Apple iPads

Choosing an iPad starts with what you will do on it. For streaming, schoolwork and a first tablet, iPad with the A16 chip does it at the entry point. If you draw, edit photos or want a laptop replacement, iPad Air with M4 in 11 or 13-inch is the one to buy. When your work is video, 3D or professional illustration, iPad Pro with M5 adds the Ultra Retina XDR display and Thunderbolt. Need it to fit one hand or a coat pocket? iPad mini is the small one, the A17 Pro model now and the new 8.5-inch OLED iPad mini with A20 Pro coming soon.

Which iPad to buy

Four iPad lines cover four kinds of use, and the fastest way to choose is to name the heaviest thing you will do. For streaming, browsing, schoolwork, video calls and a first tablet, iPad with the A16 chip does it all at the entry point, with Apple Pencil support for notes. For drawing, photo editing and a laptop replacement with the Magic Keyboard, iPad Air with M4 is the one most people should buy, in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. For professional illustration, video and 3D, iPad Pro with M5 adds the Ultra Retina XDR display and Thunderbolt. For a tablet that fits one hand or a coat pocket, iPad mini with A17 Pro is the 8.3-inch option available now, and the new iPad mini with A20 Pro, with an 8.5-inch OLED display, is coming soon.

Air or Pro

iPad Air and iPad Pro both run M-series chips, both work with Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard, and both come in 11 and 13-inch sizes, so most buyers are choosing between them. The Pro is the right buy when the display is the work. Its Ultra Retina XDR panel is brighter with far deeper blacks for colour grading and HDR, it is thinner and lighter, and its Thunderbolt port connects fast storage and external displays. The Air is the right buy for everything else, including serious drawing and editing, at a lower outlay and with the same accessories.

Size, storage and cellular

Pick 11-inch if the iPad travels with you daily, and 13-inch if it mostly works at a desk or doubles as a drawing canvas. Storage starts at 128GB on iPad Air and iPad Pro, enough when your library lives in iCloud, and runs to 1TB and 2TB for video and large illustration files kept on the device. Cellular models add a connection away from Wi-Fi, which matters for fieldwork, travel and students who study away from home.

Accessories and deals

Apple Pencil Pro suits iPad Pro, iPad Air and iPad mini, Apple Pencil USB-C suits iPad and is the simpler option on iPad mini, and the Magic Keyboard turns iPad Air or iPad Pro into a laptop-style setup. All of them are on the Apple accessories page. iPad models carrying a Red Hot Deal are on the Apple iPad deals page. Every iPad is available online and in store at JB Hi-Fi.

^Discounts apply to previous ticketed / advertised price prior to the discount offer. As we negotiate, products will likely have been sold below ticketed / advertised price prior to the discount offer. Prices may differ at airport stores.