Top Apple tablets tested and ranked

Even though it’s not the cheapest iPad in the range, the iPad Air is easily the best value option of the bunch given just how much you get in return for your money, especially with the new iPad Air M4. This is a tablet that boasts iPad Pro-levels of power but without the hefty price tag that typically comes with it.

Apple fans may remember that the launch of the iPad Pro M4 was a big deal as it was the first Apple device anywhere to feature the M4 chip, leapfrogging the various MacBooks available at the time. Well, that power has now trickled down to the iPad Air range and it blows pretty much every other tablet around the £599/$599 mark out of the water.

You probably won’t notice that much up an uptick if you own the iPad Air M3, but compared to older M-series chips it’s a big leap. Multitasking happens without issue and you can indulge in fairly heavy-duty video and photo editing without ever seeing where the limits are. It’s all very impressive for a tablet, and it’s made even better with the Magic Keyboard in tow.

There’s also improved connectivity in this iPad Air with the N1 network chip which adds Wi-Fi 7 for faster internet speeds as you work. Of course, for as great as the iPad Air is for productivity, it still remains a solid entertainment device with a bright, vibrant screen that really shows off some impressive detail when streaming the latest shows on Apple TV.

It would have been nice for Apple to finally bring the 120Hz ProMotion display down to the iPad Air range in a similar fashion to the entry-level iPhone 17, but it’s so much of an issue to detract from how much fun the tablet is to use on a daily basis.

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If you want the absolute best that Apple’s iPad lineup has to offer, the iPad Pro M5 is it.

Loaded with premium hardware, the finest screen you’ll find on any iPad, and performance that genuinely impresses.

It’s also the best-looking tablet money can buy right now. Thin, light, and supremely sleek, the design carries over from the previous generation, and that’s no bad thing.

Under the hood, however, things have moved on. A new M5 chip handles everything from casual browsing to demanding creative work without breaking a sweat, and an N1 networking chip joins the party too.

The specific chip configuration varies depending on which storage tier you go for, but every version of the Pro M5 delivers serious power. Apple has also bumped the base RAM up to 12GB, a genuine step up from the 8GB found in the older model, and the difference is felt in day-to-day use. iPadOS has matured significantly as well, and the software now feels worthy of the hardware it runs on.

What truly sets the Pro apart from something like the Air is the screen. That OLED panel remains in a league of its own, hitting peak brightness of 1600 nits with rich, accurate colours and excellent HDR support.

Whether you’re watching films, editing photos, or cutting video, it looks stunning throughout.

Apple’s baffling decision to increase the price of the iPad in its 10th generation made the tablet tricky to recommend at launch. However, a recent drop down to $329/£329 has pulled the iPad 10 back to an affordable price, making it our go-to budget iPad once again.

The iPad has taken design queues from the pricier iPad Air, including flat edges, slimmer bezels and the absence of a home button. The tablet is also 10g lighter and chargers via USB-C, meaning it can share its charger with more devices.

While the 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display lacks the P3 colour gamut and anti-glare coating found on higher-end iPads, it still has a higher resolution than that of the iPad 9, making it an easy upgrade compared to its predecessor, while producing a sharp, colourful image.

There’s a 12-megapixel rear camera for snapping photos and scanning documents, along with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide front camera that now sits on the long edge for holding video calls in landscape orientation.

The A14 Bionic chip delivers strong performance, including a noticeable improvement in gaming performance and video export times compared to previous generations. The RAM is up from 3GB to 4GB too, though the storage remains lacking with 64GB being the base configuration.

The 10-hour battery life is in line with most iPads, while Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard Folio compatibility makes the iPad 10 a very versatile device.

The iPad Mini 6 won’t be everyone. It’s expensive, lacks the Magic Keyboard support of the Air and Pro and suffers from slightly inferior battery life. However, if you’re after a small iPad for watching videos, reading or note-taking then this is still an option we’re happy to recommend,

Most of the features here are stripped from the iPad Air series. It mirrors that slate’s design, colour choices and screen tech. However the performance isn’t quite as high-end, so it scores lower in benchmark tests. In real-world use though, it’s still very snappy in all ways.

The smaller 8.3-inch display makes this a different proposition from the iPad Air. It’s less of a laptop replacement and more of a companion; a media-centric device that fits in smaller bags.

Pair it with the Apple Pencil (2nd gen) and you’ve got a fantastic mini notebook and sketchpad. The smaller display also makes it great for gaming, especially if you pair up a Bluetooth controller.

We found that the battery life is a little shorter than the iPad Air, but at least there’s a USB-C port on the bottom.