ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Eleventh-generation iPad Eleventh Era usually retails for $349.
- The upgraded iPad has double the bottom storage because the earlier era, extra RAM, and an upgraded processor within the A16 Bionic chip.
- Nevertheless, it nonetheless is not suitable with Apple Intelligence and would not help the Apple Pencil Professional.
extra shopping for selections
It isn’t each day {that a} tech large presents a brand new, improved product for an equal or lesser worth than its earlier mannequin. That is much more true now, with looming tariff hikes inflicting uncertainty within the tech world.
Additionally: 8 reasons why I replaced my Kindle with an iPad Mini for reading ebooks
But Apple did this very factor with the launch of the most recent iPad, which is the Eleventh era of the iPad base mannequin. This iPad replaces the three-year-old Tenth-generation mannequin however has higher options for a $100 decrease record worth (although reductions and offers influence this).
Let me break down the year-over-year spec upgrades first. The newest iPad has double the bottom storage of the earlier era, with choices starting from 128GB as much as 512GB. The brand new era 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 mentioned to be 30% quicker 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 help Wi-Fi 6 for connectivity and peripherals just like the Apple Pencil (1st era and USB-C) and the Magic Keyboard Folio case.
These numbers aren’t unhealthy per se, however it’s secure to say that Apple is not essentially pushing the boundaries in any regard with this yr’s base-level iPad.
Additionally: The best iPads 2025: We’ve tested every iPad on the market – here are the best ones
However, because it seems, conserving issues the identical may very well be the Eleventh-gen iPad’s greatest 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 effectively for phrase processing, picture enhancing, and even video enhancing for social media. I’ve had no points with lagging, connectivity, or crashing on it up to now. You actually must push this factor to get it to interrupt a sweat.
The iPad can be an important leisure pill, ideally suited for enjoying, streaming, messaging, and social media. It is no Tandem OLED show like on the iPad Pro, however the Liquid Retina panel will get simply colourful and sharp sufficient to supply an satisfying 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 may see from the usual Geekbench 6 testing, the brand new iPad is a transparent chief amongst earlier base fashions and even the most recent Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+, which sells for a whole bunch of {dollars} extra at $650. These benchmarking assessments consider day-to-day efficiency, so the upper scores imply you may count on much less lag, quicker multitasking, and a high-end gaming efficiency from the most recent iPad in comparison with an older base mannequin.
This was evident in my testing, because the Eleventh-Gen iPad carried out flawlessly throughout photograph enhancing and gaming.
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The one vital drawbacks of the brand new iPad are that it would not help Apple Intelligence, which requires an A17 Bionic chip or newer, and, unsurprisingly, it would not help the Apple Pencil Professional, which got here out final yr. These incompatibilities aren’t a deal-breaker per se, however they’re notable for these contemplating budgeting all the way down to an ordinary 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 may enhance its worth. The bottom mannequin iPad is already an important pill throughout, no matter whether or not extra succesful choices can be found.
Additionally: The best iPad stylus of 2025: Expert tested
The iPad can be the best tablet for many consumers, with sturdy processing energy and a handsome show. That’s, except the customer is an influence person searching for a pill able to changing a laptop computer.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
On the time of writing, you should purchase an 11th-generation iPad for under $299 (sometimes $349). That alone makes it a better option than the earlier era. Should you’re questioning which base mannequin iPad is most definitely worth the cash, this newest iPad is it. It has upgraded options for a lower cost, and it’s probably all you may want for those who’re searching for an on a regular basis pill.
The frills and options of the quicker, extra highly effective iPad Air or iPad Pro are enticing, however the fact is that they are probably extreme for most individuals. Should you’re searching for a pill to do mild work on the go, edit some quick movies, stream content material, or play video games, the iPad base mannequin will not disappoint.
Suppose you are extra of an influence person and intend to make use of heavier apps like Closing Minimize Professional for iPad, for instance, to edit longer movies. In that case, I would advocate a higher-end mannequin, like these talked about above.
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