Quick iPad Comparison
We’ll start with a quick comparison of the most recent iPad models in each line before we get into the nitty-gritty of each one’s design, components, and performance.
Apple iPad Pro (M4, 2024)
Chipset: Apple M4, 10-core GPU
Display: 13-inch or 11-inch
Battery life: 10 hours basic use
The most powerful iPad ever made, the iPad Pro (M4, 2024) is a professional tool offering a huge amount of raw processing muscle. It runs 2D and 3D creative apps with ease, it can handle video editing, it works with the Apple Pencil Pro stylus, and its display is breathtaking – though the high price will rule it out for a lot of users.
Apple iPad Air (M2, 2024)
Chipset: Apple M2 chip, 8-core CPU, 9-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Display: 13-inch or 11-inch
Battery life: 9 hours basic use
Slick, fast, and capable, the iPad Air offers a level of power that’s pretty close to that of the iPad Pro (in this iteration, closer than ever) at a cost that is slightly less eye-watering. It’s highly capable for creative tasks, in 2D and even 3D, and it’s suited to all but the heaviest hitters.
Apple iPad mini 7th generation
Chipset: A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Display: 8.3-inch
Battery life: 10 hours basic use
The smallest iPad you can buy, though not the cheapest, the iPad mini has been revamped to offer the “full iPad experience” in a smaller body. It provides a silky-smooth experience for creatives, with a computing power boost and Apple Pencil Pro support. As long as the canvas isn’t too small for you, it’s a great choice.
Apple iPad (2022, 10th Gen)
Chipset: A14 Bionic chip, Neural Engine
Display: 10.9-inch
Battery life: 10 hours basic use
It’s looking a little old by tech standards, but the basic iPad (10th Gen) now occupies a pretty valuable space as the cheapest current iPad you can buy. If you’re looking more for an iPad for casual web browsing and watching a bit of Netflix, rather than intense creative tasks, it’s the best buy – though you are stuck using the older Apple Pencil.
Performance
The iPad Pro (M4, 2024) offers the ultimate in iPad performance right now. The base model comes with 8GB of RAM, and if you go for the 2TB storage version, you also get 16GB of RAM. Producing scorchingly fast results in our benchmark tests, this iPad will handle basically any creative task you can throw at it. We put the top-end version with 16GB RAM through a battery of tasks, including painting in Procreate and 3D modelling tasks in a number of apps including Nomad Sculpt, and video edits in LumaFusion. In every case, it handled the task with aplomb, and its body never felt hot to the touch.
Which Should I Buy?
You can’t really go wrong here; these are four excellent tablets, each with their own advantages. If you are a professional creative who wants to use an iPad for the most ultra-demanding creative tasks like 3D modelling and high-res video editing, and money is no object, then get the iPad Pro (M4, 2024). However, that description probably doesn’t apply to you – it doesn’t apply to many people. So, which to choose?
If you’re going to be using the iPad for creative work, whether in 2D or 3D, you’re realistically looking at either the iPad Air (M2, 2024) or the iPad mini 7th generation. This is something of a toss-up that’s going to be dictated by your priorities. The iPad mini 7th gen is obviously more portable, and it also edges out the iPad Air in terms of its performance speed and what it can handle. It’s also cheaper. However, the iPad Air offers a bigger, better display that’s a more comfortable drawing canvas.
Conclusion
For pros, it’s unsurprisingly the iPad Pro. For serious creatives, it’s either the iPad mini or iPad Air, depending on whether you place more value on fast performance or a larger display. And for casual users, it’s the basic iPad.
FAQs
Q: Which iPad is best for creative work?
A: If you’re going to be using the iPad for creative work, whether in 2D or 3D, you’re realistically looking at either the iPad Air (M2, 2024) or the iPad mini 7th generation.
Q: Which iPad is the most powerful?
A: The iPad Pro (M4, 2024) is the most powerful iPad ever made, offering a huge amount of raw processing muscle.
Q: Which iPad is the cheapest?
A: The basic iPad (10th Gen) is the cheapest current iPad you can buy.
Q: Which iPad is the best for portability?
A: The iPad mini 7th generation is the smallest iPad you can buy, making it the most portable option.
