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iPads are among the champion tablets wealth tin buy. However, arsenic Apple’s iPad portfolio has expanded, picking the champion iPad for your circumstantial needs tin beryllium tricky. Fortunately, we’re present to assistance you marque the close choice.
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Apple
Apple iPad Air (M3)
Best iPad Overall
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Apple
iPad 10th Generation
Best Budget iPad
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Apple
Apple iPad Pro 13 (2024)
Best iPad for Drawing
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Apple
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Best iPad for Reading
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Apple
Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M2)
Best iPad for College Students
What to Look For With an iPad
The Apple iPad lineup has agelong been the go-to for a premium tablet acquisition for astir radical for bully reason. All iPads present an unthinkable experience, and the iPadOS has entree to tons of tablet-optimized apps. However, depending connected what you privation to get from your iPad, not each of the models volition suit you. So, portion buying for an iPad, the astir important information is your usage case.
Even the astir affordable iPad models are capable if you lone program to browse the web, cheque societal media, and watercourse content. But if you privation almighty hardware to grip intensive apps and games, you’ll privation to ammunition retired for the costly models.
Attaching peripherals and different accessories tin besides assistance you get much retired of an iPad. All current-generation iPads person USB-C ports and Bluetooth connectivity for this, and the Pro models adjacent person enactment for Thunderbolt and USB4.
Related
Why the iPad Is Replacing My eReader
iPads are much costly but they travel with immoderate large benefits.
However, it’s besides important to retrieve that an iPad can’t afloat regenerate a laptop, astatine slightest not yet. iPadOS is rather susceptible and tin bash galore things that a desktop-grade operating strategy tin do, but it besides has constricted multi-tasking and split-screen functionality. iPad apps are besides often little broad than their desktop counterparts.
Now, let’s look astatine the champion iPads for the astir communal usage scenarios.
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How Did We Research |
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Hours Researched |
Reviews Analyzed |
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How-To Geek's merchandise recommendations travel from the aforesaid squad of experts that person helped radical hole their gadgets implicit 1 cardinal times. We lone urge the champion products based connected our probe and expertise. We ne'er judge outgo to endorse oregon reappraisal a product. Read More »
Best iPad Overall: iPad Air M3
Apple
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Excellent M3 performance |
Display lacks OLED oregon ProMotion |
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Lightweight, durable build |
Apple Intelligence features consciousness underdeveloped |
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Sharp show with vivid colour and creaseless motion |
No Face ID |
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Supports aggregate Touch ID profiles |
The champion wide iPad you tin bargain close present is the iPad Air M3. Available successful 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, it finds the saccharine spot betwixt value, portability, and powerfulness and is wrapped successful a sleek, minimalist frame. At conscionable implicit a lb successful weight, it’s airy capable to clasp comfortably for agelong stretches, yet inactive feels coagulated successful the hand, chiefly acknowledgment to its aluminum build. That said, a bully protective lawsuit is inactive a indispensable accessory for mundane protection, whether you take the 11-inch model oregon the 13-inch version.
The iPad Air M3’s Liquid Retina show delivers crisp substance and vivid colors, meaning it’s conscionable arsenic suited for enactment arsenic it is for streaming. Motion is smooth, opposition is strong, and brightness holds up good successful astir environments, though nonstop sunlight inactive brings its viewing challenges.
However, it’s the M3 spot that delivers the astir notable benefits. While the iPad Air M2 is inactive disposable and is inactive an fantabulous tablet, the M3 provides a noticeable boost implicit its predecessor and the bulk of its competitors. It tin grip everything from photograph editing to demanding games with awesome easiness and seldom shows signs of slowing down, adjacent during bouts of intensive multitasking.
The iPad Air M3 is loaded with 8 GB of RAM, and the basal configuration has 128 GB of storage. If you’re consenting to wage the extra, options proceed connected up to 1 TB, but if you’re looking for the champion value, the 11-inch mentation gives you everything you need. Maxing retired connected the 13-inch exemplary with precocious retention capacities takes you into iPad Pro low-storage pricing, which is thing to see babelike connected your retention versus show needs.
Battery beingness is solid, though it does not lucifer the vigor show of the erstwhile model. You’ll get astir 9.5 hours connected mean settings, which should get you done astir workdays without an outlet hunt. Additionally, the 12MP beforehand and backmost cameras instrumentality decent pictures, and they’re besides good for video calls.
The front-facing camera is positioned on the longer edge, making for much earthy framing erstwhile video chatting with the tablet successful scenery mode. This is adjuvant if you person the iPad docked successful the Magic Keyboard. Adding this accessory helps you usage your tablet similar a laptop, though again, you bash request to bargain the size that matches your iPad. That means choosing the 11-inch Magic Keyboard oregon the 13-inch.
However, erstwhile you instrumentality the terms of the keyboard into account, you whitethorn privation to see the MacBook Air M4 instead. This whitethorn prevention connected costs and does connection adjacent amended spot performance. You conscionable request to see if you’re a laptop oregon a tablet type. If it’s the latter, the iPad Air M3 is 1 of the champion wide tablets you tin buy.
Best iPad Overall
Apple iPad Air (M3)
$570 $599 Save $29
The iPad Air M3 stands retired arsenic the champion all-around iPad, offering beardown performance, a crisp display, and premium physique prime successful a lightweight design. With the powerfulness of the M3 spot and enactment for precocious accessories, it delivers a near-Pro acquisition astatine a much approachable price.
Best Budget iPad: iPad (10th generation)
Apple
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Excellent artillery life |
Display constricted to sRGB gamut |
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Good performance |
Only 64GB retention successful the basal model |
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Value for money |
The 10th procreation iPad, Apple’s astir affordable tablet, is simply a omniscient concern for anyone connected a choky fund oregon who needs a tablet for basal tasks. It offers bully performance, making it cleanable for checking societal media, streaming content, casual gaming, and more. Rest assured, adjacent though you aren’t spending overmuch money, you’ll inactive get a large acquisition with entree to galore astonishing apps, relieving you of immoderate cost-related concerns.
The 10th-gen iPad is powered by the spot successful the iPhone 12 series, but contempt its age, it inactive feels responsive and snappy. The tablet has the aforesaid modern plan arsenic the company’s different iPad models and a USB-C connector for powerfulness and data. Wi-Fi 6 is adjuvant for accelerated wireless connectivity, and cellular variants enactment 5G. Like different iPads, it besides has fantabulous artillery life.
There is Touch ID for biometric authentication, stereo speakers, and enactment for USB-C Apple Pencil. If you person the first-generation Apple Pencil lying around, you tin besides usage it, but you’ll request an adapter for pairing and charging.
The lone country wherever you compromise compared to different iPads is the display. The 10th procreation iPad's show is constricted to the sRGB color gamut, whereas different iPads enactment the overmuch wider Display P3 colour gamut, allowing them to show much colors accurately. However, this won’t beryllium a important contented for astir people.
The 10th-generation iPad is disposable successful Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + Cellular variants starting astatine $349. It besides comes successful 4 colour options and 2 retention variants.
Best Budget iPad
Apple iPad (10th generation)
The 10th-generation iPad whitethorn beryllium the astir affordable tablet successful Apple’s lineup, but it’s beauteous susceptible and almighty capable to grip mundane tasks.
Best iPad for Drawing: 13-inch iPad Pro (M4)
Apple
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OLED sheet is beauteous and bright |
Expensive |
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Thinnest iPad astatine 5.1mm |
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Powerful M4 chip |
If you are a nonrecreational and request a superior tablet for drafting and creating content, it’s hard to spell incorrect with the 13-inch iPad Pro. Its surface gives you a ample canvas for your drawing, and the Tandem OLED panel is besides the champion show connected immoderate iPad. Like immoderate fantabulous OLED panel, it produces inky blacks and vibrant colors.Apple has besides ensured it tin present up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness successful SDR and 1,600 nits successful HDR.
As idiosyncratic who plans to usage the iPad for drawing, you’ll admit the new Pencil Pro, which supports a nifty caller compression motion for bringing up menus and different options. Developers tin besides find what this motion does successful their apps, making the Pencil Pro adjacent much versatile. Additionally, the Barrel Roll diagnostic gives you precise power of a shaped pen oregon brushwood by conscionable rotating the pencil with your fingers. Just support successful caput that the Pencil Pro is simply a abstracted purchase—at $129 MSRP, it's an costly stylus but worthy the investment.
Moreover, the M4 spot is insanely almighty and tin grip adjacent the astir intensive tasks, including drafting and contented instauration tools. You’ll besides beryllium blessed to cognize that Apple includes 256GB retention successful the basal model. Of course, you tin spell up to 2TB if you request more.
iPad Pros already looked slick, but with the 2024 version, Apple has further refined the design. The institution has managed to slim down the 13-inch exemplary to conscionable 5.1mm, making it the thinnest iPad. Another utile small plan tweak is the placement of the beforehand shooter successful the mediate of the agelong side.
However, each these awesome features adhd to the cost, and the 13-inch iPad Pro starts astatine $1,299. So, if it’s retired of your budget, the 13-inch iPad Air is different bully option. The Air lacks the OLED sheet and the M4 chip, but it supports the Pencil Pro, and its M2 spot is inactive rather powerful.
Best iPad for Drawing
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (2024)
The 13-inch iPad Pro is Apple’s astir almighty iPad, and it houses a beauteous OLED display. Combined with Apple’s Pencil Pro, it becomes an fantabulous instrumentality for sketching, drawing, and more.
Best iPad for Reading: iPad Mini (A17 Pro)
Apple
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Liquid Retina show is beautiful |
500 nits sometimes isn't capable against overly agleam days |
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A17 Pro chipset offers much show headroom |
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Slim, lightweight, and compact |
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Wi-Fi 6E |
While an eReader tin surely get the occupation done, the iPad Mini is arsenic utile for reading, fixed its incredibly bladed and lightweight signifier factor. And since this is the 2024 model, the iPad Mini is rocking Apple’s A17 Pro chipset, which comes successful useful if you consciousness similar mounting speech a publication and doing immoderate gaming oregon editing.
But erstwhile you bash read, the iPad Mini (2024) is rather a comfy experience. With its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina show and 500 nits brightness, it isn’t astonishing that substance looks crisp capable to chopped glass. It’s besides conscionable 0.65 pounds (293 grams), which helps debar fatigue—a godsend if you’re truly gripped by a peculiar book.
The A17 Pro chipset is moving the show, with 8GB of RAM to boot. That’s a batch much headroom successful presumption of show compared to the 6th-gen iPad Mini. Even the Wi-Fi chipset has been upgraded from Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 6E, granting entree to the 6Ghz frequence set and wide little latency and speed. It’s a useful diagnostic to person if you bash your speechmaking done apps that necessitate an net connection.
Best iPad for Reading
Apple iPad mini (2024)
With its high-resolution, Liquid Retina display, the Apple iPad Mini (2024) is truthful bully for reading, it should beryllium a sin. And with its A17 Pro chipset, you tin usage the tablet for a batch much than reading.
Best iPad for School: iPad (10th generation)
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
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Good performance |
Base exemplary is constricted to 64GB storage |
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Affordable |
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Excellent artillery life |
Besides being an fantabulous fund option, the 10th-gen iPad is simply a large companion instrumentality for young kids. It’s affordable, and its ample surface volition springiness kids plentifulness of existent property to devour oregon make content. It besides packs a decent camera for immoderate FaceTime calls oregon immoderate Zoom schoolroom sessions.
The A14 Bionic whitethorn not beryllium the latest chip, but it delivers capable powerfulness for the iPad to tally thing your kid needs for schoolhouse enactment smoothly. There is besides enactment for the USB-C Apple Pencil and the 1st-gen Apple Pencil with the Lightning connector, truthful your school-going kids tin instrumentality notes, draw, sketch, and bash overmuch more.
The regular iPad's artillery beingness is simply a plus, arsenic it tin past up to 10 hours portion watching videos, browsing the web oregon societal media, oregon speechmaking eBooks. Moreover, iPadOS offers a plethora of apps and games for kids. There are besides built-in parental controls to bounds what your kids tin bash connected the iPad.
The 10.9-inch show isn’t the champion successful Apple’s portfolio, but considering the 10th-generation iPad’s terms tag, determination is small to kick about. Other highlights see stereo speakers, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and Touch ID for seamless biometric authentication.
If the regular iPad is excessively large for your child, the iPad Mini is simply a compact alternative. You’ll walk much wealth but get a higher-resolution show and faster processor. Otherwise, the Mini is beauteous overmuch the aforesaid arsenic the regular iPad.
Best iPad for School
Apple iPad (10th generation)
The regular iPad is an fantabulous companion instrumentality for school-going kids. It’s not terribly costly but inactive delivers a bully experience.
Best iPad for College Students: 11-inch iPad Air (M2)
Apple
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M2 spot delivers snappy performance |
iPadOS tin beryllium somewhat limiting |
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Excellent display |
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Apple Pencil Pro support |
Our champion wide iPad pick, the 11-inch iPad Air, is an fantabulous enactment for assemblage students looking for a susceptible laptop replacement. It’s not the astir almighty iPad successful Apple’s portfolio, but its M2 spot tin present much than capable powerfulness for astir assemblage students.
If you're consenting to ammunition retired the cash, you tin harvester this tablet with Apple’s Magic Keyboard oregon an fantabulous third-party keyboard lawsuit similar the Logitech Combo Touch to get an acquisition akin to a laptop. Remember, portion the iPad Air tin bash a batch of what a accepted laptop does, iPadOS besides limits it. So marque definite it tin tally immoderate circumstantial apps oregon bundle you need.
The 11-inch iPad Air is besides reasonably portable, truthful you won’t person to transportation a large bulky tablet around. Additionally, the aluminum and solid operation is durable, but using a case for bid of caput is ever a bully idea.
Other features of the tablet aren’t shabby either. For example, it’s equipped with a 12MP ultra-wide beforehand camera with Center Stage to support you successful the framework portion making a video call. Additionally, determination is Wi-Fi 6E enactment for accelerated wireless connectivity and enactment for Apple’s caller Pencil Pro.
If you privation an adjacent bigger screen, the iPad Air comes successful a 13-inch variant. The 2 iPad Air variants are identical successful wide size and weight.
Best iPad for College Students
Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M2)
The 11-inch iPad Air’s almighty hardware and fantastic show are cleanable for handling the needs of a assemblage student. Combined with a keyboard case, it becomes adjacent much versatile.
FAQ
How bash I link my Apple Pencil to my iPad?
It’s a elemental process to connect an Apple Pencil to an iPad. If you person the first-generation Apple Pencil, you’ll request to region the headdress and plug it into the Lightning larboard of your iPad. You’ll past spot a Bluetooth pairing petition connected the iPad screen. Accept it, and the Apple Pencil volition beryllium paired. iPad (10th generation) owners trying to brace the first-generation Apple Pencil volition request a USB-C to Apple Pencil adapter arsenic the iPad has nary Lightning port.
If you person a second-generation oregon newer Apple Pencil, simply connect it to the magnetic connector connected the broadside of the iPad. You’ll person a pairing request. Accept it, and the Apple Pencil volition connect.
How bash I instrumentality a screenshot connected my iPad?
You tin instrumentality a screenshot connected immoderate modern iPad with the location fastener by pressing the apical fastener and either measurement fastener simultaneously. If your iPad has a location button, property the location and apical buttons simultaneously to seizure a screenshot.
Can I usage my iPad arsenic a laptop replacement?
Sure, you tin usage the iPad arsenic a laptop replacement by connecting a keyboard and trackpad accessory. Most iPads diagnostic incredibly almighty processors that tin tally professional-grade applications. But remember, arsenic it uses the iPadOS, you’ll look immoderate bundle and multitasking limitations.
What are the existent iPad generations?
As of June 2024, Apple offers 4 antithetic iPad models. The basal iPad, oregon the regular iPad, is presently successful its 10th generation, which was released successful 2022. The iPad Mini hasn’t been updated since 2021, erstwhile the sixth-generation model was released. The 11-inch and 13-inch models of the iPad Air and the iPad Pro are the newest iPads successful the company’s portfolio and were introduced successful 2024.
The 11-inch iPad Air is technically the sixth-generation iPad Air, but it’s the archetypal procreation of the 13-inch iPad Air. Similarly, the 2024 exemplary of the 11-inch iPad Pro is technically the fifth-generation iPad Pro 11-inch, but it’s the first-generation iPad Pro 13-inch.
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