iPad 11 Review: Why It Beats Every Android Tablet

Recently, the 11th generation of Apple’s basic iPad was released, and I spent two weeks using this new tablet. During that time, I worked a lot with it, played games, and compared it to competitors like the Xiaomi Pad 7. Compared to the iPad 10, there isn’t much that’s new. It still has one major weakness, which we’ll talk about first. But in another important area, it’s better than every Android tablet on the market, making it my top recommendation for many.

Display and Speakers

Before I praise the iPad 11, let’s start with the display and a major criticism. Even though it’s already 2025, and even though Android tablets priced at around $100 have laminated displays, the $350 iPad 11 still doesn’t have this feature.

Yes, there’s still a visible air gap between the IPS panel and the touchscreen. Especially when you draw with the Apple Pencil, this gap makes it look like you’re not directly touching the display, because there’s a gap between the glass and the IPS panel.

Personally, this bothers me every year, and if you want to use a tablet for professional drawing, I wouldn’t recommend the iPad 11 for that reason.

But if you don’t need to draw professionally, it’s not a big problem. In fact, I’ve been giving the standard iPad to friends and acquaintances for years to get their feedback. Nobody noticed the gap, including professional artists. Still, I think they should finally start to laminate it.

Another downside is that the display isn’t 90Hz or 120Hz but just a simple 60Hz panel. Although it doesn’t have the jelly scrolling effect of the iPad Mini, it did bother me when reading a magazine on the train because text and images weren’t as sharp when scrolling compared to a faster display. You can see a bit of motion blur—but only when scrolling, otherwise it’s sharp.

I think you’d only notice this if you’re used to 120Hz displays. And sure, it’s not a huge issue, and none of the “regular” people I asked to test tablets ever noticed it either. Back in the day, all screens were 60Hz anyway, so you can kind of justify it. But the Xiaomi Pad 7 has 120Hz at the same price, and even much cheaper tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ at least have 90Hz.

With 500 nits, the iPad 11 is at least a bit brighter than many cheaper tablets, which often only reach about 400 nits. There are exceptions, though—like I said, I compared it extensively with the Xiaomi Pad 7, which is slightly brighter.

Apple always does well with colors. On all iPads, colors look great and very natural. That’s one reason why I like editing photos on the iPad 11. I’d recommend turning off True Tone for that.

We get an 11-inch screen with a resolution of 2360 x 1640 pixels, giving a pixel density of 264ppi, which I think is definitely good enough. Text and icons look very sharp.

The speakers are also great for this price range. They’re slightly quieter than those on the Xiaomi Pad 7, but the sound is clearer and more pleasant overall.

Hardware and Performance

The biggest upgrade compared to the iPad 10 is the processor. Instead of the A14 chip, the iPad 11 now has an Apple A16 chip. It also has slightly more RAM at 6GB. Internal storage has doubled from the standard 64GB to 128GB without a price increase, which is nice. You can also get it with 256GB or 512GB storage, and there’s also a 5G option.

In Geekbench 6 benchmarks, the iPad 11 performs quite a bit better than the iPad 10 and is significantly faster than the Xiaomi Pad 7. Its single-core performance is even better than the much more expensive Samsung S10 Ultra. But as you can see, the iPad Air and Pro are even more powerful.

3D Mark results are similar.

Gaming and photo editing with iPad 11

My gaming test was very interesting. Since you can now install third-party app stores on iPads, you can once again install Fortnite. Of course, I did that immediately. Initially, I was disappointed that I could only select “medium” graphics settings. Other tablets in this price range usually handle “high” or even “epic” settings—but so far, Epic Games hasn’t provided that option for iPads.

So, I compared Fortnite on the iPad 11 with medium settings to the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro with epic settings. Surprisingly, Fortnite looked noticeably better on the iPad 11 and ran very smoothly at around 60 FPS.

Either Epic Games dynamically adjusts the graphics, or they simply provide better graphics for iPads by default. Either way, the result is that Fortnite looks significantly better on the iPad than on similarly priced Android tablets.

Other games like Call of Duty Warzone Mobile also run smoothly. Generally, because of its chipset, the iPad 11 is a great gaming tablet that can handle most games very well. However, some demanding games like Resident Evil 3 only run on higher-end models like the iPad Air, and aren’t available on Android at all.

Other apps, like Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, run great on the iPad 11. I’ve edited photos with both apps, and it handles them without any problems. But that was already the case with the previous models.

Software: Why the iPad 11 Is an Easy Recommendation

Now we come to the reason why the iPad 11 is the easiest recommendation for almost everyone. It’s why it will rank highly on many top lists we write, above many Android tablets. That reason is the software and Apple’s overall ecosystem.

It comes pre-installed with iPadOS 18, the same software that runs on all iPads. Unfortunately, this device won’t get Apple Intelligence. A big plus with Apple is always how long they provide updates. Even the older iPad 7 got iPadOS 18. This makes even the cheapest iPad last very long, longer than almost any Android tablet. Of course, these updates also include security updates.

Because of this long lifespan, you can also resell iPads very well, even after many years, which somewhat justifies their price.

In the past, the argument against iPadOS was that it wasn’t as open as Android and had many restrictions. Apple has fixed almost all these criticisms over the years.

Now, there’s plenty of accessory support, a file manager, and you can even install apps from other app stores that Apple doesn’t want in their ecosystem. You’ve seen this with Fortnite.

The official App Store also has many more apps optimized for tablets. Even apps like Adobe Lightroom, which exist on almost every system, run better on iPads than on Android and Windows. These apps look and work the same, but they perform much better on iPads—even better than on a $2700 Windows laptop.

Aside from software, another great thing about Apple’s ecosystem is the huge selection of high-quality third-party accessories. Most other tablets don’t have accessories of the same quality. That brings us to the pencil and keyboard.

Apple Pencil USB-C, Pencil 1, and Logitech

The iPad 11 is compatible with Apple Pencil USB-C and Pencil 1. The USB-C Pencil charges and connects via a USB cable, works well but isn’t pressure-sensitive.

The Pencil 1 works similarly but supports different pressure levels. Unfortunately, it still has a Lightning connector and requires an extra adapter you need to buy separately from Apple.

An advantage of iPads is that you don’t have to use official accessories. I’ve also tested the Logitech Crayon USB-C, which works almost the same as the Apple Pencil USB-C, though it’s also not pressure-sensitive. It’s much cheaper.

By the way, I’ll link all the accessories I recommend for the iPad 11 below in the description, including official ones, third-party covers, keyboards, and USB-C hubs.

Regarding the pens, I find them good for handwritten notes and some drawing—but nothing more than that. If you want to draw very detailedly, the display gap is too distracting, as it makes it look like you’re not directly touching the screen. This is true for any pen.

If you want a laminated screen, you’ll need the iPad Air. The pen experience is much better there, or you could choose an Android tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 or S10 FE.

Keyboard Folio and Other Keyboards

Apple offers an official keyboard for the iPad 11 called the Magic Keyboard Folio. It’s the same one that’s compatible with the iPad 10. It includes a back cover with a built-in stand that you can use even without the keyboard attached. The keyboard connects magnetically to the tablet.

I think the Keyboard Folio is excellent. I can type very smoothly on it, and the touchpad also works well. It’s a really good accessory, but the price is crazy at $249—almost the price of two tablets. Competitor keyboards usually cost about $100, which is still a lot, but also much less.

As mentioned, there are also good and cheaper third-party keyboards available for the iPad 11.

For students, I recommend the Logitech Rugged Folio, which costs around half as much. Unlike Apple’s keyboard, it protects the tablet from all sides and supposedly even from drops up to two meters. The keyboard is good but doesn’t have a touchpad.

An even cheaper option is the Logitech Slim Folio, which also works very well but connects via Bluetooth. This keyboard is similar to those from Xiaomi and Lenovo.

Read: Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus Review: Better than any Samsung Tablet?

Design and Build Quality

The iPad 11 is very well-made and feels like a premium tablet. Many Android tablets at this price don’t have a smooth transition from the body to the screen, but the iPad 11 is as high-quality as the iPad Pro. It’s only a bit thicker at 7mm and weighs 477g.

Recently, Apple has been offering colors that are often very muted, like the MacBooks and iPad Air. But the colors on the iPad 11 are very vibrant, so I wanted to test the pink version. You can see another color on my yellow iPad 10, as both models offer the same color options.

There’s a Touch ID fingerprint sensor at the top, which works quickly and reliably. On the bottom, there’s a USB-C 2.0 port that lets you connect accessories like external SSDs. It also supports external monitors up to 4K at 60Hz, and that works great.

It’s a bit disappointing that the standard iPad doesn’t support Stage Manager, Apple’s desktop-like mode.

My review unit is the Wi-Fi + Cellular version, supporting LTE and 5G. There’s no SIM card slot because it uses eSIMs, which are very easy to set up and transfer.

On the front is a 12-megapixel camera placed perfectly in the center for video chats. It has a wide-angle lens and supports Center Stage, which automatically keeps you in view during calls. The quality is great.

The rear 12-megapixel camera also takes very good photos and records 4K videos at up to 60 fps.

Battery Life

In my battery test, the iPad 11 lasted about 5 hours. In this test, I continuously stream an HD YouTube video at maximum brightness. As you can see, LCD iPads usually do poorly in this test. That’s disappointing.

Final Thoughts on the iPad 11

As I said at the beginning, the iPad 11 is my top recommendation this year for almost anyone looking for a mid-range tablet.

Starting at $349, you get excellent build quality, a very powerful processor, software updates for a very long time, and better tablet apps. There’s also plenty of good third-party accessories, like those from Logitech. My only wish would be better battery life.

Two years ago, I bought my nephew the standard iPad because his parents both use iPhones and aren’t particularly interested in technology. He needed something long-lasting and easy to use. That’s exactly what the standard iPads and the iPad 11 offer.

It’s my top recommendation for almost anyone who wants a mid-range tablet— almost, but not all. A major exception is people very interested in technology, like me and many of you watching this video. The non-laminated display bothers me, and I’d prefer at least a 90Hz refresh rate. For us tech enthusiasts, tablets like the Xiaomi Pad 7 are more exciting.

But to be fair, I personally use the iPad Pro a lot, not an Android tablet, because photography is my hobby and, as I said, iPads have much better apps. Maybe the iPad 11 isn’t the best choice for you either, and another iPad would be better. In our ultimate iPad buying guide, we go through all iPads and explain which one is best for different needs.