Apple’s iPad is no doubt one of the most popular tablets that you can purchase on the market right now. Though there are several different models to choose from, no matter which one you go with, you’re getting one of the best tablets out there. But with so many different versions and annual updates, which one is the best to get?
Though the iPad Air lacks Face ID, you still have a gorgeous 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display that takes up the majority of the front due to thin bezels. It still uses Touch ID, however, it is in the power button instead of the Home button, just like with the fourth-generation iPad Air. iPad Air has a Smart Connector, allowing for compatibility with accessories like the Magic Keyboard to turn your iPad into a pseudo-laptop.
iPad Air Best overall iPad More iPad Best budget iPad Read our in-depth review Pros Cons Why you should buy this? The iPad may be the previous generation, but it still offers great performance with a very affordable price tag. While the rear camera is just a mere 8MP, the front-facing camera did get some upgrades over the previous iteration. It is now 12MP instead of 1.2MP, and it also has Center Stage, so you’ll always be in the frame on video calls and look good doing so.
The iPad mini packs in an A15 Bionic chip, which is the same processor that powers the iPhone 13 lineup, as well as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. The A15 delivers plenty of power and fast performance, so the iPad mini will be able to handle whatever you may throw at it, including photo and video editing, as well as graphic-intensive games.
That big screen is backed up by some serious power. Like its smaller sibling, the 11-inch iPad Pro, the 12.9-inch model is running Apple's M1 chip, a laptop-grade processor that debuted in 2020’s MacBook Pro. All of this extra power and the large screen means the iPad Pro 12.9-inch is likely to be able to handle anything a modern laptop can do, up to and including some hefty video editing. And when that's all over, use that power to play some iPad games as well.
If this is your first time buying an iPad, but you've previously owned iPhones, you'll be reassured to know that iPadOS is nearly identical to iOS. The main difference between the two operating systems is that iPadOS is built more for multitasking, with such features as Split View and Slide Over, or the new Stage Manager feature in iPadOS 16, which make it easy to use multiple apps at once or quickly swipe between apps.