Apple’s conveyor belt of iPads might be one of the most confusing ranges the tech giant sells. While there are officially four models: the entry-level iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air and iPad Pro, they all look similar, boast overlapping screen sizes and share almost identical features to one another. Needless to say, it’s not always obvious which one makes the most sense for you.
That wasn’t always the case. When the first iPad launched in 2010, it was a one-size-fits-all device, good for watching films, checking email, playing games and all the other things a burgeoning variety of apps made possible on a larger screen. . Today, every iPad still runs the same apps and offers the same core experience, but the differences come down to how portable you want it to be, how powerful it needs to feel and how much you’re willing to spend.
The standard iPad now has an 11in display and is the most affordable option, while the iPad mini is smaller and more portable with an 8.3in screen. Both the iPad Air and iPad Pro are available in 11in and 13in versions for those who want more screen real estate.
But which should you choose? The mini is easiest to carry, the standard iPad offers the best value, the Air adds extra speed and a slimmer design and the Pro sits at the top with the best display and performance. Confused? Fret not. I’ve tested and reviewed every single iPad Apple currently sells. These are the best iPads in 2026, plus the right one for your needs.
The best iPads in 2026 are:
- Best iPad for most people – iPad 11th-generation: £309, Amazon.co.uk
- Best iPad for portability – iPad mini 7th-generation: £469, Amazon.co.uk
- Best premium iPad – iPad Air M3: £569, Amazon.co.uk
- Best iPad for power users – iPad Pro M5: £969, Amazon.co.uk
Read more: These are the best tablets for every budget
How I tested
I’ve been testing iPads for years. I use them similarly to how you will, and assess them on everything from set-up to speed. Scroll to the bottom of this review to find out more about my testing criteria.
Read more: We’ve tested the best ereaders, from Kindle to Kobo
Apple iPad 11th-generation
Best: iPad for most people
Rear camera: 12 MP wide
Front camera: 12MP
Processor: Apple A16
Display: 11in
Resolution: 2,360 x 1,640px, 264 pixels per inch
Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
Battery: Up to 10 hours
Dimensions: 248.6mm x 179.5mm x 7mm
Weight: 477g
Colours: Blue, pink, yellow, silver
Why we love it
- Snappy design
- Great value
- Decent performance
Take note
- Not compatible with Apple Intelligence
Just want a tablet for everyday use? The entry-level iPad is the best choice for most people: light, handsome and colourful with solid build quality. This model has the brightest colours for an Apple tablet, with the yellow option especially eye-catching. The display is bright and inviting, great for video games and video playback plus the multitude of other apps available for the iPad.
The iPad 11th-generation boasts a new processor and doubled the base level of storage for the same price as before. Otherwise it’s unchanged from the late 2022 model, which was a huge redesign. Like all other iPads, this one now has a full-screen display, with no Touch ID button on the front of the machine. Instead, that’s moved to the power button (as on the iPad Air and iPad mini).
But the latest update did not add one thing: compatibility with Apple Intelligence. The entry-level iPad is the only model that doesn’t handle the advanced features of Apple Intelligence. Although many of the updates are still to come, this iPad won’t run them.
The regular iPad is easily the best-value tablet from Apple, and its sturdy build and gorgeous design make it arguably the best-value tablet from any manufacturer. Despite the lack of Apple Intelligence, this remains the best iPad for most people.
Who should buy it?
Most people don’t need all the fancy bells and whistles of an iPad Air or iPad Pro, making the entry-level iPad the best for most people. There’s a big 11in screen that’s perfect for watching a spot of Netflix or YouTube in bed or browsing the web and doing some shopping on the sofa. It’s got a long 10-hour battery life, so you won’t have to reach for the charger throughout the day, and is good enough to handle all the games you want to play.
If you don’t really need the use of a laptop these days, don’t mind the lack of anti-glare, and don’t mind its average specs, you can do pretty much everything you need to do on an entry-level iPad. While it might not be a good productivity workhorse for more intensive tasks, it’s a great tablet for general use and still works with accessories such as the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard.
Buy now £309, Amazon.co.uk
Apple iPad mini 7th-generation
Best: iPad for portability
Rear camera: 12 MP wide
Front camera: 12MP
Processor: Apple A17 Pro
Display: 8.3in
Resolution: 2,266 x 1,488px, 326 pixels per inch
Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
Battery: Up to 10 hours
Dimensions: 195.4mm x 134.8mm x 6.3mm
Weight: 293g
Colours: Space grey, blue, purple, starlight
Why we love it
- High-resolution display
- Most portable iPad
Take note
- Too small for some
The smaller size of the iPad mini means it needs a higher-resolution display so everything is detailed and legible. This is one of the reasons the mini is more expensive than the bigger-screened iPad.
It also has a more powerful processor, which means it’s the most affordable iPad that’s capable of Apple Intelligence. It’s the smallest and lightest iPad (unsurprisingly) and as such works splendidly if you want an ebook reader but don’t want a separate Kindle, for instance. There are other benefits to the extreme portability: it will fit in a largish pocket or a smallish bag but still offers the same battery life as the other models.
If you want to use the iPad as a laptop, there are keyboard folios for all the other models, but not this one. It does work with the Apple Pencil Pro that snaps magnetically to side of the tablet to charge it and pair it.
Additionally, it uniquely has the front-facing camera on the short edge, not the long one, which may not be as convenient for making eye contact in FaceTime calls, say.
Who should buy it?
If you’re on the road a lot and don’t want to be lugging around a huge 11in or 13in tablet that takes up precious room in your backpack, the 7th-generation iPad mini is absolutely the one for you. It’s still Apple’s most compact iPad, but now feels far less compromised, thanks to a newer, faster chip that keeps everything feeling snappy for years to come.
If you want a travel companion that’s great for reading, browsing on the go and streaming on Netflix and YouTube, you can’t beat the iPad mini. It’s comfortable to hold in one hand (the other iPads aren’t), so you won’t strain your wrist, and it punches well above its weight on performance despite its smaller size. With support for Apple Intelligence, it’s also far more future-proof than older models, making it the perfect portable device that sits neatly between your iPhone and your MacBook, with all the same core features you’d expect from a larger iPad.
Buy now £469, Amazon.co.uk
Apple iPad Air M3
Best: premium iPad
Rear camera: 12 MP wide
Front camera: 12MP
Processor: Apple M3
Display: 11in/13in
Resolution: 11in: 2,420 x 1,668px, 264 pixels per inch; 13in: 2,732 x 2,048px, 264 pixels per inch
Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
Battery: Up to 10 hours
Dimensions: 11in: 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 6.1mm; 13in: 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.1mm
Weight: 11in: 460g; 13in: 617g
Colours: Space grey, blue, purple, starlight
Why we love it
- Slim, light design
- As fast as most people need
- Useful 13-inch option regular iPad lacks
Take note
- Regular iPad is a lot cheaper
When the first iPad Air appeared, a video at the keynote showed it hiding behind a pencil. It’s become thinner than that since, although the iPad Pro is now the thinnest tablet of all. Though none of the iPad range is exactly chunky, the thinness and light weight of the Air make it feel great in the hand. The display is the same tech as the iPad and iPad mini – the OLED screen is reserved for the Pro models – but it looks great anyway.
The processor is the Apple M3, until recently found in the MacBook Air as well. In other words, it’s fast and effective.
The pricing is designed to sit between the regular iPad and the Pro – it’s a lot more than the iPad, a lot less than the iPad Pro. In some ways it’s the Goldilocks tablet: enough power for apps, games and Apple Intelligence features, but you’re not spending money on the iPad Pro power that you may not need.
It also has Wi-Fi connectivity (Wi-Fi 6E) which is faster than the iPad but slower than the Pro.
Who should buy it?
If you want a do-it-all device for gaming, streaming and productivity, the iPad Air is a seriously capable all-rounder. It won’t break the bank like the iPad Pro, and is powered by Apple’s M3 chip, which brings a big jump in performance and efficiency, as well as support for Apple Intelligence. Gamers will find that titles are smooth and immersive, even those with advanced graphics, while power-hungry apps such as photo editing, multitasking and 4K video run quickly and reliably.
It might not have the flourishes (some may say overkill features) found on the iPad Pro, but the iPad Air is a clear step up from the standard iPad and is far more future-proof, especially if you want access to Apple’s latest AI features. Want a stunning tablet that can do it all? The iPad Air is it, and it’s nice having the choice between an 11in model and a 13in one.
Buy now £569, Amazon.co.uk
Apple iPad Pro M5
Best: iPad for power users
Rear camera: 12 MP wide
Front camera: 12MP
Processor: Apple M5
Display: 11in/13in
Resolution: 11in: 2,420 x 1,668px, 264 pixels per inch; 13in: 2,752 x 2,064px, 264 pixels per inch
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB
Battery: Up to 10 hours
Dimensions: 11in: 249.7mm x 177.5mm x 5.3mm; 13in: 281.6mm x 215.5mm x 5.1mm
Weight: 11in: 444g; 13in: 579g
Colours: Space black, silver
Why we love it
- Great display
- Stunning performance
- Nano-texture option is outstanding
Take note
- Too much power for many
- Pricey
If only the best will do, look no further. Not only is the OLED display gorgeous – Apple has used a clever “tandem” technology to overcome OLED’s Achilles’ heel of low brightness – it even comes with a nanotexture option which is highly inviting and reduces glare. That costs extra, mind and is only available on the 1TB and 2TB storage options.
Every iPad Pro has ProMotion, the dynamic refresh rate technology which increases the rate for smooth scrolling, for instance, but drops it to save battery when you’re looking at still content.
Then there’s the Apple M5 chip which is amazingly fast and is also in the latest MacBook Pro. This means that it can handle the most demanding apps, so a video editing app, for instance, performs high-end tasks quickly and for longer.
Does this mean it’s power you don’t need? Possibly, but if you play games with ray-tracing graphics, you’ll see them at their best on this tablet. And for everyone, choosing the Pro means you’re building in headroom so the tablet will work with more demanding apps as they come along.
While Touch ID is excellent, Face ID is better, which is why it’s the preserve of the Pro models. The base model has double the storage of other iPads, which slightly mollifies the price difference between Air and Pro.
This is easily the best iPad you can buy, but it’s not cheap and for some users the power and capabilities are overkill. Even so, it’s irresistible.
Who should buy it?
If you’re one of those people who wants the very best Apple makes, the iPad Pro M5 is absolutely it. Specs-wise, it’s more powerful than most laptops, running on Apple’s latest and most capable silicon, and it still boasts the best OLED display ever fitted to an iPad, with exceptional brightness, contrast and glare control. Video editing, music production, image processing and demanding games run so smoothly that even the most intensive apps won’t feel taxing.
Add a Magic Keyboard and an Apple Pencil Pro, and it starts to feel like a MacBook Pro with an iPadOS interface — one that also happens to support touch and Apple Intelligence. If you want an iPad that’s properly future-proof, and could realistically replace your laptop for most tasks, the iPad Pro M5 is the one to go for.
Buy now £969, Amazon.co.uk
Which iPad should you buy?
The motto “you get what you pay for” is somewhat true with the iPad range. For sure, the more you pay, the more you get, with every model higher in the range offering better display, more advanced design and faster processor than the one below it.
But there’s no denying that the entry-level iPad is the best value: it has plenty of speed, the same battery life as the most expensive model, looks great and works well. Its only disappointment is the lack of compatibility with Apple Intelligence, a suite of features which will grow in coming months and years. The regular iPad also comes in the best colours, I’d say.
As for the rest, the delights of the iPad mini are clear, with ultimate portability and light weight, making it an ideal travel companion or ebook reader.
Similarly, the Air is great if you want Apple Intelligence but don’t need the power of the Pro – if you have a little more money to spend, the benefits such as faster Wi-Fi, more advanced chip and an anti-reflective coating on the screen are worth having. For many, this is the perfect choice.
And then there’s the iPad Pro. Of course it’s the best iPad – I’d argue it’s the best tablet you can buy from any manufacturer – but do you need its power? It is overkill for many, but if you use advanced processors or want gaming to look its absolute best, the iPad Pro is spectacular.
How I tested the iPads in full
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
As a tech critic at The Independent, I test a lot of gadgets. Whether it’s the best tablets or the latest and buzziest launches, I use all of the products myself, thoroughly, to ensure they're really worth it. When it comes to the Apple line-up, I’ve shared my verdict on the iPhone 17, the latest Apple Watch line-up and I’ve been testing iPads for years, which puts me in good stead to know their differences, merits and drawbacks.
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