iPad price
It might be the "standard" model, but the 9.7-inch iPad is anything but run-of-the-mill. In fact, it's easily our favorite iPad overall. The 2018 iPad has a slimmed-down design, solid hardware, great Retina display, easy-to-use software, and a very reasonable price. It is simply the best iPad for most people.
The iPad is also surprisingly affordable for an Apple product, starting at $330. If you're lucky to catch it on sale, the iPad fairly frequently drops down to an even more attractive price of $250 or so.
iPad 9.7-inch (Wi-Fi only)- Amazon: $249.99 (32GB), $379 (128GB)
- Apple: $329 (32GB), $429 (128GB)
- Best Buy: $329.99 (32GB), $429.99 (128GB)
- Amazon: $439 (32GB), $479 (128GB)
- Apple: $459 (32GB), $559 (128GB)
- Best Buy: $459.99 (32GB), $559.99 (128GB)
*Prices may vary as iPads go on sale.
iPad Air price
It took so long for Apple to release a new iPad Air that many people thought Apple would discontinue the Air lineup altogether. But on March 18, Apple announced a new iPad Air, and it looks like a fantastic tablet.
With a starting price of $500, it’s a solid middle option between the standard iPad and the costly iPad Pro.
iPad Air 10.5-inch (Wi-Fi only)- Amazon: $499 (64GB), $649.99 (256GB)
- Apple: $499 (64GB), $649 (256GB)
- Best Buy: $499.99 (64GB), $649.99 (256GB)
- Amazon: $629 (64GB), $780 (256GB)
- Apple: $629 (64GB), $779 (256GB)
- Best Buy: $629.99 (64GB), $779.99 (256GB)
*Prices may vary as iPads go on sale.
iPad Mini price
One of the main draws of getting an iPad is its size. Tablets are smaller and lighter than laptops, but they still offer more screen real estate than your smartphone for things like streaming and gaming. Even the 9.7-inch iPad isn’t exactly a small device, though.
It's been years since Apple launched a 7.9-inch iPad Mini, but on March 18, it finally refreshed the line with a new small tablet.
It's a great deal at $399, so if you’re one of the tablet hunters who wants one that’s small but mighty, you'll want a new iPad Mini.
iPad Mini 7.9-inch (Wi-Fi)- Amazon: $399 (64GB), $549 (256GB)
- Apple: $399 (64GB), $549 (256GB)
- Best Buy: $399.99, $549.99 (256GB)
- Amazon: $529 (64GB), $679.99 (256GB)
- Apple: $529 (64GB), $679 (256GB)
- Best Buy: $529.99 (64GB), $679.99 (128GB)
*Prices may vary as iPads go on sale.
iPad Pro price
The iPad Pro is the most high-end tablet in Apple's iPad lineup. Because it's got the power of a high-end laptop, the Pro models are expensive, but the Pro is built for those who are looking for something that's more than just a tablet.
The iPad Pro really shines when paired with peripherals like the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio. The 2018 iPad Pro models (available in two screen sizes: 11 and 12.9 inches) are effectively designed to do double duty as laptops. If you want the beefiest iPad on the market right now that can run advanced software like Photoshop and games, then the iPad Pro is the one for you.
iPad Pro 11-inch (Wi-Fi only)- Amazon: $749 (64GB), $917.13 (256GB), $1,064.81 (512GB), $1,448 (1TB)
- Apple: $799 (64GB), $949 (256GB), $1,149 (512GB), $1,549 (1TB)
- Best Buy: $799.99 (64GB), $949.99 (256GB), $1,149.99 (512GB), $1,549.99 (1TB)
- Amazon: $921.31 (64GB), $1,050.30 (256GB), $1,199 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB)
- Apple: $949 (64GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,699 (1TB)
- Best Buy: $949.99 (64GB), $1,099.99 (256GB), $1,299.99 (512GB), $1,699.99 (1TB)
- Amazon: $949 (64GB), $1,067.82 (256GB), $1,249.91 (512GB), $1,629.92 (1TB)
- Apple: $999 (64GB), $1,149 (256GB), $1,349 (512GB), $1,749 (1TB)
- Best Buy: $999.99 (64GB), $1,149.99 (256GB), $1,349.99 (512GB), $1,749.99 (1TB)
- Amazon: $1,089 (64GB), $1,264 (256GB), $1,399.92 (512GB), $1,759.91 (1TB)
- Apple: $1,149 (64GB), $1,299 (256GB), $1,499 (512GB), $1,899 (1TB)
- Best Buy: $1,149.99 (64GB), $1,299.99 (256GB), $1,499.99 (512GB), $1,899.99 (1TB)
The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is the oldest of the bunch, but it's still a great tablet. However, we would recommend the newer 11- or 12.5-inch iPad Pro models instead, since you'll be using it as a laptop as well as a tablet.
iPad Pro 10.5-inch (Wi-Fi only)- Amazon: $499.99 (64GB), $649.99 (256GB), $749.99 (512GB)
- Best Buy: $499.99 (64GB), $649.99 (256GB), $849.99 (512GB)
- Amazon: $779 (64GB), $829 (256GB), $1,129 (512GB)
- Best Buy: $629.99 (64GB), $779.99 (256GB), $979.99 (512GB)
*Prices may vary as iPads go on sale.
We also recommend the Apple Pencil Stylus
The Apple Pencil officially works with every iPad Apple currently sells. The first-generation Apple Pencil works with the new iPad Mini and iPad Air, as well as the older 10.5-inch iPad Pro and the 2018 standard iPad.
If you buy the new 11- or 12.5-inch iPad Pros, you should buy the second-generation stylus, which was made for those tablets and is even better than the original.
Over the years, I've tested a lot of styluses from companies like Adonit, 53, Wacom, and more. None of those styluses can hold a candle to the Apple Pencil. Whether you buy the first-generation Pencil or the second, you're getting a stylus that was made by Apple in tandem with the iPad.
As such, the Pencil works with the iPads' screens in special ways that no other stylus can. The result is improved pressure sensitivity and an impressively low level of latency. You won't even notice a lag because it's imperceptible. When you use an Apple Pencil, you actually feel like you're using a normal graphite pencil.
There are a few differences between the first- and second-generation Pencils: The second-gen model has wireless charging and magnetically attaches to the side of the iPad and it was made for the new 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, while the first-gen Pencil is for the older 9.7-inch iPad and the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. The first-gen Pencil charges with a lightning port on the end and doesn't attach to your iPad. It's also a bit cheaper.
Choose whichever works for the iPad you buy.— Malarie Gokey
Buy the first-generation Apple Pencil from Best Buy for $99.99 Buy the first-generation Apple Pencil on Amazon for $94 Buy the second-generation Apple Pencil at Best Buy for $129
