The best Apple tablet selection is more intriguing and complex than it has been in a long time. Apple now sells three tablets in the 11-inch range that carry largely similar designs but have significant variances when it comes to internal components and accessory support after the October launches of the 10th-generation iPad and the M2-powered iPad Pro. The 10.2-inch iPad from a year ago is still available, but it appears to serve a different market than its “next-generation” replacement. Additionally, the Apple iPad mini is still operating.
You’re not the only one who struggles to decide which to purchase. We’re here to outline the advantages and disadvantages, compare them to one another, and assist you to make a decision since it’s not as clear-cut as it formerly was.
iPad Air
The iPad Air is the best Apple tablet out of the six that are currently available. With a 10.9-inch display that is brilliant, sharp, and accurate, it has the same elegant and cozy design language as the iPad Pro while being less expensive. It also features flat corners and narrow bezels around the display. Although the iPad Air’s USB-C port isn’t as fast as the Thunderbolt connection on the iPad Pro, being able to charge the Air with the same cable as your other devices is still a benefit. This port is comparable to what you’d find on a MacBook and many other non-iPhone devices.
iPad (9th generation)
It’s completely fine to get the 9th-generation iPad in its place if you can’t afford the Air or if you simply don’t use your tablet frequently enough to justify spending that much money. It’s by far the most affordable and best Apple tablet to try out iPadOS, starting at $329 for a 64GB device and frequently going for less than $300. Although the hardware is clearly inferior to the versions above, it is still more than adequate for the necessities.
iPad Pro 12.9-inchÂ
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro occupies a unique space in the best Apple tablet portfolio. It costs $100 more than the M1 MacBook Air at $1,099 for 128GB of storage. That costs quite a bit of money for a platform that still struggles with laptop-style productivity, and it is far more than anyone should have to pay to do the vast majority of things on an iPad. However, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is the best Apple tablet device in terms of pure hardware.
This is a fairly specialized device. It is unreasonably expensive and less portable than previous iPads due to its enormous size. While some creatives have made it function as a laptop substitute, for the most, the iPadOS still makes multitasking and other computer-related jobs more challenging than they would be on a MacBook of comparable price. It’s merely a slight improvement over the model from the previous year. The 12.9-inch Pro is still extremely the best Apple tablet.
iPad mini
The iPad mini is exactly what it says it is: a smaller version of the Apple iPad. It has the smallest (7.69×5.3×0.25 inches) and lightest (0.65 pounds for the WiFi variant) dimensions of any existing iPad and a larger (8.3-inch) touchscreen that is easier to use with one hand.
The A15 Bionic SoC from Apple, which will also power the iPhone 13 phones in 2021, powers the mini. Although it is a step behind the laptop-grade M1 or M2, this is technically faster than the chip inside the 10th-generation iPad and again, the best Apple tablet for the majority of tasks.