The best iPads for college in 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

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The outpouring semester is coming to an end, but present is the cleanable clip to cheque retired the champion iPads for assemblage students. Give your collegiate loved 1 a fewer months to fig retired each the ins and outs of the champion iPad earlier schoolhouse begins again, ensuring they're good equipped with the functions and applications they need. Many of our selections are lightweight but battalion ample retention and are compatible with a stylus and keyboard attachments, truthful you tin easy type, take notes, or draw.

Also: The champion iPads you tin buy

Whether you're looking a almighty enactment to tally programs similar the iPad Pro oregon a portable instrumentality to upload books similar the iPad Mini, an iPad volition assistance each pupil win successful a assemblage career.

What's the champion iPad for assemblage students close now?

After conducting ZDNET's hands-on investigating and comparisons for functionality, performance, and artillery life, the 5th procreation iPad Air wins our prime for the champion iPad for assemblage students acknowledgment to its almighty A1 chip, portability, and price. However, support speechmaking for our reviews connected different models and generations worthy considering.

The champion iPads for assemblage students successful 2025

This lightweight tablet is compatible with the Apple Pencil 2nd Gen, making it casual to instrumentality notes successful people and ticker virtual seminars. Apple's products are mostly customizable, and this is nary exception; you tin opt for 1 of 5 colors and get much oregon little retention depending connected what you need.

You tin besides equip your iPad to usage cellular information if Wi-Fi doesn't consciousness capable for classes. For students who often usage their tablets portion connected the go, a cellular information program ensures you tin ever get net access.

Review: iPad Air (2022)

ZDNET contributor Jason Cipriani went hands-on with the iPad Air and was impressed by its 2-in-1 compatibility with the Apple Keyboard and Apple Pencil additions. "It's arsenic almighty arsenic the iPad Pro, but costs hundreds of dollars little -- adjacent erstwhile you max retired the retention -- with a show that's connected par with the 11-inch iPad Pro," helium wrote.

Overall, 98% of Best Buy customers who bought the iPad Air would urge it to others and gave it an wide standing of 4.8 retired of 5.

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Apple's tried-and-true tablet, the basal exemplary iPad, is arguably the champion plan retired of Apple's tablet lineup -- particularly acknowledgment to its versatility and compatibility. When it comes to features, you fundamentally get the aforesaid suite arsenic the much costly iPad Pro and iPad Air models, but successful a much lightweight signifier and with a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina, True Tone display. Plus, Apple precocious reduced its terms by $100, making it a much affordable $349.

Review: iPad 2022 (10th Gen)

In his hands-on testing, June Wan determined that if you're buying connected a fund (as astir students are), this iPad should "make the astir sense," particularly fixed its A14 Bionic processor, USB-C support, 5G enactment for on-the-go tasks, and caller 12MP ultra-wide camera. There's besides a Magic Keyboard Folio made specifically for this iPad, truthful it's cleanable for turning your tablet into a laptop successful your dorm, library, oregon field center. Plus, it includes an adjustable kickstand with a 14-key relation enactment for shortcuts.

However, immoderate verified customers pointed retired that this iPad doesn't enactment the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil, which means you'll person to usage a dongle successful bid to usage it.

Apple iPad specs: Display: 10.9-inch Liquid Retina show with True Tone | Processor: A14 Bionic spot with 16-core Neural Engine | Storage: 64GB oregon 256GB | Biometrics: Touch ID | Colors: Silver, Pink, Blue, Yellow | Cameras: 12MP f/1.8 wide, 12MP Landscape f/2.4 beforehand | Weight: 1.05 pounds | Dimensions: 9.79 x 7.07 x .28 inches | Connections: USB-C, Smart Connector | Battery life: Up to 10 hours of video playback with USB-C charging

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Apple's iPad Mini has an A15 Bionic chip, making it a almighty tablet successful a tiny package. The iPad Mini was past updated successful the autumn of 2021 and present includes features similar enactment for the 2nd gen Apple Pencil, a somewhat bigger surface size, and a USB-C larboard for charging and information transfer. It's ace portable, and there's a spot connected the close broadside of the tablet to complaint the Apple Pencil for casual entree to note-taking.

Review: Apple iPad Mini (6th Gen.)

ZDNET contributor Jason Cipriani went hands-on with the iPad Mini and said, "I'd beryllium lying if I said I wasn't perfectly fascinated by it. Its compact size is much manageable," Cipriani wrote, and "I don't person to determination my keyboard and rodent oregon trackpad retired of the mode to marque room. Within a fewer hours, the iPad Mini rapidly became my preferred instrumentality for taking notes."

ZDNET editor-in-chief Jason Hiner besides noted that, "Compared to a phone, [the iPad Mini is] amended for speechmaking ebooks, PDFs, documents, quality apps, and different integer content," meaning you won't person to lug astir dense textbooks from people to class--you tin conscionable gaffe your iPad Mini into your backpack.

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The 7th procreation iPad Pro's M4 spot makes it undeniably powerful. This upgrade comes with next-generation instrumentality learning accelerators to grip a divers scope of tasks, and ProMotion technology, enabling adaptable surface refresh rates ranging from 10 to 120Hz.

ZDNET reviews exertion Kerry Wan spent immoderate clip with the 13-inch Apple iPad Pro and was particularly impressed by the spot performance. "A much businesslike processor means the iPad perfectly speeds done app load times, 4K video exports, detecting and cropping subjects retired of images, and more," helium wrote successful his review.

Review: iPad Pro (7th generation)

Wan added that this tablet is cleanable for contented instauration acknowledgment to the iPad-iPhone-only workflow that feels little challenging than erstwhile models. "This yet lowers the obstruction to introduction for videographers, integer artists, and different contented creators, which is ne'er a atrocious thing," helium wrote.

The Pro besides supports the new Apple Pencil Pro, which has a scope of note-taking features including a compression motion for speedy instrumentality and customized haptic feedback that you tin consciousness via a pulse. It besides pairs with the recently revamped Magic Keyboard, which is thinner and lighter, has a larger trackpad and a caller enactment of relation keys to marque your iPad acquisition consciousness much similar a MacBook experience--especially if you privation to wholly regenerate your laptop with an iPad for schoolwork.

Apple iPad Pro tech specs: Display: 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR OLED show with ProMotion | Processor: Apple Silicon M4 | Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB oregon 2TB | Biometrics: Face ID | Colors: Silver, abstraction black | Cameras: 12MP wide (4K, ProRes), Landscape 12MP ultra-wide | Weight: 1.23 pounds | Dimensions: 11.09 x 8.48 x 0.24 inches | Connections: USB-C connector with enactment for Thunderbolt / USB 4 | Battery life: Up to 10 hours of surfing the web

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College students cognize the value of a budget, and this 9th-generation iPad is cleanable for those looking for a almighty Apple merchandise for nether $400. You'll find galore of the aforesaid features you'd expect from Apple's different tablets, similar iPadOS updates for years and entree to the App Store, without the top-shelf terms tag.

Review: iPad (9th generation)

While the 10th-generation iPad was announced successful 2022, Wan believes the 2021 9th variation is inactive a bully bargain -- and it's $120 cheaper. "Even if you're buying for idiosyncratic use, if your intended uses are chiefly video streaming, note-taking, and playing tablet games, past the ninth-generation iPad should suffice," Wan wrote.

While this iPad doesn't diagnostic the near-borderless plan arsenic immoderate of the newer units included successful this list, with a 10.2-inch display, determination is inactive plentifulness of country to gully oregon constitute with your Apple Pencil and link the Smart Keyboard to alteration your iPad experience.

One Reddit idiosyncratic noted that the older plan wasn't a deterrent successful buying the 9th-gen iPad, penning that "the non-laminated show is honestly not a deal-breaker, and it's decidedly not arsenic atrocious arsenic tech reviewers marque it retired to be."

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Former ZDNET contributors Josh Slate and Lena Borrelli besides contributed to this story.

Powered by the Apple M1 spot and a Liquid Retina show with True Tone, it's hard to reason that determination is simply a amended iPad for students than the 5th procreation iPad Air. From its slim, sleek plan disposable successful an array of colors to its almighty capabilities internally, this iPad gives you the "wow" origin with its usage and price.

Though the iPad Air is our apical pick, determination are inactive plentifulness of bully options successful Apple's fleet of tablets. The array beneath compares the 5 iPads by a fewer of their cardinal features.

Best iPads for assemblage students	Cost	Screen size	Chip
iPad Air (5th generation)	$599	10.9 inches	M1
iPad (10th generation)	$349	10.9 inches	A14 Bionic
iPad Mini (6th generation)	$499	8.3 inches	A15 Bionic
iPad Pro (7th generation)	Starting astatine $999	11 inches oregon 13 inches	M4
iPad (9th generation)	$329	10.2 inches	A13 Bionic

*MSRP astatine the clip of writing. Please enactment that existent prices whitethorn alteration depending connected disposable sales, deals, discounts, and coupons.

There are a plethora of factors that spell into decision-making erstwhile purchasing anything, particularly high-quality tech. From surfing the web to editing high-quality videos and pictures, iPads tin seemingly bash it all, but immoderate options mightiness beryllium a amended acceptable for you than others. Consider this array erstwhile deciding which iPad volition beryllium the adjacent summation to your backpack.

Choose this iPad for students…	If you want…
iPad Air	The champion iPad for students connected the market. It's ace lightweight and has galore of the aforesaid features arsenic the iPad Pro, but for little money.
iPad (10th generation)	A reliable iPad with a sleek design. There's besides a Magic Keyboard Folio made specifically for this iPad.
iPad Mini	A smaller tablet that is inactive highly capable. It's size makes it a large replacement to lugging astir textbooks successful your backpack.
iPad Pro	An iPad that tin substance your passionateness for contented creation. Its M4 spot makes show faster and amended than ever, large for multi-tasking betwixt bundle programs.
iPad (9th generation)	To prevention a small wealth with an older, but inactive susceptible iPad.

Between the 4 antithetic iPad exemplary variations (iPad basal model, the Pro, Air, and Mini), determination are galore susceptible features that makes determination making, particularly for students, adjacent tougher.

Chip: Apple's signature processor comes successful a fewer antithetic forms. Its M2 spot is the latest and greatest, offering lightning-fast performance, but our squad astatine ZDNET has besides greatly appreciated the M1 spot successful our testing.
Screen size: iPads are disposable successful a assortment of surface sizes, moving anyplace from little than 8.5 inches to 13 inches. As a assemblage student, you whitethorn similar a larger screen, but a smaller size lends amended to portability.
Storage: An iPad is much constricted successful its retention than a Mac, truthful beryllium definite to see the magnitude of retention that comes with your chosen iPad. College students mostly woody with a batch of files, but if this is simply a instrumentality supplementary to your machine oregon laptop, past retention is not typically specified a concern.
Cost: Apple products are not the cheapest, but you volition find a little terms tag with the iPad line. The outgo of the champion iPads for assemblage students ranges from astir $350 to $729, depending connected the exemplary you choose.

The ZDNET squad chose each of the tablets included successful this database based connected their show when tested successful the existent world. When we trial tablets, we typically travel the aforesaid regular for each 1 to spot which performs best.

Display: We measurement the brightness level successful antithetic lighting conditions and measure colour accuracy. We besides comparison the display's show with what the shaper promised, trial the screen's responsiveness to touch, and measure the show of immoderate other features, similar a manufacturer's stylus.
Performance: For real-world show metrics, our reviewers measurement however rapidly the tablet reacts to input, measure crippled show and framework rates, trial however the tablet handles having aggregate apps moving simultaneously, measurement the clip it takes to motorboat apps, and adjacent measure the tablet's somesthesia during intensive tasks.
Battery life: We trial antithetic scenarios for artillery life, including measuring however agelong the artillery lasts portion streaming, web browsing, utilizing productivity apps, and playing games.
Camera and audio: For cameras, we measure features similar resolution, aperture, low-light performance, autofocus accuracy, dynamic range, colour accuracy, representation quality, sharpness, and video quality. For audio, we look astatine the dependable prime and wide listening experience, including audio clarity astatine antithetic volumes, stereo separation of near and close audio channels, maximum measurement level successful assorted environments, and if determination is perceived distortion.

For a deeper look into our investigating process, cheque retired our comprehensive tablet investigating methodology.

Generally, tablets are cheaper than laptops since they person little processing capabilities and retention options. It truly depends connected your large and what classes you are taking if you tin opt for a tablet implicit a laptop. For example, English majors could astir apt get by with an iPad alternatively of a laptop, portion an engineering pupil volition astir apt request a laptop to enactment with circumstantial programs.

Apple offers respective student discount options when you acquisition an iPad with a verified assemblage email address. Students tin get anyplace from $50-$100 disconnected fashionable iPad models. Apple and different retailers besides connection deals connected tablets to students person to graduation oregon back-to-school season, truthful ever support an oculus retired for those deals.

No. Much similar telephone cases, the size and layout of these iPads alteration with each exemplary that is released. But you tin find a ton of cases for immoderate enactment of iPad astatine places similar Best Buy, Amazon, and Target.

The champion iPad stylus is the Apple Pencil, which is made for the iPad. Be definite to see which procreation of the Apple Pencil is compatible with immoderate iPad you choose, particularly since the Apple Pencil 2nd Gen and the Apple Pencil Pro are compatible with lone definite iPad models.

Also: The champion iPad stylus you tin buy

However, Adonit is besides a marque that caters to iPads only, truthful if you privation much unsocial features oregon stylus colors, you tin see that arsenic well.