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 era, extra RAM, and an upgraded processor within the A16 Bionic chip.
• Nevertheless, it nonetheless is not suitable with Apple Intelligence and does not assist the Apple Pencil Professional.

extra shopping for selections

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

Additionally: 8 reasons why I replaced my Kindle with an iPad Mini for reading ebooks

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

Let me break down the year-over-year spec upgrades first. The newest iPad has double the bottom storage of the earlier era, with choices starting from 128GB as much as 512GB. The brand new era 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% sooner 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 assist Wi-Fi 6 for connectivity and peripherals just like the Apple Pencil (1st era 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 best iPads 2025: We’ve tested every iPad on the market – here are the best 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 dwelling, 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 nicely for phrase processing, picture modifying, and even video modifying for social media. I’ve had no points with lagging, connectivity, or crashing on it so far. You actually must push this factor to get it to interrupt a sweat.

The iPad can be an amazing leisure pill, very best for taking part in, streaming, messaging, and social media. It is no Tandem OLED show like on the iPad Pro, however the Liquid Retina panel will get simply colourful and sharp sufficient to offer an fulfilling 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 most recent Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+, which sells for a whole lot of {dollars} extra at $650. These benchmarking checks consider day-to-day efficiency, so the upper scores imply you may anticipate much less lag, sooner multitasking, and a high-end gaming efficiency from the most recent 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: Every iPad model that supports iPadOS 26 (and which ones won’t be compatible)

The one important drawbacks of the brand new iPad are that it does not assist Apple Intelligence, which requires an A17 Bionic chip or newer, and, unsurprisingly, it does not assist 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 normal 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 youngsters, one thing for which I do not fault the corporate. If so, it is smart for Apple to skip over some options that might improve its value. The bottom mannequin iPad is already an amazing pill throughout, no matter whether or not extra succesful choices can be found. 

Additionally: The best iPad stylus of 2025: Expert tested

The iPad can be the best tablet for many patrons, with robust processing energy and a handsome show. That’s, until the customer 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 11th-generation iPad for under $299 (sometimes $349). That alone makes it a more sensible choice than the earlier era. 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 seemingly all you will want if you happen to’re in search of an on a regular basis pill. 

The frills and options of the sooner, extra highly effective iPad Air or iPad Pro are engaging, however the fact is that they are seemingly extreme for most individuals. When you’re in search of a pill to do gentle 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 advocate a higher-end mannequin, like these talked about above.

On the lookout for the following finest product? Get skilled evaluations and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.