What is the best iPad?

Question

4

Options
Considered

32

User
Recs.

Mar 26, 2019

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

4 Options Considered

Best iPad	Price	Size	OS
79 iPad (2017)	$280.00	9.7"+	iOS
76 iPad Pro 10.5 (2017)	$649+	9.7"+	iOS
-- iPad mini 4	$399+	7.9"+	iOS
-- iPad 9.7 (2018)	$329+	-	-

See Full List

I Recommend...

Help millions of people make better decisions.

Each month, over 2.8 million people use Slant to find the best products and share their knowledge. Pick the tags you’re passionate about to get a personalized feed and begin contributing your knowledge.

score 13 · Answer 1

iPad (2017)

Top Pro

Excellent value for money

Costing just above $300 in its most basic version (the most expensive one costs $559), this iPad has a very attractive price tag for its features. It has a 9.7″ Retina display and comes with a 64-bit A9 chip that ensures a fluid performance and enough computing power for demanding games and other applications. Overall, its features and performance are equivalent to those of other tablets that cost at least $100 more. See More

Top Con

No accessory connector

There’s no connector for accessories: to connect them to the tablet, Bluetooth is the only possible option. See More

Specs

Size:9.7"+

OS:iOS

Top Pro

Great power for games and media

This tablet uses a 64-bit A9 chip and 2GB RAM, which ensure fluidity when gaming, watching media, or even doing some light multimedia creation tasks (in GarageBand, for example). Evidently, it doesn’t perform as well as the iPad Pro, but it’s very noticeable that it’s more powerful than the previous iPad Air 2. See More

Top Con

Storage options could be better

32GB and 128GB are the only storage options available, with no possibility of expansion (via SD cards, for example). This means there’s a huge gap between the lowest option, which will feel like not enough for lots of people, and the highest one, which has too much space for those same users. A 64GB version would probably be more balanced and the most suitable for the majority of users. See More

Top Pro

Good for a pleasant media watching experience

The 2048x1536 display, with a 264 ppi pixel density, handles content reproduction quite well. Despite missing some importante features, such as True Tone technology or anti-reflective coating, it’s still a good screen that creates a pleasant experience, creating vivid and rich images. However, it’s noticeable that it’s not as good as the displays of the iPad Pro or of the iPad Air 2 from the previous generation. See More

Top Con

Takes too long to charge

This iPad's battery takes around 4 hours to completely charge, which can feel like too long in many situations where you don't have that kind of time to spare. See More

Top Pro

Camera is good enough for modest photography

The iPad 2017’s camera is quite decent. It’s 8 MP sensor and good color reproduction capabilities allow for some good photo-taking. Still, it’s not as good as the iPad Pro’s 12 MP camera. See More

Top Pro

Long battery life

The iPad 2017's battery lasts up to 10 hours (while doing tasks equivalent to regular internet browsing, watching videos or listening to music). It's a lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 8,800 mAh, which represents a great improvement from the iPad Air 2's battery, which only had 7.340 mAh. See More

See All

score 12 · Answer 2

iPad Pro 10.5 (2017)

Top Pro

Ideal for professional, creative graphical work

This iPad's big high-resolution display, along with the Apple Pen, and efficient computing power (due to the A10X Fusion chip) makes it all work fluidly and with no hiccups, even when displaying and processing demanding graphics, making this tablet a serious and reliable professional tool. See More

Top Con

Expensive

This device is quite expensive, especially the more premium versions, whose price is closer to a laptop price than to a tablet price. Before getting this, users should really consider if it's worth it. See More

Specs

Size:9.7"+

OS:iOS

Top Pro

If used with the Apple Pencil, it's great for tasks such as drawing or handwriting

This iPad can be used with the Apple Pencil (sold separately for $99), a digital stylus that can be used to navigate, hand write or draw. The Pencil is very precise and responsive, features that are extremely convenient for designers or illustrators. It's also pressure sensitive and very comfortable to manipulate. See More

Top Con

Not a very manageable tablet

Due to its size, this tablet is not the most manageable, or even portable, tablet. It comes in two sizes: 10.5'' and 12.9''. These can easily feel too big for users who like a tablet for its portability and versatility. See More

See All

score 4 · Answer 3

iPad mini 4

Top Pro

Display has great touch responsiveness

This iPad mini's fully laminated display has impressive quality, giving the impression that you can actually touch icons and content. It's a Retina display, with resolutions of 2048 x 1536 at 326 ppi. See More

Top Con

Expensive

This iPad is quite expensive, given that it's a 7.9'' inch tablet and that, due to its size, its not appropriate for certain kinds of tasks. See More

Specs

Size:7.9"+

OS:iOS

For students:Yes

Top Pro

Battery lasts up to 10 hours

This iPad's battery lasts quite long, especially when compared to previous iPad mini versions. It can sustain up to 10 hours of internet browsing, video watching videos or music listening, due to its 19.1 watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery. See More

Top Con

Listening to music without headphones leaves much to be desired

This iPad's speakers are not the best to listen to music. They could use some more potency to properly deliver powerful sound. See More

Top Pro

Capable of taking very good pictures

This iPad has a very good camera, being perfect for anyone who likes to take pictures with their tablet. It has an 8 MP camera, which is the same that equips its higher-end brother iPad. See More

See All

score 3 · Answer 4

iPad 9.7 (2018)

Top Pro

Supports the Apple Pencil

The first non-Pro iPad to have Pencil support. See More

Specs

Weight:469g / 478g

Capacity:32GB / 128GB

What is the best iPad?

4 Options Considered

iPad (2017)

My Recommendation for iPad (2017)

My Recommendation for iPad (2017)

Excellent value for money

No accessory connector

Great power for games and media

Storage options could be better

Good for a pleasant media watching experience

Takes too long to charge

Camera is good enough for modest photography

Long battery life

iPad Pro 10.5 (2017)

My Recommendation for iPad Pro 10.5 (2017)

My Recommendation for iPad Pro 10.5 (2017)

Ideal for professional, creative graphical work

Expensive

If used with the Apple Pencil, it's great for tasks such as drawing or handwriting

Not a very manageable tablet

iPad mini 4

My Recommendation for iPad mini 4

My Recommendation for iPad mini 4

Display has great touch responsiveness

Expensive

Battery lasts up to 10 hours

Listening to music without headphones leaves much to be desired

Capable of taking very good pictures

iPad 9.7 (2018)

My Recommendation for iPad 9.7 (2018)

My Recommendation for iPad 9.7 (2018)

Supports the Apple Pencil

Don't see your favorite option? Add it.

One sec!