Our Picks:
- Best Overall: Apple iPad
- Laptop Replacement: Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch)
- Biggest Splurge: Apple iPad Pro (11-inch)
- Best Value: Apple iPad Air
- Most Compact: Apple iPad Mini
The most important thing you need to know before buying any iPad is that it's the best tablet in its price range by an overwhelming margin.
Regardless of its price tag, an iPad is guaranteed to deliver elegant design, excellent craftsmanship, and a high-quality Retina display, as well as effortless performance. The latter comes courtesy of Apple chips, which have been designed and developed in-house.
Most importantly, thanks to Apple iOS, every iPad will offer you the best selection of tablet-friendly apps and games in the industry. They range from apps for streaming your favorite content to immersive augmented reality offerings. In this instance, tablet rivals with Android, Chrome OS, and Windows 10 are so far behind that there’s no point in comparing them.
Every iPad out there runs iPadOS, a platform based on Apple iOS, packed with unique features that take advantage of the tablet's big screen and give you an easy to use multitasking interface, as well as file management capabilities. For example, you can access files from a compatible USB flash drive on your iPad, or use it with a wireless mouse. This alone makes every iPad an even more appealing laptop replacement than it already is.
The Apple App Store has an intuitive interface and a handy editorial section. Combined, they make finding and discovering new content for your iPad a breeze. Just like the Apple iPhone, every iPad will get years’ worth of iOS updates, ensuring that your tablet will always have access to the latest essential features and security updates.
Every Apple iPad also comes with an incredible selection of original and third-party accessories, and is compatible with the Apple Pencil — a superb tool for productivity and creative tasks.
When shopping for an iPad, always consider spending a bit extra for a variant with more storage. It won’t take long before you find the additional expense to be well worth it. Every variant of the tablet is available with optional cellular connectivity at an extra cost.
Here's a breakdown of what each iPad variant offers so you can pick the best one to suit your needs.
Shop the best deals on iPads on Amazon.
Best Overall
Key Specs
• Apple A13 Bionic chip
• 10.2-inch Retina display
• 64/256 GB of available storage
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Compatible with first-generation Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard
The iPad delivers a robust, full-size Apple tablet experience at a price point that’s simply impossible to resist. The affordable slate is powered by the same Apple A13 Bionic chip as the iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE.
The 10.2-inch Retina display of the iPad is as sharp as the screens of the device’s pricier siblings. We also like that it's compatible with the Apple Pencil and an attachable Smart Keyboard which doubles as a cover to protect the device. You can also pair the device with a conventional Bluetooth keyboard.
Unlike the 8th generation iPad, this one has True Tone tech, giving it the same color range as it pricier relatives. It's a considerable upgrade from its previous model, and promises a great performance at an attractive price point. It's available to order in silver and space gray.
A Laptop Replacement
Key Specs
• Apple M1 chip with a Neural Engine
• 12.9-inch Liquid XDR display with ProMotion and True Tone technology
• 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB of available storage
• Face ID
• Built-in USB-C connector
• Compatible with second-generation Apple Pencil
The big Apple iPad Pro is a seriously legit laptop replacement.
Apple’s ultimate tablet is more powerful than most PC laptops and ultrabooks, thanks to Apple’s M1 Bionic chip with a built-in Neural Engine. Combined with the monstrously powerful processor, the massive 12.9-inch Liquid XDR display of the tablet makes it an incredibly capable productivity tool, capable of conquering just about any task you throw at it with ease.
Having a screen this massive allows you to easily multitask with the iPad Pro. With a high refresh rate, support for enhanced HDR content, and a quartet of stereo speakers around it, the Liquid XDR is also superb for watching your favorite content. Naturally, being a Pro model, the range-topping iPad is also compatible with the latest Apple Pencil, allowing you to take notes or unleash your creativity on its industry-leading display.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro has the same design as the 11-inch variant, which means that it’s impressively compact for a device this big. With Face ID on board, the slate will allow you to effortlessly log into it, as well as have fun with Animoji and Memoji if you wish.
In order to make the most out of the range-topping iPad Pro’s vast multitasking capabilities, it’s important to pair it with Apple’s Smart Keyboard Folio. The accessory is well worth its substantial price tag.
Reviewers from Engadget and Laptop Mag praised the 12.9-inch iPad Pro for being incredibly powerful and versatile.
Best Splurge
Key Specs
• Apple M1 Bionic chip with a Neural Engine
• 11-inch Liquid Retina display with ProMotion and True Tone technology
• 128/256/512 GB; 1 or 2 TB of available storage
• Face ID
• Built-in USB-C connector
• Four built-in stereo speakers
• Compatible with second-generation Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard Folio, Magic Keyboard, and Bluetooth keyboards
The 11-inch Pro is the iPad to get if your new tablet budget has no restrictions.
The slate is the tech giant’s most capable iPad to date, as well as best tablet money can buy — by an unsurmountable margin.
With a powerful Apple M1 Bionic chip on board, in terms of sheer hardware and graphics performance, the device is also more capable than most desktop and laptop computers out there.
The Liquid Retina display of the iPad Pro is nothing short of spectacular. In addition to True Tone tech, it has a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, making compatible apps and games even more immersive.
Crucially, the display is surrounded by a quartet of stereo speakers — up from two bottom- or side-facing ones on other iPad models. The device is handily Apple’s best-sounding tablet to date.
The iPad Pro feature Face ID, allowing you to seamlessly log into the device, just like you do with an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or iPhone XR. It also makes the tablet compatible with Animoji and Memoji. Replacing Touch ID with the new feature has allowed Apple to completely redesign the tablet with much thinner bezels and an impressively compact footprint.
Furthermore, having a USB-C connector makes the iPad Pro compatible with a whole new ecosystem of accessories. It also allows you to connect the tablet to an external monitor, as well as to charge other gadgets, among many other things.
Speaking of accessories, the Pro is also compatible with the second-generation Apple Pencil. Our favorite bit about the vastly improved Pencil is the ability to charge it wirelessly by simply attaching it to the tablet — it’s worth its $129 price tag. Of course, Apple also offers a Smart Keyboard Cover for the device, and we highly recommend it.
Its cutting-edge design and blistering performance earned the iPad Pro high review scores from CNET and TechRadar.
Best Value
Key Specs
• Apple M1 Bionic chip with a Neural Engine
• 10.9-inch Retina display with True Tone technology
• 64/256 GB of available storage
• Built-in bottom/side-facing stereo speakers
• Compatible with 2nd-generation Apple Pencil
The iPad Air has a large Liquid Retina display with excellent quality and the same industry-conquering M1 chip as the iPad Pro. It has an ultra thin (only 6.1 millimeters!), lightweight body that’s perfect for all your on-the-go needs.
We like that the 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display of the iPad Air has True Tone tech. The handy feature reduces eye strain by automatically adjusting the white balance depending on the lighting conditions. It’s nothing short of superb to live with.
Most importantly, the iPad Air has a sub-$600 starting price, which is incredibly reasonable given its design, craftsmanship, and hardware performance. As for the latter, there is literally no work- or entertainment-related task that the slate isn’t up for.
Apple offers both a Magic Keyboard and a Smart Keyboard cover for the iPad Air. Either of these accessories is well worth the investment, as it transforms the slate into a powerful productivity tool. You can order it in five soothing colors: blue, pink, gray, purple, and starlight.
Most Compact
Key Specs
• Apple A15 Bionic chip with a Neural Engine
• 8.3-inch Retina display with True Tone technology
• 64/256 GB of available storage
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Compatible with second-generation Apple Pencil
The Apple iPad Mini features several impressive upgrades to its hardware, tucked into a thin and light body that can fit into a large jacket pocket, even with its slightly larger screen size. When it comes to sheer portability, the iPad Mini is truly in a league of its own. Unsurprisingly, in addition to being the most compact iPad, the Mini is also hand-down the best small tablet worth your attention today.
After the M1, the Mini's A15 bionic chip is the most advanced chip you'll find in an Apple tablet, and it's the same chip in the iPhone 13. You'll get a fast and fluid performance with impressive graphics and sound.
The Mini has a liquid retina display with True Tone technology and an 8.3-inch display panel which is slightly larger than the previous model's 7.9 inch screen. It's also compatible with the second-generation Apple Pencil, and Bluetooth keyboards.
The iPad mini received praise from Mashable, and Wired. The review editors universally agree that makeover that has been worth the wait.
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