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Which Apple iPad is best for you? iPad mini vs iPad Air vs iPad vs iPad Pro

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There may not be as much choice as smartphones when it comes to tablets, but there are still a number of decisions to be made. If you are reading this,
There may not be as much choice as smartphones when it comes to tablets, but there are still a number of decisions to be made.
If you are reading this, it is likely you have already decided on the platform, disregarding Android and Windows for iOS, and you are now trying to figure out what size iPad is the right one for you and which one fits into how much you want to spend. Apple offers a number of iPad options: iPad mini 4, iPad 9.7, iPad Pro 10.5, and an iPad Pro 12.9. The tablets range from 7.9-inch displays to 12.9-inches in size.
All other iPads – including the iPad mini 2, iPad Air 2, and iPad Pro 9.7 – have been officially discontinued by Apple, but they’re still available elsewhere, so we’ve included them all so you can see the differences between them and the new models.
iPad mini 2 is for those who want a small Apple tablet but don’t have the cash to splash on the newest model. If you are happy to sacrifice the latest specs and features, the iPad mini 2 gives you iOS on a budget. It was officially discontinued by Apple in March 2017.
iPad mini 4 is for those who want a small Apple tablet with many of the latest specs and features. You’ll need a little more cash for the iPad mini 4, but you get a few extra features, like Touch ID, A8 chip, Retina display, and a more powerful device all around.
iPad Air 2 has now been discontinued and replaced by the iPad 9.7. About the only reason to buy the iPad Air 2 is if you can find it significantly cheaper than the new iPad. Apple discontinued the iPad Air 2 in March 2017, the same time it discontinued iPad mini 2.
iPad 9.7 replaces the old iPad 9.7, offering much the same design, but slightly updated specs, including an A10 Fusion chip and support for Apple Pencil. And it only weighs one pounds. Its launch price is reduced too, for students, and it’s way cheaper than the iPad Pro models.
iPad Pro 9.7 was officially discontinued in June 2017 and replaced with the iPad Pro 10.5. Like the iPad Air 2, the only reason to buy an iPad Pro 9.7 is if you can find it a lot cheaper than the new model. It supports the Apple Pencil and comes with an A9X chip.
iPad Pro 10.5 is Apple’s most powerful, feature-rich tablet that’s not 12.9 inches in sizes. It comes with slim bezels and excellent specs, like an A10X chip and support for Pencil. It is the iPad for those that want all the features of the larger iPad Pro but in a more compact format.
iPad Pro 12.9 is the most expensive iPad available, as well as the most powerful alongside the 10.5-inch model. It is for those that want to treat their tablet more like a computer. You get an A10X chip, Pencil support, ProMotion and True Tone screen tech, and more.
The iPad mini 2 is the cheapest way to get your hands on an Apple tablet. It’s a few years old and has been succeeded by the iPad mini 4. It’s the smallest iPad available, though not the slimmest or lightest. It was discontinued in March 2017, but it’s still widely available.
The iPad mini 2 comes in silver and space grey colour options, so you miss out on the gold option, and there are also a couple of other things lacking, such as Touch ID and Apple Pay, as well as an anti-reflective coating on the display. There is also no slo-mo video or burst mode.
The A7 chip and M7 motion coprocessor sit under the hood, and you’ll find a 1.2-megapixel front camera coupled with a 5-megapixel rear camera, the latter of which is a slight downgrade from the iPad mini 4.
The iPad mini 4 is the more expensive addition to the small iPad club. It is ever so slightly larger than the iPad mini 2, but it is slimmer and lighter, and although it has the same size and resolution display, you get the addition of a fully laminated screen and an anti-reflective coating.
There is a newer, faster chip powering the iPad mini 4, with the A8 processor and M8 motion coprocessor on board, as well as the addition of an 128GB storage option and gold finish. Officially, Apple only offers 128GB storage now, although older models are available with less storage.
In terms of other extras, Touch ID is included on the iPad mini 4, as is Apple Pay compatibility, burst mode and slo-mo video. The only other difference to the older iPad mini 2 is the bump to an 8-megapixel rear camera.
The iPad Air 2 has now been discontinued, replaced with the cheaper and slightly more powerful iPad 9.7. There is still stock of the iPad Air around, but check the prices carefully – the new iPad might be the cheaper option, as it’s being pitched with an affordable £319 price.
A faster A8X and M8 motion coprocessor sits under the hood, which is the same as the smaller iPad mini 4, and you get the same colour options as the iPad mini 4, as well as the same cameras and features like Touch ID, Apple Pay, burst mode, and slo-mo video.
A fully laminated display with anti-reflective coating are also all present on the iPad Air 2, but you miss out on Apple Pencil compatibility, a True Tone display, higher resolution cameras, and stereo speakers, all of which are found on the iPad Pro models.
The new iPad replaces the old iPad, and again, is simply called iPad. It sticks to much the same design as the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Pro, although it’s slightly thicker, which is probably down to the fact there is no fully laminated display or anti-reflective coating.
The 2018 iPad offers the same display size and resolution as the 2017 iPad, though it steps up to the A10 chip under its hood, which gives it a speed, even if it is still a step below the iPad Pro models. It also still misses out on a few of the iPad Pro’s other features. However, it’s aimed at students and can be loaded with a bunch of school-focused features, like the Schoolworks app, and it even supports Apple’s AR platform.
There is an 8-megapixel rear camera and 1.2-megapixel front snapper on the new iPad, too. Touch ID is on board, as you would expect, and it comes in silver, gold, and space grey colour options – so no rose gold. But its biggest selling point is that it supports Apple Pencil.
Oh, and it starts at £319 for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and £449 for the 32GB Wi-Fi and Cellular model in the UK. There is also a 128GB model, if you want to max out, and that costs £409 in the UK and $429 in the US. For the UK, that’s £20 cheaper than the previous version.
If you’re in higher education in the UK, it’s around a further £30 cheaper still: £299. The Pencil is still as an optional extra, costing £89, which is £10 cheaper than before. Unlike the Pro range, there is no option of a Smart Keyboard, as the iPad 9.7 doesn’t feature the smart connectors.
It also lacks ProMotion or True Tone screen technologies found in the iPad Pro models.
The iPad Pro 9.7 is exactly the same size as the iPad Air 2, and it offers the same size display and resolution too, meaning the same pixel density, though it too has been discontinued by Apple.

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