Apple iPad variants: Which tablet suits your lifestyle and needs the best

Tablets are often associated with education, but these ultra-portable devices are equally useful in other areas as well. From fieldwork to couch entertainment, tablets address the needs of many. If you’re looking to upgrade from your existing tablet or buy one for the first time, chances are you’ve already considered buying an iPad. However, Apple’s tablet line-up is not as simple as its iPhone series, and figuring out which one you need can be difficult.

With the vanilla iPad, iPad mini, iPad Pro, and iPad Air variants all out there, how do you decide which one is for you? Don’t worry. We’ve prepared a handy guide on choosing the right iPad for your needs so you don’t spend a big sum on a product you’re not satisfied with.

iPad variants available today

There are four main variants that iPads are sorted into. They are as follows –

1. iPad

2. iPad mini

3. iPad Air

4. iPad Pro

All of these are available in multiple storage variants, as well as cellular and Wi-Fi-only variants. Here’s a deeper dive into each of them, and who should consider buying which variant, as per their use cases.

1. iPad

The vanilla iPad can be considered the iPad for most users. It isn’t the largest, not the most compact iPad, and neither is it the most powerful of the lot. However, the standard Apple iPad offers a good mix of specifications, features and price that suit most users.

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The current Apple iPad is in the 10th-gen variant, powered by the A14 Bionic chip. It also features a 10.9-inch display, and support for accessories like the Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard Folio. However, you can also save some money on the 9th-Gen variant, which is powered by the older A13 Bionic chip, a 10.2-inch display and support for the same accessories.

2. iPad mini

As the name suggests, the Apple iPad mini exists for those who want a more compact iPad experience. It is the smallest in the series and also the lightest, making it the right size for you to hold the device comfortably with one hand.

However, the iPad mini is no slouch when it comes to the performance aspect, packing comparable hardware to the standard iPad. The mini series is hence, a good fit for those who are on the move, and don’t want a big device on them at all times.

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Currently, the iPad mini is available in its 6th-Gen avatar, with an 8.3-inch display, the A15 Bionic chip and most specifications from the standard iPad. It’s worth noting that the mini series doesn’t support the Magic Keyboard Folio, so don’t get this iPad if you planned on using the keyboard immediately or eventually.

3. iPad Air

While the standard Apple iPad will do the job for most casual users, what if you wanted your iPad to pack a little more punch?

That’s where the iPad Air comes in. It is now powered by Apple’s own M1 chip, the same processor that powers Apple’s MacBook series. In terms of size, it still offers the 10.9-inch display as the vanilla iPad. The Air series is a good fit for users who will often use their iPad for work or resource-heavy gaming.

Currently, the iPad Air is available in its 5th-gen avatar, sporting a 10.9-inch display. It has all the bells and whistles of the standard iPad, but supports the Magic Keyboard instead of the Magic Keyboard Folio (adding backlit keys and USB-C pass-through charging) as well as the Apple Pencil Gen-2 (offering double tap and magnetic attachment support).

Apple iPad Pro

The iPad Pro series, similar to the iPhone Pro series, sports the most powerful specifications in the series.

This includes the Apple M2 chip, an extra ultrawide camera, ProRes video support, a TrueDepth front camera, and a USB Type-C port that supports Thunderbolt/USB-4 standards. It also features FaceID instead of TouchID. And quad-speakers instead of stereo speakers. With Wi-Fi 6E, the Pro series also supports speeds of up to 2.4Gbps.

The iPad Pro is available in two sizes, a 11-inch variant (4th-Gen) and a 12-inch (6th-Gen), the latter also being the largest iPad you can buy right now. Apart from support for the Apple Pencil Gen-2 and Magic Keyboard, the iPad Pro series also offers more storage variants of up to 2TB instead of the regular 256GB variant.

The iPad Pro series is suitable for those who plan on using the tablet for resource-intensive work on par with the workload of a laptop, but who want the portability perks of a tablet as well.

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That concludes our guide on choosing the right iPad variant for you. Across the iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air and iPad Pro variants, we hope you’ve found an iPad that suits your budget and needs.