So, while back in the day we had a choice between “that new iPad or the one that came out last year”, now we have quite the choice. You’re out to purchase a new Apple tablet and feel a bit confused? No fear — here’s our comprehensive buying guide on Apple iPads for 2020, which will help you find the best slate for you or that special person you are buying it for.
The best options
Balance between power, price,
accessories, and portability
iPad Air 4th generation
Specs
The iPad Air 4th gen is powered by a brand-new Apple A14 chip, built on a 5 nm process. We have not seen this piece of hardware in anything else as of yet, but Apple sure hyped it up. In any case, since it’s a brand new generation of Apple silicon, you can rest assured that the iPad Air 4th gen is future-proof. Let’s say for 5 years, at least.
The iPad Air 4 starts at $600 for the 64 GB variant. That’s plenty of storage for your moderate iPad user and you can use the money you saved towards a nice keyboard case to have yourself an iPadOS-powered laptop. If you think that 64 GB won’t suit you — don’t look at the next tier iPad Air. The next step up is a 256 GB model, which will cost you $750. Instead, maybe just pay $800 for the next offering…
iPad Pro 11-inch (2020)
In 2018, Apple gave us a new form factor for the iPad Pro line. A bigger display in the same body size, a thinner frame, Face ID, and new magnetic Smart Connectors. The iPad Pro 2020 was upgraded with a speedier processor, a bit more RAM, and a 128 GB base storage tier, which is a must for serious machines nowadays.
There’s no 5G on the new iPad Pro 2020. But here’s more good news — while the base 128 GB variant starts at $800, you can add $100 to that and get a 256 GB version! Unfortunately, if you want to go for the full package of Apple Pencil 2 and Magic Keyboard — those will set you back $120 and $300, respectively. It’s not the cheapest option for sure, but it’s a great package if you want the ultimate iPad experience — portability, speed, long battery life, and productivity.
Our recommendation:
The 2018 iPad Pro had some durability issues. Wait until early adopters get the first batch of iPad Pro 2020 tablets and see if the issue persists. If all is well, try and go for the $800, 256 GB model as the extra space will give you a lot of breathing room in the following years.
Don’t go for a 2018 iPad Pro as these honestly haven’t been discounted deep enough. Unless you find a refurbished or second-hand model, in which case it might be worth it. Still, try to get something that’s not 64 GB, since that storage won’t let you do a lot of “serious” stuff on your iPad.
iPad Air (2019)
Specs | Review
Last year, Apple revived a beloved classic — the iPad Air! Why is it a big deal, you ask? The Air line introduced super-thin and super-light iPads with the Air 2 being unbeatable in both of these categories for years to come. In fact, the Air 2 is still lighter than any iPad Apple has on sale (minus the mini 5, of course), but more on that later.
The 2019 redux of the iPad Air is the perfect middle-of-the-road solution. It’s not as modern-looking as the new iPad but it gets the job done just fine. It supports both the Apple Pencil (gen 1) and the Smart Keyboard but stays cheaper by cutting some corners. It has the old form factor, so you get Touch ID and a home button instead of Face ID. It also lacks real stereo — the two speakers are situated on one side of the device — which is not fantastic, but hey… we’ll take it. The Air also sticks to the Lightning connector, which can be both a pro and a con. If you’ve been doing actual work on your iPad and spent money on accessories that work with the Lightning connector, you will probably feel more inclined to buy a 2019 iPad Air or a previous generation iPad Pro instead of the new USB Type-C iPad Pro 2018 and iPad Pro 2020.
The Air is powered by an Apple A12 Bionic chip (not Z and not X), which may concern you, but rest assured that it’s still quite a powerful processor. It also only has 3 GB of RAM, but iPadOS does a good job at resource management, so you won’t get bothered by it too much.
To recap: you get speed, long battery life, all the multitasking features of iPadOS, support for Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. You are saying bye-bye to true stereo, USB Type-C, and that extra-sleek form factor of the Pros. iPads age pretty well, so this machine should still last you for about 4 years. And you save quite a lot of cash while doing so!
Our recommendation:
For the price of $500, you can get a Wi-Fi model with 64 GB, which is OK storage room for moderate work. Games, a bunch of productivity apps, and your favorite photos should fit in there fine, as long as you do some maintenance now and again.
I just want a tablet, give me something cheap
Alright, alright! So you don’t subscribe to the “Go Pro or go home!” ideology. Well, Apple has two options for you:
iPad 10.2
Specs
Apple’s budget iPad was upgraded yet again in 2020. It has the same, comfortably large 10.2-inch screen and basically the same body. But it received an update internally — the aging Apple A10 chip has been replaced with the newer A12. Apple’s cheapest iPad on offer has Smart Keyboard support, bringing it that much closer to the much more expensive iPad Pro lines. Couple that with support for an Apple Pencil (gen 1) and you’ve got a machine that’s meant for play and work… depending on your field, of course.
It’s had some corners cut, of course. No laminated display here, so the screen has that cheap-ish look to it. Its two speakers are placed right next to each other, on the bottom side of the tablet, so there’s no true stereo.
As compact as possible
iPad mini (2019)
Specs | Review
There’s the iPad Mini for those that like to be able to hold the tablet with one hand and use it on the bed without dropping it on their face. The iPad mini (2019) is great for that. The tiny line has been ignored by Apple for way too long, but in 2019, it finally got an upgrade with an A12 Bionic chip and 3 GB of RAM. And hey, you can use an Apple Pencil on this one, too, although the canvas may be getting a bit small here. No Smart Keyboard, though.
It’s still a bit disappointing that it didn’t get a facelift. The mini’s design has very obviously aged. It would’ve been nice to see an iPad mini 2020 announced, but hey — we still might. The year isn’t up yet. On the flip side, these thick bezels will definitely make it super easy to hold it with one hand no matter what position you are in.
Our recommendation:
The biggest, baddest iPad
Specs | Review
We can’t go without mentioning the biggest guy in town. The iPad Pro 12.9 is as big as a MacBook Air and costs about the same. Yeah, it’s obviously a niche device meant either for the professionals out there, or the ones that take their tablet usage very, very seriously — on-the-go typers, graphics artists, even pro gamers if you wish.
The iPad Pro 12.9 is powered by the Apple A12Z Bionic octa-core chip and 6 GB of RAM and it’s a real beast — both in terms in productivity and size, measuring at 11.05 x 8.46 x 0.23 inches (280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9 mm) and weighing 22.61 oz (641 g). It starts at $999, but add an instant $129 to that if you want the Apple Pencil 2 to use on that large canvas and $299 if you want that Magic Keyboard with a trackpad.
Our recommendation:
The 256 GB Wi-Fi model for $1,099 seems to be the best middle-of-the-road offering. Plenty of storage to play in and it’s still slightly cheaper than the newer MacBook Airs. Well… that’s before you add a $300 keyboard and a $130 Pencil in the mix. Just for comparison’s sake — a 13-inch MacBook Pro with 256 GB of storage is $1,499.
