Which iPad should you buy? There are a lot of choices and it can be confusing. There are four different varieties of iPad, listed below, and each is available with or without cellular (including 5G on certain models), which costs extra. That’s before we get into storage capacity, colors, and second-hand alternatives.
Our in-depth buying guide assesses the whole range of iPads sold by Apple and explores all the factors that should influence your iPad buying decision such as value for money, how much storage you need, and whether or not to buy a cellular version. We also reveal whether an updated version of each device is likely to be launched soon–answering the question of whether now is a good time to buy an iPad.
If you’re thinking of buying an iPad for college or university you might also like to read our guide to the best iPad for students. You may also like to read our best iPad for kids guide.
Update May 7: Added new iPad Air and iPad Pro models and new 10th-gen iPad pricing. The iPad mini price has also dropped outside the U.S.
Apple iPad comparison chart
The table below summarizes the main features of the iPads in Apple’s current lineup and highlights the price for each. We have more information about the individual iPads and buying advice below. Click the links in the table of contents to go to the section most relevant to you.
| Model (launch date) | Key features + specs | Storage + cellular options | Price + buy link |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPad 10.9-inch 10th generation (October 2022) | • Medium 10.9-inch screen | 64GB 64GB (5G) | |
| iPad mini 6th generation (September 2021) | • Small 8.3-inch screen | 64GB 64GB (4G) | |
| iPad Air 11-inch 6th generation (May 2024) | • Medium 11-inch screen | 128GB 128GB (5G) | $599 / £599 |
| iPad Air 13-inch (May 2024) | • Largest 13-inch screen | 128GB 128GB (5G) | $799 / £799 |
| iPad Pro 11-inch 5th generation (May 2024) | • Medium 11-inch screen | 256GB 256GB (5G) | $999 / £999 $1,199 / £1,199 |
| iPad Pro 13-inch 7th generation (May 2024) | • Largest 13-inch screen | 256GB 256GB (5G) | $1,299 / £1,299 $1,499 / £1,499 |
Every iPad Apple sells
Apple’s iPad lineup is perhaps one of the most expansive product lineups presented by the company. Below we offer information about each model, but we also answer questions further down the article such as which iPad is the best value for money, which size is best, how much storage you need, and whether to get cellular (you can jump to these sections from the table of contents above).
The iPad that is best for you will depend on what you need from an iPad. If you just want an iPad for reading books, watching movies and TV shows, email, and web browsing, then you don’t need all the bells and whistles. An iPad or iPad mini might be best here.
If you are looking for an iPad that will do everything that a laptop can, then you might want to consider a model that is more powerful and supports additional components, including one of Apple’s newer keyboards or the Apple Pencil, the iPad Air might suit you.
And if you will be using your iPad for gaming, video editing, photo editing, or anything high-powered and graphic intensive, then you will probably be looking at an iPad Pro.
Below we will run through every iPad you can buy so you can find the one that’s best for your needs.
Apple iPad (2022, 10th gen) – Best value
64GB: $349/£349
256GB: $499/£499
64GB (cellular): $499/£499
256GB (cellular): $649/£649
The 2022 iPad (10th generation) is the cheapest iPad–it was reduced by $100 in May 2024 from $449 ro $349. It offers a lot of features for the price and it’s available in an assortment of fun colors. It has a 10.9-inch screen, a USB-C connector, and supports the Apple Pencil 1 or the Apple Pencil (USB). It’s also capable of 5G (if you were looking at the cellular model you wouldn’t want the 4G-capable 9th gen).
Pros: A14 chip will be powerful enough for a good few years. No more Home Button – but there is Touch ID (on the Power button).
Cons: Still feels cheap due to the unlaminated screen (will Apple ever update this?). Not as thin and light as the iPad Air.
Best for: Anyone who needs a big screen (not a huge screen; they’ll want the 12.9-inch iPad Pro) but is on a budget, and can cope without the latest in processing. It’s a good option for anyone who likes the look of the iPad Air, but not the price.
Is now a good time to buy? While the iPad is about two years old, Apple reduced its price in May 2024 and it’s a fantastic bargain.
Apple iPad mini (6th gen, 2021) – Best for kids and travelers
This generation of iPad mini launched in September 2021. The iPad mini is available in four colors: silver, gold, Space Gray and purple.
The iPad mini is Apple’s smallest iPad with an 8.3-inch display. The biggest draw of the iPad mini is probably its diminutive stature. This is the smallest and lightest iPad and as such is perfect for carrying around in a bag or handing to children when they need entertaining. Whichever version you go for, you’ll get an A15 Bionic processor chip, a Liquid Retina screen, and 12MP/12MP rear/front cameras.
It might be small, but it is actually more powerful than the standard iPad thanks to it’s A15 processor, which is a generation newer than the A14 in the 10th gen iPad.
Pros: Very portable and respectably powerful. The cheapest version has a decent amount of storage (64GB). Supports second-gen Apple Pencil.
Cons: Small screen, which may not be great for those who get eyestrain or who like immersive films and games.
Best for: The portability-conscious. Gamers on the go. Tablet photographers. Ebook readers. Kids.
Is now a good time to buy? Apple did not update the iPad mini during its spring 2024 event, but it did reduce the price outside the U.S. It’s possible Apple could update it later in the year, but it probably won’t be a major upgrade. Keep up with the latest speculation with our iPad mini 7 guide.
See: Best iPad mini deals
Apple iPad Air 11-inch (6th gen, 2024) – Best for power in an affordable package
The 11-inch iPad Air has an M2 processor that is powerful and energy-efficient (you may remember it from its widely praised performance in the Mac). The M2 pushes the iPad Air far ahead of the iPad mini and standard iPads with their A-series chips. The M2 also makes the Air an appealing alternative to the more expensive Pro models, with their faster M4 processors.
Like all recent iPads, the Air features an all-screen design with no Home button. As with the 10th-gen iPad and the iPad mini, biometric security is handled by a fingerprint sensor in the power button rather than Face ID, which is reserved for the Pros. It has superb cameras (the front-facing 12MP camera and Center Stage), supports a wide range of Pro accessories, and now features 5G.
Pros: Beautiful design. Superb processing and graphics power. Cheaper than the iPad Pro.
Cons: Screen doesn’t feature ProMotion.
Ideal for: Tablet gamers and anyone who wants to be able to run the most demanding apps now and in the future. Pro users (business, creative, design) who can’t afford an iPad Pro.
Is now a good time to buy? Absolutely. It was updated in May of 2024 and will be around for a while.
See: Best iPad Air deals
11-inch iPad Pro (5th gen, 2024) – Best for power in a small package
- 256GB: $999 / £999 / 128GB (cellular): $1,199 / £1,199
- 512GB: $1,199 / £1,199 / 256GB (cellular): $1,399 / £1,399
- 1TB: $1,599 / £1,599 / 1TB (cellular): $1,799 / £1,799
- 2TB: $1,999 / £1,999 / 2TB (cellular): $2,199 / £2,199
The current generation of iPad Pro models went on sale in May 2024.
The iPad Pro comes in two sizes and a variety of capacities all the way up to a massive 2TB. The 2024 Pros feature M4 chips and are incredibly powerful–some might say more powerful than it has any right to be.
The 11-inch iPad Pro features a display it calls Ultra Retina XDR, which is an implementation of OLED technology that offers deeper blacks, better details in shadows and low light, and better response to motion. Apple uses two OLED panels in an implementation it calls Tandem OLED to address the brightness concerns of a single OLED panel. The Tandem OLED generates 1000 nits of SDR/HDR brightness and 1600 nits of peak HDR brightness.
The front-facing camera is now on the longer side of the iPad Pro for use in landscape mode and the rear 10MP ultra-wide camera is gone. The 12MP main camera now has an adaptive True Tone flash that works while scanning documents, which uses AI to sense shadows when scanning and uses the flash to fill in the spot, and multiple photos are taken and stitched together to create the best scan.
Pros: Slim and light; dual cameras; Face ID; devastatingly quick and power-efficient processor.
Cons: Very expensive. Its power could be overkill for many.
Ideal for: Creative types who don’t need the absolutely largest screen. It’s great for watching films and TV shows (and offers quad-speaker audio to match), but there are other screens in the range that are a similar size and a lot more affordable.
Is now a good time to buy? The 11-inch M4 iPad Pro was released in May 2024, so it’s a good time to buy. Apple likely won’t update it for a good amount of time.
See: Best iPad Pro deals
13-inch iPad Pro (7th gen, 2024) – The ultimate iPad power package for creative pros
- 256GB: $1,299/£1,299 / 256GB (cellular): $1,499/£1,499
- 512GB: $1,499/£1,499 / 512GB (cellular): $1,499/£1,699
- 1TB: $1,899/£1,899 / 1TB (cellular): $2,099/£2,099
- 2TB: $2,299/£2,299 / 2TB (cellular): $2,499/£2,499
The iPad Pro 12.9-inch, updated in May 2024, offers the biggest screen ever on an Apple tablet, squeezed into a relatively small and very thin chassis. In other respects it’s largely the same as the 11-inch Pro (above): super-fast processor (the M4) with lots of RAM, excellent cameras, and a user experience that looks more than capable of replacing a laptop.
The 13-inch iPad Pro, like the 11-inch version, has an Ultra Retina XDR. This is based on OLED technology, but Apple uses two OLED panels–it calls Tandem OLED and it generates 1000 nits of SDR/HDR brightness and 1600 nits of peak HDR brightness.
This is all thoroughly impressive. But on the downside, the 12.9-inch Pro is far less portable than the mid-size iPads (it remains admirably slim, but the sheer screen area makes it a handful) and ruinously expensive, particularly at those upper storage tiers.
Pros: Largest screen (13-inch); extremely fast processor with lots of RAM; landscape camera with Face ID; four speakers; Ultra Retina display.
Cons: Least portable iPad currently available (although it is very slim); very expensive; processor speed will be overkill for many prospective buyers.
Ideal for: Creative types most of all, but anyone who needs a big screen will be interested. Gamers and those who enjoy consuming media on the go will like the combination of a sumptuous screen and a quad-speaker audio system.
Is now a good time to buy? The current Pros came out in May 2024. Apple probably won’t update it again for at least a year, maybe longer.
See: Best iPad Pro deals
iPad Buying Guide: What to look for when buying an iPad
As you can see from the above there are a lot of iPads sold by Apple–that doesn’t even include the many previous-generation iPads that are still on sale at various resellers and at Apple’s Refurbished Store.
When confronted by so much choice what should you consider when deciding which iPad to buy?
For many the choice will be based on price and value for money. Some may be influenced by the screen size, others by the weight. The ability to get more than 256GB storage may be important, as may the inclusion of Face ID or Touch ID. Finally, the decision of whether to get a cellular version, which invites the assessment of the minefield of network contracts, will no doubt be a factor for some.
We will look at each of those factors below.
Which iPad is the best value for money?
One person’s value for money is another person’s extravagance.
You might be looking for the cheapest iPad. That would be the 10th generation iPad, launched in 2022. In May 2024, Apple reduced the price from its original $449 price to $349 (price drops were matched around the world). It has a 10.9-inch screen, a 12MP rear-facing camera, an A14 Bionic processor, and 5G as an option.
If you are happy to buy an older iPad model then there are plenty of discounts available while they are still in stock. There are also some great savings to be had on refurbished models. We recommend you check the following deals roundups, where you can see the best prices right now on various iPads:
If you have more to spend, what can you get for your money? The iPad mini more than justifies its slightly higher price tag of $499/£499 (especially now that the price has dropped from the staggering £569 in the U.K.) with its faster A15 processor, True Tone flash, and a fully laminated, better quality, display, among other things. But its biggest draw will probably be its size for those who want a small iPad. The iPad mini is not much bigger than a hard-backed book making it the perfect size to carry around in a bag and a great size for kids.
Apple
Apple
Apple
Next up is the iPad Air, which starts at $599/£599 for the 11-inch model. It might be worth every extra penny if you want a faster M2 processor. The iPad Air display is still superior to that of the iPad, fully laminated and with an antireflective coating (like the iPad mini).
The iPad Pro, updated in May 2024 is the ultimate in this category. Starting at $999/£999, the Pro has a lot to offer, with an incredible display and an M4 chip for starters. But we think these features are probably more than the average person needs.
Those are the prices that Apple sells its iPads for, but you don’t have to pay that much. Take a look at our regularly updated iPad deals page for the lowest prices and best discounts on iPads new and old.
iPad screen size: Which size iPad to choose
Size is a question of taste rather than simply going for the biggest iPad you can get your hands on. Bigger isn’t necessarily better if what you need is small and light.
The most obvious aspect of this decision comes down to screen size. All screens are measured diagonally from corner to corner, or from the place where the corners would be. You’ve got four options:
- 8.3-inch iPad mini
- 10.9-inch iPad (10th gen)
- 11-inch iPad Air and iPad Pro
- 13-inch iPad Air and iPad Pro
But how big a screen do you really need? You can think of the tablets in terms of print publications: the mini is roughly the height and width of a paperback book; the mid-size iPads are closer to a hardback (albeit much slimmer); and the 13-inch iPad Pro is like a magazine.
The larger screen is obviously better for immersive entertainment. Whether watching films or playing games, it’s a more enjoyable, richer experience. But really this is a question of priorities. Are you more set on getting maximum screen space, or are you willing to compromise on that front in order to get a lower price tag and improved portability?
- iPad Pro 13-inch (2024): 281.6mm x 215.5mm x 65.1mm; 579g/582g (Wi-Fi/cellular)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (2024): 249.7mm x 177.5mm x 5.3mm; 444g/446g
- iPad Air 13-inch (2024): 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.1mm 617g/618g
- iPad Air 11-inch (2024): 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 6.1mm; 462g/462g
- iPad 10.9-inch (2022): 248.6mm x 179.5mm x 7mm; 477g/481g
- iPad mini 8.3-inch (2021): 195.4mm x 134.8mm x 6.3mm; 300.5g/308.2g
Also read: Every iPad display compared.
Want the lightest iPad? As you’d expect, the iPad mini is a lot lighter than the other iPads. There’s a big gap between that device and even the mid-size iPads. As well as its markedly lower weight the mini also has a smaller body, which slips easily into a rucksack or jacket pocket. If you plan to mainly use your iPad out and about, on vacation, or commuting, or perhaps you’re buying an iPad for a child, the mini is your best bet.
The iPad, 11-inch iPad Air, and 11-inch Pro are pleasingly portable, but they still can’t match the mini for portability. The iPad has a similar length and width to the Air, but is thicker and heavier; the Pros are slimmer still.
The 13-inch Pro and Air are considerably less portable than their smaller cousins, but we think Apple has done well to keep the weight down, especially with the Pro: it remains a slender, relatively lightweight, and portable alternative to a laptop.
How much storage do you need?
The five iPads offer anywhere from 64GB to 2TB of storage, but if you are looking at an old, refurbished, or preowned iPad you could be confronted with as little as 32GB storage, which isn’t enough.
But what storage capacity do you really need for an iPad?
Well, first of all, remember that you can’t upgrade the storage of an iPad at a later date: this is your limit from now until you buy another iPad, so aim high and buy as much storage as you can afford. It’s better to spend an extra few pounds now than to buy an entire new iPad in six months’ time.
Storage capacity is mainly used up by three things: music, photos, and videos, in increasing order of storage drain. If you want to keep lots of films or TV shows–or even a few, to be honest–then you need high storage: probably 128GB or higher for video fans. (If you’re buying an iPad with the kids in mind, remember that you’ll want storage space for multiple episodes of their favorite show on a long car journey.)
The same applies to large photo or music libraries, to a lesser extent, although iCloud Photos and iTunes Match make it possible to keep your stuff in the cloud and access it remotely (if you pay the fees for iCloud storage).
The other thing that will fill up your storage is apps, especially games which will use up a lot of space. For that reason gamers should aim high on storage: The iPad Ait starts with 128GB and the Pro has 256GB, while the mini and 10th-gen iPad both start at 64GB. We recommend getting what you can afford
See: How much storage do you need on an iPhone or iPad? for more advice.
Should you get the most powerful iPad?
The iPad Pro models are, as you would expect, faster than their smaller and cheaper equivalents, next up is the Air, then the iPad mini and finally the iPad. You can get an idea of relative speed by looking at a few relevant specs:
- iPad Pro 13-inch (2024): M4; 8GB/16GB RAM
- iPad Pro 11-inch (2024): M4; 8GB/16GB RAM
- 13-inch iPad Air (2024): M2; 8GB RAM
- 11-inch iPad Air (2024): M2; 8GB RAM
- iPad mini (2021): A15 Bionic; 4GB RAM
- iPad 10.9-inch (2022): A14 Bionic; 4GB RAM
The M-series chips have won widespread acclaim in the Mac range and produce outstanding performance in the iPads. But that doesn’t mean the A chips are sub-standard or incapable of running modern apps; keep in mind that much of the software on the App Store was designed with A chips in mind, and even now most developers will want to make their software accessible for as many iPad owners as possible.
There is a good reason to choose the M-series chips over the A-series though. Some of the best iPadOS 16 features will only work with the M-series iPads. These include features like Stage Manager, which is a new feature for organizing your windows. There are also rumors that one day Apple may make a cutback version of macOS available on the iPad but this will be probably be restricted to the M-series chip, if indeed it ever happens..
But speculation aside, how powerful you need your iPad to be will be based on your your requirements (and how long you intend to use your iPad for). The most demanding graphic-design, video-editing, and audio apps will see better performance on the M4 and even M2 processor, so if you’re looking at high-level workloads multiple years down the line the M4 and M2 would be a better option.
But for most users, the A15 will be comfortably fast enough for the mid- and quite long-term, and even the A14 (from 2020) performs perfectly well on today’s apps.
Another important factor to consider is memory. The iPad mini and iPad 10.9-inch have 4GB. The Air gets a jump up to 8GB, while the Pros have either 8GB or a whopping 16GB of RAM, depending on your storage tier: the 1TB and 2TB versions get the higher RAM allocation.
Overall, we would advise those who want to use highly demanding apps, such as video and image editors and graphically advanced games, to choose an iPad Pro or Air. If you’re going to be using your tablet for the odd bit of email and web surfing, you’ll find an iPad or iPad mini perfectly decent.
With these general observations out of the way, it’s time to look at each device in more depth. For each iPad we record the essential information, its pros and cons, which buyer should pick it, and whether now is a good time to buy.
Should you get a Cellular iPad?
For most people cellular connectivity is a luxury, even if it’s a nice one to have. For an extra $100 or so, you’ll be able to access the web and email, and use connected apps, away from a Wi-Fi network. You need to factor in the cost of a data plan and find a network provider.
Consider carefully how often you’re going to do that: with an iPad mini there’s likely to be more on-the-go use than with a full-size iPad, but it’s still a lot to pay for something you may only use from time to time. Have you got a regular (overground) commute where you’d enjoy catching up on news headlines or e-mail? Then it could be worth the extra.
We think the best option, if you want to be able to get data on your iPad when you are out and about, is to create a hotspot and share it from your iPhone. Then you can use your iPad as if it is on the cellular network. Read about how to create an iPhone hotspot to share your mobile web connection to your iPad.
Just bear in mind that the cellular option also brings with it a GPS radio, meaning you’ll be able to input accurate location data when using your device on the go.
The other concern when buying a cellular iPad is whether to buy your iPad on a contract. Network providers will allow you to pay for your iPad and the data contract over a number of months – but after that term is up, and certainly not before, you may not be able to switch to a different data provider. Buying on contract may also mean that the iPad is locked to the original contract provider – which can also be a problem if you want to sell it in the future. Here’s how to unlock an iPad from its network, once you’ve fulfilled your contractual obligations.
Should you buy a refurbished iPad?
Apple
Apple
Apple
We’ll mention this only briefly because it’s covered in detail here: Why a refurbished iPad could be the best tablet for you, but one option you should absolutely consider is Apple’s Refurbished Store. It’s a sort of halfway house between new and second-hand: the devices are generally ones that have been returned within the 28-day period in which you are legally allowed to change your mind about a purchase, or they have been returned due to a fault that has been rectified, or they were ex-display or ex-demo units from Apple’s stores or marketing. You can rest assured that Apple has checked all the refurbished iPads that it sells thoroughly, replaced any problematic components, and rated them as good as new (and you get a full one-year warranty to prove it).
Apple’s not the only place to buy a refurbished iPad, so beware that all refurbished iPads are not the same, so do check the small print before you buy. Look for refurbished models that have been fully checked out by Apple-certified engineers, especially those that come with a guarantee.
Our best advice is to only consider the current or previous generation iPads when looking at refurbished models, then you are less likely to be caught out by a sub-par tablet.
Buying a refurbished iPad from a reputable company is definitely preferable to buying a used iPad from someone on eBay. It’s too often the case that secondhand iPads sold that way end up as useless bricks because the person selling it didn’t properly log out of their account.
Another way to save money is to buy from a reseller who is selling discontinued stock at a discount. We often see resellers significantly dropping the price on older iPad models that are usually just one generation out of date—just beware, they sell out quick!
Should you buy the newest iPad generation?
Speaking of older iPads, even if functioning perfectly right now, older models will reach the end of their useful life sooner than the newest models and that is a good reason to avoid buying an iPad that is more than one or two generations old. But keep in mind that iPads tend to start slowing down at around two to three years of age; at the four- or five-year mark you should expect noticable loss of performance and you won’t be able to get all the latest software updates.
The current iPad range was mostly updated in 2024 and included the iPad Pro and the iPad Air. The 10th-gen iPad was released in October 2022 but had its price reduced in May 2024. The iPad mini came out in September 2021.
Another reason to buy a recent iPad is the operating system it runs. Apple only supports the most recent three versions of iPadOS with security updates, so that means that only iPadOS 15, 16. and 17 are currently supported. See How long does Apple support iPads? for more information.
The following iPads can run iPadOS 17:
- iPad Pro 12.9 and 13 (6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd gen)
- iPad Pro 11 (4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st gen)
- iPad Pro 10.5
- iPad (10th, 9th, 8th, 7th and 6th gen)
- iPad mini (5th and 6th gen)
- iPad Air (6th, 5th, 4th and 3rd gen)
The iPads that have been removed from support include:
- 2016 iPad Pro 9.7-inch with an A9X chip
- 2015 iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation) with an A9X chip
- 2017 iPad (5th generation) with an A9 chip
So, while you don’t have to buy the newest generation, we would recommend that you buy one that was launched relatively recently to be sure that Apple will support it for as long as you intend to own it. On that basis, any of the iPads listed above should be a safe bet because they support the iPadOS that Apple will support for the next three years, and for many the support will stretch on for more years.
Buying advice: Which iPad should you buy?
The iPad 10.9-inch is a good option for newcomers and those who will mostly use their iPad as a media consumption device with some light work.
For most people, however, our recommendation is the iPad Air (2024). The update in May 2024 brought it an M2 processor, which is more than enough for an iPad right now. Mind you, it’s still expensive compared to the standard iPad and the iPad mini, and to most rival tablets out there.
The iPad mini is mainly recommended for those who see portability as their main priority. It’s an excellent little device, although the smaller screen makes it less immersive for games and entertainment options.
The remaining iPads will be too expensive for the average buyer. The 11-inch and 13-inch Pro models are amazingly powerful and well-made, and the arrival of the M4 is excellent news but probably more power than anyone really needs right now. But if you’re a creative professional, the Pro is the iPad to get.
Finally, before taking the plunge, have you considered if a laptop might suit your needs better? See iPad vs MacBook for more advice on that front.
Author: Karen Haslam, Managing Editor
Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld more than two decades ago. Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Having edited the U.K. print and online editions of Macworld for many years, more recently her focus has been on SEO and evergreen content as well product recommendations and buying advice on Macworld.com.