Apple iPad vs. iPad Air vs. iPad mini vs. iPad Pro: Which Tablet Should You Buy?
Apple offers four different iPad lines with five different screen sizes, ranging in price from $329 to $799 (for baseline models; the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with cellular connectivity and 1TB of storage will set you back $1,649). With updates to these tablets coming nearly every year (the iPad Air is the most recent one to be refreshed), it can get pretty complicated if you're shopping for a new tablet.
To help you figure out what you're getting with each iPad, let's look at all the differences between the various models, including what's changed with the latest versions. But let's start with the similarities, and what you can expect from any Apple tablet you buy today.
A few years ago, Apple formally split the iPad's operating system off from iOS, which powers iPhones, into iPadOS. The tablet-specific operating system is very similar to iOS, but focuses on streamlining and expanding multitasking to improve the usefulness of iPads as workplace devices, with pinnable widgets and cross-app workflow features like split screen and rapidly sliding between screens. Basically, it's iOS optimized for much bigger displays.
Wireless connectivity is also almost universally strong across all iPad models. Every version has dual-band 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi with MIMO and optional cellular connectivity, though the entry-level iPad lacks Wi-Fi 6 and 5G.
Each iPad also supports the Apple Pencil. This doesn't mean every Apple Pencil is the same; the $99 first-generation Apple Pencil works with the standard iPad, while the $129 second-generation Apple Pencil works with the iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad Pro.
All iPads can also work with Bluetooth keyboards, but the iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Pro feature Smart Connectors that make them compatible with
Read more on pcmag.com
