It’s been 14 years since Apple sent its first iPad out to shelves and it’s safe to say the tablet market was never quite the same.
The iPad range is still widely popular, and there’s good reason. We’ve reviewed a huge variety of Apple and Android tablets and the iPad continues to be a high performer, with the iPad Air 5 currently topping our list of the best tablets.
However, it can be tough to decide which model is right for you between the iPad, iPad Mini, iPad Air and iPad Pro. The good news is that we’ve reviewed all of Apple’s current offerings and ranked them based on their strengths and who should buy them.
In this guide, you’ll find the best cheap iPad, the best small iPad, the best iPad for students, the best high-end iPad and, of course, the best overall iPad. If you’re searching for an iPad to fit your budget and lifestyle look no further.
Each iPad has its own features and compatible accessories, such as the Apple Pencil and the Apple Keyboard. However, there’s also plenty of crossover between the four ranges – the biggest, of course, being Apple’s iPadOS software. This means that they all have access to the same well-stocked App Store and play nice with Apple’s other devices, including the iPhone and Mac series’.
It’s the differences, however, that set these four iPad lines apart. When we review a tablet, we inspect every aspect of the device, from the design and display to the camera and battery life. We also perform benchmarking tests to measure the performance of each iPad and share graphs comparing the results with key rivals, making it easy to see how different tablets measure up.
If you’re looking for the best iPad, scroll down to find our top picks along with links to our full, in-depth reviews. If you’re not set on Apple, we’d also recommend reading through our guides to the best tablets, best Android tablets and best tablets for kids before making your decision.
Best iPads at a glance
- Best iPad: iPad Air 2024 – check price
- Best high-end iPad: iPad Pro M4 – check price
- Best cheap iPad: iPad 10th gen – check price
- Best small iPad: iPad Mini 6 – check price
How we test
Every tablet in this list has been properly tested and used for an extended period of time by one of our product experts. We will never recommend a tablet to you that we haven’t personally used and put through a set series of tests.
These tests can include colourimeter checks to gauge screen accuracy and brightness levels, various benchmarks to evaluate performance, and battery drains to judge endurance.
Our reviewer will also always judge performance for everyday use. This will see them use it as their primary tablet to conduct typical tasks like gaming, web browsing and video calling.
If the device is targeted at a specific market such as digital artists, they’ll also consider areas such as digital stylus support and whether it can effectively run relevant applications.
- Landscape front camera
- Two screen size options
- Great performance
- More storage options
- No battery life upgrades
- No ProMoton for 120Hz
Best high-end iPad
- Amazing screen
- The 13-inch model is so thin and light
- Big upgrades to the accessories
- Landscape front camera
- The whole package is very expensive
- iPadOS still has issues
- No charger in certain regions
Best cheap iPad
- The design is a massive upgrade
- USB-C is far more convenient than Lightning
- Smart front camera placement
- Unbeatable tablet apps and software
- Huge price jump, especially in Europe makes its position in Apple’s iPad range confusing
- Odd Apple Pencil integration
- 64GB isn’t enough (256GB probably too much)
Best small iPad
- Great new design
- Works with the second-gen Apple Pencil
- Super-speedy thanks to the A15 Bionic chipset
- 5G option makes for great portability
- Odd storage sizes
- Expensive
- Some iOS elements are too small
Apple iPad Air 2024
The best iPad for most people
Pros
- Landscape front camera
- Two screen size options
- Great performance
- More storage options
Cons
- No battery life upgrades
- No ProMoton for 120Hz
After using all the current and previous iPad models, the iPad Air 2024 is the best pick for most people. It’s not the top performing model, doesn’t have the amazing OLED display of the two Pro models and isn’t as affordable as the base iPad. Yet, Apple balances everything well with this model. It’s fast enough, now comes in two sizes (11 and 13-inch) and far lighter on the wallet than the Pro.
It’ll also benefit from Apple Intelligence, something the base iPad will always lack as it doesn’t have an M chip inside.
All the iPads in this list run just about the same version of iPadOS, which is currently version 17 until 18 arrives later in 2024. There are some very minor differences between the software on the biggest and smallest slates and some graphically intensive games might not run on older iPads, but really you don’t need to worry about some apps or features being exclusive to a specific iPad.
What makes the iPad Air 2024 the best iPad is that it ticks all the boxes we want and ditches features that are far more niche. Inside the tablet, you’ll find the M2 chip, an Apple-designed SoC (system on chip) that’s the same silicon that powered the previous-gen iPad Pro and various Macs. We can say with confidence this is the fastest chip you’ll find on any tablet, at this price and is only beaten in our tests by the M4 in the IPad Pro line.
Apple’s tablet app ecosystem is strong too, meaning there is a smattering of apps that take advantage of the tablet’s great power. Final Cut, for example, makes 4K video editing on a tablet a pleasure and Procreate remains an excellent choice for drawing on the go.
The iPad Air 2024 comes in either 11-inch or 13-inch sizes. These are both good-sized screens – and it’s great having a choice without having to pay Pro prices.
The screen quality is good. Both have IPS LCDs that are sharp enough to avoid any visible pixels unless you get really close and we found the colour reproduction and brightness levels were excellent.
Whip this out on a bright day and you’ll be able to make the basics out. One notable feature missing here is ProMotion, Apple’s term for a display that alters its refresh rate depending on what you’re doing. In the most basic of terms, this allows a screen to look smoother and we think it does make a visible difference. We can understand Apple leaving the feature off this tablet, as it still deems it a Pro addition.
For this 2024 model, Apple moved the FaceTime camera into a far more suitable landscape position and increased the amount of storage options.The battery life matches other iPads on this list at around 10 hours, it charges via USB-C and will be supported via plenty of software updates over the next few years. It’s also available in a range of tasteful colours and there’s a wide accessory ecosystem, including the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Review: iPad Air 2024 review
Apple iPad Pro M4 2024
The best high-end iPad
Pros
- Amazing screen
- The 13-inch model is so thin and light
- Big upgrades to the accessories
- Landscape front camera
Cons
- The whole package is very expensive
- iPadOS still has issues
- No charger in certain regions
Most users will find that the iPad Air 2024, or many of the other tablets on this list, will work perfectly for all the tasks they need to do. However, if you are a true power user and need your device to output some serious muscle then the iPad Pro M4, in either its refreshed 11-inch or 13-inch sizes, is the one to go for.
You might not have heard about the Apple M4 chip before, and that’s because the iPad Pro is the first Apple product to sport the new MacBook Pro-class silicon. It’s safe to say that with the M4, the iPad Pro has processing power in spades, to the extent that we even felt it was a bit wasted since there aren’t even any apps or games available that could give it any trouble whatsoever.
We’d hoped that this processor could be leveraged more in day-to-day use in the upcoming iPadOS 18, but beyond supporting Apple Intelligence like other M-powered iPads, it doesn’t seem to be the case.
Still, there’s more to this iPad than just the chip of course. In fact, the iPad Pro 13 is the thinnest Apple product ever, measuring in at 5.1mm thick, and the 11-inch model isn’t far behind at 5.3mm either. That makes the iPad Pro a much easier tablet to use in daily use, even with large screens.
Those screens have been treated to an OLED upgrade, but it’s not just any OLED, instead using Apple’s proprietary dual-stacked OLED dubbed Tandem OLED that delivers all the regular benefits of OLED (vibrant colours, deep dark blacks) while also offering impressive brightness that makes them easy to use outdoors. That’s especially true if you opt for the matte finish on the 13-inch model, though it’s an additional purchase only available on the higher-capacity variants.
Despite all these upgrades, the battery should still deliver around ten hours of use, although you won’t get a charger in the box in most regions this time around.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Review: iPad Pro M4 (2024)
Apple iPad 10
The best budget iPad
Pros
- The design is a massive upgrade
- USB-C is far more convenient than Lightning
- Smart front camera placement
- Unbeatable tablet apps and software
Cons
- Huge price jump, especially in Europe makes its position in Apple’s iPad range confusing
- Odd Apple Pencil integration
- 64GB isn’t enough (256GB probably too much)
The iPad 10 was a bit of a baffling proposition at its initial launch, due to a mixed bag of specifications and a significant price hike, but a recent price drop down to £329/$329 now makes this the defacto go-to for an iPad on a budget.
Similar in looks to the iPad Air, but feeling more robust in the hand, the looks got a big upgrade from the previous generation thanks to its flat back and sides, lack of a home button, and a much slimmer bezel around the edges. It’s 10g lighter too, and packs the more convenient USB-C charging port.
The 10.8-inch screen is certainly the least high-end iPad display, lacking the P3 colour gamut and without lamination to guard against glare, but that’s now in line with its entry-level pricing. And, besides, the larger, higher-res screen is still a big upgrade on the iPad 9’s aged panel.
The performance met our expectations and was certainly an improvement over its predecessor as far as gaming was concerned, but we were underwhelmed by the 64GB base storage capacity which is too small for most people.
Battery life is very strong, easily delivering 10 hours of use, and it supports handy optional extras such as the Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard Folio.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Review: Apple iPad (10th gen)
iPad Mini 6
The best small iPad
Pros
- Great new design
- Works with the second-gen Apple Pencil
- Super-speedy thanks to the A15 Bionic chipset
- 5G option makes for great portability
Cons
- Odd storage sizes
- Expensive
- Some iOS elements are too small
The iPad Mini 6 won’t be everyone. It’s expensive, lacks the Magic Keyboard support of the Air and Pro and suffers from slightly inferior battery life. However, if you’re after a small iPad for watching videos, reading or note-taking then this is still an option we’re happy to recommend,
Most of the features here are stripped from the iPad Air series. It mirrors that slate’s design, colour choices and screen tech. However the performance isn’t quite as high-end, so it scores lower in benchmark tests. In real-world use though, it’s still very snappy in all ways.
The smaller 8.3-inch display makes this a different proposition from the iPad Air. It’s less of a laptop replacement and more of a companion; a media-centric device that fits in smaller bags.
Pair it with the Apple Pencil (2nd gen) and you’ve got a fantastic mini notebook and sketchpad. The smaller display also makes it great for gaming, especially if you pair up a Bluetooth controller.
We found that the battery life is a little shorter than the iPad Air, but at least there’s a USB-C port on the bottom for quicker charging than the iPad 9.
Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Review: iPad Mini 6 review
We also considered…
FAQs
No, no iPad can natively run Mac apps – even if you have an M1 iPad and the app is built for an M1 Mac. Instead, all apps for an iPad must come from the App Store.
The original Apple Pencil has a glossy finish and charges by plugging directly into an iPad’s Lightning port. In this list, the only model to support this Pencil is the iPad 9. The Apple Pencil 2nd Gen charges wirelessly and has a matte finish. Any iPad with a USB-C port will support this Pencil. The new Apple Pencil Pro, with support for rotation and squeeze gestures, will only work with the latest iPad Air 6 and iPad Pro M4 due to the relocation of the magnets within the iPad chassis.
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Trusted Reviews test data
The two M1-toting iPads have the best performance stats, comfortably beating out the other models in both benchmark tests and day-to-day use.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
