Which iPad is right for you? This is what Apple has to say

Ever Trend Zone May 29, 2025 Blog

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Over the years, buying an iPad has become an increasingly confusing task. With multiple models and overlapping features and accessories, there is no longer a clear way to recommend a single iPad for one type of user. Still, Apple has general ideas about what the iPad lineup looks like and who each model is intended for.

Apple’s Message: As for the four different iPad products, it is basically divided into the “everyday” base iPad, the “small yet Minated of the GO” iPad Mini, the “Mac-Class Weightless Mac Class Power” and the “Money-Is-No-Object Pros” iPad Pro.

Below is my perspective on what Apple actually means (or doesn’t say) when promoting its lineup, along with a brief tour of how Apple promotes each device.

iPad

“Love. Easy to draw. Magic.”

Soon, Apple is promoting the current 11th generation iPad as a simple thing for casual users who want a colorful and fun device “for what they do every day” and not saying much.

translation? Streaming on the couch, fassety time with grandma, homework on the page, and occasionally graffiti on apple pencils. Ah, there’s no support for Apple Intelligence. Some say this is a positive one right now.

On the web page, Apple highlights all screen gnome button designs and compatibility between Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard Folio. This can make the models a little more difficult to distinguish, but these are certainly welcome features for those who choose this.

My 2 cents: Despite lack of support for Apple Intelligence, this is still a Goldilocks, Cost-Benefit option. However, the actual trap is storage. At $349, 128 GB is ultimately the standard, but depending on how you use this may go quick. If possible, have a 256 GB spring, or a cloud budget on hand.

Technical specifications: SRGB color and true tone, A16 chip, 4K 12MP wide rear camera, landscape 12MP ultra wide front camera, Apple Pencil 1st Gen and USB-C support, Magic Keyboard Folio support.

iPad Air

“Flight speed.”

Starting at $599, Apple is selling the iPad Air as an iPad for a little more serious and a little more serious users. When climbing the iPad ladder, this is the first option to provide two screen sizes and support for Apple Intelligence (we also do the iPad Mini. We’ll get to that).

Apple is leaning heavily towards words like “powerful” in messaging. This should be telegraphy if you can expect to do heavy duty-like works that are not an iPad Pro, but you can’t achieve on the 11th generation iPad. Also, that colorway helps bring home the fact that they certainly aren’t fun, weird, suffixless iPads while they’re still casual and colorful iPads.

However, there are things to consider if you are looking for portability. At 1.36 pounds, the 13-inch iPad Air actually weighs more than the same size 1.28 pound iPad Pro. Still, when it comes to performance, the M3 can handle many final cuts and Lightroom-type tasks. This means you can save $400 over an entry-level pro.

My 2 cents: If you need a Mac-level grunt, but can’t justify “thin possible” money (which you get there), this is a sweet spot. Remember: Magic Keyboard and Pencil Pro are still extra.

Technical specifications: 11-inch or 13-inch liquid retinal display with wide P3 colors, true tone, reflective coating, M3 chip with Apple Intelligence support, 4K 12MP wide camera, landscape 12MP ultra wide center front camera, Apple Pencil Pro, USB-C support, and iPad Air Support magic keyboard.

iPad Pro

“Slightly visible.”

Starting at $999, the serious, calm and expensive iPad Pro is the closest to the tablet that Apple has ever released to replace the Mac. In its communication, Apple highlights how thin the iPad is. If it’s 5.1mm thin, how Svelte is for what the iPad Pro is packed is a banana.

Apple also has connections like words like “fast” and “advanced” on product pages, as well as the fact that it can drive an external display up to 6K to reach data transfer speeds of up to 40GB/s.

But it’s here. If you don’t spit on something like you know that the iPad Pro’s M4 chip offers quite a bit of headroom for multi-layer 8K pro wrestling, the iPad Air M3 might already be overloaded for what you need (now).

My 2 cents: If you’ve been asking yourself “Do you need an iPad Pro?” by now, you probably wouldn’t.

Technical specifications: 11-inch or 13-inch Ultra Retinal XDR Display with Promotion, P3 Wide Color, True Tone, Uncher Firetive Coating, Nano-Texture Display Glass Options for 1TB and 2TB Models, M4 Chip with Apple Intelligence Support, 4K 12mp Width Opposite Camera with ProRes Support, Landscape 12MP Center Stage Tread Camera, Apple Pro Pro

iPad mini

“It’s amazing on your own.”

Apple’s own copy is basically a long, humble browse about how this fits in a coat pocket, but still runs the same app as its rich brother.

The doctors love it for the round, the pilot bolts it to the yoke, and commuters enjoy one-handed reading. Most reviews have confirmed the versatility of this device, but warn that some devices are still niche purchases.

My 2 cents: The iPad Mini sometimes appears to be touted and commented as Apple’s answer to a Samsung productivity-focused phone like the Galaxy Note, but the truth is that this may consume more than the productivity device itself. You can scribble PDFs and create beautiful handwritten notes during class, but there’s a reason why I’ve never seen Apple promote the iPad Mini with a spreadsheet open.

Technical specifications: 8.3-inch liquid retinal display, P3 wide color, true tone, anti-reflective coating, A17 Pro chip with Apple Intelligence support, 4K 12MP width rear camera, 12MP center stage front camera, Apple Pencil Pro, USB-C support, Bluetooth Keyboards support.

Big, big, big final disclaimer

There are people who can create miracles and run the entire company from the iPad Mini. Some people have bought and returned iPad Pros. Your mileage may differ from any other Apple product a lot.

This guide is supposed to investigate how Apple sells each iPad and provide an explanation of how it sees all expectations and reality. If your experience is different, talk about it in the comments. A little bit of information is useful for still suspicious readers.