A few months later, the company introduced the sixth-generation iPad Pro, which stands as the most powerful and responsive tablet in Apple’s current lineup. On top of that, the iPad Pro includes Apple’s ProMotion high-refresh-rate display for a silky smooth experience when navigating and working on the tablet.
Best iPad for students 2023
To make things easier, it’s good to know that you’ve got the right tech to help you write your essays, take notes in lessons, and kick back with Netflix and games when the work is done. The iPad has evolved in recent years to something that can now act as a laptop replacement for many students, with accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil making it one of the most versatile devices you can buy. Choosing the best iPad can be tricky, as Apple currently offers a wide range of models with different prices and features. Apple offers money off new iPad purchases to students in higher education all year round.
Plus, if you’re a student and you buy an iPad (or a Mac) from Apple, you might be able to get a free gift such as a pair of AirPods or vouchers while the company’s “Back To Uni” event is running. (This usually runs from June to September in the U.S. and Canada, and from July to October in the U.K. and January to March in Australia)
While this is the cheapest iPad, it still offers enough performance and features to make it an excellent choice for many students. Add a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and you have a very workable laptop that should cope with most coursework demands. Support for Apple Pencil (gen 1) means you can annotate documents, sketch, and of course practice your handwriting.
We think this screen size is perfect for reading books or taking notes (especially with an Apple Pencil), so it may well be ideal if that’s how you intend to use your iPad. And don’t let the diminutive form fool you: the A15 Bionic chip is the same as that found in the iPhone 13 Pro Max, so there’s no shortage of power on tap. Connectivity is top-notch too, with support for Wi-Fi 6 and LTE 5G networks available, depending on the model you choose.
There are two storage options available (64GB and 256GB) and, as with the 10.2in iPad, we’d recommend the larger of the two as it allows you to store more apps, music, movies, photos, and videos. This is an increase over the previous generation, and the late-2022 price bump outside the U.S. doesn’t help, but you do get some serious up-to-date tech in the new iPad mini. This makes room for a larger display than on its predecessor, the iPad 10.2-inch (9th gen), which Apple has kept in its catalog for those who want a cheaper device that’s still equipped with a Home button (see above). You probably won’t notice it at all, but if you intend to use the Apple Pencil for notes (gen 1 is supported) then you may experience slight delays in the tracking. If your course requires any kind of video content, then either the front or back optics of the new iPad should prove more than sufficient–plus you can call home and look good doing so. An A14 Bionic processor is at the heart of the new iPad, which is the same chip that powered the iPhone 12 devices (including the Pros).
So there’s more than enough power for word processing, note-taking, coding, and most other education apps, not to mention gaming and entertainment duties. The switch from a Lightning port to USB-C also opens up the ability to use various peripherals and even power an external display if you want the iPad to become more like a fully-fledged computer.
There are four colors to choose from (Blue, Yellow, Silver, and Pink) so you should be able to find one that suits your personality, and for extra functionality, you could invest in the new two-piece Magic Keyboard Folio, although the $249/£279 price tag does seem very high. As you can see, there are a few caveats (mainly around the increased price), but with its modern design, solid processor, and larger display, the new 10.9-inch iPad (10th gen) is a great all-rounder that would prove a wise investment for those heading off to pursue their studies. Unfortunately, it’s not as cheap as it once was, especially outside the US, with the updated format and construction methods bringing the costs up to $599/£669 for the 64GB model and $749/£849 for the 256GB variant (which is the one we’d recommend). Because of the price increase, it’s no longer our top choice for students, but if you can afford it then it really is worth the investment.
This is the same chip that powered the previous generation of iPad Pro models, not to mention several of the new Macs. Unlike the iPad 10.9-inch (10th gen) the camera isn’t on the longer side of the chassis, so you still have the slightly off-center angle, but that’s about the only advantage the less expensive model has over the Air.
The only major feature it’s missing is the 120Hz ProMotion screen refresh rate, but that’s hardly something most people will even notice. You could even photograph pages from books in the library and use optical character recognition to save the text to your iPad.
Not only do you not need to lug all your books around with you, but an iPad is also far lighter than even the lightest laptop, so you won’t be getting backache from carrying it to lectures and the library. And when you’ve finished studying there are loads of games, and apps for video calling your parents.
The best iPad models for drawing in 2023
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iPad – Compare Models
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music
iPad Air 2022 vs. iPad Pro 2021 Buyer’s Guide
In March 2022, Apple introduced the fifth-generation iPad Air, featuring the M1 chip, 5G connectivity, and a new front-facing camera system. The updated iPad Air comes almost a year after in Apple introduced its current iPad Pro lineup, which also features the M1 chip and 5G connectivity, but sports a number of high-end features like ProMotion and a Thunderbolt port. Liquid Retina display with 264 ppi, full lamination, oleophobic and anti-reflective coating, P3 Wide Color, and True Tone ƒ/1.8 12MP Wide rear camera, with digital zoom up to 5x and Smart HDR 3 for photos
ƒ/2.4 12MP front-facing Ultra Wide camera with 2x optical zoom out and Center Stage Apple’s specification breakdown shows that the two iPads share many of their most important features, not least the M1 chip. Even so, there are an even larger number of meaningful differences between the iPad Air and iPad Pro that are worth highlighting, including their displays, authentication technologies, and rear camera setups. ƒ/2.4 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with 2x optical zoom out and Center Stage Unlocking is something that may be used dozens of times every day, so it is important to choose your preferred method of authentication if you feel particularly strongly about it. These models are around half a pound lighter than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and will be best for users focused on portability and easy handheld use. Both the iPad Air and the 11-inch iPad Pro feature Liquid Retina LED displays with 264 ppi, full lamination, an oleophobic and anti-reflective coating, P3 Wide Color, and True Tone. The display can reflect what can be seen in the real world by capturing the brightest highlights and subtle details in even the darkest images, allowing users to view and edit true-to-life HDR and Dolby Vision content, which is especially important to creative professionals, including photographers, videographers, and filmmakers.
The iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display will be sufficient for the vast majority of users, but some may prefer the responsiveness of ProMotion of the iPad Pro for tasks such as gaming. 8GB in the iPad Air will be adequate for casual users, but 8GB will be defter at handling multiple windows of the same application and a range of intense background tasks. The iPad Pro has extended dynamic range when recording video up to 30 fps, and also features a True Tone flash. LiDAR allows the iPad Pro to measure the distance to surrounding objects up to five meters away, operating at the photon level at nano-second speed.
This makes the iPad Pro capable of a “new class” of improved AR experiences with better motion capture, understanding of the environment, and people occlusion. Both devices offer “Center Stage” for video calls with the front-facing camera.
If you use your iPad for consuming lots of music and videos with the built-in speakers, the iPad Pro will deliver a slightly better experience. In terms of wireless connectivity, both iPads feature Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and 5G on cellular models.
If you need a high-speed 5G cellular connection in the United States, this may be a good reason to invest in the iPad Pro. As well as being considerably faster, Thunderbolt opens up the potential for compatibility with a much broader range of Thunderbolt-only accessories such as external hard drives and monitors.
This iPad has a 10.2-inch display, the A13 Bionic chip, Center Stage, and is compatible with accessories such as the Apple Smart Keyboard and the first-generation Apple Pencil. While it lacks the all-screen design of the iPad Air, USB-C, and 4K video recording, the eighth-generation iPad is an excellent low-cost alternative to the mid to high-end iPads.
For most people, the additional $200+ needed to buy the iPad Pro will not be justified to get the likes of Face ID, a more versatile rear camera system, four-speaker audio, and a ProMotion display with refresh rates up to 120Hz. Some iPad Pro features, such as LiDAR, the Ultra Wide rear camera, larger storage options and up to 16GB of memory, and Thunderbolt connectivity, will only be practically useful to a small niche of iPad users.
Professionals who have a clear use case for needing larger amounts of RAM and storage, Thunderbolt connectivity, and mini-LED for HDR content will benefit from buying the iPad Pro. Prosumers will also enjoy features such as 120Hz ProMotion for smoother scrolling and gaming, deeper blacks and more vivid colors with the mini-LED display, and LiDAR for AR experiences, even if they are not necessary, and those who want a larger 12.9-inch display for content consumption will similarly need to go with the higher-end iPad Pro model. Prosumers and professionals who want the iPad to replace their laptop or computer should likely choose the 12.9-inch iPad Pro if they are pairing it with the Magic Keyboard due to the added screen space for multiple applications. With the iPad Air, users can get an all-screen design, the M1 chip, practical features like USB-C and 5G connectivity, and compatibility with the latest Apple accessories.
iPad Pro
Watch apps and widgets expand on the Home Screen as you move over them.
iPad Air (2022) vs iPad Pro (2022): How to choose
So good, in fact, it gave me a hint of buyer’s remorse for paying $2,000 for my 2021 iPad Pro. iPad Pro VS. iPad Air Specifications iPad Pro iPad Air Processor Apple M2 Apple M1 Display 11-inch/12.9-inch 10.9-inch Memory Up to 16GB 8GB Storage Up to 2TB Up to 256GB Front Camera True Depth 12MP Ultra Wide 12MP Ultra Wide Rear Cameras 12MP Wide, 10MP Ultra Wide 12MP Wide Battery 10 hours 10 hours Biometrics Face ID Touch ID Connectivity Thunderbolt 4, 5G, Wi-Fi USB-C, 5G, Wi-Fi Colors Space gray, silver Space gray, starlight, pink, purple, blue Starting price $799/$1,099 $599 I think most users will find that 64GB just isn’t enough space to store apps, games, videos and photos in 2022 when all of those things are only growing in size. Additionally, with the introduction of Stage Manager and a multi-window multitasking experience in iPadOS 16, memory is even more important.
Add in the fact that both iPad models will also feature improved — and true — external monitor support once iPadOS 16.2 launches (likely in December), allowing you to use up to eight apps at the same time, and the importance of more memory gets even clearer. You can pick between an iPad Pro with 8GB or 16GB of memory, but that decision is also based on the amount of storage you buy. There were other under-the-hood performance improvements that Apple made to memory usage in the update that may have positively impacted the experience. Additionally, Apple has been very purposeful about which iPads are getting Stage Manager features, and which aren’t.
The iPad Pro line has a faster refresh rate of up to 120Hz (called ProMotion), a higher max brightness level, and the larger iPad Pro uses mini-LED technology for a better picture, which Apple calls a Liquid Retina XDR display. The smaller iPad Pro has an 11-inch Liquid Retina Display that’s resolution is 2388×1668, with True Tone, ProMotion, and a max brightness of 600 nits. The iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display measures 10.9-inches and is an LED panel. For the iPad Air, Apple added USB 3.1 Gen 2 to the USB-C port.
That means you’ll see speeds of up to 10Gbps when transferring files, or you can connect the iPad Air to an external monitor with support for resolution of up to 6K. The iPad Pro offering has a USB-C port, as well, but with support for Thunderbolt and USB 4. That means you get up to 40Gbps during file transfers (thanks to USB 4), and support for the same 6K resolution when connected to an external monitor. If you do a lot of file transfers between your iPad Pro and external storage or a camera, then you’ll benefit from the newer USB connection technology. Review: Apple iPad Pro (2021): Impressively powerful, but the hardware is only part of the story So, then you’re left asking yourself whether you want an iPad with a better display and a faster USB-C connection, with more base storage.
But for the majority of people, the display and USB-C differences are something that won’t make or break the experience, and thus, the iPad Air is the best pick.
iPad Air vs iPad Pro: Which should you buy?
In 2021, the 11-inch iPad Pro arrived with the powerful M1 chip, Thunderbolt connectivity, 5G for cellular models, new camera features like Center Stage, and more. But for the vast majority of users, the M1 with 8GB RAM will be more than powerful enough for years to come. With the iPad Air’s screen, you’re getting a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone and P3 wide color. It’s almost exactly the same Liquid Retina display as the 11-inch iPad Pro (ok, technically 0.1″ smaller 😅).
However, the biggest difference is you only get ProMotion with up to 120Hz refresh rates with the iPad Pro display. 2022 iPad Air 2021 iPad Pro 2020 iPad Air Display 10.9″ 11″ 10.9″ Resolution 2360 x 1640 2388 x 1668 2360 x 1640 PPI (pixels per inch) 264 264 264 Display brightness 500 nits 600 nits 500 nits True Tone ✅ ✅ ✅ P3 wide color ✅ ✅ ✅ ProMotion (120Hz) ❌ ✅ ❌ Anti-reflective coating ✅ ✅ ✅ Liquid Retina Display ✅ ✅ ✅ Like the iPhone SE 3, the new iPad Air doesn’t get mmWave 5G support with its cellular models. But as mmWave is the rarest version of 5G coverage to find, that’s probably not an issue for most people.
The new model comes in space gray, starlight, pink, purple, and blue. However, with the iPad Pro, you’ve also got a 10 MP ultra wide lens plus the LiDAR Scanner, and the True Tone flash. 2022 iPad Air 2021 iPad Pro 2020 iPad Air 12 MP wide lens ✅ ✅ ✅ 10 MP ultra wide lens ❌ ✅ ❌ LiDAR ❌ ✅ ❌ 4K video ✅ ✅ ✅ Extended dynamic range ✅ ✅ ❌ Slo-mo video ✅ ✅ ✅ Rear camera flash ❌ ✅ ❌ TrueDepth camera with Face ID ❌ ✅ ❌ FaceTime 7 MP front camera – – ✅ Ultra wide 12 MP front camera ✅ ✅ ❌ 2x optical zoom out ✅ ✅ ❌ Center Stage auto-tracking ✅ ✅ ❌ Stereo recording ❌ ✅ ❌ A couple of differences – the iPad Pro front camera features support for Portrait mode, Portrait Lighting, and Animoji/Memoji while the iPad Air front camera does not.
If you know you’ll be pushing your tablet to the limit regularly, the iPad Pro still delivers the top-performing package with up to 16GB RAM, up to 2TB storage, 120Hz ProMotion display, and Thunderbolt support.
iPad (2022) vs. iPad Air (2022): Which Apple tablet is right for you?
To make matters more interesting, Apple still sells the older, ninth-generation 2021 iPad, which starts at $329. While it may not have the latest features, it remains an accessible option for people looking for a basic iPad.
The 2022 iteration of the entry-level iPad brings a lot of upgrades from its predecessor, but it also starts at $449, making it $120 more than the previous model.
iPad Air vs iPad Pro: Difference Between iPad Air And iPad Pro
For most people, this isn’t a big deal, but those who are into graphic designing and video editing will know that can make all the difference. If you want a tablet that can deliver a laptop-like performance with its 64-bit desktop-class architecture, iPad Pro is the winner. However, if you edit photos and videos, carry a lot of files and apps on your device and that will need a bigger storage option like 1TB. iPad Air comes with a 10.5-inch screen with a Liquid Retina display.
While you get two options with iPad Pro- 11-inch and 12.9-inch screens with Liquid Retina XDR display. Pro also comes with an additional feature called ProMotion Technology that provides an adaptive refresh rate of 10Hz to 120Hz.
However, Pro also has an additional 2x optical zoom-out and Brighter True Tone flash. But for gamers that stream, an Octa-core CPU improves the end results significantly.
Apple gave iPad Pro a major design upgrade last year, making it look as expensive as it is and a whole lot modern.
Pro now comes with an edge-to-edge screen, limited bezels, and rounded corners. If you want mobile connectivity, add an additional $130 to the cost of the Wi-Fi-only model to get the LTE support. iPad Air iPad Pro 11-in iPad Pro-12.9-in Price $599(64GB), $749(256GB) $799(64GB), $899(256GB), $1099(512GB) $1099(128GB), $1199(256GB), $1399(512GB) Processor A14 Bionic M1 chip M1 chip Storage Up to 256GB Up to 1TB Up to 2TB Display 10.5-inch screen with a Liquid Retina display 11-inch screen with Liquid Retina XDR display 12.9-inch screen with Liquid Retina XDR display Camera Back: 12MP regular snapper
Digital Zoom: 5X Back: 12MP main rear sensor plus a 10MP ultra-wide Digital Zoom : 5X plus 2x optical zoom-out Back: 12MP main rear sensor plus a 10MP ultra-wide
Digital Zoom : 5X plus 2x optical zoom-out Battery 10 hours of browsing and watching videos over WiFi, 9 hours on the mobile data network, USB-C charging 10 hours of browsing and watching videos over WiFi, 9 hours on the mobile data network, USB-C charging, Thunderbolt/USB 4 charging 10 hours of browsing and watching videos over WiFi, 9 hours on the mobile data network, USB-C charging, Thunderbolt/USB 4 charging CPU 6-core 8-core 8-core GPU 4-core 8-core 8-core RAM 4GB 6GB 8GB or 16GB Unlocking Touch ID Facial ID Facial ID Display Size 10.86 inches 11 inches 12.9 inches
But if you want something to do more with a tablet with a sleeker design and a bigger screen, iPad Air will be a better option.
Answer: The Wi-Fi-only version of iPads will need access to Wi-Fi for functioning. So, if you travel a lot and your iPad is your primary computer, cellular data will make sense. It has the proper software, second-generation Apple Pencil support, and a big beautiful display. Answer: The newest iPad Air is a 4th generation that comes with10.9-inch Retina touchscreen along with an A14 Bionic processor. iPad models with Wi-Fi and cellular don’t support calling services.
iPad Air comes with a lot of punch and doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg. If you just want the best tablet, Air does the job and is fairly powerful for its price range. But if you want a tablet that delivers a laptop-level performance and you can afford to spend a fortune on it, iPad Pro is the best choice.
If you are a video editor or a graphic designer, the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro will be a good option for you.
Exclusive: iPad Air 5 to match iPad Pro performance with M1
There are only a few hours left until Apple’s next special event, where the company is expected to announce the 3rd generation iPhone SE, new Mac models, and also a new iPad Air. Based on information seen by 9to5Mac, iPad Air 5 (codenamed J408) will have the same M1 chip that Apple uses in the 2021 models of the iPad Pro and also in the first generation of Apple Silicon Macs, which includes the 24-inch iMac and 2020 MacBook Air. First of all, it’s important to keep in mind that there are other aspects that differentiate the iPad Pro from the rest of the lineup – such as having a ProMotion display with XDR technology. An updated front camera with Center Stage support is also expected for the new iPad.
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