If you lot are considering buying a new tablet or upgrading your iPad for the outset time in several years, y'all may detect that you have many more options than y'all did the last time. The current iPad Pro models differ in more than than size, and the latest ninth-gen iPad and sixth-gen iPad Mini are interesting alternatives to the 4th-gen iPad Air.

Earlier we get to recommendations, and which tablet is best for y'all, the summary table below tin give you a clear snapshot of how current generation Apple iPads can vary greatly in terms of price, processing power, accessory back up, storage, and cellular options...

Model iPad iPad Mini iPad Air iPad Pro eleven" iPad Pro 12.9"
MSRP $329 $499 $599 $799 $1099
Brandish Size 10.2" viii.3" 10.ix" 11" 12.9"
Processor A13 A15 A14 M1 M1
Min / Max Storage 64GB / 256GB 64GB / 256GB 64GB / 256GB 128GB / 2TB 128GB / 2TB
Keyboard Smart Keyboard north/a Magic &
Smart Folio		 Magic &
Smart Folio		 Magic &
Smart Page
Pencil 1st-gen second-gen 2nd-gen 2nd-gen 2nd-gen
Cellular Option 4G 5G (sub-6GHz) 4G 5G 5G

This guide volition help y'all in choosing the right iPad for you lot past answering a few simple questions...

Should you get the base $300 iPad?

Every bit recommended in our Best Tablets guide, if y'all just want a dandy tablet and don't have specific requirements, so you won't miss anything going with the basic and most affordable iPad, which starts at $329 and with luck you may be able to go information technology for $299 at places such as Walmart and Amazon.

Updated in belatedly 2022, the ninth-gen iPad is powered by the A13 Bionic bit and 3GB of RAM. This tablet can easily handle iPadOS 15 and any app or game on the App Shop. With a 2160x1620 resolution, its 10.2" brandish has the same 264ppi as the near expensive models, and uses True Tone applied science to automatically conform brightness and color temperature. The ultra-broad 12MP front photographic camera is actually better than the iPad Air's 7MP one. It even supports the 1st-gen Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard.

Nosotros can call back of a few reasons why the basic iPad may not exist enough for you, though: it's the just iPad model whose brandish doesn't have an anti-cogitating coating, and so it's not ideal for employ in straight sunlight.

If yous use your iPad for drawing, you lot will appreciate the fully laminated brandish and wider color gamut of the more avant-garde models. Other features missing from the base of operations iPad just that are available in the rest of Apple tablets include: Bluetooth 5.0 and simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi, and it doesn't support USB-C simply keeps using the Lightning connector.

Another reason you may not like the basic iPad is the aesthetics: until this year, the basic iPad had at least 1 color pick with white bezels, now it's simply available with blackness bezels on either silverish or infinite gray back. Black bezels are less distracting when viewing dark content, merely bear witness fingerprints more hands, and those are a given every bit soon equally y'all pick the device up. With slimmer bezels, like those of the other iPad models, information technology's less of a problem.

The iPad starts at $329 for the Wi-Fi-only version with 64GB of storage, and an extra $150 bumps up your storage to 256GB.

Should y'all get the iPad Mini?

At seven.seven" x 5.iii" (50 10 W), the iPad Mini is one of the largest devices that well-nigh adults can comfortably hold in i paw. If you are planning to use your iPad while standing upwardly, then it might exist the most sensible choice for y'all.

Regardless of size, the Mini is i of the best tablets on the market: with a 2266x1488 resolution, its 8.3" display (with rounded corners) actually has the highest pixel density of all iPads (326ppi). Information technology sports the A15 Bionic flake which is faster than the Air's A14, and it has the same 4GB of RAM. The Wi-Fi + Cellular version likewise supports sub-6GHz 5G speeds, unlike the basic iPad and iPad Air. Information technology uses the same ultra-wide 12MP front camera as the basic iPad.

The Mini doesn't support the Smart Keyboard, but information technology supports the 2nd-gen Pencil. It also has 4 color options. Information technology starts at $499 with 64GB of storage and Wi-Fi, and for $150 more you'll get the 256GB version.

Should you lot go the iPad Air?

The 4th-gen iPad Air is the true successor to the iPad Air 2 and one of the best tablets for media consumption, with its all-screen blueprint and ten.9" display. With the A14 Bionic flake and 4GB of RAM, it's likely to remain relevant for many years.

For those who also want to use the Air for work, it is uniform with both the Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio, as well as the 2nd-gen Pencil. Another reason to get it is if you prefer Touch ID over the FaceID (used in the Pro models). It's too the iPad with the nigh colour options with five.

The iPad Air starts at $599 for the Wi-Fi 64GB version, which nosotros recall is a fleck too much for what it offers. If you lot need a fairly large display simply not desktop-level processing power, the bones iPad will probably be a better value for you lot, unless you need the Magic Keyboard's trackpad. Once again, for $150 more than you'll get 256GB of storage.

Should yous get the eleven" iPad Pro?

The latest 11" Pro is the best iPad for several types of professionals. If y'all are a graphic artist, cartoon on a 120Hz display will be a different experience. If you are an indoor designer who wants to show your clients what their kitchen or function would look similar, LiDAR is a must-have.

With the M1 bit, the iPad Pro has received more horsepower than you're probably going to need and its USB-C connector supports USB4/Thunderbolt speeds. The Wi-Fi + Cellular version likewise supports sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G.

The bezels in the iPad Pro are slimmer than in the Air, and it's compatible with the same accessories. You also get four speakers, and a TrueDepth ultra-wide 12MP forepart photographic camera with Animoji and Memoji support.

The eleven" Pro starts at $799 for the Wi-Fi only version with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. For $899 you can crash-land up the storage to 256GB, and for $i,099 you will get 512GB. If you desire 1TB or 2TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, you'll need to pay $one,499 or $one,899 respectively, which honestly sounds ridiculous.

Should y'all get the 12.ix" iPad Pro?

If you are a video editor who works on the go, the 12.9'' Pro might be the device of your dreams. The Mini-LED display with its 1600 nits of peak brightness (yard for the whole screen), only has some of the well-nigh expensive laptops out at that place as competitors.

Information technology's also a great backup camera, with optical zoom out, extended dynamic range (upwardly to 30fps), audio zoom and stereo recording. Of form, it has all of the advantages of the 11" Pro except for portability.

As for pricing, take the 11-inch Pro'southward prices and add $300 to each storage tier. It'due south $i,099 for the cheapest ($999 on Amazon), Wi-Fi only, 128GB version. The cheapest version with 16GB of RAM is $1,799, and the 2TB version is $2,199, or $two,399 with a cellular option.

Should y'all become a Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad?

Adding 4G to your iPad or iPad Air will brand information technology $130 more expensive. Adding sub-6GHz 5G to your iPad Mini will make information technology $150 more expensive, and adding 5G connectivity to your iPad Pro volition make it $200 more expensive. Certain, y'all tin turn your smartphone into a hotspot, but doing so will bleed the batteries of both devices.

The more than expensive your iPad is, the more painful it'll be to replace it for the lack of cellular connectivity. If you are going to buy a Pro model with 1TB or more storage, those $200 shouldn't exist a problem for yous.

Photo credit: Sayan Majhi, Daniel Romero, Albert Vincent Wu