The best iPads in 2024, tried and tested

Picking an iPad is kind of like selecting a song on an album with no skips: It’s pretty hard to go wrong. Apple makes some of the best tablets, so as long as you can afford the one you select, you’ll probably be happy with that buying decision. That said, I — and others — keep using the word “overkill” when talking about the top iPads, so I thought it was a good time to write the ultimate shopping guide for Apple’s tablets. This way, you won’t spend too much on your new iPad, and you’ll leave room in your budget for all of your other needs.

Below, I will help you navigate the complexity in Apple’s 2024 iPad matrix, as their processors, sizes and screens vary. Support for Apple’s own accessories varies as well, as its keyboard cases don’t fit all iPads and its four Apple Pencils only work with certain models. Fortunately, we’ve tested and reviewed all the iPads in Apple’s current tablet lineup, as well as one recently retired model that’s still available for purchase from other retailers at the time of publishing.

Best iPad: Apple iPad (10th Gen)

$349 From $329 at Amazon; $449 From $339 at Walmart; or $349 at Best Buy and Apple

For as much as we enjoy Apple’s pricier tablets, the simple fact is that the regular iPad is the right option for most folks. Through 10 iterations, Apple’s gradual improvements have built a tablet that’s better than most, with a screen and CPU that will be great for all general needs. Thanks to a recent price drop, the latest regular iPad now starts at $349, hundreds less than the iPad Air, and nearly a third the price of the iPad Pro. It also offers all the same iPhone and other Apple integrations that other iPads do, including Universal Control for use with MacBooks.

The 10th-generation iPad sports a pretty darn good 10.9-inch screen, with bright and colorful picture quality that will make you wonder why you ever settled for the screens on cheaper tablets. In our testing, it shined on everything from retro games to modern movies with questionable CGI, allowing us to see crisp detail throughout.

The entry-level iPad’s Apple A14 Bionic chip delivered brisk performance across a ton of apps. Whether we were testing the programs we rely on in everyday work such as Slack and Outlook or streaming services such as Netflix and Sling, it all just worked smoothly.

The regular iPad also features a USB-C port, as it’s no longer stuck in the past with the old Lightning connector. That means you can charge it with the same cables used for many other gadgets, such as the iPhone 15 and MacBook Air. This is also the first regular iPad that features optional 5G wireless connectivity for those spaces where Wi-Fi doesn’t follow, which brings it up to pace with all Apple’s other current tablets.

Also, the basic iPad’s front-facing webcam is finally — just like the iPad Air and iPad Pro — in the correct spot, centered on the longer side. This way, you’re properly framed by default if you use the iPad in landscape mode, docked in a keyboard case. That’s just one of many little changes that help us recommend the 10th-generation iPad to most friends and family.

One last thing: The more-expensive iPads could learn a thing or two from the regular iPad when it comes to color, as this model is sold in bright blue, pink and yellow hues, in addition to the restrained and subdued silver. This is in stark contrast to the drab and muted color options that the iPad Air and Pro are sold in.

Best iPad for reading: Apple iPad Mini (6th Gen)

$499 From $469 at Amazon; From $469 at Walmart; or $499 at Best Buy and Apple

Slightly pricier than the regular iPad, the 8.3-inch iPad Mini may seem a bit oddly positioned in Apple’s lineup. Sure, you’re getting less screen for your buck, but that’s the point for many folks. Not only will the iPad Mini fit more easily inside the pockets of a small bag or purse or on a crowded bedside table, but it’s just simpler to hold.

Yes, we love how the iPad Mini has the perfect form factor for reading books of all kinds (the best e-readers aren’t for everyone), as this smaller and lighter iPad is easier to use in one hand.?You’ll also love how long the iPad Mini lasts on a single charge, as its battery test time eclipsed 10 hours of 4K video playback, setting the record for the current class of iPads.

The perks of going smaller don’t end there, though, as the iPad Mini’s display is more colorful. While the regular iPad covers the standard sRGB color gamut, the iPad Mini upgrades everything on your screen to the wider DCI-P3 standard. The iPad Mini will also be better outside, as its antireflective coating should help you see what you’re tapping.

The iPad Mini also rocks a slightly faster processor, as its A15 Bionic chip is the next step up from the 10th-generation iPad’s A14 chip. It’s not the biggest difference-maker, but it’s one way to explain paying more for less screen space.

Best iPad upgrade for creators: Apple iPad Air M2

From $579 at Amazon and Walmart; or $599 at Best Buy and Apple

The 2024 iPad Air M2 continues the tradition of bringing features once exclusive to the iPad Pro to a wider audience, thanks to a lower price. This iPad runs on the M2 chip, the same chip we loved in the speedy 2022 iPad Pro M2, and it can run creative professional applications, such as the iPad versions of Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro, smoothly. It can also handle games with higher system requirements, including the Resident Evil 4 remake and Death Stranding’s Director’s Cut.

Unlike the iPad and iPad Mini, the iPad Air supports two of Apple’s premium accessories that make it a workhorse for creators. First and foremost, it works with the Apple Pencil Pro, where you get the squeeze and Barrel Roll gestures that make the stylus more like a magic wand with useful menus and stylistic flourishes. There’s also the Magic Keyboard, which makes the iPad Air feel more like a futuristic laptop where its screen looks like it floats in the air. Its keys are a joy to click and type on, as I learned while putting together sections of this guide.

Film editors (and digital hoarders) will also appreciate that it starts with 128GB of storage, twice as much space as the regular iPad. The iPad Air’s battery life also beat the iPad on our test, where we play a looping 4K video at 50% brightness, lasting more than six hours compared to the regular iPad’s five.

Lastly, the iPad Air might be perfect for you if you think the regular iPad’s 10.9-inch screen isn’t big enough, as Apple now sells a 13-inch version alongside the 11-inch model.

Best splurge iPad: Apple iPad Pro M4

$999 From $950 at Amazon; From $954 at Walmart; or $999 at Best Buy and Apple

With each update, Apple’s iPad Pro keeps the title of the best tablet that we’ve ever tested, provided you have the cash. That’s especially true with the latest model that runs on the M4 chip, which makes it faster than the iPad Air M2 while also adding GPU tricks including hardware-based ray tracing and mesh shading to make top games look even better. But performance isn’t the only reason you would invest $999 or more on the 2024 iPad Pro M4.

I absolutely love the iPad Pro M4’s Ultra Retina XDR display, as this gorgeous screen makes movies, TV and photos look fantastic with high contrast, strong color and tremendous amounts of detail. Apple achieved this by stacking two OLED panels on top of each other, because as great as OLED’s color and contrast is, it isn’t known for the brightness that the previous iPad Pros offered.

Once you get your hands on the new iPad Pro M4, you might be surprised to hear it packs that double-stuffed display, as it’s also thinner and lighter than before. Heck, it’s even thinner and lighter than the iPad Air. Somehow, Apple’s also packed impressively strong audio quality into this thin design, including more bass than you’d expect.

The iPad Pro M4 is also the only Apple tablet to work with its latest Magic Keyboard, which takes the previous floating screen design and adds an aluminum palm rest, larger touchpad with haptic feedback and a row of function keys so you can control brightness, volume and media playback (though that’s also in cheaper alternatives). And while it shares Apple Pencil Pro support with the iPad Air M2, it also packs more battery life, lasting almost an hour longer on our battery test than its more affordable sibling.

How to choose the right iPad for you

If you’re coming into this choice with no real opinions about what iPad you want, the 10th-generation iPad is probably the tablet for you. It’s the right iPad for when you just want to use touchscreen apps on a nice screen that’s bigger than your iPhone, doing everything from reading to streaming, either on the go or the sofa. Regular productivity apps work well too, and it’s the most affordable of the bunch by at least $150.

Storage: Choosing a storage size is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make during checkout. Both the basic 10th-generation iPad and the sixth-generation iPad Mini start at 64GB and then go up to 256GB. If you want to edit big video files, see yourself downloading a lot of TV shows or movies for trips, or you know your favorite apps include games with substantial downloads required, you should probably go for 256GB, as 64GB can fill up really quickly. The iPad Air and Pro start at 128GB and 256GB, respectively, so there’s less reason to be concerned about that at checkout.

Size: The 8.3-inch iPad Mini is best for folks who want a device that’s more portable, while the regular 10.9-inch iPad is again best for most as it sits in the middle of the lineup in size. The iPad Air M2 is best for the people who have already found that the basic iPad doesn’t go fast enough — or want a larger screen, as it comes in both 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. The iPad Pro M4 is also sold in those two sizes, though it’s thinner and lighter than the new iPad Air.

Processor: Most folks who want an iPad will be properly served by either the iPad’s A14 Bionic chip or the iPad Mini’s A15 Bionic, as each enables decent performance and multitasking. You only need to consider the iPad Air with its M2 or the iPad Pro’s M4 if you know you want the power of Apple’s desktop-class chips to shred through video editing, music production, high-end gaming and more tricky tasks.

Screen: The display panels in the 10th-generation iPad, sixth-generation iPad Mini and iPad Air are more alike than they are different, though the iPad Mini and iPad Air are slightly more colorful and offer antireflective coatings for those battling glare. The iPad Pro’s OLED-based Ultra Retina XDR screen, though, offers the top picture quality with excellent contrast and true inky-black tones. It’s so good that you might want to avoid looking at it unless you are ready to throw down for that big investment.

How we tested

iPads have a lot of similarities, but select iPadOS features, such as Stage Manager, are only available on the iPad Air and iPad Pro. So, when it comes time to testing and reviewing iPads, we get hyper specific about how they perform and figuring out if the pricier iPads are worth it.

Design

Display

Performance

Software

Apple Pencil, keyboard and case compatibility guide

Once you’ve chosen an iPad, you’ll probably want to pick the right accessories — though many aren’t compatible with all iPads.

Accessorizing the entry-level 10th-generation iPad with excellent input options is simple and starts with Apple’s Magic Keyboard Folio case. This case uses a kickstand for adjustable viewing angles, but if that option is too pricey, Logitech offers a less expensive version, the Combo Touch detachable keyboard case. Apple also makes a Smart Folio for iPad case, which folds into its own stand. For your stylus, go with the first-generation Apple Pencil if you want pressure sensitivity, though charging it is a little clumsy, thanks to its included USB-C adapter. The easier option is the Apple Pencil with USB-C, which also lets you preview what your stylus is about to do with its Hover feature.

For the sixth-generation iPad Mini, you can go with either the Apple Pencil with USB-C or the second-generation Apple Pencil. The latter attaches and charges magnetically on the iPad Mini’s longer side, and it supports Apple’s own double-tap feature for switching the tool you’re using, pressure sensitivity so you can make bigger marks with deeper presses and the hover trick that lets you preview the digital mark you’re about to make. There are no good keyboard cases for the iPad Mini because it’s so small that the keys would be too tightly scrunched in, so pick one of the best keyboards that offers Bluetooth connections. If you want a case that doubles as a stand, the Smart Folio for iPad Mini should do the trick.

The iPad Air M2 and iPad Pro M4 have the same stylus options: the Apple Pencil Pro and the aforementioned USB-C Apple Pencil. The more expensive Pencil Pro gives you the new squeeze, Barrel Roll and Find My support, and it also attaches and charges magnetically on one of the longer sides of the tablet. The USB-C Apple Pencil is attached to the side of the iPad Air, but it needs to be charged via a cable.

For typing on the iPad Air M2, you’ll probably want the Magic Keyboard, which uses magnets to make it look like your tablet is floating in midair. But since that starts at a pretty high price point, you may want to save with the slightly less fancy Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard case for the M2 Air. The latest iPad Air is also compatible with the previous Magic Keyboards for iPad Air and iPad Pro. Again, if you don’t need a keyboard, the Smart Folio for iPad Air offers both protection and operates as its own stand.

As for iPad Pro M4 keyboards, you can either go big with Apple’s aluminum-laden Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro or save a little with Logitech’s Combo Touch Keyboard case. The former gets you a metallic wrist rest and that nifty design where your iPad practically floats, and both give you a row of function keys at the top of your keyboard. For those who just want a case and stand, there’s also the Smart Folio for iPad Pro.

Other iPads we tested

CNN Underscored has been testing iPads for years, so we’ve seen many of Apple’s tablets, including previous iPad Airs and iPad Pros, come and go. There’s only one that didn’t make our top picks that’s still available online, though.

iPad (9th Gen)

$329 $249 at Amazon

Apple’s previous basic iPad sat at the top of our best tablets list for years, but its chunkier bezel, aging design and Lightning port made it a prime candidate to be killed off for the 10th-generation iPad. But when it’s available at this low price at other retailers at the moment, it’s hard to argue against for folks on a budget. Those trying to move completely over to USB-C, though, may draw a line in the sand over this one.