The Best iPad to Buy (and a Few to Avoid)

Apple's smallest tablet is the iPad Mini (8/10, WIRED Recommends), and the 2024 iteration is largely an internal upgrade. With an A17 Pro chipset (the same inside the iPhone 15 Pro), it gets a boost in performance to handle today's graphically demanding games and support for Apple Intelligence (a bevy of artificial intelligence tools you can read all about in our roundup). This slate also supports the Apple Pencil Pro, so you don't have to splurge on a super-expensive iPad anymore to get the top benefits of the latest stylus. But since it is so small, you probably won't want to use this for any kind of serious work.

The seventh-generation iPad Mini is great for reading ebooks (even with one hand!) and fits into all types of handbags because it's so tiny. The 2K-resolution LCD looks great too (I didn't run into any “jelly scrolling” issues) and gets bright enough outdoors. It still has a 60-Hz refresh rate, which isn't surprising, but it would've been nice to see 90-Hz support at least. Apple also kept the 12-megapixel selfie camera on the left side of the tablet (rather than moving it to the center in landscape mode like on other iPads). It's not a huge deal because the tablet is small, but I still didn't like having to look over to the left during Zoom calls.

I don't think you'll find much new if you're coming from a 2021 iPad Mini, unless you prefer the features of the Apple Pencil Pro. But if you want a tiny device, this is the best small tablet on the market.

Most people do not need to consider the iPad Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends). They start at $999 and $1,299 for the 11- and 13-inch slates, respectively, and that doesn't include Apple's Magic Keyboard, which adds as much as $350 to the cost. You can buy a very powerful MacBook for that kind of cash. Don't get me wrong, this tablet is exceptional. The tandem OLED screen is one of the best in the business; it's bright, sharp, and colorful, it has excellent black levels, and it’s the only iPad with a 120-Hz screen. The speakers sound fantastic, and even the webcam is pretty sharp. You get all of that in an incredibly thin design, though none of this is particularly different from the M4 iPad Pro (find it on sale!).

The M5 chip powering this iPad offers a small performance boost, though most folks won't notice it in general apps. If you're frequently using AI apps like Draw Things or graphically intense apps like Davinci Resolve, that's where the speed improvements come into play. The iPad Pro is for people who use these kinds of powerful apps for content creation and work, whether that's creating 3D objects in Blender or music production. You still have to decide whether you want the benefit of a tablet experience or, say, the MacBook Pro M5, which can deliver slightly more performance and is overall a better machine for getting stuff done.

iPadOS 26’s windowed apps multitasking system is a great benefit in making this iPad Pro a more functional computer, and while this is available on all iPads running iPadOS 26, it shines best on the biggest iPad models, which are the 13-inch iPad Pro and iPad Air. When in doubt, try the iPad Air first, and if that feels more than sufficient, you'll have saved yourself a wad of cash.

The Apple Pencil is a must-have for any iPad owner who takes a lot of notes or likes to draw. (You can even use it to sign documents.) iPadOS also has handwriting support within certain search fields and apps (like Notes), so you don't need to switch to the keyboard every time you want to type. Apple debuted a new Pencil in 2024, so now there are four to choose from. Here are the differences:

Apple Pencil (1st-gen) for $99: The first-generation Pencil is quite old but still functions well, offering pressure sensitivity (lines become thicker as you press down harder on the screen) and tilt sensitivity (for shading). Unlike the other two Apple Pencils, this one has a glossy finish instead of matte (if that matters), and it is also completely rounded, meaning it will roll off surfaces. There are no magnets, so you can't stick it to the tablet for safekeeping. It has a Lightning connector, so to charge it, you'll have to remove the cap and plug it into the iPad's charging port. If your iPad has a USB-C port, you can buy an adapter. It's compatible with the iPad (6th gen and later), iPad Air (3rd gen), iPad Mini (5th gen), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st and 2nd gen), iPad Pro 10.5-inch, and iPad Pro 9.7-inch.

Apple Pencil (USB-C) for $70: Apple's USB-C Apple Pencil is a bit perplexing. It doesn't come with pressure sensitivity, so it's better suited for note-takers rather than artists. It can attach magnetically to the sides of an iPad, so you don't need to find a place to store it, but it doesn't support wireless charging, so you'll have to pair and charge it via USB-C. It does support Hover Mode, which allows you to preview what will happen before touching the display, but this is exclusive to the select iPad Pro and iPad Air models. It's compatible with iPad (10th gen and A16), iPad Air (4th, 5th gen, M2, and M3), iPad Mini (6th gen), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st gen and later, including M4), and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd gen and later, including M4 and M5).

Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) for $129: The second-generation Apple Pencil comes with all the same capabilities as the 1st-gen and USB-C versions, plus wireless pairing and charging (it'll charge when it magnetically sticks to the top edge of supported iPads). It also adds a double-tap feature that lets you quickly switch between tools by tapping on the Apple Pencil twice. It's compatible with the iPad Air (4th gen and 5th gen), iPad Mini (6th gen), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st gen and later), and the 12.9-inch (3rd gen and later). Unfortunately, Apple has officially discontinued it, so newer iPads don't support it, including the iPad Air (M2 and M3) or iPad Pro (M4 and M5).

Apple Pencil Pro for $99: Apple's Pro Pencil is the most feature-packed of them all. It looks identical to the second-generation model, complete with a matte finish, but it also has a few new tricks. A “squeeze” feature opens up a tool palette (in addition to the double-tap feature), and a new haptic engine gives feedback as you squeeze. A built-in gyroscope sensor allows you to change the orientation of the tools as you twist them (for finer control), and it supports Apple's Find My network to track the stylus when you lose it. It's only compatible with the iPad Air (M2 and M3), iPad Pro (M4 and M5), and 7th-gen iPad Mini. (C'mon, why isn't it backward-compatible?)