Which iPad is best for you
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Apple has revamped its iPad lineup with more price points than ever before. Here's how to choose a tablet for your budget.
As is the case with other divisions of its empire, Apple offers a wide range of price points for the iPad and iPad Pro. On the other hand, you have a 9th generation iPad, and on the other hand, you have the high performance of an iPad Pro.
In the fall of 2022, Apple's changes touched both ends of the range.
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10th Gen iPad
The 10th Gen iPad supports the first generation Apple Pencil.
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11-inch iPad Pro M2
The 2022 11-inch iPad Pro is equipped with Apple M2 chip.
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12.9″ iPad Pro M2
12.9″ iPad Pro 2022 has a Liquid Retina XDR display.
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9th Gen iPad
The 9th Gen iPad is Apple's budget model.
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iPad Air 5
iPad Air 5 is available in five colors and has a port USB. -C port.
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iPad mini 6
iPad mini 6 supports the 2nd generation Apple Pencil and has USB-C charging.
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Inexpensive ninth generation iPad has not been replaced by a tenth generation model, but instead joined her in the product catalog at a slightly higher price. Meanwhile, the iPad Pro line received a chip upgrade to the M2, as well as a few relatively minor improvements, while maintaining the same prices as the previous generation.
With so many products available, it can be difficult for consumers to decide which iPad they should buy. But if you look at it in terms of price, it can be much easier to solve this problem.
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Price range from iPad to iPad Pro: $329 to $2399
Apple has every possible budget from $329 to $2399 with the iPad model. The $329 base iPad is the first salvo in the line, while the latest 12.9-inch cellular iPad Pro is on the other side, tipping the scale at $2,399 at max capacity.
Full iPad price range.
There is a $2,070 difference between the cheapest iPad and the most expensive iPad in the catalog currently on sale. At this scale, you can get the seven cheapest iPad Gen 9 models for less than the most expensive iPad Pro configuration, and you're left with about $96.
Looking at the range as a whole, you can divide the catalog into three main sections: the sub-$600 end, which is pretty straightforward, the equally understandable post-$750 range dominated by the iPad Pro, and the more intense mid-range, between $600 and $750.
This article will be divided into sections dedicated to each of the ranges.
iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro: storage and cellular
There are many features of each iPad model to consider when choosing which version to buy, but there are two separate areas. be taken into account when considering all trade-offs between models. The size of the bands is determined by cellular communication and memory capacity.
Apple offers Wi-Fi-only versions of its iPads or additional cellular connectivity. However, the importance of internet connectivity has made the cellular option more important than before, potentially on par with storage.
Capacity, especially for iPad Pro models, can add a lot to the price.
Some people may value Internet access wherever they are more than more storage space. Others may not need additional cellular charges that go beyond the upgrade itself and include paying for cellular data plans.
Of course, you can use your iPhone or other device as a personal hotspot if you want to enjoy the benefits of cellular service without paying for an upgrade. However, any charges associated with your data plan are transferred to your smartphone's data plan, and additional power is used through the hotspot host device. However, this can be considered a reasonable compromise.
For ease of comparison, we're classifying cellular-enabled models as a separate option, with an upgrade cost ranging from $130 to $200.
iPad 10th generation
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The bigger cost factor is storage, because the more you buy, the more expensive the iPad will cost. The need for storage can also be a factor in deciding whether or not to opt for a higher model, as additional features may not necessarily benefit the user in the same way as having more storage on hand.
Fortunately, Apple has made storage easier for the iPad line, even more so than for its iPhone catalog. For all non-professional models, Apple has limited the capacity to two options: 64 GB and 256 GB.
In the Pro lineup, Apple still offers plenty of options, with five options ranging from 128GB to 2TB. Perhaps these models can justify the additional features compared to non-professional tablets.
This devalues the idea of using cloud storage as extra capacity outside of the iPad, which can be useful for those with extensive photo collections.
Under $600 – iPad Gen 9, iPad Gen 10, iPad mini
The very beginning of the lineup is the $329 iPad Gen 9 (check prices), which uses 10.2- inch display, A13 Bionic, 8-megapixel camera. , and 64 GB of memory.
9th generation iPad
Buy on Amazon. , the best 12 MP camera and the same 64 GB of memory. It might be worth upgrading to a newer model if performance and style are important, but you could do a lot more by saving $120 by choosing the 9th generation.
Price under $600 is the end of the iPad spectrum.
In quick succession, you have a 64GB Gen 9 Cellular for $459, which is your only right choice if you're desperate for modem-less internet. It's followed by a 256GB version of the iPad 9th Gen, which will appeal to those who want more storage over cellular access and performance.
The next real deal is $499, where you can get an 8.3-inch iPad mini with an A15 Bionic processor, a 12MP camera, and 64GB of storage. Yes, it's more powerful than the Gen 10 and comes in a more compact size, which might be a good combination for some users. You can find the iPad mini 6 for sale in AppleInsider's iPad mini 6 Pricing Guide.
iPad mini 6
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Buy at Amazon Buy at B&HIt's a three-way choice between the 9th Gen cellular, the powerful and compact iPad mini, and the mid-range 10th Gen until you get to the next section.
$600 to $750 – 10th gen iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air with Cellular
At $600 or $599, you have two more options. For that amount, you can get a cellular version of the iPad Gen 10 or iPad Air. This is a first for users of the M1 and gives it a potential advantage in performance and features over other non-Pro iPad models.
At the moment, in the battle between the iPad mini 64GB, the iPad 9 and 10 generations with cellular, and the iPad Air, the latter is probably the better choice (check current iPad Air sales prices). Of course, spending another $10 can get you a 256GB Cellular Gen 9 iPad, which might be a better fit for those who prefer capacity to raw performance.
Most complex options cost between $600 and $750.
Additional options available for $649: The 256GB non-cellular iPad mini joins the fray with the 64GB cellular iPad mini. If size matters then it's the choice between cellular and mini capacity, otherwise the iPad Air is probably your best bet.
iPad Air 5
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You have more options at the end of this region. For $749, you can buy a 256GB iPad Gen 10 with cellular, a 256GB iPad Air without cellular, a 64GB iPad Air with cellular, or a 64GB iPad mini with cellular.
Performance will take you to one of the iPad Air models, and then you'll choose between capacity and cellular connectivity. The 10th generation cellular iPad could be a good compromise for both at the expense of performance. An iPad mini with cellular is a better option that costs a few dollars more.
$750 Plus – iPad mini, iPad Air, iPad Pro 11″, iPad Pro 12.9″
The start of the range is where the most business lies, starting with the $799 iPad mini with cellular and the launch of the Pro line. Yes, you could choose an iPad mini with cellular connectivity and 256GB of storage, but the 11-inch iPad Pro offers a performance jump over the M2, a much larger screen, and the prestige of a Pro, among other things.
Indeed, for this range, it's hard to really justify choosing anything other than the Pro models at the moment. Yes, cellular is important, but if you're buying an iPad Pro, you probably have an iPhone with plenty of bandwidth as well.
The premium pricing section is dominated by the iPad Pro.
The base storage of 128 GB is also sufficient to avoid comparison with less powerful 256 GB models.
11″ iPad Pro M2
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This is true even when compared to an iPad Air with M1 and cellular. While the Air boasts 256GB for $899, you can get the 11-inch Pro for the same price and the same capacity.
Besides, you're firmly in iPad Pro territory, and a familiar and repetitive set of comparisons come into play. For $999, you can get an 11-inch iPad Pro with cellular and 128GB of storage, or get non-cellular for $899 and get $100 difference.
At $1,099, the choice expands to the 11-inch iPad Pro without cellular 512GB, the 256GB cellular version, or the 12.9-inch iPad Pro without cellular.
As you move north in price, you have to choose between screen size, cellular, and bandwidth.
Up to at least $2099 is the price of the latest 11-inch iPad Pro with 2TB of storage and cellular access. The 12.9-inch model goes up to $2199 for the non-cellular version and $2399 for the 2TB cellular version.
It is likely that at such exorbitant prices, the sheer cost of a capacity upgrade could tempt users to err in favor of cellular and larger screens.
12.9-inch iPad Pro M2
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At the end of the day, the $400 price difference between a 1TB and a 2TB capacity could easily make up for the $300 premium for a 12.9″ display vs. 11 inch version. Or the $200 cost of adding cellular connectivity, which is more than enough for the $129 Apple Pencil Gen 2 (available on Amazon) and case.
Of course, you can spend a lot of money on a huge capacity. But if you're not going to use it, you're probably better off having a more modest storage option and enjoying the other bells and whistles for your chosen tablet.
Where to buy
Many models of Apple's iPad line are currently on sale on AppleInsider. iPad pricing guide.
There you can find aggressive iPad deals on current and sold-out models, including the 9th generation iPad, which can often be found for less than $300, up to hundreds of M1 iPad Pro sales. You can compare prices for dozens of models in the following price guides:
Current iPad models
- 9th generation iPad pricing
- 10th generation iPad pricing
- iPad Air 5 pricing
- 11-inch iPad Pro M2 pricing
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2 prices
iPad models on sale
- < li>11-inch iPad Pro M1 pricing
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro M1 pricing
