I’ve tested every iPad sold by Apple right now – here’s the model I recommend most

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Eleventh-generation iPad Eleventh Technology usually retails for $349.
• The upgraded iPad has double the bottom storage because the earlier technology, extra RAM, and an upgraded processor within the A16 Bionic chip.
• Nevertheless, it nonetheless is not appropriate with Apple Intelligence and would not help the Apple Pencil Professional.

extra shopping for selections

It is not day by day {that a} tech big affords a brand new, improved product for an equal or lesser worth than its earlier mannequin. That is much more true now, with looming tariff hikes inflicting uncertainty within the tech world. 

Additionally: 8 the reason why I changed my Kindle with an iPad Mini for studying ebooks

But Apple did this very factor with the launch of the newest iPad, which is the Eleventh technology of the iPad base mannequin. This iPad replaces the three-year-old Tenth-generation mannequin however has higher options for a $100 decrease listing worth (although reductions and offers impression this). 

Let me break down the year-over-year spec upgrades first. The most recent iPad has double the bottom storage of the earlier technology, with choices starting from 128GB as much as 512GB. The brand new technology additionally has 6GB of RAM, in comparison with 4GB on the earlier mannequin.

One other notable enchancment to the iPad is the newer A16 Bionic chip, an Apple silicon processor that’s mentioned to be 30% quicker than the A14 chip. On GPU efficiency, Apple says the brand new iPad is 50% higher at graphics rendering than the earlier model.

However a lot stays the identical within the Eleventh-generation iPad in comparison with the Tenth-gen. The Liquid Retina show has the precise decision of 2360 x 1640 and as much as 500 nits of brightness, and the iPad continues to help Wi-Fi 6 for connectivity and peripherals just like the Apple Pencil (1st technology and USB-C) and the Magic Keyboard Folio case. 

These numbers aren’t unhealthy per se, nevertheless it’s protected to say that Apple is not essentially pushing the bounds in any regard with this yr’s base-level iPad.

Additionally: The perfect iPads 2025: We have examined each iPad available on the market – listed here are the perfect ones

However, because it seems, maintaining issues the identical may very well be the Eleventh-gen iPad’s largest energy. As somebody with a Tenth-gen iPad at house, I used to be glad to see that the brand new mannequin suits my Logitech Combo Contact keyboard case and the ESR keyboard case, saving me on equipment and peripherals prices. 

I have been utilizing the iPad Eleventh-generation for work all through the week, and it performs exceedingly properly for phrase processing, picture modifying, and even video modifying for social media. I’ve had no points with lagging, connectivity, or crashing on it to this point. You actually must push this factor to get it to interrupt a sweat.

The iPad can be an amazing leisure pill, very best for enjoying, streaming, messaging, and social media. It is no Tandem OLED show like on the iPad Professional, however the Liquid Retina panel will get simply colourful and sharp sufficient to offer an pleasurable viewing expertise.

As you may see from the usual Geekbench 6 testing, the brand new iPad is a transparent chief amongst earlier base fashions and even the newest Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+, which sells for tons of of {dollars} extra at $650. These benchmarking assessments consider day-to-day efficiency, so the upper scores imply you may anticipate much less lag, quicker multitasking, and a high-end gaming efficiency from the newest iPad in comparison with an older base mannequin. 

This was evident in my testing, because the Eleventh-Gen iPad carried out flawlessly throughout photograph modifying and gaming. 

Additionally: Each iPad mannequin that helps iPadOS 26 (and which of them will not be appropriate)

The one vital drawbacks of the brand new iPad are that it would not help Apple Intelligence, which requires an A17 Bionic chip or newer, and, unsurprisingly, it would not help the Apple Pencil Professional, which got here out final yr. These incompatibilities aren’t a deal-breaker per se, however they’re notable for these contemplating budgeting all the way down to a regular iPad from an Air or Professional mannequin and wish to pay attention to what’s lacking. 

Apple could also be capitalizing on the iPad base mannequin being a pill for informal customers, college students, and children, one thing for which I do not fault the corporate. If so, it is sensible for Apple to skip over some options that may improve its worth. The bottom mannequin iPad is already an amazing pill throughout, no matter whether or not extra succesful choices can be found. 

Additionally: The perfect iPad stylus of 2025: Professional examined

The iPad can be the perfect pill for many patrons, with robust processing energy and a handsome show. That’s, except the client is an influence consumer in search of a pill able to changing a laptop computer.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

On the time of writing, you should buy an Eleventh-generation iPad for under $299 (usually $349). That alone makes it a better option than the earlier technology. When you’re questioning which base mannequin iPad is most well worth the cash, this newest iPad is it. It has upgraded options for a cheaper price, and it’s doubtless all you may want in case you’re in search of an on a regular basis pill. 

The frills and options of the quicker, extra highly effective iPad Air or iPad Professional are enticing, however the reality is that they are doubtless extreme for most individuals. When you’re in search of a pill to do mild work on the go, edit some quick movies, stream content material, or play video games, the iPad base mannequin will not disappoint.

Suppose you are extra of an influence consumer and intend to make use of heavier apps like Remaining Reduce Professional for iPad, for instance, to edit longer movies. In that case, I might suggest a higher-end mannequin, like these talked about above.

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