Six iPads, four Apple Pencils, a whole bunch of different keyboards, and a ton of different options to choose from. Buying an iPad is actually kind of confusing, and also if you're not careful it can get very, very expensive. And now that Apple has finally refreshed the iPad Mini with this new seventh generation model, although you wouldn't really know from the outside, I figured my iPad buying guide was probably also due an update. And if you've got any questions at all, drop a comment below.
If you find this video helpful, a cheeky like and subscribe would be fantastic. Okay, so let's kick off with a bit of a lightning round. There are sort of seven things right off the bat that you need to know.
And the first one being nearly every app will run on all of these iPads. Even the cheapest 10th gen iPad here versus the top-end iPad Pro, you can watch all the same streaming apps and borrow a handful, play the same games and use the same productivity tools. And they all support at least one version of the Apple Pencil. and they all have USB-C ports.
No more lightning cables since they've stopped selling this, the older 9th gen iPad with those chunky bezels, the home button and the headphone jack. So now we have the base model, the 10th gen iPad, the Mini, the two Airs and the two Pros. And if you want the fancy new Apple Intelligent stuff with the supercharged Siri, then you're going to have to get one of the new Airs, Pros or the refreshed Mini. But number two, what are you actually going to be using these iPads for?
Why are you buying it? Just keep that in mind during the video and we'll come back to it at the end. Number three, and you don't need to buy a new new iPad. It is absolutely worth looking at older or refreshed models as well.
You could save a chunk of money, maybe even get more storage as well. And while Apple do have their own certified refurbs, it is also worth shopping around. Amazon has some really good deals.
Although make sure you check the warranty. Number four, the extras. Choosing which iPad you want is like the first step.
You then have to consider the storage. Do you want 4G or 5G cellular connectivity? Do you want a pencil? Do you want a keyboard? Do you want it engraved?
And the answer to that is no, because it's much harder to resell. Although you can still always trade it in, but I would avoid engraving. I think in order of importance, I would say storage first, because that is the only thing you can't change afterwards. Yes, you can't also change whether it has a mobile cellular plan, but I don't think that many people really use it.
Businesses perhaps, but generally for me, I'm either on Wi-Fi or I can hotspot for my phone. So if you think you need to maybe increase the storage because you can't upgrade this, you're stuck with it, then decide if you also need a keyboard for a more laptop-like experience and then perhaps the Apple Pencil. Number five, and I know this is kind of obvious, but is a tablet really the best option for you? And would a laptop actually be better suited?
Considering MacBook Airs and Pros aren't that much more expensive than the iPad Air and Pros, especially if you up the storage and add a keyboard. But of course the iPad gives you this lovely big touchscreen with the fantastic Apple pencil and keyboard accessories There's Apple's App Store We get long battery life cameras front and back and also just the incredibly slick iPad OS software all in a beautifully crafted thin and light form factor but of course as lovely and slick and fast and nice to use iPad OS is This is not gonna be a full laptop replacement. It comes close in some ways and in other ways It's actually better, but you are still by and large getting the mobile versions of apps and also the file management and the desktop and home screen and all that stuff still feels a bit kind of clunky compared to a regular desktop. With that said though, tip number six.
For my money these are the best tablets you can buy, especially if you're already in the Apple ecosystem. If you already have an iPhone or a Mac or you know use AirPods, if you're in that lovely cozy prison ecosystem it is very very convenient. Although bear in mind you do have other options. Samsung's Galaxy Tab series, you've got Pixel tablets, you've got the Surface Pros, especially now there's one with the Snapdragon X Elite chip, or if you just want something cheap and cheerful for reading or maybe for the kids then consider a Kindle Fire. Number seven, Apple intelligence.
And this is being very slowly rolled out. But for new writing tools and text summarization and priority notifications, Genmoji, ChatGPT, and of course the supercharged Siri, all this is under the umbrella of Apple intelligence. But as I say you will need an iPad Pro or an Air with an M chip, so M1, M2 or M4, or this new refresh mini with its A17.
Pro, which is the same chip that you get in the iPhone 15 Pro series. Right, so with that quick lightning round out the way, let's look at the lineup for 2024 and figure out what are the differences and which one you should actually buy. And we have four iPad models to choose from, with two of them having larger options. And if you want a full spec breakdown, then definitely check out Apple's comparison tool.
It's actually quite useful. But let's start with what is known as the iPad. It's the base iPad, the 10th generation model. This is the cheapest one. Now that Apple's discontinued the older 9th gen and given there's a price cut, this used to be like $499.
I think this is terrific value for money. And this may be the base model, but it's great. And it does all the usual iPad-y things like watching movies, playing games, reading and browsing effortlessly. The only thing I miss from the outgoing 9th gen is the headphone jack.
And a lot of people, especially with kids and schools, did appreciate having that. And of course, you can still buy them from third parties. It's just not new from Apple.
But this 10th gen iPad has a lovely slim design with four very snazzy colors. We get the A14 Bionic processor, which has more than enough performance for 99% of apps and games. We get Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2. There's a 5G cell option.
And like pretty much the rest of the lineup, we have about 10 hours of battery life. So this is a 10.9 inch 60 hertz LCD screen. And it is very nice. The only downside, the one sort of thing that I miss about some of the higher end models, even the Air and the Mini, is it doesn't have the anti-reflective coating.
You can see if I bring up the iPad Air and shine it at my little studio light, if I can get the angle right, that's kind of hard to do in reverse, you can see quite a big difference there. And like its predecessor, the 9th gen, this is still the only iPad that doesn't have a laminated screen. So you can see just a tiny bit of a gap between the glass and the screen underneath, but it's not really a big deal, most people wouldn't care.
As I say, there's USB-C for charging and plugging in accessories, We get stereo speakers, top and bottom, Touch ID fingerprint login, and we get the selfie camera on this side here, which is the better position for it using it horizontally, and only just got updated with new pros. And it supports the Apple Pencil, although it is only the first-gen model, but with the USB-C charging. The only issue, as I say, really, is that the screen isn't quite as nice as the other ones, and it does only come with 64 gigs of storage as standard. Okay, let's talk about the iPad Mini, because this is by far the lightest, and literally the most pocketable iPad. It's the easiest for reading one-handed, it's perfect for taking notes, and I actually really like gaming on it because the controls are easier to reach and you don't get as tired holding it.
I mean, it basically comes down to if you don't want or need a bigger screen, then, well, this is the obvious choice. And thankfully, they have just refreshed it because it was the oldest in the lineup. The previous model came out back in 2021, but we've now got a new 7th generation iPad mini, aka the iPad mini A17 Pro, which is, as I'm sure you could probably guess, the chip that it's using. So games will run faster, you can even run Final Cut on this iPad mini, although I'm not sure it'll be the most comfortable experience at this screen size. And as I say it works with Apple Intelligence, so you're sort of future-proofing it for all the new clever AI stuff that comes over time.
The best thing though I reckon is that they've doubled the base storage from 64 to 128 gigs. We also have faster connectivity and it now supports the Apple Pencil Pro, although not the second generation Apple Pencil. So versus the standard 10th gen iPad we get a nicer brighter screen with more accurate colors, Plus it's laminated so there's no air gap.
And we also have this anti-reflective coating which actually does make quite a big difference. The trouble is it is still quite expensive. It starts at £499, that's the same in dollars.
And spec'd out with the max storage just shy of a grand. It is better value than its previous 6th gen model but for me it's still just a bit too much. Especially as it is pretty similar to the last gen model from 3 years ago.
Same size, same camera, same screen, same pretty chunky bezels. And yes, the same 60Hz refresh rate. Yes, it's a cute size, but in every other aspect, even with this refresh, it's starting to feel a bit outdated. There's also no official keyboard accessory, unlike all the other iPads, although, of course, you could use a Bluetooth keyboard.
Multitasking and having a couple of apps side by side does feel cramped, and it kind of feels like you're missing out on that lovely, immersive, big-screen iPad experience. To be fair, you are still getting a meaningfully bigger screen than the latest iPhone 16 Pro Max at 6.9 inches, although given the aspect ratio, the difference when watching movies and TV actually isn't that significant. So I think while on paper this maybe makes the least sense, there is still something just nice about an iPad this size, especially for reading books and just carrying it around with you.
And so if you are after a small tablet, then yeah, obviously this is the best option. Alright, we're moving up in the world. Let's talk about the newly refreshed 2024 iPhone. iPad Airs.
We have an 11 and a brand new 13 inch version, which I was going to try and let's just do it Let's try and pick up both side by side and see if I can make that work. And now the screens are too bright Okay, I'll cut to b-roll So technically these are the sixth generation iPad Airs and on the outside except for this larger model Not much has really changed versus the previous Airs Really this is a bit of a spec bump as we get the M2 chip which was previously in the iPad Pros and finally finally they have doubled the base storage to 128 gigs on the iPad Airs. For the longest time, forever, they've been 64 gigs, same as these guys, but now 128. I still think that's a little stingy for 2084, given the prices, but I'll take it. Because for my last two or three iPad buying guides, it's always been, well, the iPad Air is great, but you're going to want to double the storage to 128. And at that point, you're pretty close to the Pro iPad, so then it became a bit confusing. But that makes it easier to recommend the Airs now.
Or does it? Because the Air is still in a kind of awkward place. It's significantly more expensive than the regular 10th gen iPad, which does pretty much everything you'd want an iPad to do, and while also missing out on some of the cool tricks and 120Hz and OLED screens of the iPad Pros. I think the question a lot of people will be asking is, should they buy the iPad Air and spend extra money over, say, the base 10th gen model? Well, the Air does get the much faster M.2 chip with its Meteor engine, which makes it much faster for video editing.
And because it is an M-series chip, it will be fully compatible with the new Siri and all the Apple intelligence stuff when it becomes available. There's also much faster graphics, and it can play a handful of console-level games. We get faster USB-C transfer speeds. We get double the base storage, Wi-Fi 6E, a wider P3 color gamut with the anti-reflective laminated LCD screen, and also larger storage options.
And we have some lovely pastel-y colors. It also supports Apple's Stage Manager feature and gives you more of a desktop feel when moving and resizing apps, although it can still be a bit fiddly and it's not my favorite thing in the world. And it also supports the fantastic but very expensive Magic Keyboard, as well as both the Apple Pencil USB and also the brand new Apple Pencil Pro.
And all together, Pencil Pro, Magic Keyboard, the Air becomes a hugely capable, almost laptop replacement, and without costing an absolute fortune like the iPad Pros. Oh, and good news! Both the new Air and the new Pros have had their front-facing camera moved to this landscape position rather than at the top, which makes a lot more sense as now you are centered for your video calls. But realistically, just everyday use, you're not going to feel that much difference really between the 10th Gen and the iPad Air. As I say, both LCD screens, both 60Hz, general performance is pretty much the same unless you're video editing or playing high-end games.
Both have the landscape selfie cams with center stage, stereo speakers, USB-C, touch ID, 12 megapixel cameras, 5G options, and around 10 hours of battery life. But even with all that performance under the hood, because we have that 60Hz screen, it just doesn't feel as fast as the Pros. And if the Apple Pencil support, particularly the Pro, is really important to you and you want the absolute best pencil experience, you'll want to go with the Pro because it has that high refresh rate as well.
It's not a bad experience by any stretch on the airs, but that is a little bit just more responsive. For £250 more than the 10th gen iPad, it is a little bit hard to recommend the iPad Air. I think what makes it really stand out is the 13-inch model of this. And you can see my pet friend's memory from 2021. We got Sylvie the cat there. If I was going to go for the Air, I think I would actually go for the 13-inch version because you're getting this really lovely big screen, but it is £500 cheaper than the similarly sized iPad Air.
iPad Pro and the bigger screen is just so much more immersive for movies and games and the extra space makes Multitasking and using the keyboards feel less cramped And while we are certainly into laptop money territory at this point Especially if you bump the storage and add a keyboard and pencil But if you do just want a big screen iPad that does everything you need skip the pro go for this now before we finish with the pros Let me just take a second to talk about the accessories the keyboards and the pencils because it is a bit confusing So there are four Apple Pencil options and put simply all new iPads will work with the entry-level Apple Pencil with USB-C Which attaches magnetically but lacks wireless charging and also you don't get pressure sensitivity, but it is the cheapest one So the latest 2024 iPad Pros, Air and the Mini also support the new top-tier Apple Pencil Pro Which comes with features like haptic feedback and you can squeeze it and do bowel rolls And from some actual proper artists I've spoken to, they all seem pretty excited about it. Plus it also supports Find My in case you lose it, which is probably what I would end up using the most. But then older iPad Airs Pros and Minis use the Apple Pencil 2nd Gen, which is still great and has full pressure sensitivity and wireless charging, and is better, although also more expensive of course, than the Apple Pencil, the USB-C one.
But it's effectively been replaced by the Pencil Pro, so you won't be able to use it if you upgrade to a new iPad down the line. And finally, the basic iPad, the 10th gen one here, also supports the older first gen Apple Pencil, but has the awkward charging because you need a lightning adapter. So for the basic iPad, I would go with the Apple Pencil USB-C.
And apparently, if you leave the battery completely discharged for a number of weeks or months, then it will just die, which is not ideal. So make sure you keep yours topped up. And then we have the keyboards.
And just in terms of official keyboards, as I mentioned, the iPad 10th gen gets this lovely Magic Keyboard Folio. where the touchpad and function row although it doesn't hold the iPad as high as the regular Magic keyboard does making it a little bit trickier to use on your lap and also misses out on backlit keys but you can split it into stand mode if you don't want to use the keyboard The new iPad Airs as well as the last couple of gens of Airs and Pros are compatible with the original Magic keyboard which is still fantastic and lovely to type on but it is very expensive as is the new Magic keyboard exclusive to the new Pros and it's kind of like a second gen Magic keyboard with a bigger glass trackpad with haptic feedback along with a full set of function keys, making it look and feel almost identical to a MacBook Air keyboard and trackpad. But at £349 it is an awful lot of money. As I say it's the exact same price as the 10th gen iPad, but I would say if you are going to buy an Air or a Pro the keyboard does make a significant difference to the functionality of it.
It really can be close to a laptop replacement with the keyboard and it's just lovely to type on if you can stretch your budget that far. all right so that's the accessories let's talk about these new ipad pros just refresh for 2020 with a pretty big upgrade actually. Thinner, lighter, we have the new M4 chip and not only does it come in 11 and 13 inch sizes, this is also the first time that we have an OLED display on a laptop.
The Airs, the Mini and the regular one all use LCD. The previous 12.9 inch iPad Pro did have a mini LED screen which is very nice but this tandem OLED is even nicer with no light bleed or blooming, with deeper blacks, better contrast, same brightness up to 1600 nits, 120 hertz so it feels incredibly fast. And the best bit is you get the exact same screen on the small 11-inch as well.
Previously that had to make do with a crappier screen, while you had to spend the extra money to get the high-end mini-LED. With the new Pro lineup, it's the same screen on both, just a different size. It's also ludicrously thin at 5.1 millimeters for the 13-inch or 5.3 for the 11. It's also ludicrously powerful with the M4 chip, which gives the M3 chips in the MacBook Pro a run for their money, which is even more impressive given this doesn't have a fan for cooling.
But it is also ludicrously expensive. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at £1,000, £999, although they have also doubled the base storage like they did with the Airs, but now up to 256 gigs, which is very nice, and probably enough for most of us at the Pro end. And small note, but if you do go with the 1 or 2TB option, then it also doubles the RAM from 8 to 16GB, and you also get an extra core on the processor. Would you notice much difference?
Probably not. But then if you are going to spend this kind of money on an iPad Pro anyway, then... I guess paying the extra for the 1TB and getting those extra upgrades could be worth it if you have very, very deep pockets.
And also there is now an option for a nano texture display coating on the 1 and 2TB models, which costs an extra £100 or so and reduces glare and reflections. So handy if you're using it outside a lot, but it does also come at the expense of contrast and it can also affect the viewing angles. But the 120Hz just makes everything feel faster and smoother and also does make the Apple Pencil a little bit more responsive.
It's such a lovely thing to use. It really, really is. Hard to get over the price and functionally it's not that significantly different than you know the cheapest one here.
And love or hate Apple but you have to give them credit for this kind of engineering. It's absolutely insane. Other upgrades with the Pros include quad speakers which sound incredible.
Although the 13-inch speakers are noticeably better than the 11-inch. It's like a halfway house between these. We also get quad studio mics. We have face ID login rather than touch ID.
Faster Thunderbolt USB-C which allows you to connect up to a 6k display. We have the true depth selfie camera, we have up to 16 gigs of RAM, and it also supports 4K ProRes video recording, as well as hardware 8K H.264 and AV1 decoding, which may mean nothing to you, but if it does, great. The Pros also do get the LiDAR sensor, and we also have a new True Tone flash, which they say makes taking pictures of documents a bit more realistic than natural lighting.
Weirdly though, they have dropped the ultra wide camera, that has now gone versus the older Pros. I guess the biggest issue is that while these OLED screens are very nice and it is ludicrously fast. It can't really do anything the older Pros couldn't do, or even the Pros before that.
We're still at this point with iPads where they're so powerful, so fantastic, but they're just kind of hamstrung by the software. And as much as the new Apple intelligence that will come baked into iPadOS 18 for the years on the Pros, it is still iPadOS. So app compatibility, multitasking, that's not really changing, although I am looking forward to being able to customize the home screen more.
And the crazy thing is a top-spec iPad Pro 2TB with a keyboard and a pencil is about £70 more expensive than a 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip and also a terabyte storage. It can be a little hard to justify, which if anything just makes it easier to recommend the 10th gen iPad. I love this thing. So let's wrap this up. Which one should you actually buy?
Well, I kind of spoiled it earlier on, but I think the pick of the iPads for me is the base one, the cheapest one, the 10th gen iPad. I think for the price, this does everything you need from an iPad. and is really good value.
I think the other one to consider would be the 13-inch Air. If you want the big screen, some of the nicer features, and it is just so much cheaper than the 13-inch Pro. So if you want a big screen, great all-rounder iPad with an M-series chip, so it will get all the Apple Intelligence stuff and also Apple Pencil Pro support, I think the iPad Air, and possibly with a magic keyboard and pencil, is like the best all-rounder option. The iPad Mini is a lovely device, but I still think it's a bit too expensive, especially higher storage models.
And it just feels like a bit of a lazy update. The same design, same bezels, the 60Hz refresh rate. You really have to want that smaller size for it to make sense.
And in terms of the Pros, well, they're just so expensive and they don't do anything fundamentally different than the Airs or even the older Pros, which are still definitely worth looking at if you can get a good deal on them. I think the highlight is that 120Hz OLED screen, particularly on the 11, which you couldn't get before. So I think maybe the 11 Pro would be my pick of those guys. But certainly they are very, very nice. That's just a lot of money.
So in order, I would say number one, number two, number three, four, five, six, I think. What do you reckon? So I hope that helped and you now have a better idea of which one to buy. If you've got any questions at all, drop a comment below. And I'll see you next time right here on the Tech Chat.
Thanks for watching.