You can stick it into your iPad’s USB-C port and have it sit flush and firm with the edge or swap to a flappy, short cable. That means access to an external SSD, along with two USB-A jacks, one 100-watt USB-C pass-through charging port, and a 4K HDMI at the same time. This simple, aluminum USB-C to Ethernet dongle delivered around 700 Mbps download speeds on the iPad Pro in my home, which is what my desktop PC usually hits.
Review: Apple’s iPad Air 5 hits the tablet sweet spot
The M1 chip and USB-C compatible port unlock new value that makes this iPad Air a tablet worth having. To test whether I could finally ditch the laptop and go fully portable, I decided I would try to write this review on the device, and I was pleasantly surprised when I plugged it into the dock using the thunderbolt port it now boasts, which is compatible with USB-C. Fairly thick bezels remain, but when you want to use the iPad while holding it, they offer a place for your thumb for better comfort and a more secure grip.
I’m not going to dive into specs – you can find those here – but I will say that the iPad Air 5 is very responsive, the 10.9-inch display looks amazing, and the device can handle more demanding workloads than you would expect.
I don’t draw, but I was shown some cool stuff that can be done with the likes of art app Procreate by people with actual skill. I also thought it might make for a useful second device for recording via an external mic while I was also using my laptop – a little separation to provide assurance that I wouldn’t mess something up by accident.
While the reading experience wasn’t great, the exception was for graphic novels such as Sandman, recently adapted into a Netflix hit. It was also ideal for referencing documents when I was MCing my friends’ wedding – I didn’t have to struggle with switching between apps on my phone or carry around a laptop or a piece of paper that would have got crushed in my pocket.
One colleague told me that the iPad is the device of choice for parent volunteers at their children’s cricket games.
Paired with the Pencil, it was great to be able to handwrite notes during interviews, or to make quick sketches on the odd occasion. The key is that it did lots of those little niche things really well and so, while my dreams of replacing the laptop completely didn’t play out, I still found myself packing the iPad in my bag every day. At 10.9 inches, the latest-gen iPad Air is compact and yet it doesn’t feel like there is any compromise on performance at that size.
Technical Specifications (CA)
Front camera Top button/Touch ID Volume buttons Rear camera Smart Connector USB-C connector SIM tray (Wi-Fi + Cellular) Magnetic connector for Apple Pencil The iPad Air display has rounded corners. When measured diagonally as a rectangle, the screen is 10.86 inches. Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG
Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps 12MP Ultra Wide front camera, 122° field of view
Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO; speeds up to 1.2 Gbps Simultaneous dual band Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi + Cellular models For details on 5G and LTE support, contact your carrier and see apple.com/ipad/cellular/networks. All models Digital compass Wi‑Fi iBeacon microlocation
Pay with your iPad using Touch ID within apps and on the web Use your voice to send messages, set reminders, and more
USB-C port with support for: Charging DisplayPort USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) Supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors Supports one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz Video mirroring Up to 4K AirPlay for mirroring, photos, and video out to Apple TV (2nd generation or later) or AirPlay‑enabled smart TV Video mirroring and video out support through USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter and USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter (adapters sold separately) Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‐Fi or watching video
Charging via power adapter or USB‑C to computer system iPadOS comes with powerful features and built-in apps designed to take advantage of the unique capabilities of iPad. Built-in accessibility features supporting vision, mobility, hearing, and cognitive disabilities help you get the most out of your iPad. Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iMovie, GarageBand, Clips, and Apple Store app are preinstalled on iPad.
Syncing to a Mac or PC requires: macOS Catalina 10.15 or later using the Finder macOS El Capitan 10.11.6 through macOS Mojave 10.14.6 using iTunes 12.8 or later Windows 10 or later using iTunes 12.12.10 or later (free download from itunes.com/download)
English (Australia, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional – Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Spain), Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Kazakh, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese English (Australia, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional – Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Spain), Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Kazakh, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese QuickType keyboard support English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese – Simplified (Handwriting, Pinyin QWERTY, Pinyin 10-Key, Shuangpin, Stroke), Chinese – Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Pinyin QWERTY, Pinyin 10-Key, Shuangpin, Stroke, Sucheng, Zhuyin), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Kana, Romaji), Korean (2-Set, 10-Key), Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Ainu, Albanian, Amharic, Apache (Western), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Armenian, Assamese, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Belarusian, Bodo, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cantonese – Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Phonetic, Stroke, Sucheng), Catalan, Cherokee, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dhivehi, Dogri, Dutch, Dzongkha, Emoji, Estonian, Faroese, Filipino, Finnish, Flemish, Fula (Adlam), Georgian, Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin, Transliteration), Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Kannada, Kashmiri (Arabic, Devanagari), Kazakh, Khmer, Konkani (Devanagari), Kurdish (Arabic, Latin), Kyrgyz, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Maithili, Malay (Arabic, Latin), Malayalam, Maltese, Manipuri (Bengali, Meetei Mayek), Māori, Marathi, Mongolian, Navajo, Nepali, Norwegian (Bokmål, Nynorsk), Odia, Pashto, Persian, Persian (Afghanistan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Punjabi, Rohingya, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Sanskrit, Santali (Devanagari, Ol Chiki), Serbian (Cyrillic, Latin), Sindhi (Arabic, Devanagari), Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Swahili, Swedish, Tajik, Tamil (Anjal, Tamil 99), Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tongan, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek (Arabic, Cyrillic, Latin), Vietnamese (Telex, VIQR, VNI), Welsh, Yiddish
English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese – Simplified (Handwriting, Pinyin QWERTY, Pinyin 10-Key, Shuangpin, Stroke), Chinese – Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Pinyin QWERTY, Pinyin 10-Key, Shuangpin, Stroke, Sucheng, Zhuyin), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Kana, Romaji), Korean (2-Set, 10-Key), Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Ainu, Albanian, Amharic, Apache (Western), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Armenian, Assamese, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Belarusian, Bodo, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cantonese – Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Phonetic, Stroke, Sucheng), Catalan, Cherokee, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dhivehi, Dogri, Dutch, Dzongkha, Emoji, Estonian, Faroese, Filipino, Finnish, Flemish, Fula (Adlam), Georgian, Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin, Transliteration), Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Kannada, Kashmiri (Arabic, Devanagari), Kazakh, Khmer, Konkani (Devanagari), Kurdish (Arabic, Latin), Kyrgyz, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Maithili, Malay (Arabic, Latin), Malayalam, Maltese, Manipuri (Bengali, Meetei Mayek), Māori, Marathi, Mongolian, Navajo, Nepali, Norwegian (Bokmål, Nynorsk), Odia, Pashto, Persian, Persian (Afghanistan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Punjabi, Rohingya, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Sanskrit, Santali (Devanagari, Ol Chiki), Serbian (Cyrillic, Latin), Sindhi (Arabic, Devanagari), Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Swahili, Swedish, Tajik, Tamil (Anjal, Tamil 99), Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tongan, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek (Arabic, Cyrillic, Latin), Vietnamese (Telex, VIQR, VNI), Welsh, Yiddish QuickType keyboard support with autocorrection Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Bangla, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cherokee, Chinese – Simplified (Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese – Traditional (Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese – Traditional (Zhuyin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, Dutch (Belgium), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin, Transliteration), Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Japanese (Kana), Japanese (Romaji), Korean (2-Set, 10-Key), Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Marathi, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk), Persian, Persian (Afghanistan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic), Serbian (Latin), Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Swedish, Tamil (Anjal), Tamil (Tamil 99), Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese (Telex)
Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Bangla, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cherokee, Chinese – Simplified (Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese – Traditional (Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese – Traditional (Zhuyin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, Dutch (Belgium), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin, Transliteration), Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Japanese (Kana), Japanese (Romaji), Korean (2-Set, 10-Key), Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Marathi, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk), Persian, Persian (Afghanistan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic), Serbian (Latin), Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Swedish, Tamil (Anjal), Tamil (Tamil 99), Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese (Telex) QuickType keyboard support with predictive typing
English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Cantonese (Traditional), Dutch, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin), Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Russian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese
English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Cantonese (Traditional), Dutch, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin), Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Russian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese QuickType keyboard support with multilingual input English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese – Simplified (Pinyin), Chinese – Traditional (Pinyin), French (France), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (Switzerland), German (Germany), German (Austria), German (Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Romaji), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Hindi (Latin), Vietnamese
English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese – Simplified (Pinyin), Chinese – Traditional (Pinyin), French (France), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (Switzerland), German (Germany), German (Austria), German (Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Romaji), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Hindi (Latin), Vietnamese QuickType keyboard support with contextual suggestions English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Hindi (Devanagari), Hindi (Latin), Russian, Swedish, Portuguese (Brazil), Turkish, Vietnamese English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Hindi (Devanagari), Hindi (Latin), Russian, Swedish, Portuguese (Brazil), Turkish, Vietnamese QuickPath keyboard support English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese (Traditional Pinyin QWERTY), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Swedish, Vietnamese
English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese (Traditional Pinyin QWERTY), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Swedish, Vietnamese Siri languages English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Chile, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese (Japan), Korean (Republic of Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish (Finland), Hebrew (Israel), Malay (Malaysia), Norwegian (Norway), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Türkiye)
English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Chile, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese (Japan), Korean (Republic of Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish (Finland), Hebrew (Israel), Malay (Malaysia), Norwegian (Norway), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Türkiye) Dictation languages English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, UK, U.S.), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Arabic (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Romanian, Russian, Shanghainese (China mainland), Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, UK, U.S.), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Arabic (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Romanian, Russian, Shanghainese (China mainland), Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese Monolingual dictionary support
English (UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional – Hong Kong), Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
English (UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional – Hong Kong), Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish Idiom dictionary support Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese – English, Cantonese – English Bilingual dictionary support English (UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified) Spell check English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Netherlands, Belgium), Finnish, Greek, Hindi (Devanagari), Hungarian, Irish Gaelic, Norwegian (Bokmål, Nynorsk), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Telugu, Turkish, Vietnamese
English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Netherlands, Belgium), Finnish, Greek, Hindi (Devanagari), Hungarian, Irish Gaelic, Norwegian (Bokmål, Nynorsk), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Telugu, Turkish, Vietnamese Apple Pay supported regions Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China mainland,10 Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, U.S., Vatican City
Supported formats include HEVC, H.264, and ProRes .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel); .zip; .ics; .usdz; .pkpass (Wallet)
iPad Air is designed with the following features to reduce its environmental impact:11 Learn more about the iPad Air Product Environmental Report (PDF)
100% recycled rare earth elements in the enclosure and audio magnets, representing 96% of the rare earth elements in the device
100% recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board
All final assembly supplier sites are transitioning to 100% renewable energy for Apple production 100% of virgin wood fiber comes from responsibly managed forests We’re committed to making our products without taking from the earth, and to become carbon neutral across our entire business, including products, by 2030. For details on 5G and LTE support, contact your carrier and see apple.com/ipad/cellular. ◊◊◊ USB‑C to Apple Pencil Adapter required to work with iPad (10th generation).
Best accessories for iPad Air 5 in 2023
Our team of Apple experts have years of experience testing all kinds of tech and gadgets, so you can be sure our recommendations and criticisms are accurate and helpful. Its biggest strength over other keyboard cases is the implementation of the touchpad, which just works so well in iPadOS that it feels like using a Mac.
It’s pretty affordable, elegant, and quite compact, making it easy to carry around in your tech bag when you’re traveling with your best iPad.
The best iPad accessories for 2023
There are thousands of iPad accessories out there from companies like Otterbox, Logitech, Anker and others, but all of that choice can make it hard to decipher which tech is actually worth your money. The most important iPad details to consider before buying accessories are the charging port, screen size and Apple Pencil compatibility. Symmetry cases look similar to Apple’s Smart Cover, but the clear, scratch-resistant back is high-quality and sturdy without adding a lot of weight to the iPad.
Speaking of cheaper iPad cases that fill up Amazon’s search result pages, some that are actually worthwhile are from Moko and ProCase.
If you like the look and feel of Apple’s Smart Cover, but don’t want to drop $50-plus on one, both of these brands have dupes that give you that style at a fraction of the cost of the first-party option. The stand comes fully assembled on the weighted base, but it’s pretty easy to switch to the clamp thanks to the included instructions and basic tools in the box.
If you spring for the latest model, it’ll be even easier thanks to a new quick-switch tab that lets you swap between the weighted base and the clamp attachment with any extra tools. It wasn’t hard to secure my 11-inch iPad Pro in the vice-grip that is the HoverBar Duo’s tablet clip, although it did take some force to move the arm into the right position.
It’s made of a single piece of aluminum with a ledge for your iPad and a few well-placed cutouts that you can snake a charging cable through. Logitech’s $100 MX Keys Mini may be on the expensive side, but it’s one that could be both your iPad keyboard and your main desk typing device. But if you want something an iPad keyboard that’s even more affordable, or even thinner, we still like the Logitech Keys to Go, which we’ve recommended in the past and you can usually find for between $50 and $70. We praised the Magic Keyboard for its typing comfort and precise trackpad, but dinged it for its limited range of motion.
The second-gen stylus has a double-tap feature that you can customize to a certain degree, and pressure-sensitivity allows you to add as much or as little detail as you want to digital artwork. It’s just as good in terms of latency and accuracy — drawing in Procreate was a lag-free experience and my strokes always ended up exactly where I wanted them to be – and it’s even more grippy by default thanks to its oval-shaped design. While I wouldn’t suggest the Crayon for serious artists, I would recommend it for anyone who’s on a strict budget, especially digital journal-keepers, committed note-takers and the like. The adjustable legs are quite sturdy once they’re in place, and three slots hold your tablet at different angles, including a forward-leaning one that’s particularly nice for lying down.
The adjustable legs are quite sturdy once they’re in place, and three slots hold your tablet at different angles, including a forward-leaning one that’s particularly nice for lying down. The slots and securing clip perform best if your device is naked, though I’ve been able to use it with a Smart Folio attached with little issue.
If you plan on pushing your iPad Pro to its limits as a daily driver, you’ll probably need more than the tablet’s single USB-C port. Apple has provided little guidance to which USB-C hubs and adapters work best with the iPad Pros — there’s no MFi certification for accessories like this yet. Some hubs specifically advertise that they work with the newest iPad Pros, and if you want to be extra safe, I recommend buying one of those that comes from a reputable brand. Satechi’s $100 Aluminum Stand and Hub is a favorite for its foldable design and how it packs ports and charging capabilities into a compact iPad accessory.
The holder itself rotates outward, revealing a hidden, attached USB-C cable and a rubber bumper that keeps the stand in place in your desk. On the back edge are a 4K HDMI socket, one USB-A port, a headphone jack, both SD and microSD card slots and a 60W USB-C connection for charging.
Anker makes a couple of versions of this hub, including one that does have that coveted Ethernet port, but it’s hard to beat $35 for the standard 7-in-1 model. Maybe you picked up the base model, but over time the device has turned into your main gadget, holding most of your important documents, photos, apps and more.
The T7, the T7 Touch and the T7 Shield all support read/write speeds of up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s, and their palm-sized designs make them easy to toss in a bag before you leave for the day. All three also support AES 256-bit hardware encryption and optional password protection, but you’ll get the added bonus of a fingerprint reader on the T7 Touch.
As for the T7 Shield, it’s the newest in the lineup and has a more durable design with a rubberized exterior and an IP65 rating for water and dust resistance. Anker’s 45W Nano II GaN adapter is a good one because it can fast-charge iPhones and iPads, plus the gallium nitride technology built into it helps prevent overheating. Anker’s PowerCore 26,800 has a high enough capacity to charge up most tablets almost two times over, making it very unlikely that you’ll totally run out of power before you get to your next destination. They pull double-duty: Not only do they act as a first line of defense if your iPad goes careening onto concrete, but they can also enhance the digital drawing and writing experience. Matte screen protectors can get closer to replicating the pen-on-paper experience, and they also prevent the stylus nib from wearing down as quickly. Not only does the matte finish help when you’re drawing or taking digital notes, but it also reduces screen glare and doesn’t interfere with FaceID on the newest iPads.
I miraculously managed to get the Bellemond affixed with minimal bubbles after watching the video linked with the QR code on the box. All paper-feel protectors impart a slight blur, which is why magnetic covers than you can reposition make solid alternatives.
They offer texture when you’re drawing or writing, but you can remove them easily when you want to watch Star Trek with full clarity. The PenMat from PenTips uses thin magnets along the edges to affix the film to your screen and comes with a plastic sleeve to store the cover when you’re not using it.
iPad Air 4th/5th Gen Cases and Accessories
Targus’ variety of iPad Air 4th or 5th generation cases and accessories make it easy to outfit and optimize your device for your daily life. From cases that offer drop and bump protection for your iPad to screen protectors that defend against scratches and fingerprints, you can keep your device safe no matter where you go. Explore Targus’ broad selection of cases and accessories designed for the office, school, travel, and commute — we’ve got exactly what your iPad needs.
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