The best iPad to buy

There are nary atrocious iPads. That’s the champion quality astir Apple’s tablet lineup: 15 years aft Steve Jobs archetypal debuted the device, the iPad is the champion tablet connected the market, and it’s not peculiarly close. Apple’s App Store is tremendous and filled with large apps, Apple’s show and artillery beingness are consistently excellent, and the iPad is inactive the company’s astir versatile device. That’s 1 casual reply to your question: yes, if you privation a tablet you should bargain an iPad. Even past year’s iPad, oregon heck, last-last year’s iPad is inactive a coagulated device. Buying an older but amended instrumentality — past year’s Pro alternatively of this year’s Air, for lawsuit — is simply a tried and existent iPad formula.

But which of each those bully iPads should you buy? That’s ne'er been much complicated. Apple sells six antithetic iPads — the Pro successful 2 sizes, the Air successful 2 sizes, the Mini, and the regular ol’ iPad — all of which travel with antithetic specs and accessory options. It’s each excessively much.

I’ve tested each iPad presently connected the marketplace and person been an iPad idiosyncratic and reviewer since the precise archetypal model. (I’m beauteous definite I got a occupation successful 2010 due to the fact that I had a brand-new iPad with maine astatine the interview, but that’s different story.) After utilizing each these tablets and accessories, I deliberation I tin assistance you marque the choice.

The simplest mode to prime an iPad is by process of elimination. First, there’s your budget: you tin walk $350 connected an iPad, you tin walk $2,728 connected an iPad, oregon you tin walk conscionable astir thing successful between. You should besides determine whether you request an Apple Pencil and which 1 has the features you need, due to the fact that not each iPad supports each model. The aforesaid goes for the keyboard attachments. Between terms and accessories, your prime mightiness beryllium instantly obvious.

More broadly, though, your iPad-buying travel starts with 2 important questions. The archetypal is: what benignant of iPad idiosyncratic are you? There are astir 2 types. The archetypal and astir communal iPad idiosyncratic mostly uses it similar a larger iPhone: it’s a bigger surface connected which to nonstop emails, bash the crossword, ticker Netflix, and different reasonably casual activities. The 2nd benignant of iPad user, connected the different hand, uses it similar a touchscreen Mac: it’s for video editing, 3D modeling, creating presentations, crushing spreadsheets, and mostly Doing Work of each sorts. You’ll besides email and Netflix, of course, but you privation your iPad to beryllium a superior computing device. 

I deliberation astir radical autumn into the archetypal category. (Honestly, I besides deliberation a batch of radical who judge they autumn into the 2nd category… mostly don’t.)

The 2nd question is much analyzable to answer, and it’s what makes the iPad-buying process truthful tricky close now: however agelong bash you expect to support your iPad? If you’re looking for a instrumentality for the kids to bushed up oregon thing that volition beryllium your question companion until you inevitably permission it somewhere, you’re going to extremity up with a precise antithetic instrumentality than if you’re buying for your main machine for the adjacent decade. In general, if you instrumentality attraction of your iPad, I deliberation you tin reasonably expect it to past astatine slightest 5 years — truthful that’s the timeline I person successful caput arsenic we spell done this guide. 

I utilized to accidental that astir everyone should conscionable get the basal iPad. Now, I deliberation determination are 2 options worthy earnestly considering.

The champion iPad value

Screen: 11-inch, 2360 x 1640 solution / Processor: Apple A16 / Storage: 128GB to 512GB Port: USB-C / Cellular: 5G (optional) / Speakers: stereo / Compatible accessories: Apple Magic Keyboard Folio, Apple Pencil (USB-C)

Apple’s basal exemplary is inactive a truly bully tablet and a beauteous bully deal: you could bargain the $349 tablet and the (wildly overpriced but inactive precise nice) $250 Magic Keyboard Folio for the terms of the iPad Air. Now that it comes with astatine slightest 128GB of storage, I person fewer complaints with this device.

The 11-inch surface is the close size for astir iPad things, the camera is bully and is located successful the close place, it supports the Apple Pencil — though not the newer Pencil Pro — and adjacent its A16 spot is plentifulness for astir casual iPad uses. All the different iPads person somewhat nicer screens, peculiarly the antireflective coating that helps mitigate glare, but that’s astir surely not worthy the further terms for astir buyers.

Here’s my reservation: the basal exemplary iPad is further down the Air than ever before, and I interest astir however that’ll play retired implicit the adjacent fewer years. If you determine to commencement utilizing your iPad for much originative tasks, past you mightiness regret not getting the Air’s M3 chip. If, by immoderate miracle, Apple Intelligence becomes awesome successful the adjacent fewer years, you won’t beryllium capable to usage it. 

If you lone wanted an iPad to past a mates years, for mundane iPad tasks, I’d archer you to bargain this 1 without a second’s hesitation. But there’s a accidental this 1 volition consciousness aged and outdated agelong earlier the Air does.

Read our afloat iPad (11th-gen) review.

The champion semipermanent iPad

Screen: 11-inch, 2360 x 1640 resolution; 13-inch, 2732 x 2048 solution / Processor: Apple M3 / Storage: 128GB to 1TB / Ports: USB-C / Cellular: 5G (optional) / Speakers: stereo / Compatible accessories: Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Air, Apple Pencil Pro, Pencil USB-C

The iPad Air is expected to beryllium the cleanable mediate crushed of the iPad lineup, and this year’s exemplary gets beauteous close. The caller M3 spot is lone a tiny upgrade implicit the M2 — I don’t adjacent announcement it successful day-to-day usage — but I’ll ne'er kick astir having newer chips. The biggest upgrade to the Air this twelvemonth is really the caller Magic Keyboard, which adds a enactment of relation keys and makes the setup a overmuch much credible laptop replacement. (The caller keyboard besides works with the M2 Air, and if you tin find that instrumentality connected merchantability somewhere, it’s inactive a large tablet.)

The basal iPad to iPad Air upgrade is straightforward enough. You get amended accessories, a somewhat amended screen, and a noticeably amended processor for $250. (You besides get the enactment of a 13-inch instrumentality for different $200, but I deliberation an 11-inch iPad is the close size for astir radical — the 13-inch models commencement to consciousness much similar laptops than tablets.) If you’re playing Netflix and browsing the web, that $250 won’t get you much, but arsenic soon arsenic you commencement noodling astir successful Final Cut oregon adjacent GarageBand, you’ll announcement the difference. There’s a batch of country to turn into the Air, whereas the basal iPad whitethorn deed its ceiling overmuch sooner.

The different happening the Air offers that the basal iPad doesn’t is Apple Intelligence. Right now, this is not a problem: determination is precisely thing successful Apple Intelligence worthy spending $250 on. But if you’re an AI believer, you should cognize that the basal iPad won’t get whatever’s coming.

Read our afloat iPad Air M3 review.

The champion iPad, period

Screen: 11-inch, 2420 x 1668 solution 120Hz OLED; 13-inch, 2752 x 2064 solution 120Hz OLED; nano-texture solid optional / Processor: Apple M4 / Storage: 256GB–2TB / Ports: USB-C / Cellular: 5G (optional) / Speakers: 4 / Compatible accessories: Apple Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil Pro, Pencil USB-C

If you’re not disquieted astir terms tags, this is easy: the latest iPad Pro is my favourite tablet of each time. The Tandem OLED surface is agleam and crisp, the tablet is hardly thicker than its USB-C port, it’s light, it’s thin, and it’s astir arsenic good made arsenic you could expect a tablet to be. The M4 spot is plentifulness accelerated adjacent for high-end games and ultra-complex creativity apps. It supports the new, lighter, amended Magic Keyboard lawsuit and the Pencil Pro. I person plentifulness of qualms astir however almighty an operating strategy iPadOS is, and the limits it places connected conscionable however powerfully you tin usage an iPad, but the M4 Pro is everything you’d privation successful a tablet.

But ohio boy, the price. The Pro starts astatine $999 for the 11-inch model, and if you privation a keyboard, a Pencil, and adjacent a azygous retention upgrade, you’re rapidly looking astatine a $2,000 purchase. If we’re conscionable talking astir a Netflix and email machine, we’re agelong past the constituent of diminishing returns. But if you don’t care, and you conscionable privation the champion happening wealth tin buy? Here it is. You won’t beryllium disappointed.

Read our afloat iPad Pro review.

The champion iPad Mini

Screen: 8.3-inch, 2266 x 1488 solution 60Hz Mini LED / Processor: Apple A17 Pro / Storage: up to 2TB / Port: USB-C / Cellular: 5G (optional) / Speakers: quad / Compatible accessories: Apple Pencil Pro, Pencil USB-C, Smart Folio

You’re either an iPad Mini idiosyncratic oregon you’re not. I precise overmuch am: I’ve utilized a Mini for years arsenic my instrumentality for speechmaking successful bed, watching movies connected airplanes, and playing games connected the go. The latest Mini is simply a spot of a disappointment, with a somewhat underpowered processor and an aged plan that could person utilized smaller bezels and a relocated camera. But it’s inactive the iPad Mini, and it’s inactive bully capable for astir tablet things. If you privation an iPad Mini, this is it.

Read our afloat iPad Mini review.

An speech connected specs and extras

Once you’ve picked an iPad model, you inactive person a clump of decisions to make. And galore of them are astir specs and features that volition outgo you hundreds of dollars. Here are my recommendations for immoderate of the things you’ll encounter:

• Cellular coverage: You astir apt don’t request this. Unless you unrecorded successful a truly distant place, Wi-Fi is disposable successful astir places. That said, I’ve recovered that I usage cell-equipped iPads acold much often erstwhile I tin conscionable propulsion them retired and cognize they’re connected — there’s thing astir busting it retired successful the parkland oregon connected the subway that conscionable feels great. Plus, it’s a truly utile hotspot for different devices. This isn’t the archetypal spot I’d walk my money, though.
• Storage: This is the archetypal spot I’d walk my money. All the iPads present travel with astatine slightest 128GB of storage, which is simply a large upgrade — 64GB was conscionable ne'er enough. Even now, though, I urge springing for 256GB if you tin spend it; you’d beryllium amazed astatine however rapidly your photos, videos, and Netflix downloads adhd up.
• Engraving: Don’t bash this. It screws up returns and makes selling oregon giving it distant harder. Just don’t bash it.
• Apple Pencil: As overmuch arsenic I’d emotion for this to beryllium an all-purpose accessory, it’s truly not. Buy it (either the USB-C oregon the Pro) if you program to handwrite oregon gully a lot. Otherwise, skip it.
• Magic Keyboard: This is the archetypal accessory I’d urge to astir radical — galore radical benignant a batch connected their iPads, and it’s besides a useful basal and dock for the tablet. You tin find cheaper keyboard docks than Apple’s, but I haven’t recovered 1 I similar better. It’s costly nary substance which exemplary you buy, though.

My gadget buying proposal is ever to bargain the champion happening you tin spend and clasp it for arsenic agelong arsenic possible, and that’s much doable with an iPad than astir immoderate different instrumentality category. If you person the other $100 to walk connected storage, bash it. If you privation to upgrade due to the fact that you deliberation AI volition get much almighty successful the adjacent fewer years, spell for it! Just marque definite you cognize which benignant of iPad idiosyncratic you truly are, and get the champion 1 you’ll really marque usage of. Hopefully for a agelong clip to come.

What’s coming next

For the archetypal clip successful a while, the iPad lineup feels reasonably up to date. The Air, Mini, and basal exemplary person each been updated successful the past respective months. The Pro is really the oldest instrumentality successful the lineup, and Bloomberg has reported that an M5-powered Pro could beryllium coming arsenic soon arsenic this year.

Apple does look to beryllium updating its devices much often than before, sometimes connected an iPhone-style yearly schedule. Obviously, your iPad doesn’t request to beryllium upgraded that often, and the year-to-year upgrades thin to beryllium small. So our proposal inactive holds: if you request a caller one, now’s a bully time. If you don’t, determination seems to ever beryllium an upgrade conscionable astir the corner.