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00:00I've just realized how reflective that neon sign is on these iPads, that's annoying.
00:05Okay, anyway, hey guys, I'm Tom from Tech Chap and I have every single iPad you can
00:10buy right now from the standard base iPad which will cost you 319 quid to the brand
00:16new iPad Air 5th generation.
00:19This has just come out and it's got this snazzy new blue color and the M1 chip all the way
00:24up to the pros.
00:25In fact, this Pro 12.9, top spec, maxed out, all the bells and whistles will cost you over
00:312 grand.
00:32So, which one should you actually buy and also are any of these accessories worth shelling
00:37out for?
00:38And if you do find this helpful, then a cheeky little like and subscribe will be very much
00:42appreciated.
00:43So, these are the five main iPads that Apple sells right now with various color and storage
00:49options in either Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi plus cellular.
00:52If you have money to burn and can't possibly hotspot from your phone or use Wi-Fi.
00:56They're all running the latest version of iPadOS and as I'm filming, we're on 15.4
01:02which actually added some nifty features like universal control which I'll come back to
01:06later.
01:07Also, bear in mind that while I'll come to some proper performance benchmarks later,
01:11the A13 chip in here, the A15 in here and the M1 that's used in these three, while
01:16there are performance differences, fundamentally they all run the same apps and games.
01:21They also all have great build quality and materials, front and rear cameras, and they
01:26all should get around 10 hours of battery life.
01:29You can't go wrong with any of them, but it comes down to do you need the extra power,
01:33the better screen and the better cameras of the higher end models.
01:37But let's start at the budget end with the iPad.
01:40Just the iPad, although technically it's the ninth generation iPad, and this will cost
01:44you 319 pounds or $329.
01:47This came out back in September 2021, so it's still pretty recent, although it is definitely
01:52a case of meet the new iPad, same as the old iPad.
01:55It's kind of like the iPhone SE of iPads, I mean it looks almost identical to most iPads
02:00from the last 10 years or so, with the same thick bezels top and bottom, a physical touch
02:05ID home button, and also the less versatile lightning port.
02:09There's nothing wrong with the design per se, I mean it's still slim and comfortable
02:13to use, it just feels a bit last, last, last gen.
02:17But I would argue to maybe look past that, because this will do 95% of what most people
02:23use an iPad for.
02:24And for 319 quid for the 64GB storage option, and even less if you're buying it with the
02:29education discount, you're getting pretty much the full iPad experience for just over
02:33half what you'd pay for the new iPad Air.
02:37So front and centre is this 10.2 inch Retina LCD screen.
02:42Interestingly, they are all the same sharpness, they share pretty much the same pixel per
02:46inch density, except for the mini actually, which is the sharpest out of all of them.
02:51But there is one small downside, the display isn't laminated, so there's actually a small
02:55but just noticeable gap between the glass and the actual screen, but it's not the end
03:00of the world.
03:01Oh that's creepy, tech chap inception.
03:04We do get this 8 megapixel camera on the back, which is okay for taking a quick snap or maybe
03:09scanning a QR code, while the 12 megapixel ultra-wide selfie camera is actually very
03:14good, and it also comes with Apple's clever centre stage technology, which tracks and
03:18keeps your face or a group of faces centred in the frame.
03:22And actually all iPads do now support centre stage.
03:25Now on paper, the biggest drawback with the base iPad is the fact that we have the slower
03:30A13 chip.
03:31Certainly it's not as fast as the A15 and the M1 in the other iPads, but it's still
03:35very capable.
03:36And as you can see, it easily handles any app or game I throw at it, and it likely will
03:40do for at least a couple more years.
03:43So if you want something just for browsing the web, watching some videos, maybe making
03:46the odd FaceTime call, realistically this is all the iPad you need.
03:50And actually it's great for kids as well, my nephew Oliver loves this, and he plays
03:58loads of logic puzzles and maths and language games, plus being the cheapest iPad it's less
04:04of a big deal if it gets a bit messy, or worse.
04:13You can also pair the iPad with the Smart Keyboard, which snaps on magnetically and
04:17then folds to keep the iPad in place, and it's pretty comfortable to type on, although
04:21it is a fairly basic experience versus the more expensive Magic Keyboard with the Air
04:25and Pros.
04:26We do also get Apple Pencil support with the standard iPad, but it's still only the first
04:31gen Pencil, which charges awkwardly and doesn't snap onto the side, but it's fine.
04:37I would stick with the base 64GB model though, for the base iPad I don't think it's worth
04:41paying the extra for more storage, and if you can live with this slightly more dated
04:45design, then why pay more?
04:48Alright onwards and upwards, well smallwards, let's talk about the iPad Mini, or the 6th
04:54generation iPad Mini.
04:55And you know what, don't listen to the haters when they say this is just a big iPhone, I
04:59love this thing.
05:01Yes, it costs more than the regular iPad, but then it's got a nicer design, better tech,
05:05and in many ways it's just a shrunken down, ultra-portable version of the Air.
05:10And it actually does just about fit in your pocket, just, I wouldn't recommend sitting
05:14down like this, but it is also by far the lightest iPad, meaning it's the only one you
05:18can use for, say, reading one-handed for longer periods.
05:22And it's also the perfect pairing with the Apple Pencil 2 for drawing and taking notes.
05:26It's funny, when my wife Sarah asks if she can borrow one of the iPads, I usually go
05:30to pick up the 12.9 and give it to her because it's the best iPad, but she never wants it,
05:35she always takes the Mini, partly because she just likes the more portable, smaller
05:40size of it, it's always useful to have a wife who appreciates small things, but also partly
05:44because she loves purple, and I've got the purple case with it as well, so interestingly,
05:49even though on paper you might think this is best because it's the most expensive, not
05:53everyone needs it to be that big.
05:54Okay, I'll stop now.
05:56I think the smaller size has an even bigger advantage, though, for gaming.
06:00Playing games, especially ones designed for landscape orientation, works really well on
06:04this, and my thumbs can reach most of the controls, although I'm not so keen on the
06:08volume button placement when I'm playing it like this.
06:11It's also powered by the A15 Bionic chip, which is the same one used in the current
06:15iPhone 13 range, and it does feel a bit quicker than the standard iPad with the A13, and more
06:20graphically intensive games are noticeably smoother.
06:24Now the Mini does have a lot in common with the iPad Air, slim bezels, squared-off design,
06:29stereo speakers, also a Touch ID power button on the top edge, as well as a 12MP rear camera
06:34and a 12MP ultra-wide selfie, again with center stage.
06:39Also Wi-Fi 6, and a 5G cellular option if you want, plus we get the more versatile USB-C
06:44port.
06:45As I mentioned earlier, this is actually the sharpest iPad in terms of pixel-per-inch density
06:51versus everything else.
06:52It's not something you'd really be able to notice unless you put your eyes right up to
06:55it, but either way this is a beautiful 8.3-inch IPS screen.
07:00The only downside really, and this also applies to the base iPad and the Air, is that we're
07:05still locked to this 60Hz screen.
07:07Only the Pro models get the ProMotion 120Hz.
07:11It doesn't feel like we're really unlocking that much performance with the more powerful
07:14chips because the screen is still capped at that 60Hz.
07:18Also this does only come with 4GB of RAM compared to 8 on the new iPad Air.
07:23It's also not exactly cheap at £479 or $499, which makes this 64GB mini a hefty £160 more
07:32expensive over the 64GB regular iPad.
07:36And if you want the extra storage, 256GB is £619.
07:40Add in 5G, then you're at £759, and that's before a case, a pencil or a keyboard.
07:46Well actually not really a keyboard because they don't offer one for this size, but you
07:49can use separate Bluetooth keyboards if you want.
07:53One other reason you may want to consider going for the mini, or any of these in fact,
07:57is that it supports the Gen 2 Apple Pencil, which is a lot nicer.
08:01Firstly, if I can actually pick this up, it nicely clips onto the side so you don't have
08:05to carry it separately.
08:06It also wirelessly charges this way, so it's incredibly convenient and it is more responsive
08:11than the first-gen pencil with that horrible lightning connector up there.
08:15Although again, you will still get better performance, better responsiveness, by using
08:19it with one of the 120Hz Pros.
08:22I love I've got a little pencil holder here, feels like I'm at school or I'm a teacher,
08:26but for, you know, tech students.
08:29Alright let's talk about the new kid on the block, the brand new 5th generation iPad Air.
08:34And I think in this 64GB form, yes still 64GB, it is arguably the sweet spot of the iPad range.
08:42The design may look pretty much identical to the 4th gen Air, but the performance is
08:47now iPad Pro level, thanks to the M1 chip and also twice the RAM, now at 8GB.
08:52There's also a new 5G cellular option and also USB-C transfer speeds are now twice as fast.
08:58It also gets the upgraded 12MP rear and ultra-wide selfie cameras with centre stage.
09:04And the camera quality is better than last year as well, thanks to the improved image
09:07processing from the M1 chip.
09:10Although realistically I think the biggest upgrade with the Air, and maybe the reason
09:14to buy it, is this snazzy new blue colour, which I maintain is Tech Chat Blue.
09:19I think Apple are just a big fan of the channel and decided to create this colour just for me.
09:24Possibly, maybe not.
09:25But I am kind of torn about the new Air, because on one hand it still has this gorgeous design,
09:30it's just as powerful as the Pros now, and with a screen that's almost as bright.
09:34In fact it can feel like an iPad Pro, but for almost £200 less.
09:39It's also slightly lighter than the base iPad, and for a lot of people who want a little
09:43bit more premium look and feel, I think the Air is probably worth it, especially with
09:47the improved performance and also accessories like the Magic Keyboard that gives it plenty
09:51of laptop-like potential.
09:54While the Air's 60Hz display does still feel nice and smooth and is obviously a very fast
09:59iPad, it kind of feels like that 60Hz bottlenecks all that performance potential.
10:06But this is where I always get frustrated with Apple.
10:08They are masters of the upsell, I apologise I use that phrase in most Apple videos recently,
10:13but they know most people just want, say, 128GB of storage, which is why they give you
10:1964GB or 256GB options.
10:21On balance, I do think the base 64GB model is still probably my recommendation at £569.
10:27I don't think I would want to pay £719 just to go up to 256GB of storage.
10:33Yes, of course you can always just use iCloud to back up your stuff, but the trouble is
10:37with that 256GB model of this, you're only £15 shy of the iPad Pro 11, which does come
10:44with 128GB, so admittedly not the 256GB, but 128GB is all you need, and you do get some
10:49nice extras with this, which we'll come to in a second.
10:52So that's where this kind of gets a bit blurry between whether you should get the Air or
10:56the 11-inch Pro.
10:58Just a quick side note though, because if you are serious about using your iPad for
11:02some actual work or productivity, whatever you want to call it, then I would highly recommend
11:07paying the extra and getting the Magic Keyboard.
11:10This works with both the Air and the Pro models.
11:12It is quite expensive, and also you can see this is not the correct version for the Air,
11:17this is for my 12.9 Pro, but there is a model for this, and surprisingly, while the key
11:22caps are a little bit bigger on the 12.9 version, it is still just as comfortable to type with
11:27on the smaller 11s.
11:28I really do love the Magic Keyboard.
11:30It acts as a protective case, there's a ton of adjustability, it attaches magnetically
11:34so it's easy to put it on and take it off, and you get an extra USB-C port and a touchpad.
11:39If you want to save some cash though, then you can still go with the Smart Keyboard Folio,
11:43but that does lose the trackpad, the extra USB-C port, and the nicer keys and layout
11:47and the adjustability.
11:50And finally, let's talk about the iPad Pros.
11:52You've got the 11 and the 12.9-inch here, and really this still feels like a tablet,
11:57whereas this feels more like a laptop screen.
12:00And I think, again, like the Air, these really do benefit from pairing it with a Magic Keyboard
12:05and maybe a pencil too.
12:07It's not just the size that separates these though, because the bigger 12.9 gets this
12:12fancy Liquid Retina XDR Mini LED display, and essentially we're getting much higher
12:17contrast and so it makes the blacks on the 11-inch's Liquid Retina screen look washed
12:22out and greyish in comparison.
12:25As for brightness, in non-HDR content, the difference really isn't that obvious as both
12:30peak at 600 nits, but when you do jump into some HDR video, we get 1000 nits on the 12.9's
12:36Mini LED screen, with areas peaking up to 1600 nits, and that is a big difference.
12:41If you are watching a lot of movies or doing colour-sensitive work, it does make a big
12:45difference, although being Mini LED as opposed to, say, OLED or AMOLED, we do see some fairly
12:51obvious blooming and haloing, particularly when you've got a high contrast area, say
12:55between a white and a black.
12:57Both Pro models do get that 120Hz refresh rate though, or what Apple calls ProMotion,
13:02which makes scrolling and jumping between apps and browsing the web feel so much smoother
13:06and snappier versus the Air.
13:08And it's even more obvious in games with a 120Hz mode.
13:11It feels like you've really unlocked the M1's potential.
13:15Now obviously I can't actually show you what 120Hz looks like in this 60Hz video that I'm
13:20filming, but if I show you both slowed down to half speed, then you get some idea of the
13:25difference.
13:26And it makes inputs with the pencil feel more immediate and responsive as well.
13:30So if you do plan to use this as a serious drawing tablet, then I think ProMotion is
13:35a must-have.
13:36Like the new Air though, the M1 is just blisteringly fast, it's overkill for most tasks.
13:41But if you are a power user working with 10-bit 4K video or high megapixel images or 3D design,
13:48then it is definitely the one to get, and of course it makes it more future-proof.
13:51But aside from the size and also the screen difference, these are pretty much identical.
13:56We get the same sleek aluminium design like the Air and the Mini, although with slightly
14:00thinner bezels.
14:02We also get insanely good quad speakers, as well as Face ID instead of Touch ID.
14:07Storage also goes up to a whopping 2TB if you've got incredibly deep pockets.
14:12The Pros now also get 8 or 16GB of RAM depending on the storage option you go for, as well
14:17as an even faster USB 4 port that supports Thunderbolt 3, as well as a 5G option.
14:22And also both Pros get a 12MP main camera plus an ultra-wide lens, along with a now
14:28familiar 12MP selfie with centre stage up front.
14:32We do also get a LiDAR sensor on the Pro models, which surprisingly I do use quite a bit, mainly
14:37for measuring things like packages when I'm sending them off or furniture.
14:40It's not essential, but it's kind of nice to have.
14:43But as you would expect, none of this comes cheap.
14:45The 11-inch Pro starts at £749, or £999 if you want the bigger 12.9.
14:52Interestingly though, the iPad Pro 12.9 costs the same as the MacBook Air, although this
14:58obviously doesn't come with a keyboard, you have to pay extra for that, so in that way
15:02it becomes more expensive.
15:04For me, I would probably go with the MacBook Air, although it does come down to your circumstances.
15:08Fundamentally, I still think iPads and tablets generally are a bit more of a luxury than
15:13a necessity like a phone or a laptop.
15:16And also, whether mini-LED and a larger size is worth an extra £250 over the 11 really
15:22comes down to how you use your iPad.
15:24For most of us, I don't think it's essential.
15:27So that is the line-up, but since I have them all here, why not run a few benchmarks and
15:32just see how fast they are?
15:33And to the surprise of absolutely no one, the M1 kind of dominated, particularly in
15:38multi-core and graphics performance, as you can see from my Antutu, Geekbench, and 3D
15:44Mark results.
15:45Actually, in the 3D Mark graphics test, the mini was around 35% faster than the regular
15:50iPad, while the Air averaged twice the FPS versus the base iPad.
15:55Interestingly though, the Air was a little bit less consistent in its low frame stability
15:59score versus the Pro's, it seems to throttle a bit more easily, although I didn't really
16:03see any stutter in my gaming tests.
16:05The thing is though, since most developers optimise their apps and games for the least
16:09powerful iPad on the market, often you're not really fully unlocking the potential of
16:14the M1 and the more powerful chips in these guys.
16:17So really the difference comes down to if the game or the app supports higher graphic
16:21options and also you can max out the 120Hz if it supports high refresh, but also more
16:26importantly I think it's future-proofing.
16:29All these iPads, if you buy them right now, will probably last you at least 3, 4, 5 years,
16:33but with the M1, since it is such an upgrade and also so ubiquitous within Apple's iPads
16:39and Macs now, I think you're going to get a couple extra years of support from it.
16:43The good news though is that battery life is great no matter which iPad you go for and
16:48the difference between them was only a few percentage points at most.
16:51Realistically, in everyday use with a bit of gaming and watching videos and browsing
16:55the web, you are going to get between 9 and 11 hours.
16:59I think it's also worth mentioning that if you own a MacBook Air or Pro laptop or a Mac
17:04Mini with a screen like I've got over there, actually that's the Mac Studio with a studio
17:07display, you can use these iPads as a second screen via sidecar either wirelessly or via
17:13USB-C.
17:14And if you're on the latest macOS, 15.4 or later, we now get Universal Control which
17:19lets your Mac and iPad become a single workspace by allowing you to share the trackpad and
17:24keyboard between devices and even drag apps and transfer files between them via AirDrop.
17:29It genuinely feels like magic.
17:31So that was a lot to take in but let me finish with a few quick takeaway tips.
17:36Number one, think carefully before you pay extra for more storage.
17:39Are you really going to use it because it often does add a lot of money and maybe you
17:43can get away with just transferring things off it or storing in iCloud.
17:47Secondly, I wouldn't really recommend paying the extra for the cellular option whether
17:51it's 4G or 5G unless, I don't know, it's on the business and you don't really care how
17:55much it costs and you think you will use it.
17:58Most of the time I just hotspot from my phone and use the internet that way or, you know,
18:02use Wi-Fi.
18:03Thirdly, most people don't need a Pro.
18:06I would probably recommend one of these for 95% of people.
18:09And lastly, don't forget about refurbs or buying an older version like the iPad Air
18:14Gen 4, the outgoing one you may now be able to find some good deals on.
18:18Official refurbishments are still quite expensive but it's still worth looking around and actually
18:23I saw some Amazon discounts on the 11-inch Pro which actually made it much closer to
18:28the current new iPad Air in price.
18:30So I reckon if I was going to buy an iPad for, say, my parents I would go with something
18:35like this.
18:36I think if it was a recommendation to my friends who are a little bit more techie perhaps and
18:41would use more of the features then I would go between the mini and the new Air.
18:46Really it just depends on what size they prefer.
18:48And then really only if you're a proper enthusiast and you want the best features and maybe money
18:52isn't as much of a problem then I would recommend the Pros.
18:56The 12.9 stands out with that mini LED screen so I like this.
19:00This is what I actually end up using most of the time myself but it is a lot of money
19:04and at that kind of price if you don't have a modern laptop then maybe a MacBook Air or
19:09something would be a better option.
19:11And breathe.
19:12Thank you so much for watching guys.
19:14If you have any questions at all or also any tips then let me know in the comments below.
19:18Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and I'll see you next time right here on The Tech Chat.