Everything most people want from an iPad, for $349 — minus the nice screen.

Apple iPad 11-inch (A16)

Apple

At $349 with 128GB and the A16, it's the right tablet for casual users, students, and kids: fast enough for nearly everything, with iPadOS's apps and years of updates. The dim 60Hz non-laminated screen and no Apple Intelligence are the tradeoffs. Want better? Get the Air.

The plain iPad is the most popular tablet in the world for a simple reason: at $349 with 128GB of storage, it does almost everything people actually use a tablet for. The A16 chip — the same one from the iPhone 15 — is genuinely quick for browsing, streaming, notes, and games, and 6GB of RAM keeps iPadOS smooth. You get the full App Store, years of software updates, Touch ID, and a clean aluminum design in four colors. Apple's cost-cutting shows in two places. The screen is the big one: a 10.9-inch non-laminated 60Hz LCD that's only 500 nits and quite reflective, so it looks dimmer and "further back" than the laminated panels on the Air and Pro, and it can't show HDR. The other is the A16's lack of Apple Intelligence, so Apple's newer AI features simply don't run here. It also works only with the cheaper USB-C Apple Pencil (not the Pencil Pro), and its USB-C port tops out at slow USB 2.0 speeds. For students, kids, and anyone who wants a dependable iPad for everyday use, none of that is disqualifying — it's the best-value way into the ecosystem by a wide margin. If you stare at the screen all day, watch a lot of HDR video, or want Apple Intelligence and the Pencil Pro, the iPad Air is the upgrade that matters.

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Last reviewed Jun 25, 2026

What we like

• ✓$349 with 128GB — the cheapest, best-value way into iPadOS by a wide margin
• ✓A16 chip and 6GB of RAM are quick for browsing, streaming, notes, and games
• ✓Full App Store, Touch ID, four fun colors, and years of iPadOS updates
• ✓Light and easy to hold, and it'll stay useful for many years

Trade-offs

• −The screen is the weak point: dim, reflective, non-laminated 60Hz LCD with no HDR
• −No Apple Intelligence — Apple's newer AI features don't run on the A16
• −Only the basic USB-C Apple Pencil works, not the Pencil Pro or hover
• −Slow USB 2.0 port and Wi-Fi 6 (no 6E), so transfers and accessories lag the Air