Apple has an enticing iPad lineup in 2026 consisting of a base model iPad, the iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip, the iPad Air with the M4 processor, and the powerful iPad Pro with the M5 chip. For its tablets, the company offers them in a wide price range from $349 to $3,077, if you want to get the 13-inch iPad Pro with 2TB of storage, nano-texture display, 5G connection, Apple Pencil Pro, and Magic Keyboard. Still, the best iPad for most people in 2026 remains the base model.
Having owned several iPad models over the years, ranging from the iPad 2 to the M4 iPad Pro, I’ve tested many base versions as well as mini, Air, and Pro options. My honest conclusion about Apple’s lineup is that all iPad models offer the same features: a lightweight, fun design with a great multi-touch experience, a larger screen than an iPhone, and a great tool for creatives thanks to the Apple Pencil and keyboard add-ons. Choosing the right iPad depends on how much you want to pay and how much you value the benefits of the tablet.
For example, I love the iPad Pro’s awesome OLED screen, the speed of the M4 chip, and the 13-inch size for having multiple apps open at once (or when I just want to catch up on a TV show). However, any iPad would also do the same thing.
Here’s why the base iPad model is the best tablet available
In March 2025, Apple updated the iPad Air with the M3 chip (an M4 version is already available) and also launched the base model iPad with an A16 chip. Compared to the previous processor, the A13 Bionic, the base iPad got a 50% improvement in overall performance and up to 30% faster. This tablet still follows the same design as the iPad 10, which ditched the Home button in favor of Touch ID on a side button, a more “bezel-less” design and a more unified look compared to the rest of the range.
The A16 chip was present in the iPhone 15, making this tablet ideal for everyday tasks. Apple is introducing this iPad to students or people who want a larger screen, to use for social media, reading news, playing games, etc. iPadOS 26 is also a big improvement for this tablet as users can take advantage of Window Tiling, which allows them to open multiple apps at the same time with non-stop background activity. This means you can continue to use your iPad to scroll on Instagram while you export a file, and so on.
Pairing this tablet with the Apple Pencil USB-C or Magic Keyboard Folio allows users to enjoy drawing, handwriting, or even working on the tablet as if it were a computer. Also worth noting, Apple updated this tablet with 128GB of storage space instead of 64GB, making it more reliable in the long run for storing files and downloading future updates.
Still, you might want to wait a little longer for the best iPad of 2026
While the iPad 2025 remains the best choice for most customers, my personal recommendation is to wait a little longer. Apple has a new base iPad model in stock with the A18 or A19 chip, which is also rumored to bring a RAM improvement up to 8GB. With a newer processor and increased RAM, this also means this iPad will finally support Apple Intelligence.
Even though Apple’s AI platform still seems overwhelming and underutilized, the company has big plans for WWDC 2026 with iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 as it partners with Google to deliver an all-new Siri experience. Siri will work more similar to AI agents and will even leverage information from your device to suggest actions, combine tasks, and more. Visual intelligence, which is Apple’s technology for understanding the world around you and translating it into useful information, real-time translations, or even helping you find a product to buy, will also be a main feature in this update.
Although Apple will likely keep the same design as the iPad 10, the company will also update the internal specifications of this tablet with its own connectivity chips as well as its own 5G modem, which will add a lot of value compared to the current version available. This new iPad could arrive in the second half of 2026, and while Apple Intelligence hasn’t been terribly useful so far, users will likely really like the upcoming features, as they won’t be available on the current base model of the iPad.
