The Best Apple Ipads Tablet For 2025

Michael Brown By, Michael Brown
Updated
Best Apple Ipads Tablet
Best Apple Ipads Tablet

Summary

Best Overall

Apple iPad Air 11-inch M3

Featuring the powerful M3 chip, which is built for the new Apple Intelligence system, this iPad is ready for a new era of productivity and creativity. It offers a high-end experience that feels both familiar and revolutionary.
Best Bang For The Buck

Apple iPad 11-inch A16 chip

The 11-inch iPad with the A16 chip is the perfect device for anyone seeking a powerful and versatile tablet experience. It’s been designed to be more capable than ever before, with a superfast chip that handles everything from immersive gaming to creative projects with ease.
Best Compact

Apple iPad mini A17 Pro

The iPad mini is an ideal companion for those who need a device that's easy to carry but still capable of handling everything from serious creative projects to note-taking on the fly.

With multiple models and configurations, choosing the best Apple iPad can be daunting. From the powerful iPad Pro to the ultra-portable iPad mini, each device is designed with a different user in mind. Whether you're a creative professional in need of a powerful workstation, a student looking for a versatile note-taking device, or simply want a premium tablet for entertainment, there's an iPad tailored to your needs.

To help you find the perfect match, we’ve thoroughly researched the entire iPad lineup. Our review process analyzes each model's key features, including its display quality, processor performance, compatibility with accessories like the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard, and overall value. We aim to provide a clear and concise breakdown of what each iPad does best, so you can make an informed decision.

Ultimately, the "best" iPad isn't the most expensive one, it's the one that aligns with how you plan to use it. In this guide, we'll offer a detailed analysis of each popular model to help you find the best Apple iPad for your personal needs and budget.

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 Apple iPad Air 11-inch M3
Our Score:
9.9
Apple

The Apple iPad Air with the M3 chip is a true performance powerhouse. The M3 chip brings a remarkable boost in speed, making it feel incredibly responsive whether you’re working on advanced creative tasks, playing graphic-intensive games, or smoothly multitasking with features like Stage Manager. This device also serves as a great introduction to Apple Intelligence, helping you write and get things done effortlessly with privacy at its core.

We also found that the iPad Air's versatility is a huge strength, seamlessly transforming into a creative canvas with Apple Pencil Pro or a productivity machine with the Magic Keyboard. The 11-inch Liquid Retina display is truly gorgeous, with technologies like P3 wide color and ultralow reflectivity that make everything from photos to movies look stunning.

While the display is beautiful, one thing we noted is that it does not feature ProMotion technology for a high refresh rate like the iPad Pro. However, this is a very reasonable trade-off, as the overall performance from the M3 chip ensures that navigating the interface and playing games still feels exceptionally fluid. With all-day battery life and blazing-fast Wi-Fi, the iPad Air is truly a device that’s built to keep up with you.

TOP Choice #2 Apple iPad 11-inch A16 chip
Our Score:
9.8
Apple

The 11-inch iPad with the A16 chip delivers a classic Apple experience with a serious performance boost. The superfast A16 chip truly makes a difference, allowing you to effortlessly navigate apps, play graphics-intensive games, and edit photos and videos with remarkable smoothness. The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is a joy to use and features like True Tone adjust the color temperature to match the room, making it incredibly comfortable for watching movies or working late into the night. 

The versatility of iPadOS is also a major plus, enabling you to run multiple apps at once and use features like Scribble to write directly into any text field. With millions of apps available, you'll find everything you need to create, learn, and stay entertained. One minor downside is that it does not support the latest Apple Intelligence features in some more advanced models. However, this is a very specific and high-end set of features. For most users, the powerful A16 chip ensures that the iPad remains incredibly fast and capable, delivering a fantastic experience for all your day-to-day activities and more.

TOP Choice #3 Apple iPad mini A17 Pro
Our Score:
9.6
Apple

The Apple iPad mini A17 Pro is an exceptional device with performance that is disproportionate to its size. Its ultrafast A17 Pro chip brings a remarkable boost in speed, making everything from editing photos to playing graphics-intensive games feel incredibly fluid. This compact tablet also serves as a great introduction to Apple Intelligence, which helps you streamline your tasks with powerful, on-device AI.

The 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, with its P3 wide color and True Tone, makes for a vibrant and comfortable viewing experience, and its ultraportability makes it the perfect device for taking notes or marking up documents wherever inspiration strikes. Its advanced 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage is another fantastic feature, ensuring you're always perfectly framed during video calls.

Nevertheless, it doesn't support the full Stage Manager multitasking experience found on larger iPads. However, this is a minor detail that fits the device's focused, on-the-go nature. It still offers a versatile multitasking experience through standard iPadOS features, allowing you to run multiple apps at once.

4 Apple iPad Pro 13-Inch M4
Our Score:
9.5
Apple

The 13-inch iPad Pro immediately captures your attention with its stunning Ultra Retina XDR display. It offers extreme contrast and color accuracy that makes everything, from 4K videos to intricate design projects, leap off the screen. The ProMotion technology also ensures a perfectly fluid and responsive feel with every tap and swipe. It’s this visual brilliance that truly showcases the power of the M4 chip, which delivers blazing-fast graphics and performance that can handle the most demanding creative tasks with ease.

This device feels like a leap forward, especially with the seamless multitasking provided by Stage Manager, which lets you work with resizable, overlapping apps and even connect to an external display. Of course, a device that packs this much cutting-edge technology and a beautiful display comes with a high price tag. But it's worth noting that this premium cost is a direct reflection of its top-tier capabilities. The iPad Pro is a device designed for professionals and creators who need the best-of-the-best to get their work done. 

5 Apple iPad Air 11-inch M2
Our Score:
9.3
Apple

The iPad Air M2 genuinely impresses due to its exceptional adaptability and connectivity. It's built to fit seamlessly into your workflow, no matter where you are. The Wi-Fi 6E ensures you can download large files and stream with blazing speed, while the USB-C connector makes it easy to connect to external displays and other devices.

The M2 chip is the real star here, transforming the device into a multitasking powerhouse that handles demanding apps and graphics-intensive games with ease. Features like Stage Manager truly unlock this potential, making it effortless to run multiple apps at once in resizable windows.

The tablet’s creative capabilities are further enhanced by its compatibility with the new Apple Pencil Pro, making it a fantastic tool for note-taking and drawing. The camera system is also a highlight, with a landscape 12MP Ultra Wide front camera that’s perfect for video calls and keeping you in focus with Center Stage.

With all that power packed into a lightweight design, this device could get warm under a heavy workload, such as during long gaming sessions or while editing video. However, this is a common trait for high-performance processors and doesn't affect the tablet's overall speed or reliability.

6 Apple iPad 10th Generation
Our Score:
9.2
Apple

From the moment you pick up the iPad 10th Generation, its new all-screen design makes a great first impression. The vibrant 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display is a real pleasure to use, and we found that the True Tone feature works wonders, adjusting the screen's color temperature so watching a movie in a dimly lit room is just as comfortable as sketching a new idea in a brightly lit cafe.

The A14 Bionic chip is a quiet powerhouse under the hood, handling everyday tasks and more intensive activities like immersive gaming or video editing without breaking a sweat. It feels incredibly responsive, allowing you to multitask effortlessly with iPadOS and run your favorite apps without a hitch.

This device is also a great companion for creativity and productivity, especially with the Magic Keyboard Folio and the Apple Pencil (1st generation). The detachable keyboard is a clever two-piece design that gives you a comfortable typing experience while also protecting the tablet. One small downside is the Apple Pencil's charging method. To power it up, you need a USB-C to Lightning adapter, which can feel a bit awkward when all the other accessories and the iPad itself use USB-C. But once you've got the simple adapter, it doesn't detract from how useful the pencil is.

7 Apple iPad Mini 6th Generation
Our Score:
9.1
Apple

The iPad mini is a device that feels designed for adventure. The moment you hold it, you will appreciate how the 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display brings a full-screen experience to a device that’s so easy to carry. The colors are vibrant and the ultralow reflectivity makes it perfect for reading a book or watching a movie outdoors.

Furthermore, its A15 Bionic chip delivers a powerful performance that lets you seamlessly navigate between apps and handle even demanding tasks like editing photos. It’s the kind of power that makes you forget you’re using such a compact tablet. The 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage is also a great feature, ensuring you’re perfectly framed during video calls with family or friends.

Although the iPad mini is an incredibly capable device, its speed is not quite as fast as some of the larger, more recent models from Apple. For a device this portable, the performance is still blazing-fast and reliable, making it more than capable for any project.

What to Look For in a best apple ipads tablet?

Until now, numerous customers trust the information and advice we offer them, which means our offers to you are accurate and up to date all the time. This objective is being pursued with tremendous zeal and attention. 

It's necessary to keep in mind the following points for selecting best apple ipads tablet:

Battery

One charge should be enough to last for a tablet through mixed use. Look at reviews on all of the tablets that you have shortlisted. For a 10-inch tablet to be reliable, it should contain a minimum of 7,000mAh. Tablets with larger screens (11-inch and 12-inch) should pack close to 10,000mAh to keep them going for a full day. Although not all devices can be rated on battery capacity, you should still consider other factors such as battery life. Reviews and test results are a good way to get an idea of what the actual battery life is.

Storage

The capacity of most tablets ranges from 16GB up to 128GB. The type of use you make for your tablet will determine how much storage you need. Most tablets can be used for browsing the Internet, checking email, streaming video and similar content.

Hardware Connections

While connections are important for laptops and PCs, it is less relevant for tablets. Tablets use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well as apps to store and transfer data. Apple tablets lack hardware connections. However, adapters can be attached to the dock port of the tablet or added wirelessly using purpose-built gadgets. Android tablets offer more options in terms of hardware connections. They have a USB port and HDMI-out.

Screen & Audio

When buying a tablet, the first thing you should look at is the screen size and quality. It's often the most used component. A tablet with a 10 inch screen and Full HD resolution is a good choice. Tablets with 7-inch and 8-inch screens may be small and lightweight, but they can feel cramped when browsing the internet and taking online classes.

Cameras

Tablets have less importance than smartphones for cameras. It should still have an 8MP, 12MP, or F2.0 aperture camera, as well as 4K 30fps video recording (although 1080p is acceptable if the tablet costs less than $100). Look out for 5MP front-facing cameras that record Full HD video. This ensures that you video will appear clearer when video calling or conference with people on the other end of the call.

Software

No matter if you're buying an iPad, an Android tablet or a smartphone, ensure that your device is pre-installed using the most recent version of the operating systems. It should at least include a guarantee of an upgrade to iOS or Android. The newest Android version is 11 and iPadOS version 14 in 2020.

Online Access

Many tablets come with Wi-Fi, while others offer mobile broadband, 3G and 4G for data. However, this requires you to sign up for an additional plan. Another option is the Wi-Fi only tablet. They can be used over Wi-Fi, just like the name implies, and also via your smartphone's mobile hotspot feature (standard on all new models). If your 3G plan is not sufficient, you might consider a 4G tablet that comes with its own plan.

FAQs

Which iPad is best for students?

For most students, the iPad Air is the top choice. It offers a great balance of performance for multitasking and note-taking, a lightweight design for carrying around campus, and support for key accessories like the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard.

Should I choose the iPad Air or the iPad Pro?

Choose the iPad Pro if you need the absolute best performance for demanding tasks like 4K video editing, 3D rendering, or professional-grade creative work. The iPad Air is the better value for most people, providing excellent performance for daily use, light creative work, and media consumption.

Is an iPad good for gaming?

Yes, iPads are excellent for gaming. The more powerful models, such as the iPad Pro and iPad Air, can run even the most graphically demanding games smoothly. For gamers who prioritize portability, the iPad mini offers a compact design with a powerful A-series chip, making it a great choice for playing on the go.


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About Michael Brown

Michael Brown

Michael Brown has been the lead editor of the website display-central.com for a long time. He's been a technology examiner for almost a decade, specializing in the display solutions such as laptops, projectors, and TVs, and Mobile devices. Michael will provide you with helpful and relevant knowledge and advice based on his technical background.