Apple iPad And iPad Pro (2024): Pricing And Specs To Know Before You Buy

Apple unveiled the latest iteration of its iPad in a May 7 event, and if you're looking to make an upgrade or buy a tablet for the first time you have quite a few decisions to make. The iPad Air is now broken up into two sizes, and the Pro is making some big leaps over its predecessor. The Air is the middle-ground option, and it's a great choice for people wanting a powerful tablet without breaking the bank. It's available for $599 for the 11-inch version and $799 for the 13-inch tablet. There are four different storage sizes to pick from ranging from 128 GB to 1 TB, so you should be able to find something that fits your needs.

The real meat and potatoes of the event was the iPad Pro announcement. The iPad Pro is the thinnest Apple product created, so if you're looking for something that has a small footprint but still packs a punch, this is the pick for you — but it comes at the steep cost of $999 for the 11-inch and $1,299 for the 13-inch. It's a clear step up over the Air and comes with some big changes from the previous iPad Pro model, so it could be worth an upgrade even if you're just one generation behind. The base iPad remains an option, and it received a price change to be more competitive.

The iPad Pro comes with a variety of upgrades that help justify the high price tag. For starters, it makes the jump to the powerful M4 processor, something that was rumored in the days leading up to the event. This will make the tablet feel faster than previous iterations, and Apple says it's 1.5 times faster than the M2 chip powering the iPad Pro. While faster speeds are nice, the screen is making a big jump too.

Both iPad Pro models are equipped with OLED screens, which means your blacks are blacker and colors will pop a lot more than they would on an LCD or LED screen. Gamers out there will benefit from the buffed-up GPU performance too. Hardware ray tracing is making its debut on the iPad Pro, so games like "Diablo Immortal" will look and run better thanks to these upgrades.

AI fans will benefit from what Apple calls its fastest Neural Engine yet, capable of 38 trillion operations per second. Apple says you can separate a subject from its background with a simple tap in Final Cut Pro, so it's a nice change. While photography isn't typically the first thing that comes to mind with an iPad, the Pro is equipped with a 12 MP back camera with HDR.

The iPad Air comes with the weaker, but still solid, M2 processor that previously powered the iPad Pro. While it doesn't match the performance of the M4 chip, the M2 is a fine choice for gaming, handles AI tasks well, and is still 40% faster than the M1 according to Apple. It comes with better speakers, including support for spatial audio like what's offered through Apple Music – but you'll want to splurge for the 13-inch model for the best sound quality as Apple says that has double the bass. In many ways, the new iPad Air will feel like the last-gen iPad Pro so it's a big performance leap despite being the budget option.

Your accessories like the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard work with it, so you can get some work done on your Air if you want. It goes on sale May 15, and you can place your order now. You have your pick of blue, purple, starlight, and space gray for colors.

The base iPad still has its place and it's now a more budget-friendly option. Its price dropped from $429 to $349, so it comes in at half the price of the 13-inch iPad Air. While the M4 processor may have been the headliner of the Apple event, not every iPad user benefits from the power that it provides. Apple's base iPad is equipped with the A14 Bionic chip, and while the newer iPads have phased that out it's still a solid option for many people. If all you need an iPad for is browsing the internet or playing light games it works fine.

Apple's base iPad features a 10.9-inch screen, a good size for watching Netflix shows and YouTube videos. It doesn't have the same cutting-edge features the Pro or even the Air have, but with the budget pricing that's to be expected. With the front-facing 12 MP camera, it's a nice choice for video calls too.