The conversation of which is the best iPad has gotten much more difficult. The introduction of the iPad (2022), cheaper than the iPad Air 5 but still with about 95% percent of the same features, has the two devices neck-in-neck for the top spot.
Ultimately, the iPad Air 5 is still our top choice for the best iPad because it offers a few key advantages that the newer model doesn't have. Plus, sales have a lot to do with it, too. If you're specifically looking for the best iPad for students, you may wish to consider other options though.
Whatever you pick, don't forget to transfer data from your old iPad to your new one effortlessly, and check out the best iPad apps for new owners for some inspiration.
The best iPads on the market today
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While the iPad Air 5 isn't as massive of a change as the iPad Air 4 was over the third generation, it still has everything most people could want in an iPad.
It still looks like the fresh and stylish iPad Pro, meaning it has the flat sides and nearly edge-to-edge screen of the more expensive tablet. Its 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with 2360x1640 resolution doesn't have ProMotion but is as sharp as evIn addition, it. It supports the Apple Pencil 2, the best stylus for the iPad you can buy, and is equipped with USB-C, which connects to hubs, hard drives, and displays. It also comes in space gray, starlight, pink, purple, and blue.
So, what are the significant changes to the new iPad Air? Well, it's now powered by Apple's M1 chip, the very same M1 that not only powers the current iPad Pros but also Macs. The M1 chip makes moving through iPadOS seamless, giving the iPad Air 5 enough juice to handle anything you throw at it, whether it's a marathon gaming session, a bunch of intense image editing, or anything else. Apple also gave the Wi-Fi Cellular version of the device the 5G upgrade, so if you have access to a 5G network, your iPad Air can use all that speed!
It also works with most accessories that work with the 11-inch iPad Pro. It's slightly thicker, so you might have to wait on accessories like hardshell cases, but the Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard accessories that work with the current 11-inch iPad Pro will also work with the new iPad Air 5.
It's not all sunshine and roses, though. With the increase in starting price, it was hoped that Apple would have also boosted the base-level storage. But the iPad Air 5 still starts with 64GB, and you'll again have the option to bump that up to 256GB if you need more space.
The iPad Air 5 strikes an outstanding balance of price, power, and portability, complete with Pencil and Smart Keyboard support. So why the iPad Air 5 over the iPad (2022)? Well, it mostly comes down to price. You can find some of the best iPad deals on the iPad Air 5.
Although the $449 starting price has put the entire iPad lineup in a precarious position, the iPad (2022) is an excellent value for anyone looking to upgrade to an older device or jump into their first iPad experience.
Apple has finally given its massive iPad redesign to the base iPad we've seen on the iPad Pro and iPad Air before. They ditched the bezels, rounded the corners, said goodbye to the Home button, and even ditched the Lightning port in favor of USB-C, all changes welcome to a design that hadn't received much love from the company since its inception.
Powering the entire iPad (2022) is the A14 Bionic, an upgrade of the A13 Bionic found in the 9th-gen iPad. Apple states this brings a 20% increase in CPU and a 10% improvement in graphics compared to the iPad (2021). There's no doubt the M1 chip that you find in higher-end iPads is more powerful, but for 90% of users, the A14 will pack enough punch to get through everything you can throw at it.
The rear camera finally saw an update that makes it a decent shooter, as it now has a 12MP instead of the measly 7MP camera on the back of the iPad (2021). Plus, you still have Apple Pencil (1st-generation) support, so you can still draw, sketch, paint, and create if you want.
Here are the problems with the iPad (2022) because there are a few you should note if you're looking at getting one.
It would be best if you had a dongle to charge the Apple Pencil because the first-generation stylus only has a Lightning connector. Unfortunately, if you already have an Apple Pencil, that dongle will cost you $9. Plus, the non-laminated display is a bit of a bummer — that familiar hollow sound when you tap on the display is just a minor inconvenience — and Apple also removed the headphone jack.
Overall, the iPad (2022) is a welcome change from the stagnant design of the iPad for the past decade, but that change comes with growing pains for both old and new users alike. A new price point that makes it sit awkwardly in the middle of two other iPads and some confusing design choices by Apple does sour the otherwise triumphant reimagining of the iPad.
Much to our surprise, Apple has kept around the 2021 base iPad if you want to spend the least amount of money. It's not the most powerful of Apple's tablets, but the iPad (2021) is the perfect tablet for many people. While it's only powered by the A13 Bionic, the entry-level iPad is a competent machine for most tasks. If you're a casual tablet user or your computing needs are just relatively light, primarily web browsing, email, working with documents, and some gaming, the 10.2-inch iPad is an excellent choice for something portable.
The front-facing camera also got a massive upgrade from the 2020 model. The iPad (2021) can take full 1080p video, making it an excellent machine for FaceTime and video calling. The microphone (even though it didn't receive an upgrade) is pretty good for your standard video call or FaceTime with some family or friends. The whole experience is made even better by the inclusion of Center Stage. When on a FaceTime call, your camera will intuitively stay focused on you, even if you happen to move around. So if you move to one side of the frame, it will "pan" over to you and do its best to keep you in the center of the frame. It will even zoom out to capture multiple people in the frame, making video calling much better. That's the power of Center Stage, and it's a great feature.
The 10.2-inch iPad is the best budget tablet that Apple currently offers. Of course, it won't have the power of something like the iPad Air or even the iPad mini 6, but it's hard to beat its price when looking for a quality tablet.
The iPad mini 6 is the most significant update to the iPad mini line since the introduction of the first-generation model with a complete redesign, larger display, huge processor boost, and much more. It impressed the entire team at iMore for its portability and power blend, proving that the iPad mini and its fans are here to stay.
Now with Apple Pencil 2 support, the iPad mini 6 excels as a beautiful, tiny drawing tablet. Taking notes, sketching, or just controlling your iPad mini 6, the Apple Pencil 2 brings all the upgrades to the smallest iPad Apple makes. Plus, its 8.3-inch screen is a beautiful and larger display than an iPhone, making it excellent for watching videos or playing Apple Arcade titles on the goal.
With upgrades to the camera, storage options, and the updated design, it's impossible to pass up on the iPad mini 6 if you're a fan of small tablets.
The iPad mini 6 is small but mighty. So if you love small tablets, this is the tablet for you.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022) is the best tablet for anyone serious about tablets _ even though very little has changed from last year.
When announcing this year's iPad Pro, Apple quickly threw out just how much better the M2 is over the previous M1 chip. Apple claims its 8-core CPU is up to 15% faster, and the graphics performance should be about 35% quicker. To top that all off, Apple states that the 16-core Neural Engine can process 15.8 trillion operations per second, which is about 40% more than the M1. That's all great, but what does it mean for you? Not much.
The M1 iPad Pro wasn't suffering from a power problem, so it shouldn't be a surprise when I say that the M2 iPad Pro makes doing anything feel super smooth. Want to edit some 4K videos? No problem. Are you transferring large files to an external device? Done in an instant. Producing music with as many tracks as possible to throw into a project? Easy as pie. This isn't new. Very few people will likely notice the difference between the M1 and M2 chips, but if you need the absolute most power a tablet can give you, this is the iPad to get.
Its large screen is still just as excellent as it was before if you want to use a tablet instead of a laptop, and it offers a perfect canvas for visual artists, with plenty of room for drawing, digital painting, and more. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021) comes with a fancy new mini LED display, which Apple calls, Liquid Retina XDR. It's perfect for HDR content, with the ability to reach a peak brightness of 16,000 nits, delivering that high contrast experience HDR needs. In addition, there's plenty of space to use apps side-by-side, which is excellent for all kinds of work. The new built-in magnetic induction area that charges and stores the second-gen Apple Pencil is also a perfect addition.
The USB-C port is still on the iPad Pro (2022), and it's still Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4. This makes plugging in Thunderbolt accessories like displays, docks, hubs, and hard drives possible, so you can get some serious work done. In addition, an increasing number of accessories and devices, be they SSDs or cameras, come with USB-C cables, so being able to plug something in without a special Lightning-to-whatever cable or an adapter is excellent.
The iPad Pro is also mighty and supports powerful apps. While they might not be as full-featured as their desktop counterparts, apps like Lightroom and Affinity Photo make photo editing a breeze while providing much of the flexibility and power of desktop apps.
This powerful tablet is excellent for professionals, artists, and anyone looking for a powerful tablet or laptop alternative. Add on some of the best accessories for the iPad Pro to get the most from it.
The 11-inch iPad Pro is a great tablet choice for anyone who wants pro power in a smaller form. Running the same powerful M2 chip that the larger iPad Pro offers, the 11-inch iPad Pro offers all of the same capabilities as its bigger sibling, minus the Liquid Retina XDR display.
While you might not think it on paper, there are significant differences between working on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the 11-inch model. With the 11-inch iPad, you're working with almost two inches less in screen real estate, which is a lot on mobile devices. It's not as great for working with apps side-by-side, but it's noticeably smaller and lighter than the bigger iPad Pro.
Great for a wide variety of tasks, the 11-inch iPad Pro is the tablet to get if you want something smaller than the largest tablet that Apple makes while still wanting or needing its power.
All of the power of the larger iPad Pro in a smaller form factor and a great tablet for mobile artistic work and note-taking.
Make your choice
The iPad Air 5 is the ideal iPad for most people. It's more potent than the base model but not nearly as expensive as the Pro tablets. In addition, it comes packed with Apple's M1 chip for speedy performance and even offers 5G if you decide to go with the Wi-Fi Cellular model. So though there are sacrifices, the middle child of Apple's tablet family provides both performance and price benefits that will appeal to most people. And while you'll probably be okay with the 64GB model, if you're unsure, go ahead and spring for the 256GB version for that extra peace of mind.
No, the iPad Air 5 doesn't get bigger than 10.9 inches. As a result, it's not as good as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, for instance, at using two apps side-by-side. The rumor is a new 14.1-inch M2 iPad size Apple has been working on has been canceled, so 12.9 is as big as you're going to get.
But it's a great machine for most tasks, from drawing with an Apple Pencil to typing out a significant report with the Smart Keyboard. The iPad Air 5 even supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, a step up from the iPad Air 4. Aside from screen size, charging and storage are the fundamental tradeoffs.
But there are always workarounds to be found for many shortcomings, and the iPad Air is an excellent tablet for most people. Casual tablet users, people looking to add something more mobile but bigger than a phone to their workflow, students, and even a lot of professionals should consider the iPad Air 5 when they make their tablet purchase.
