Editors note: Apple recently announced a new entry-level iPad and an M3-powered iPad Air. Both tablets launch on March 12th, and well be updating this guide with our impressions in the coming weeks.There are no bad iPads. Thats the best news about Apples tablet lineup: 15 years after Steve Jobs first debuted the device, the iPad is the best tablet on the market, and its not particularly close. Apples App Store is enormous and filled with great apps, Apples performance and battery life are consistently excellent, and the iPad is still the companys most versatile device. Thats one easy answer to your question: yes, if you want a tablet, you should buy an iPad. Even last years iPad, or heck, last-last years iPad, is still a solid device. Buying an older but better device last years Pro instead of this years Air, for instance is a tried-and-true iPad formula.But which of all those good iPads should you buy? Thats never been more complicated. Apple sells six different iPads the Pro in two sizes, the Air in two sizes, the Mini, and the regular ol iPad all of which come with different specs and accessory options. Its all too much.In this articleIve tested every iPad currently on the market and have been an iPad user and reviewer since the very first model. (Im pretty sure I got a job in 2010 because I had a brand-new iPad with me at the interview, but thats another story.) After using all these tablets and all these accessories, I think I can help you make the choice.What to consider when buying an iPad:iPads are incredibly versatile gadgets, so we test them in as many real-world ways as possible. We use them for video chats, we play high-end games and casual ones, we edit complex video, we fall asleep on the couch watching Netflix. We pay close attention to performance, battery life, durability, and compatibility with important apps and accessories. Weve reviewed every iPad on the market, along with their most important competitors, and track software updates closely as they change the devices appeal.Yes, this is obvious, but its good to know how much you want to spend before shopping otherwise, you risk succumbing to Apples incredible ability to always get you spending just a little more. You can get a new iPad for as little as $350, or you can spend well over $1,000 for a top model. Knowing how much you want to pay will guide you to the right models. It might even guide you to older models; sometimes the last-gen iPad, at a steep discount, can be the one to buy.The most common iPad size these days has a roughly 11-inch screen. This is probably the right size for most people: 11 inches is ideal for a wide variety of things and is flexible for both holding in your hands and using with a keyboard. If you primarily plan to use your iPad for reading, you might want to go with something smaller; if you intend to replace a laptop with an iPad, you might want a bigger model. Be warned, though: a 13-inch iPad is a truly humongous thing.Apples accessory compatibility is somewhat fragmented across its iPad lineup. It has four different Pencil stylus models, three different keyboard attachments, and a wide variety of case options. While some iPad models share accessories with others, not all of them do, so if you want to use a specific accessory with your iPad, its important to make sure both are compatible before you buy them.Your iPad buying journey starts with one crucial question: what kind of iPad user are you? There are, broadly speaking, two types. The first and most common iPad user mostly uses it like a larger iPhone: its a bigger screen on which to send emails, do the crossword, watch Netflix, and do other fairly casual activities. The second type of iPad user, on the other hand, uses it like a touchscreen Mac: its for video editing, 3D modeling, creating presentations, crushing spreadsheets, and generally Doing Work of all sorts. Youll also email and Netflix, of course, but you want your iPad to be a primary computing device. I think I can safely assume most people fall into the first category. (Honestly, I also think a lot of people who believe they fall into the second category mostly dont.) For them, the choice is actually simpler than youd think:The best iPad for most people7Verge Score2022 iPad (64GB, Wi-Fi)$260$34926% off$260The GoodThe cheapest iPad by farComes in lots of fun colorsPlenty capable for casual useThe BadThe worst screen in the lineupNo Pencil Pro supportHow we rate and review productsScreen: 10.9-inch, 2360 x 1640 resolution / Processor: Apple A14 Bionic / Storage: 64 or 256GB / Port: USB-C / Cellular: 5G (optional) / Speakers: stereo / Compatible accessories: Apple Magic Keyboard Folio, Apple Pencil (USB-C)If every iPad is a good iPad, the cheapest iPad is the obvious place to start. Apples base tablet is still a really solid tablet and a really good deal: you could buy the $349 tablet and the (wildly overpriced but still very nice) $250 Magic Keyboard Folio for the price of the iPad Air. The 10.9-inch screen is the right size for most iPad things, the camera is good and located in the right place, it supports the Apple Pencil though not the newer Pencil Pro and even its now-outdated A14 Bionic chip is plenty for most casual iPad users. All the other iPads do have slightly nicer screens, particularly the antireflective coating that helps mitigate glare, but thats almost certainly not worth the additional price.The only thing the base iPad is missing these days is Apple Intelligence. But theres not much to miss there, at least not yet.RelatedAll that said, though: if you do want a base iPad, you shouldnt buy it right now. The last model came out in October 2022, and Apple recently announced a new entry-level iPad. Its just a spec bump, but that means it will last you much longer. (It also means the existing model will likely drop in price in the coming months, if you choose to go that way.)The best iPad, period8Verge Score13-inch iPad Pro M4 (Wi-Fi)$1099$129915% off$1099The GoodOutrageously powerfulGorgeous screen and designFull accessory supportThe BadOutrageously expensiveLike, MacBook Pro-level expensiveHow we rate and review productsScreen: 11-inch, 2420 x 1668 resolution 120Hz OLED; 13-inch, 2752 x 2064 resolution 120Hz OLED; nano-texture glass optional / Processor: Apple M4 / Storage: 256GB2TB / Ports: USB-C / Cellular: 5G (optional) / Speakers: four / Compatible accessories: Apple Magic Keyboard,If youre not worried about price tags, this is easy: the latest iPad Pro is my favorite tablet of all time. The Tandem OLED screen is bright and crisp, the tablet is barely thicker than its USB-C port, its light, its thin, and its about as well made as you could expect a tablet to be. The M4 chip is plenty fast even for high-end games and ultra-complex creativity apps. It supports the new, lighter, better Magic Keyboard case and the Pencil Pro. I have plenty of qualms about how powerful an operating system iPadOS is, and the limits it places on just how powerfully you can use an iPad, but the M4 Pro is everything youd want in a tablet.But oh boy, the price. The Pro starts at $999 for the 11-inch model, and if you want a keyboard, a Pencil, and even a single storage upgrade, youre quickly looking at a $2,000 purchase. If were just talking about a Netflix and email machine, were long past the point of diminishing returns. But if you dont care, and you just want the best thing money can buy? Here it is. You wont be disappointed.The best iPad Mini6Verge Score2024 iPad Mini (Wi-Fi)$399$49920% off$399The GoodIdeal for one-handed useWorks with the Pencil ProThe BadMissing some accessory supportCameras in the wrong spotHow we rate and review productsScreen: 8.3-inch, 2266 x 1488 resolution 60Hz Mini LED / Processor: Apple A17 Pro / Storage: up to 2TB / Port: USB-C / Cellular: 5G (optional) / Speakers: quad / Compatible accessories: Apple Pencil Pro, Pencil USB-C, Smart FolioYoure either an iPad Mini person or youre not. I very much am: Ive used a Mini for years as my device for reading in bed, watching movies on airplanes, and playing games on the go. The latest Mini is a bit of a disappointment, with a slightly underpowered processor and an old design that could have used smaller bezels and a relocated camera. But its still the iPad Mini, and its still good enough for most tablet things. If you want an iPad Mini, this is it.An aside on specs and extrasOnce youve picked an iPad model, you still have a bunch of decisions to make. And many of them are about specs and features that will cost you hundreds of dollars. Here are my recommendations for some of the things youll encounter:Cellular coverage: You probably dont need this. Unless you live in a really remote area, Wi-Fi is available in most places. That said, Ive found that I use cell-equipped iPads far more often when I can just pull them out and know theyre connected theres something about busting it out in the park or on the subway that just feels great. Plus, its a really useful hotspot for other devices. This isnt the first place Id spend my money, though.Storage: This is the first place Id spend my money. The 10th-gen iPad comes with 64GB of storage, which is fine in a pinch but will fill up really fast. The others including the two forthcoming models start with at least 128GB, which is better, but I even recommend springing for 256GB if you can afford it.Engraving: Dont do this. It screws up returns and makes selling or giving it away harder. Just dont do it.Apple Pencil: As much as Id love for this to be an all-purpose accessory, its really not. Buy it (either the USB-C or the Pro) if you plan to handwrite or draw a lot. Otherwise, skip it.Magic Keyboard: This is the first accessory Id recommend to most people most people type a lot on their iPads, and its also a handy stand and dock for the tablet. You can find cheaper keyboard docks than Apples, but I havent found one I like better. Its expensive no matter which model you buy, though.Theres one other thing to consider as you shop for an iPad, which is that your tablet is almost certainly going to last you a long time. In normal use, you should expect your tablet to work well for at least five years, and even limp along for a few more years after that. (Its 2025, and I know multiple people still using the iPad Air 2 from 2014 even though it doesnt get software updates anymore.) My gadget shopping advice is always to buy the best thing you can afford and hold onto it for as long as possible, and thats more doable with an iPad than almost any other device category. If you have the extra $100 to spend on storage, do it. If you want to upgrade because you think AI will get more powerful in the next few years, go for it! Just make sure you know which kind of iPad user you really are, and get the best one youll actually make use of.Whats coming nextEarlier this week, Apple announced an 11th-gen iPad and new iPad Air with an upgraded M3 chip. The forthcoming tablets are set to arrive on March 12th, though never is a drastic overhaul of existing models.The latest entry-level iPad starts at $349 and features an upgraded A16 processor the same chip used in the iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 Pro along with twice as much base storage as the previous model (128GB versus 64GB). Notably, its the only new iPad to lack support for Apple Intelligence, though its likely going to remain the best iPad for most people even if it doesnt offer any AI-powered features.The new iPad Air is also a minor spec bump. It comes in four colors and two sizes: an 11-inch configuration that starts at $599 and a larger 13-inch variant that starts at $799. It supports Apple Intelligence and features an upgraded M3 chip, not an M4, though Apple says its still twice as fast as the M1-powered Air and the A14 Bionic-powered Air. Other than that, the only real change comes in the form of a new Magic Keyboard attachment, which now includes an extra row of function keys, a redesigned hinge with USB-C, and a larger trackpad.Update, March 6th: Adjusted pricing/availability and added a new section on Apples latest entry-level iPad and the new M3 iPad Air. Brandon Widder also contributed to this post.See More: