Which iPad Should I Buy in 2020?.
The iPad offers one of the best tablets money can buy today, and Apple’s range of tablets is limited. That said, if you’re new to an iPad or haven’t bought one in several years, it can be difficult to determine which model you should buy. Every iPad currently on offer really has a good reason to exist, if you know what to look for.
To get the whole process of rebranding and rebuilding Apple’s iPad line up over the years, let’s see which iPad you should buy based on your needs and budget.
The Compact Monster: iPad Mini (5th generation)
The iPad Mini is identical in every way to the current generation iPad Air. It has the same processor, the same camera specs, the same storage options, and the same compatibility with the first generation Apple Pencil
This means that almost everything we say about the iPad Air applies to the iPad Mini as well. The only real difference is the screen and the size of the case. That doesn’t mean it’s not an important difference when choosing an iPad!
The ten-inch tablet is pretty big. The eight-inch iPad Mini is the ultimate travel companion. It can fit into much smaller bags and is lighter and more convenient to handle. It has a slightly lower resolution compared to the Air, but due to the smaller screen size, the pixel density is actually higher.
The iPad Mini is a great device for watching content like movies, e-books, comics, music, and games. It is less suitable for any kind of productive work. Apple also doesn’t make an official smart keyboard for the Mini, so if you still want to write something, the third-party option is for you. As you might have guessed, split-screen multitasking is not very convenient on a small screen.
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Artists who travel light will appreciate Apple Pencil (1st generation) compatibility. In fact, the difference in price between the Mini and Air at each level of the model is roughly equal to the cost of the Apple Pencil Points to Remember for Advanced Users.
Best for students and budget users: iPad (7th generation)
There is some confusion among consumers when it comes to the seventh generation iPad. The “regular” iPad isn’t really the mainstream model. This cheaper 10.2-inch tablet has found applications in the education sector and is significantly less expensive than the iPad Air. You should also be aware that iPads often go on sale at prices well below the suggested retail price. So it’s worth looking for a good deal.
So how does Apple manage to sell the iPad much cheaper than other tablets in this range? Like the iPhone SE, the iPad is made up of older Apple components. Notably, it uses the A10 Fusion chip, which is several generations behind other iPad models.
This reduces the iPad’s ability as a multitasking machine, and power-hungry apps like games don’t work either. However, here we need perspective. Objectively, the A10 does not hesitate. This was the flagship chip found in the iPhone 7, and it pits against chips like the Snapdragon 835.
Another important comparative downgrade is the screen. This is a non-laminated display, not True Tone. Compared to the new screens on other iPads, you will notice lower brightness, brightness and overall screen performance. However, again, that doesn’t mean the screen is bad.
In fact, it’s the same superior retina display technology that you might find in the flagship iPad models of yesteryear. It’s also worth noting that the base model only has 32GB of storage, while the top model is limited to 128GB. In the age of cloud storage and smart app offloading, this is not a problem, but think carefully about your needs.
If your productivity needs are low and you just can’t live with an eight-inch screen, there is nothing wrong with buying an iPad. If you can manage to catch one of the best deals, it becomes even more attractive! That being said, it’s a great model for students on a budget, which is exactly what Apple intended.
An iPad for Everyone: iPad Air (3rd generation)
The third generation iPad Air is the iPad that most people looking to buy an iPad buy. It houses the latest Apple A12 chip, which is much more powerful than most users need.
The Air has a Retina 10.5 display that benefits from enhancements previously reserved for the Pro tablet line. True Tone color correction, full lamination and a wider color gamut all combine to create a truly special display experience. Apple’s iPad has some of the best displays in the world.
This is the iPad that we can recommend to absolutely everyone. It’s a top-notch experience with nothing to do with overall performance, media or gaming. The Air is also a worthy laptop replacement, considering you’re not going to use it for heavy creative tasks like making music or editing videos.
In short, this is a “real†iPad, equipped with modern components and technologies at an affordable price. If you’re not sure which iPad you should buy, rest assured that the Air will almost always be the right choice for you.
Replacing your laptop: iPad Pro 11 â€(2nd generation) & iPad Pro 12.9 “( Fourth generation)
IPad Pro models are the pinnacle of Apple tablets. They have the fastest hardware, the best screens, USB-C, four-speaker audio, and a nearly bezel-less industrial design that matches the MacBook Pro’s design language.
Let’s be honest. There is nothing better than tablet computers. Apple is serious about offering the iPad Pro as a viable alternative to laptop computers. These iPads support the new Magic Keyboard with trackpad, have the largest screen of any iPad, and fit any app in the App Store.
With apps like PhotoShop being ported to iPadOS and serious tools like LumaFusion available for the operating system, iPad Pro tablets take some serious work and creativity.
They are also the only iPads to work with the second-generation Apple Pencil, which magnetically attaches and charges on the side of the tablet. Apart from the screen size, there is no difference between the two currently offered models. However, the 12.9 ” version provides a much more comfortable working experience and is the best choice for artists who want to draw with a pencil. The four-speaker system delivers the best sound on any tablet, and services like Netflix are a pleasure on those computers.
The iPad Pro has a higher premium over the Air, but if your iPad becomes your primary mobile computer, or perhaps even your only computer, the improvements over the Air are absolutely worth it.
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