Over the years, buying an iPad has become an increasingly confusing task. With multiple models and overlapping features and accessories, there’s no longer a clear-cut way to recommend one iPad for one type of user. Still, Apple does have a general idea of how it sees the iPad lineup and who each model is meant for.
Apple’s messaging when it comes to its four different iPad products is basically split into: base iPad for “everyday stuff,” iPad mini for “small-but-mighty on the go,” iPad Air for “Mac-class power without Mac-class weight,” and iPad Pro for “money-is-no-object pros.”
Below is a quick tour of how Apple promotes each device, plus a bit of my perspective on what Apple really means (or doesn’t say) when promoting its lineup.
iPad
“Lovable. Drawable. Magical.”
Right off the bat, Apple promotes the current 11th-generation iPad as a no-brainer for the casual user who wants a colorful and fun device “for the things you do every day, “ which… doesn’t say much.
Translation? Streaming on the couch, FaceTime with grandma, homework in Pages, and maybe the occasional Apple Pencil doodle. Oh, and no Apple Intelligence support, which some might say is currently a plus.
On its webpage, Apple highlights its all-screen-no-Home-button design, as well as its Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard Folio compatibility. While this might make it a bit harder to tell models apart, these are certainly welcome features for those who choose this one.
My two cents: despite the lack of Apple Intelligence support, this is still the goldilocks, cost-benefit option. The real trap is storage, though. At $349, 128 GB is finally standard, but depending on how you use it, this might go quick. Spring for 256 GB if you can, or keep your cloud budget handy.
Tech specs: 11” Liquid Retina display with sRGB color and True Tone, A16 chip, 4K 12MP wide rear camera, landscape 12MP Ultra Wide front camera, Apple Pencil 1st gen and USB-C support, Magic Keyboard Folio support.
iPad Air
“Flight speed.”
Starting at $599, Apple markets the iPad Air as a bit more serious and an iPad for a bit more serious users. As we climb the iPad ladder, this is the first option to offer two screen sizes and Apple Intelligence support (which the iPad mini also does. We’ll get to it.)
Apple leans heavily on words like “powerful” in its messaging, which is supposed to telegraph that, despite it not being the iPad Pro, you can expect to do some heavy-duty-ish work that you wouldn’t be able to accomplish on the 11th-generation iPad. Its colorways also help bring home the fact that while they are still casual, colorful iPads, they certainly are not the fun, kooky, suffix-less iPad.
If you’re aiming at portability, though, here’s something to consider: at 1.36 pounds, the 13-inch iPad Air is actually heavier than the same-size 1.28-pound iPad Pro. Still, performance-wise, the M3 can handle many Final Cut and Lightroom-type tasks, which means you might save $400 over the entry-level Pro.
My two cents: if you need Mac-level grunt but can’t justify “Thinpossible” money (we’ll get there), this is the sweet spot. Just remember: Magic Keyboard and Pencil Pro are still extra.
Tech specs: 11” or 13” Liquid Retina display with P3 wide color, True Tone, and antireflective coating, M3 chip with Apple Intelligence support, 4K 12MP wide rear camera, landscape 12MP Ultra Wide Center Stage front camera, Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C support, Magic Keyboard for iPad Air support.
iPad Pro
“Thinpossible.”
Starting from $999, the serious, somber, and expensive iPad Pro is the closest thing to a tablet alternative to the Mac that Apple has ever released. In its communication, Apple really highlights how remarkably thin this iPad is, and it should. At 5.1mm thin, it’s bananas how svelte the iPad Pro is for what it’s supposed to pack.
Apple also really goes all-in on words like “fast” and “advanced” on the product’s page, as well as featuring connectivity like the fact that it can drive up to 6K external displays and reach up to 40Gb/s data transfer speeds.
But here’s the thing. If you don’t salivate over stuff like knowing the iPad Pro’s M4 chip offers quite a bit of headroom for multi-layer 8K ProRes, I bet the iPad Air’s M3 might already be overkill for what you may (currently) need.
My two cents: If by now you are still asking yourself, “Do I need an iPad Pro?” you probably don’t.
Tech specs: 11″ or 13″ Ultra Retina XDR display with ProMotion, P3 wide color, True Tone, antireflective coating, nano-texture display glass option on 1TB and 2TB models, M4 chip with Apple Intelligence support, 4K 12MP Wide rear camera with ProRes support, landscape 12MP Center Stage TrueDepth front camera, Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C support, Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro support.
iPad mini
“Single-handedly awesome.”
Apple’s own copy is basically one long humble-brag about how this thing fits inside a coat pocket but still runs the same apps as its beefier siblings.
Doctors love it for rounds, pilots bolt it to yokes, and commuters enjoy one-hand reading. Although most reviews confirm this device’s versatility, some warn against it still being a niche buy.
My two cents: although sometimes the iPad mini seems to be promoted and commented on as Apple’s answer to Samsung’s productivity-focused phones like the Galaxy Note, the truth is this might be more of a consumption than a productivity device per se. You can scribble on PDFs and make beautiful handwritten notes during class, but there is a reason you’ve never seen Apple promote the iPad mini with a spreadsheet open on it.
Tech specs: 8.3″ Liquid Retina display with P3 wide color, True Tone and antireflective coating, A17 Pro chip with Apple Intelligence support, 4K 12MP wide rear camera, 12MP Center Stage front camera, Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C support, Bluetooth keyboards support.
Big, big, big final disclaimer
There are people who perform miracles and can run entire companies from their iPad minis, and there are people who bought an iPad Pro and returned it, saying they couldn’t get anything done with it. More than any other Apple product, your mileage may vary by a lot.
This guide is supposed to explore how Apple markets each of its iPads and offer some commentary about how one sees the expectation vs. reality of it all. If your experience has been different, let’s talk about it in the comments. For readers who are still in doubt, any bit of info can help.
Best iPad deals currently available on Amazon
- 11th-gen iPad, 128GB, Wi-Fi, Blue: $299, 14% off
- 11th-gen iPad, 128GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular, Pink: $395, 21% off
- iPad Air 13-inch, 256GB, Wi-Fi, Space Gray: $799, 11% off
- iPad Air 13-inch 128GB, Wi-Fi, Space Gray: $699, 13% off
- iPad Pro 11-inch, 2TB, Wi-Fi, Space Black: $1599, 20% off
- iPad Pro 11-inch 256GB, Wi-Fi, Space Black: $849, 15% off
- iPad Pro 13-inch, 512GB, Wi-Fi, Space Black: $1296, 13% off
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