Apple just released two new iPads -- here's the one you should buy

There's a little prestidigitation at work in the new-for-2025 iPad, starting with nomenclature: Although it's the 11th generation of this model, Apple is no longer referring to it as such. Instead, it's the "iPad (A16)," the parenthetical referring to the A16 processor that's the brains behind the operation.

Similarly, no more calling this the "iPad 10.9" in reference to its screen size. It still has a 10.9-inch screen, mind you — the same Liquid Retina beauty as before — but Apple is now rounding up and referring to it as an 11-inch.

Indeed, to look at this year's iPad is to see last year's; they're physically identical, including the four color choices — blue, pink, silver and yellow — and they're able to use the impressive Apple Pencil stylus (sold separately, of course).

The two notable changes are internal: The A16 chip (which Apple says delivers "a big jump in performance") and the 128GB of storage in the base model. That's double the amount in the 10th-gen iPad, yet Apple kept the starting price at $349. That's an unexpected and pleasant surprise given the 40% price jump in the recent new entry-level iPhone, the 16e.

So. The new iPad is faster and has twice the storage for the same price. This is a good time to mention that I'm on record calling the previous iPad the top pick for most tablet buyers. It's a ridiculously capable device, more or less on par with an iPhone but with a much larger screen.

Needless to say, that opinion is unchanged. I never found the last model to be slow in any way — quite the opposite — so the processor bump doesn't excite me much. The extra gigabytes, however, represent a big win. That's a lot more space for games, movies, recorded videos and the like.

Of course, you still have the option of adding cellular to the mix, though it adds a hefty $149 to the price of whatever model you choose. (The Wi-Fi-only iPad is $449 with 256GB, $649 with 512GB.) There's also the monthly cost of cellular service, but that's to be expected. Very few competing tablets offer this capability at all. 

There's one fairly surprising thing missing from the iPad (A16), and that's Apple Intelligence. This integrated suite of AI tools can summarize e-mails, improve your writing, generate custom images and more; it also includes an upgraded Siri.

That makes this the only current Apple device with a screen to lack the company's next-gen smarts. That said, some would argue Apple Intelligence — in its current, not-fully-realized form, anyway — is nice to have, but hardly essential.

I'm in that camp. If you agree, then I can easily, wholeheartedly recommend this iPad. It's beautiful to look at, affordably priced and arguably more versatile than any competing tablet. 

(Pro tip: That's true of the previous-generation iPad as well, so keep an eye out for clearance pricing on that model — while remembering that its 64GB of storage may leave you strapped for space sooner than you expect.)