The best iPads in 2024 - our top picks (2024)

The best iPad for you can be hard to find, because Apple has released so many models over the last few years. There was a time when, if you wanted an Apple tablet, you bought the iPad in whatever color and storage you wanted. That's no longer the case.

Apple sells a cornucopia of iPad models, from the big, beautiful iPad Pro to the svelte iPad Air. And with the iPad Pro and iPad Air now both sporting Apple silicon, there are even meaningful differences in performance and price depending on which size of iPad Pro you buy. Many rank among the best tablets you can buy, but picking which is best for you can be tricky.

To help you decide which iPad is right for your needs right now, we've assembled an easy-to-read list here detailing the strengths and weaknesses of each tablet. This is all based on our lab testing and hands-on reviews, to save you from making a purchase you might later regret.

The quick list

The best iPads you can buy today

The best iPad overall

The new iPad Air 2024 hits the sweet spot between portability and power. It’s perfect for consuming and creating content, and its $599 starting price is within reach for many people.

Thanks to the addition of M2, the iPad Air 2024 is now on par with 2022’s iPad Pro. That isn't to say the Air is now a Pro replacement, but the gap in power is considerably smaller. This, along with its relatively affordable starting price, could make this new iPad Air more compelling than the new iPad Pro 2024 for budget-minded shoppers who still want the best iPad their money can buy.

Overall, the latest iPad Air is an almost perfect tablet. While there's still some room for improvement, it's hard to put this sleek, powerful slate down. This is arguably the best tablet for most people.

Read our full iPad Air 2024 review.

The best upgrade pick

The best got better when Apple dropped its super-powerful M4 chip inside the already mighty iPad Pro. That chip set new tablet records in Geekbench — continuing Apple's tradition of putting tons of brawn in its sleek tablets. And this 13-inch model is the only tablet to sport Apple’s Ultra Retina XDR (or OLED) display, which offers a 2:000,000:1 contrast ratio. On top of that, the iPad Pro now has a landscape-oriented camera which is better for video calls.

Like its predecessor, the 13-inch iPad Pro’s quad-speaker setup booms, its optional Magic Keyboard (which has been updated) offers a comfortable typing experience. Also, it should last you between 13 to 15 hours, based on our testing. Though expensive, the iPad Pro is worth it for creative pros who want the best tablet for their next masterpiece.

Read our full iPad Pro 2024 review.

The best value

The iPad 2022 is a tablet that looks and feels new, and that’s a welcome change over the last few iterations. We appreciate the sleeker design and bigger display, though some may miss the headphone jack from the 9th gen iPad. We also like the Touch ID-enabled power button, repositioned front camera and USB-C charging, as well as the upgraded A14 Bionic chip and 5G connectivity.

However, $449 is a lot of money to spend on this tablet. Yes, Apple is keeping the $329 iPad 9th gen around, but it still stings to see a $120 jump from one generation to the next. Our bigger issue is with the Apple Pencil situation; it’s just way too awkward to charge this thing, and there’s nowhere to store the stylus when not in use.

Do we think the iPad 2022 is worth the splurge over last year’s model? Mostly, as this is a more future-proof tablet. Overall, the iPad 10th gen is one of the best tablets, but we can’t unequivocally say that it’s the best tablet for most people because of the higher price and Apple Pencil blunder.

Read our full iPad 2022 review.

The most portable iPad

We love the flat-edged iPads listed above, but none if them is as portable or light as the new iPad mini (which should be called the iPad Air mini, if we're being honest). It has the thin-bezels and flat-edges design of the iPad Air, support for the second gen Apple Pencil and even USB-C. Also, its A15 Bionic processor is blazing-fast and its battery life is shockingly good for a tablet this small.

But, yes, we like the iPad mini 6 most for its size. The other iPads aren't as easy to use with just one hand, and this model throws out the dated normal iPad aesthetic for a modern one, so you're not compromising for your preferred size. This means you have an iPad that's better for reading books and comic books, and can share a small desk with your other items.

Read our full Apple iPad mini 6 (2021) review.

How to choose the best tablet for you

If you know you want to buy an iPad, you've already made your buying decision easier by eliminating a large swath of Android and Windows tablets from the running.Now you just need to ask yourself a few key questions.

How do you plan to use this iPad? Is it mostly going to stay within easy reach of the couch, and be used primarily for light entertainment like browsing Reddit, watching YouTube videos, or looking up trivia on IMDB? Then you don't need all the power of Apple's new M1 chip, and you'll probably be very happy with the svelte iPad Air or the less expensive base iPad.

But if this is a tablet you plan to use for creative purposes, either as a laptop replacement (which basically requires investing in a Magic Keyboard attachment) or as a device for editing photos and videos, you should consider paying the premium for a new iPad Pro. Both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models of the 2021 iPad Pro are incredibly performant due to having Apple's speedy M1 chip.

If you have money to burn, consider splurging on the 12.9-inch model: not only is it nice to have the extra screen space, but it's the only iPad to sport an eye-catching mini-LED display, which Apple is marketing as a pro-grade screen that will make your photos and videos look their best. Just be aware that it really requires HDR content to look its best, and that's still hard to find within the iPadOS ecosystem.

How much storage do you need? Because it can't be upgraded after you buy it. Frankly, Apple is pretty unfriendly about storage on iPads, often equipping the entry-level models with barely enough storage to get by. You don't want anything less than 64 GB, and if you're planning on storing a good amount of high-res videos and apps on your iPad you'll probably want to get a model with at least 128 GB of storage space.

Do you want cellular connectivity? Having an iPad that can access cellular data networks really improves your quality of life by letting you use Internet-reliant apps wherever you can get a signal. However, if you're not planning on taking your iPad on the go, you'll probably be just fine with a simple Wi-Fi-only model.

How we tested these tablets

First, we run as many benchmarks as that iPad will allow, to see how fast they are in ways that can be compared directly against competitors. We then use colorimeters and light meters to measure how colorful and bright these tablets’ screens can get. After that, we put them through our in-house battery test, which times how long it takes — while surfing the web with brightness at 150 nits — to drain a tablet of a charge.

After that, we do the same things you do — browse the web, watch YouTube, play games, compose emails — and then a lot more. We try and write some (or all) of our tablet reviews on the tablets we're testing, on an attachable keyboard if possible. Nobody wants to write a magnum opus on a glass screen, trust me.

Written by

Written by

Alex Wawro

Alex Wawro is a lifelong journalist who's spent over a decade covering tech, games and entertainment. He oversees the computing department at Tom's Guide, which includes managing tablet coverage and reviewing many himself every year.