The Best Ipads For Students Of 2025

The iPad Air M3 is one of the most practical devices for students. The M3 chip is at the centre of it all. It makes sure that the computer responds quickly, whether you're working on numerous apps for schoolwork, revising class projects, or other graphics-heavy jobs. With a battery that lasts all day, you can take it with you to class in the morning and study late into the night without having to worry about charging it all the time.

Its 13-inch Liquid Retina display is another highlight, offering crisp colors and smooth visuals that make both reading textbooks and streaming content a pleasure. True Tone and ultralow reflectivity add to the comfort, especially during long hours of study. iPadOS enhances productivity with Stage Manager for multitasking and the intuitive Scribble feature for Apple Pencil users. With over a million apps tailored for iPad, the device easily adapts to different study styles and needs.

The only drawback is that accessories like the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard are sold separately. While these extras significantly enhance the iPad Air’s versatility, they also add to the overall cost. Still, even on its own, the iPad Air M3 is a powerful, flexible tool ideal for student life.

The 11-inch iPad powered by the A16 chip is an excellent pick for students who want performance in a compact form factor. Its speed is noticeable right away, whether you’re switching between multiple study apps, editing photos for class projects, or relaxing with a quick gaming session. The efficiency of the A16 ensures smooth operation while still offering the all-day battery life students need for long schedules.

The Liquid Retina display is vibrant and sharp, making lectures, e-books, and creative work enjoyable. True Tone technology adds comfort during extended use by adjusting to surrounding light conditions. iPadOS enhances its versatility, letting you split screens, take notes with Apple Pencil, and access over a million iPad-optimized apps from the App Store. Combined with fast Wi-Fi 6, students can stream, download, and collaborate without interruption.

One consideration is the display refresh rate, which remains at a standard 60Hz. While perfectly fine for everyday tasks like browsing, studying, and watching videos, it doesn’t offer the ultra-smooth feel of higher-refresh displays. Still, this trade-off helps keep the iPad accessible, and its overall power and functionality make it an appealing choice for students.

The iPad Pro M4 represents Apple’s most advanced tablet, and for students, it means having a device that can replace a laptop in many situations. The M4 chip has a 10-core CPU and GPU that make it very fast. This makes it great for editing videos, running complicated design applications, or doing a lot of things at once. There is plenty of room for students who deal with big files, such as 4K films or design portfolios, because the storage options go up to 2TB.

Its 11-inch Ultra Retina XDR display offers incredible brightness, contrast, and ProMotion smoothness. True Tone and P3 wide color make reading, note-taking, and media consumption feel natural and immersive. Paired with Apple Pencil Pro, the iPad Pro transforms into a top-tier canvas for art, design, and precise note-taking, while the Magic Keyboard delivers a laptop-like typing experience. iPadOS ties everything together with multitasking features like Stage Manager, making it easy to balance study, creativity, and entertainment.

The main consideration is its premium price, which places it above other student-friendly iPads. However, for those who want cutting-edge performance and a device that grows with them through school and beyond, the iPad Pro M4 is a worthy long-term investment.

The iPad mini A17 Pro is a small but mighty device tailored for students who want portability without sacrificing performance. Its A17 Pro chip ensures fast, responsive performance whether you’re managing multiple study apps, editing photos, or streaming content. The compact 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display makes it easy to slip into a bag or even hold comfortably during long study sessions, yet it still delivers vibrant visuals with P3 wide color and True Tone technology.

For creative students, compatibility with Apple Pencil Pro turns the iPad mini into a powerful note-taking tool or sketchpad. The Smart Folio further adds practicality, doubling as protection and a handy stand. iPadOS enhances multitasking, allowing students to split screens and stay productive while enjoying access to over a million iPad-optimized apps.

The one area to be mindful of is battery life. While it still delivers all-day use for light to moderate workloads, the smaller battery can drain faster during demanding tasks like video editing or extended gaming. That said, its quick recharging and ultra-portable size help offset this. Overall, the iPad mini A17 Pro is a compact powerhouse that’s ideal for students on the go.

The iPad 10th Generation is a fantastic option for students since it achieves a perfect mix between pricing and functionality. Whether you're taking notes in class, participating in video chats, or relaxing with a game, it can operate numerous apps with ease thanks to the A14 Bionic chip. Wi-Fi 6 guarantees fast, dependable connectivity for streaming and file sharing, and its all-day battery life allows it to effortlessly keep up with a full day of lectures and study sessions.

The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display is vibrant and comfortable to use, with True Tone technology that adjusts to different lighting environments. While it’s not quite as advanced as the displays on higher-end iPads, it still makes reading, drawing, and streaming enjoyable. Pairing it with the Apple Pencil or Magic Keyboard Folio can further expand its productivity potential, making it a flexible tool for different student needs.

One thing to note is that the display isn’t fully laminated, which creates a slight gap between the glass and the screen. While most students won’t notice it in daily use, it can feel a little less seamless compared to higher-tier models. Despite this, for its price and features, the iPad 10th Gen delivers impressive value.

The iPad Air M2 offers an excellent middle ground between Apple’s entry-level and premium tablets, making it especially appealing for students. Powered by the M2 chip, it handles everything from note-taking and research to photo editing and video projects with ease. Storage options up to 1TB mean you can keep assignments, apps, and media all in one place without worrying about space. Its Liquid Retina display enhances both productivity and entertainment, bringing vivid color and sharp detail whether you’re studying or streaming.

iPadOS enhances the experience with features such as Stage Manager for multitasking, Scribble for handwriting in text fields, and support for the Apple Pencil Pro, which transforms the iPad into a precise canvas or note-taking device. With its all-day battery life and lightweight design, the iPad Air M2 is ideal for students with hectic schedules.

One thing to be mindful of is that the iPad Air M2 can get warm during intensive tasks, such as extended gaming or heavy creative workloads. Overall, the iPad Air M2 provides a great match of power, versatility, and value.

The iPad Mini (6th Generation) is designed for students who value portability without losing access to Apple’s powerful ecosystem. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is vibrant and sharp, making textbooks, assignments, and videos look fantastic, while True Tone and P3 wide color provide natural, comfortable viewing in any setting. Despite its small size, the A15 Bionic chip delivers impressive performance for multitasking, light gaming, and creative tasks like photo editing.

With iPadOS, the iPad Mini becomes more than just a tablet. Students can handwrite notes, annotate documents, or sketch ideas using the Apple Pencil (2nd Gen), and they can easily customise it for their study needs with apps like Keynote, Messages, Safari, and millions more available on the App Store. All-day battery life ensures it can handle a full schedule, and fast Wi-Fi or optional 5G keeps you connected wherever you are.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have a headphone jack. However, with Bluetooth and USB-C audio options widely available, this is a manageable limitation. Overall, the iPad Mini 6 remains a lightweight, versatile, and reliable tool for learning and productivity.