Complete Guideline To Buy iPad In 2021

Planning to buy a new iPad? But don't know which model to get that offers the right set of features for your needs? Then, here is a guideline on selecting the right iPad model. Currently, there are four major variants of the iPad -- the 8th Gen iPad, 5th Gen iPad Mini, 4th Gen iPad Air, and the 5th Gen iPad Pro, which comes in two sizes.

Based on some of the common use cases, we will recommend one of these iPads, which could either be your secondary computing device, a media consumption device, or even a primary computing device in some cases.

8th Gen iPad And iPad Mini For The Budget Conscious

If you are on a budget, then strike out the iPad Air and iPad Pro, as they are fairly expensive, and costs at least Rs. 50,000 in India. This means, you have two options left -- the 8th Gen iPad, which offers a big screen, fast processor, Touch ID, and the goodness of iPadOS.

Even though the 8th Gen iPad is not as powerful as the iPad Air or the iPad Pro, it should get the job done in most use cases. Not just that, the device should offer a good user experience and software updates at least for the next two years, which also makes it future-proof.

If you like the functionality of the 8th Gen iPad, but want something more compact, which is easy to carry around, then you can consider the 5th Gen iPad Mini. The 5th Gen iPad Mini is as powerful as the 8th Gen iPad and it comes in a much compact form-factor, making it an excellent computing device, for those who travel a lot.

The base model of the 8th Gen iPad is available in India for Rs. 29,900, while the smaller 5th Gen iPad Mini is slightly expensive at Rs. 30,900. Do note that the base model of the iPad Mini offers 64GB internal storage, while the 8th Gen iPad offers 32GB internal storage. You also need to shell out a little more to get the cellular versions of these variants.

4th Gen iPad For Most Users

Say if you have a budget of around Rs. 60,000, and want an iPad, which is powerful, future-proof, and looks modern, then the 4th Gen iPad Air is the one to get. The 4th Gen iPad is powered by the A14 Bionic processor, the same chipset that powers the Apple iPhone 12 series of smartphones, making it a powerful and power-efficient tablet.

Besides, the 4th Gen iPad is also the most affordable iPad with a USB Type-C charging port, which makes it easy to connect USB Type-C powered accessories. Just like the iPad Pro, the 4th Gen iPad supports Apple Magic Keyboard, which converts the iPad into a full-fledged laptop, offering a keyboard and mouse inside a folio.

It does have some shortcomings like, the 4th Gen iPad Air does not support Face ID, instead, it has a touch ID, which is embedded into the power button. Unlike the iPad Pro, the 4th Gen iPad has a 60Hz refresh rate, which makes it slightly less premium when compared to the iPad Pro. The new iPad Air does support the 2nd Gen Apple Pencil, which offers higher sensitivity and precision when compared to the original Apple Pencil.

The base model of the iPad Pro with 64GB storage is available in India for Rs. 54,900 and with some bank offers, one should able to get the 4th Gen iPad Air for around Rs. 50,000, which makes it an excellent device, for those, who are looking for a powerful tablet for less than Rs. 50,000.

iPad Pro For The Pros

If your work involves video editing or graphics designing or even coding, then the iPad Pro with the Apple Silicon M1 processor is the model that you should consider. Given the processor of this device, the new iPad Pro is as powerful as the MacBook Pro, and costs almost less than the half of MacBook Pro.

With the new processor, the iPad Pro also offers up to 16GB RAM and 2TB SSD, which means, you can store all the data locally on the iPad without worrying about the internal storage space. Overall, the iPad Pro is a pro-grade tablet in almost every aspect.

There are two models in the iPad Pro, the base model with an 11-inch display and the bigger model with a 12.9-inch screen, which is again a mini LED display, which offers higher levels of brightness and contrast when compared to the regular 11-inch model.

For a creative person, the 12.9-inch model, especially with 16GB RAM is the model to pick. iPadOS is expected to get a lot more features this year, and this additional amount of processing power and memory should make the iPad Pro one of the best tablets in the world.

The 11-inch iPad Pro costs Rs. 79,900, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro costs Rs. 99,900. These models will be available in India by mid-May 2021. Depending on your budget and requirement, you can choose either of these models. You can also get these with some additional discounts during festive seasons, so, keep an eye on that too.