Ultimate iPad Buying Guide: ALL iPads Tested | 2025 Edition

We’ve compared all current iPads in great detail: the displays very precisely, the processors of course, the speakers when listening to music, and naturally the accessories as well. Today, we’ll tell you which iPads are the best, which ones suit you best, and when it’s worth opting for the better option so that you don’t waste your money.

In this list, you find all iPads that I can recommend right now. Among them are the pricy Pro series, but also the small iPad Mini 7, and the very affordable iPad 10.

The Best iPads: An Overview

• Best mid-range iPad: Apple iPad 10 (on Amazon*). The Apple iPad 10 is still the manufacturer’s best mid-range tablet on the market. Although we are eagerly awaiting a new generation. It ranks behind the Air and Mini 7 but is an affordable solution if you are looking for a cheap allrounder. We get apple’s typical design, a nice display, as well as powerful hardware and support for stylus and keyboard cover.
• Best 8-inch tablet: Apple iPad Mini 7 (on Amazon*). The current Apple iPad Mini 7 is not only the best small Apple tablet but the best 8-inch tablet in general. It offers a pretty screen with Apple Pencil Pro support, is faster than all compact Android tablets, and is very well built. It’s perfect in addition to larger iPads or if you need a handy digital notebook.
• Best iPad Pro alternative: Apple iPad Air M2 (on Amazon*). The best alternative to the expensive iPad Pros is the current Apple iPad Air with M2 processor. It is similar to the Pro model in many respects and is now also available in two sizes, namely 11 or 13 inches. The iPad Air also has a high-quality finish and works with the same keyboards and the Apple Pencil Pro.
• Best iPads overall: Apple iPad Pro 2024 (on Amazon*). The clear test winners in this category are the 11-inch and 13-inch Apple iPad Pro of the 2024 generation. Thanks to the M4 chipset, they are significantly more powerful than all other tablets in this list of the best. At the same time, the displays are brighter and support 120Hz. The iPad Pro is a premium tablet in every aspect.

What about older iPads? Tablets from Apple are up-to-date for a long time. So, if you want to save some money, it can be worth it to get an older model used. You should be fine if it’s one, two, or even up to three years old. But I wouldn’t get an older device because even iPads are out-of-date at some point.

The Best iPads: All Details

Let’s check out those devices in more detail. You’ll find all our full reviews linked in the boxes.

Apple iPad 10: Best mid-range iPad

Starting with the Apple iPad 10. The basic iPad is available starting from 350 Dollars, making it the cheapest model that lives up to its price. You get a very nice 10.9-inch IPS display that, at 500 nits, is just as bright as the iPad Mini and Air 11-inch and better than many Android tablets. Unfortunately, it has one major weakness: it’s not fully laminated. This means there’s an air gap between the IPS panel and the touchscreen, which is very noticeable once you know about it. Therefore, it can sometimes look like you’re not touching the display directly, especially when using the Apple Pencil.

The tablet supports the first-generation Apple Pencil. While it’s a good stylus, you need an extra adapter because the iPad 10 has a USB-C port and the Pencil requires a Lightning port. Alternatively, you can use the Apple Pencil USB-C, which, however, is not pressure-sensitive. When purchasing, you can choose between different colors and 64GB or 256GB of internal storage, as well as optional 5G.

The iPad 10 is compatible with the Magic Keyboard Folio. This consists of a separate back cover with a built-in kickstand and a keyboard with an integrated touchpad. Typical of Apple, the keyboard cover is unfortunately quite expensive at around 250 Dollars but works great. It runs iPadOS 18 like all other current iPads. However, the Stage Manager is not supported. Moreover, the iPad 10 features a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 12-megapixel landscape front camera, which is great for video conferences. It has stereo speakers and uses Touch ID in the power button.

The Apple A14 chipset provides mediocre performance. Mediocre only in a world with M processors, because graphics performance is actually better than that of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series, as you can see in our benchmarks. Almost all games can be played at the highest graphics settings, with only very few exceptions. The processor and graphics performance are really good for the price.

We highly recommend the iPad 10 because of its price-performance ratio. Most should be very happy with it and this is especially true for students. But if you work a lot with the Pencil or you’re looking for an iPad that’s more future-proof for gaming, then you should take a look at the device after the next one on this list.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra Review: Super Long Updates!

Apple iPad Mini 7: Best 8-inch tablet

The smallest of the iPads and next on this list is the iPad Mini 7, which is also one of the best 8-inch tablets on the market in its current generation. For around 600 euros, you can get an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina IPS display with 2266 x 1488 pixels, which can display more colours than the older iPad 10 thanks to the increased P3 colour space and is also up to 500 nits bright.

Although the iPad Mini’s display is fully laminated, our test revealed another unsightly flaw: if you hold it upright and scroll, a kind of ‘jelly’ or ‘rolling shutter’ effect appears. It then looks as if one side of the display refreshes faster than the other, although we rarely noticed this as an annoyance in everyday use. You can read more about this in our test.

The iPad Mini 7 is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro, which is not only ideal for taking notes, but also for drawing and sketching on the tablet. The mobile iPad also features a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 12-megapixel front camera, TouchID integrated into the power button, a USB-C port and stereo speakers. It is available in various colours with 64GB or 256GB storage capacity, as well as an optional cellular version with 5G/LTE mobile data support.

The processor in the iPad Mini 7 is the Apple A17 Pro, a 6-core CPU that is well ahead of the iPad 10 chip in our benchmark tests and is more powerful than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 – really impressive. The latest iPadOS version 18 runs very smoothly on the device and it will probably continue to be supplied with regular updates until 2029.

As a compact gaming tablet, but also for everyday applications or as a mobile notebook, the iPad Mini 7 is pretty well suited. Of course, the display is a little small for some applications, but we think that the iPad Mini 7 is a cool addition to larger iPads, for example if you don’t always want to lug your iPad Air or iPad Pro with you to university.

Apple iPad Air M2: Best iPad Pro alternative

Significantly better than the iPad 10 and iPad Mini 6 is the latest version of the Apple iPad Air. This time, it comes in two sizes: an 11-inch variant starting at 600 Dollars and a 13-inch XL variant starting at 800 Dollars. The iPad Air impresses especially with Apple’s powerful M2 chipset, which in our benchmark tests beats all Android and Windows premium tablets, making the iPad Air one of the most powerful tablets on the market.

Indeed, the iPad Air is really suitable for creative apps and can smoothly render very graphics-intensive games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage at the highest settings. It features an IPS display with a wide P3 color gamut. While the 11-inch version’s display reaches a maximum of 500 nits brightness, the 13-inch model goes up to 600 nits, making the display really pleasant and bright enough for direct sunlight.

It’s a pity that it only supports 60Hz, but unlike the iPad 10, it’s fully laminated—ideal for using the pen. You can use it with the Apple Pencil Pro or the USB-C version, with the Pencil Pro is really nice for creative use. Additionally, it’s compatible with a Magic Keyboard, which requires a significant investment. For the 13-inch version, you can pay 350 Dollars. Yes for a keyboard that is.

You can purchase the iPad Air in various colors and with several storage options from 128GB up to 1TB. Of course, it also has a USB-C port, a 12-megapixel rear camera, a 12-megapixel landscape front camera, and stereo speakers, making it excellent for video chats. In our review, the 13-inch version of the iPad Air, combined with the Magic Keyboard, also proved to be a possible MacBook alternative if you can do without some desktop features. The 13-inch version is worthwhile if you want a large display and perhaps even use it at least partially as your main device.

In general, the iPad Air is suitable for anyone who wants to work more intensively with the Pencil and especially wants to draw. Unlike the iPad 10, the display is laminated, which is an important difference. The additional processor power is, also great, of course. If you need as much of that as possible, take a look at the next model.

Read: Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Review: The Budget Flagship Killer?

Apple iPad Pro M4 (11″ & 13″): Best iPads overall

The two newest Apple iPad Pro tablets are the best tablets on the market—really good but also really expensive. Prices start at 1000 Dollars for the 11-inch version and 1300 Dollars for the 13-inch. Again, it’s currently the undisputed best tablet on the market and comes with a really bright OLED XDR display that reaches up to 1,000 nits brightness and can display HDR content very well. It also supports 120Hz.

The switch from LCD to OLED display is the highlight that significantly sets the iPad Pro apart from the iPad Air. It also has the brightest display of any tablet and surpasses the Samsung competition. We also compared it with the latest S10 Ultra and Apple is clearly better here. The Apple Pencil Pro and the USB-C Pencil are supported. There’s also a new Magic Keyboard exclusively available for the iPad Pro, which feels significantly more premium as it’s partially made of metal and also has a larger touchpad and function keys.

You can buy the iPad Pro in two colors, with storage capacities from 256GB up to 2TB, and for the models with one or two terabytes, you can also opt for nano-texture glass. Otherwise, it offers a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 and a 12-megapixel rear camera that can even record videos in ProRes. It also features a 12-megapixel landscape front camera and four stereo speakers.

Apple has also stepped up the processor here. The iPad Pro is equipped with an M4 chip, exceeding all expectations. In our benchmark tests, the Pro version is significantly ahead of the iPad Air, making it a real powerhouse that puts some desktop computers in the shade. Graphics-intensive games at the highest settings pose no challenge, and it’s well suited for photo or video editing, even with large video files like ProRes RAW. The two models with one or two terabytes of storage capacity also have 16GB instead of 8GB of RAM.

The iPad Pro offers everything you want in a a premium tablet. Compared to the iPad Air however, we think that no one really needs the Pro. Or at least very rarely really needs it. The Air is good enough for almost everything. The Pro is simply the best of the best and especially a great choice if the high price doesn’t matter to you.

Read: Our 6 Best Productivity Apps for iPad & iPhone