The Best iPad to Buy, Following Apple’s Recent Price Hike

FINDING THE BEST iPad should be simple. You get whatever’s new, right? If only. Apple sells four main iPad models in varying sizes, each with its own strengths. In addition, a growing number of older iPads are floating around the eBays of the world. And to make things more complex, Apple recently announced a price increase across its entire lineup, further complicating knowing which model to buy in 2026.

This guide covers the iPad models currently available, what’s coming up, the key differences between them, and the older versions that are still in use (including those you should avoid at any price). I also break down which Apple Pencil and accessories to pair with your device.

Be sure to check out all our buying guides , including the Best iPad Accessories , Best iPhones , Best iPhone 17 Cases , Best Tablets , Best Android Tablets , and Best MacBooks .

Updated July 2026: I've included information on iPad price increases and how they could affect buying decisions. I’ve also ensured links and prices are up-to-date throughout.

There are tons of iPads on the market. Knowing which model you own is important if you’re considering selling the iPad or if you're looking for accessories that are compatible with your specific device. Further complicating the matter of identifying your iPad model is that—unlike with the iPhone—Apple doesn't name its iPads sequentially

Nonetheless, finding your iPad model is simple. Here’s how to do it, in two steps:

For accessories, retailers usually indicate which iPad model(s) a given case, folio, or keyboard cover is designed to work with. Sometimes, product descriptions will mention compatibility with a specific generation or processor; here’s the information you need to help decode that information and match it with your iPad:

Yes, though it depends on the specific iPad model you have in mind. You’ll want to consider the price, how recently Apple updated the device, and any forthcoming refreshes to expect.

The company introduced a significant (and highly uncommon for the brand) price increase on June 25 that affected every model in both the MacBook and iPad lines. Apple blamed the price hikes on memory and storage shortages resulting from extremely high demand for AI data centers.

Every iPad model now costs between $100 and $200 more than before. Here's the price impact on every device in the current lineup:

iPad Air received the most recent update of all iPads—in March of 2026 with its M4 chip. In 2025, Apple refreshed both the base iPad and the iPad Pro. Most people should buy one of those, and they're perfectly great options. There are reports of a forthcoming update to the base iPad model, likely to launch this fall. It would include the A18 chip for Apple Intelligence features.

iPad Pro got an update in October 2025 to the M5 chip. It may get an update to the M6 chip this fall, but some reports have indicated the M6 may get delayed until 2027, which would also delay the iPad Pro.

iPad Mini , the least recently updated, was last refreshed in late 2024 . Some reports predict an iPad Mini update is coming later this year, which could mean a meaningful upgrade to an OLED display.

Consider the iPad’s Compatible Operating System

Apple announced the forthcoming iPadOS 27 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. The public beta for iPadOS 27 is expected in July, with an official release coming this fall.

Much of the focus of the operating system seems to be on Siri. iPadOS 27 will introduce a dedicated Siri AI app that uses the world knowledge and context of Google Gemini. The update also improves integration with apps including Camera, Mail, Photos, Messages, Calendar, and more. The most interesting of its AI features is Shortcuts, which will let you create an automated task using natural language that can trigger actions across multiple apps.

iPadOS 27 will also refine the highly controversial Liquid Glass redesign from last year's iPadOS 26, adding a slider in Settings that allows you to change the opacity. Other notable changes in this year's upcoming software update include faster, more efficient performance , user-made Custom Extensions that you can create through natural language, custom equalizer (EQ) settings with AirPods, dramatically extended parental controls, and much more. These iPads are compatible with iPadOS 27:

The current version of iPadOS is iPadOS 26 , which officially arrived in September 2025 and brought a whole new multitasking experience with windowed apps. Just as you can on a MacBook, you can now resize apps on your iPad and have multiple floating windows; such capabilities bring the iPad user experience closer to that of a desktop than ever before . Apple even brought over the menu bar from macOS, and you can pull down the bar from the top of any app. Importantly, background tasks, like rendering in a video app, work well. This allows you to start an export, leave the app, and it'll still do the job while you scroll through Instagram.

These are the iPads compatible with iPadOS 26:

The iPad Mini 1 through 6 and iPad 1 through 10 either have low-resolution, pixelated screens or are just too old. Forget buying a 2014 iPad Air 1 or a 2015 Air 2, as those are simply too long in the tooth. In fact, I would avoid purchasing a device that came out before 2020.

There’s a chance an older iPad could perform decently, but unless someone is giving you one for free, you’re better off hunting for a newer model at a reduced price. Many of the older iPads no longer receive software updates, and they'll seem quite slow compared to your phone and your computer.

If you are price-conscious, peruse our guides to the Best Tablets and Best Android Tablets for ideas. For those shopping for a child, our Best Kids' Tablets guide has good options with kid-friendly features and parental controls.

Apple has always packed a little extra into its iPad Pro tablets compared to its base, Air, and Mini models. It's still totally fine to buy the iPad Pro M4 , iPad Pro M2 , or the iPad Pro M1 if you can find them, but just make sure you're not paying close to MSRP. If it's close to what you would pay for a brand-new M5 iPad Pro, the older model isn’t worth the small savings. If you can snag a good deal on one of the aforementioned slightly dated models, you’ll get a powerful machine that can match the current Pro slates in many ways; these devices also work with the first-generation Magic Keyboard with Trackpad .

Older iPad Pro models, like the models from 2018 or 2020, are not worth buying (if they're even available). They're just too old.

Which iPads Support Apple Intelligence?

Apple Intelligence is a suite of artificial intelligence features available in select hardware across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. We break down many of the new Apple Intelligence features here if you'd like to learn more. Unfortunately, it’s not available on all iPad models. The following iPads support Apple Intelligence:

Essentially, the iPad is primarily for entertainment and content consumption, while the MacBook is for work, school, and content creation. You can use both devices for any of those previously stated purposes, especially as Apple expands its product lines. But each shines brightest in its intended uses. That's why iPads work so well for kids, retired folks, and for bringing on vacation.

The iPad Pro, however, may be an outlier, as it is truly a pro-level content-creation device. There is a demographic out there that has a use for its tandem OLED display, faster ports, and M5-level graphics, but it's a much smaller niche.

In March 2025, the long-awaited iPad (11th-generation, A16) refresh came. It had been three years since Apple released a new base iPad, and the update brought many modern features. It used the same modern design as its predecessor, complete with uniform bezels around a slightly larger 11-inch LCD. There's a USB-C port, a Touch ID sensor integrated into the power button, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and a 12-MP selfie camera in landscape mode (with support for Center Stage). You also get 5G on the cellular model.

Apple upgraded the processor to an A16 chip (the same one as in the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Plus ). It's plenty powerful, but there's not enough RAM to support Apple Intelligence , making it the only iPad in the lineup without access to Apple's AI features. (You might see that as a perk.) You’ll get 128 GB of storage space, up from 64 GB, with the option to increase it up to 512 GB for a fee.

This iPad doesn't have a fully laminated display, meaning there's an air gap between the screen and the glass. Because this gap can make interactions with the Apple Pencil feel a smidge imprecise, it isn't our pick for artists. You also won’t get second-gen Apple Pencil support ; this iPad only works with the first-gen stylus or the USB-C Apple Pencil .

Despite the minor upgrades, the iPad is still the best tablet for most people. Even at its new $449 price, it's a well-rounded slate that can easily tackle most tablet-appropriate tasks, like gaming, streaming movies and TV, and reading. If you connect a keyboard or the Magic Keyboard Folio, you may be able to use it for work, too (depending on what you do for work). It's also perfect for folks who want an entertainment device bigger than a phone, but not as small as an iPad Mini. —Julian Chokkattu

The classic iPad was never meant to be a product for serious work—at least not in the conventional sense. But over the past decade, iPad software and accessory upgrades have made the devices more capable of tasks formerly reserved for a laptop or desktop. This evolution started with cursor and mouse support, then came the Magic Keyboard with a full trackpad and an extra port. Then, iPadOS 26 brought windowed multitasking. For students or anyone else who wants to use those aforementioned features to do more with their iPad, I recommend the M4 iPad Air (7/10, WIRED Recommends).

Contrary to what its name implies, the iPad Air is not actually much thinner or lighter than the base iPad. Instead, the iPad Air lets you use an iPad as your primary work or school device. Not only does it offer a significantly better performance than the base iPad for tasks like video editing or gaming, but it also lets you bump up to the 13-inch screen size for a larger canvas to work with. Whether you want to use your iPad to do art in Procreate or just write many emails, you'll appreciate that extra screen space. The 12 GB of RAM means you can feel free to have many apps open, and you can even dabble in Apple Intelligence or other on-device AI tasks.

Another reason to get the iPad Air is its compatible accessories. The large Magic Keyboard that comes with the 13-inch iPad Air offers a spacious typing experience. The key spacing and keycap size are close to those of a MacBook’s keyboard. The trackpad and palm rests are still a little small, but the keyboard itself is great.

With such a light update in this latest model, in addition to the recent price increase, however, you might also consider buying last year's M3 iPad Air instead. It's a valid sentiment; you can buy the M3 iPad Air 11-inch for $499 right now, which is a great deal, especially since that chip is plenty powerful for iPad Air use cases.

Apple's smallest tablet is the iPad Mini (8/10, WIRED Recommends), and the 2024 iteration is largely an internal upgrade. With a forthcoming A17 Pro chipset (the same as what’s inside the iPhone 15 Pro ), it will get a boost in performance to handle today's graphically demanding games and support for Apple Intelligence (a bevy of AI tools you can read about in our guide to Apple updates ). This slate also supports the Apple Pencil Pro , so you don't have to splurge on a super-expensive iPad anymore to get the top benefits of the latest stylus. But since the Mini is so small, you probably won't want to use it for any kind of serious work.

The seventh-generation iPad Mini is great for reading ebooks . The device fits into all types of handbags because it's so tiny. The 2K-resolution LCD also looks great (I didn't run into any “jelly scrolling” issues) and gets bright enough outdoors. It still has a 60-Hz refresh rate, which isn't surprising, but it would've been nice to see at least 90-Hz support . Apple also kept the 12-megapixel selfie camera on the left side of the tablet (rather than moving it to the center in landscape mode, like on other iPads). It's not a huge problem because the tablet is small, but I still didn't like having to look over to the left during Zoom calls.

I don't think you'll find much new if you're coming from a 2021 iPad Mini, unless you prefer the features of the Apple Pencil Pro . But if you want a laid-back device, this is the best small tablet on the market. —Julian Chokkattu

Most people do not need to consider the iPad Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It starts at $1,199 and $1,499 for the 11- and 13-inch slates, respectively, and those don't include Apple's Magic Keyboard, which adds as much as $350 to the cost. You can buy a very powerful MacBook for that kind of cash. Don't get me wrong, this tablet is exceptional. The tandem OLED screen is one of the best in the business; it's bright, sharp, and colorful; it has excellent black levels; and it’s the only iPad with a 120-Hz screen. The speakers sound fantastic, and even the webcam is pretty sharp. You get all of that in an incredibly thin design, though none of this is particularly different from the M4 iPad Pro .

The M5 chip powering this iPad offers a small performance boost, though most folks won't notice it in general apps. If you're frequently using AI apps like Draw Things or graphically intense apps like DaVinci Resolve , that's where the speed improvements come into play. The iPad Pro is for people who use these kinds of powerful apps for content creation and work, whether that's creating 3D objects in Blender or producing music. You still have to decide whether you want the benefit of a tablet experience or, say, the MacBook Pro M5 , which can deliver a slightly better performance and is overall a better machine for getting stuff done.

iPadOS 26’s windowed apps multitasking system is a great benefit in making this iPad Pro a more functional computer. While this is available on all iPads running iPadOS 26, it shines best on the biggest iPad models, which are the 13-inch iPad Pro and iPad Air. When in doubt, try the iPad Air first, and if that feels more than sufficient, you'll have saved yourself a wad of cash. —Julian Chokkattu

The Apple Pencil is a must-have for any iPad owner who takes a lot of notes or likes to draw. (You can even use it to sign documents.) iPadOS also has handwriting support within certain search fields and apps (like Notes), so you don't need to switch to the keyboard every time you want to type. Apple debuted a new Pencil in 2024, so now there are four options from which you can choose. Here are the key differences:

Apple Pencil (first gen) for $99 : The first-generation Pencil is quite old but still functions well, offering pressure sensitivity (lines become thicker as you press down harder on the screen) and tilt sensitivity (for shading). Unlike the other two Apple Pencils, this one has a glossy finish instead of matte (if that matters), and it is also completely rounded, meaning it will roll off surfaces. It doesn’t feature magnets, so you can't stick it to the tablet for safekeeping. It has a Lightning connector, so to charge it, you'll have to remove the cap and plug it into the iPad's charging port. If your iPad has a USB-C port, you can buy an adapter . It's only compatible with the iPad (sixth gen and later), iPad Air (third gen), iPad Mini (fifth gen), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (first and second gen), iPad Pro 10.5-inch, and iPad Pro 9.7-inch.

Apple Pencil (USB-C) for $71 : The USB-C Apple Pencil is a bit perplexing. It doesn't come with pressure sensitivity, so it's better suited for note-takers than artists. It can attach magnetically to the sides of an iPad, so you don't need to find a place to store it. However, it doesn't support wireless charging, so you'll have to pair and charge it via USB-C. It supports Hover Mode, which allows you to preview what will happen before touching the display. This feature is exclusive to the select iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The USB-C Apple Pencil is compatible with iPad (10th gen and A16), iPad Air (fourth gen, fifth gen, M2, M3, and M4), iPad Mini (sixth gen), iPad Pro 11-inch (first gen and later, including M4), and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (third gen and later, including M4 and M5).

Apple Pencil (second-gen) for $129 : The second-generation Apple Pencil has the same capabilities as the first-gen and USB-C versions, plus wireless pairing and charging (it'll charge when it magnetically sticks to the top edge of supported iPads). It also adds a double-tap feature that lets you quickly switch between tools by tapping on the Apple Pencil twice. It's compatible with the iPad Air (fourth and fifth gen), iPad Mini (sixth gen), iPad Pro 11-inch (first gen and later), and the 12.9-inch (third gen and later). Unfortunately, Apple officially discontinued it, so newer iPads—including the iPad Air (M2, M3, and M4) or iPad Pro (M4 and M5)—don't support it.

Apple Pencil Pro for $99 : Apple's Pro Pencil is the most feature-packed of them all. It looks identical to the second-generation model, complete with a matte finish, but it also has a few new tricks. A “squeeze” feature opens up a tool palette, and a new haptic engine gives feedback as you squeeze. A built-in gyroscope sensor allows you to change the orientation of the tools as you twist them (for finer control), and it supports Apple's Find My network to track the stylus if you lose it. It's only compatible with the iPad Air (M2, M3, and M4), iPad Pro (M4 and M5), and seventh-gen iPad Mini. ( C'mon, why isn't it backward-compatible? )

iPad accessories are endless. Below, I’ve highlighted some of my favorites to round out your tablet experience. You can find even more options in our Best iPad Accessories guide .

Twelve South Curve Mini for $50 : An iPad can be a great tool to use in conjunction with your MacBook or PC, but it needs a proper stand with many adjustments. The Curve Mini is simple, but it's stable and attractive, especially in this Dune color that I sampled.

Zugu Case for $50+ : This is my favorite folio case for the iPad for multiple reasons: It's durable (complete with a rigid bumper), has a magnetized cover that stays shut, and has a flap that allows you to position the screen at eight angles. The case is magnetic, allowing you to stick it on the fridge securely. It's also reasonably priced, comes in an array of colors, and has a spot for your Apple Pencil.

Satechi M1 Wireless Mouse for $25 : We're already big fans of Satechi's accessories at WIRED, and this mouse didn't disappoint. It has a comfortable ergonomic design, a sleek aluminum finish, and smooth scrolling. It also has a great battery life, with a built-in lithium-ion battery. I've been using it for the past four months and have yet to charge it.

Mageasy CoverBuddy Case (iPad Pro) for $70 : You can magnetically connect your iPad to Apple's Magic Keyboard case without having to remove the case each time, thanks to the CoverBuddy. It feels durable and doesn't add too much bulk to the iPad. There's also a slot for the Apple Pencil Pro or the USB-C version. The company also offers the CoverBuddy Lite for the iPad Air (M2) .

Logitech Combo Touch (10th-gen) for $260 : The Combo Touch (8/10, WIRED Recommends) comes with a built-in keyboard, trackpad, and kickstand, making it ideal for getting work done on your iPad. You can also easily remove the detachable keyboard when you don't need it. The Combo Touch connects via Apple's Smart Connector, meaning you never need to tinker with Bluetooth or bother charging it. It's also available for the iPad Pro (M4) and M5 (although these add a bit of weight) and the iPad Air (M2) .

Casetify Impact Screen Protector for $56 : If you're worried about damaging your iPad screen, I recommend this protector from Casetify. It's super thin, has excellent touch sensitivity, and is mostly fingerprint-resistant (I've wiped off some smudges here and there). It's painless to apply—the company supplies a microfiber cloth, a de-dusting sticker, and wet and dry wipes.

Paperlike Charcoal Folio Case for $70 : Paperlike is known for its screen protector, but the company also offers a great case. It's designed to feel like a sketchbook, complete with a polyester fabric cover that feels lightweight and high-quality. You can also prop up your iPad at two levels. This case doesn't come with an Apple Pencil slot, but there is a large flap closure that keeps it from falling out. I tested the case using the iPad Air , but it's also available for the iPad Pro (both sizes).

Twelve South HoverBar Duo 2.0 for $80 : The HoverBar serves two purposes. You can mount it to the side of your bed, kitchen counter, or shelf (to view content comfortably and hands-free), or you can use the included stand at your desk. With the second-gen version, you can now remove the arm from the clamp and attach it directly to the stand, making it easier to swap between the two modes.

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