It is not day by day {that a} tech large gives a brand new, improved product for an equal or lesser value than its earlier mannequin. That is much more true now, with looming tariff hikes inflicting uncertainty within the tech world.
But Apple did this very factor with the launch of the newest iPad, which is the Eleventh technology of the iPad base mannequin. This iPad replaces the three-year-old Tenth-generation mannequin however has higher options for a $100 decrease record value (although reductions and offers influence this).
Let me break down the year-over-year spec upgrades first. The most recent iPad has double the bottom storage of the earlier technology, with choices starting from 128GB as much as 512GB. The brand new technology additionally has 6GB of RAM, in comparison with 4GB on the earlier mannequin.
One other notable enchancment to the iPad is the newer A16 Bionic chip, an Apple silicon processor that’s stated to be 30% sooner than the A14 chip. On GPU efficiency, Apple says the brand new iPad is 50% higher at graphics rendering than the earlier model.
However a lot stays the identical within the Eleventh-generation iPad in comparison with the Tenth-gen. The Liquid Retina show has the precise decision of 2360 x 1640 and as much as 500 nits of brightness, and the iPad continues to assist Wi-Fi 6 for connectivity and peripherals just like the Apple Pencil (1st technology and USB-C) and the Magic Keyboard Folio case.
These numbers aren’t dangerous per se, however it’s secure to say that Apple is not essentially pushing the boundaries in any regard with this 12 months’s base-level iPad.
However, because it seems, retaining issues the identical may very well be the Eleventh-gen iPad’s largest energy. As somebody with a Tenth-gen iPad at dwelling, I used to be glad to see that the brand new mannequin suits my Logitech Combo Contact keyboard case and the ESR keyboard case, saving me on equipment and peripherals prices.
I have been utilizing the iPad Eleventh-generation for work all through the week, and it performs exceedingly nicely for phrase processing, picture modifying, and even video modifying for social media. I’ve had no points with lagging, connectivity, or crashing on it to this point. You actually must push this factor to get it to interrupt a sweat.
The iPad can be a terrific leisure pill, supreme for taking part in, streaming, messaging, and social media. It is no Tandem OLED show like on the iPad Professional, however the Liquid Retina panel will get simply colourful and sharp sufficient to offer an pleasurable viewing expertise.
| Geekbench 6 scores | Single-Core CPU Benchmark | Multi-Core CPU Benchmark | GPU benchmark |
| iPad 11 (2025) | 2,596 | 6,237 | 19,848 |
| iPad 10 (2022) | 2,083 | 4,902 | 16,973 |
| iPad 8 (2020) | 1,330 | 2,788 | 8,998 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (2025) | 1,353 | 3,923 | 6,982 |
As you’ll be able to see from the usual Geekbench 6 testing, the brand new iPad is a transparent chief amongst earlier base fashions and even the newest Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+, which sells for lots of of {dollars} extra at $650. These benchmarking checks consider day-to-day efficiency, so the upper scores imply you’ll be able to count on much less lag, sooner multitasking, and a high-end gaming efficiency from the newest iPad in comparison with an older base mannequin.
This was evident in my testing, because the Eleventh-Gen iPad carried out flawlessly throughout photograph modifying and gaming.
The one important drawbacks of the brand new iPad are that it does not assist Apple Intelligence, which requires an A17 Bionic chip or newer, and, unsurprisingly, it does not assist the Apple Pencil Professional, which got here out final 12 months. These incompatibilities aren’t a deal-breaker per se, however they’re notable for these contemplating budgeting right down to a normal iPad from an Air or Professional mannequin and wish to pay attention to what’s lacking.
Apple could also be capitalizing on the iPad base mannequin being a pill for informal customers, college students, and youngsters, one thing for which I do not fault the corporate. If so, it is sensible for Apple to skip over some options that will enhance its value. The bottom mannequin iPad is already a terrific pill throughout, no matter whether or not extra succesful choices can be found.
The iPad can be one of the best pill for many patrons, with robust processing energy and a handsome show. That’s, until the client is an influence consumer searching for a pill able to changing a laptop computer.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
On the time of writing, you should buy an Eleventh-generation iPad for less than $299 (usually $349). That alone makes it a better option than the earlier technology. For those who’re questioning which base mannequin iPad is most well worth the cash, this newest iPad is it. It has upgraded options for a cheaper price, and it’s probably all you may want when you’re searching for an on a regular basis pill.
The frills and options of the sooner, extra highly effective iPad Air or iPad Professional are enticing, however the fact is that they are probably extreme for most individuals. For those who’re searching for a pill to do gentle work on the go, edit some brief movies, stream content material, or play video games, the iPad base mannequin will not disappoint.
Suppose you are extra of an influence consumer and intend to make use of heavier apps like Remaining Lower Professional for iPad, for instance, to edit longer movies. In that case, I would suggest a higher-end mannequin, like these talked about above.
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