM1,499 in Malaysia. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen exactly when it will be available locally.