I’ve used every ipad size between the mini, ipad air and the massive 12.9in iPad Pro, and honestly, every time I switched to a different size, it changed how I used the ipad, all due to their screens. So I’m going to talk about each one, their differences then I’m gonna discuss which ones I’d go for considering someone’s specific use cases.

Affiliate link to product mentioned in this video:
iPad 9th Gen: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1s4vb/
iPad 10th Gen: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1s4ve/
iPad Air: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1s4vj/
iPad Pro 11in: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1s4vk/
iPad Pro 12.9in: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1s4vl/
Apple Pencil: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1s4vq/
Apple Pencil 2: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1s4vm/
Smart Keyboard: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1s4vp/
Magic Keyboard: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1s4vo/

Affiliate links to YouTube gear I use:
Sony a7siii: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1qb8i/
Sony A7c: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1qb8k/
14in M1 Pro MacBook Pro: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1qb83/
Mac Studio: https://go.magik.ly/ml/1qb8o/

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:54 iPad Mini
3:21 iPad 9, 10, Air and Pro
4:37 Differences Between the 10-11in iPads?
6:14 12.9in iPad Pro
8:20 So, which iPad is Right?
9:46 Conclusion

I’m a huge fan of the iPad mini because it provides 95% of the benefits of owning an ipad but crammed into a compact package. It’s portable enough to be taken with you basically wherever you go and will fit into most backpacks and bags, it makes a great device for mobile gaming since it’s an easy to hold size, content watching is nice on the screen larger than your phone’s. But because it’s so tiny, it also struggles at some things every other iPad is good at. For one, using the Apple Pencil 2 with the iPad mini feels a little cramped with not enough writing space to really be used as a note-taking machine. And lastly, the iPad mini, historically, gets updated the least, out of all the ipad lines, and you pay a premium for that more miniature size, for less than the price of the ipad Mini, you can actually get an ipad 10th gen with a larger display, at a lower price.

Then there are 4 iPads that are all roughly the same screen and body size, the 9th gen Ipad, 10th generation ipad, the iPad Air, and the iPad Pro. I find this to be the most versatile screen size. Enabling you to attach a decent sized keyboard with near full-sized keys, and they have nice sized displays to take notes, write documents and emails, or stream movies and videos, read some comics or manga or even be used as a secondary display for your computer. This iPad size blends together a nice mix of portability and functionality, and is honestly, probably what most people will lean towards because it really is suited for most kinds of uses. Out of all the ipad sizes, this size is my favorite to use while traveling, because it then replaces my laptop for basic usage like web-browsing and emails, and works really well on flights to watch movies, and get some youtube writing in. There’s a reason Apple sells 4 different models in this 10-11in screen size, it’s a great balance. So, since they sell 4 different models though, what’s the difference between them?

The 9th/10th gen iPads are Apple’s budget options. They can only use older apple accessories like the older apple pencil that requires charging with a cable or by plugging it in. And the smart keyboard. While the iPad Air and iPad Pro have access to the latest iPad accessories like the Apple Pencil 2 that attaches magnetically and charges wirelessly, and the magic keyboard which adds a second usb-c port for charging, freeing up the other port to be used for other things like external storage devices, cameras, SD cards, Audio interfaces, external monitors. Lastly, the main differences between the iPad air, and iPad pro, is that the Pro has a high-refresh rate screen, similar to the Pro iphones, and has better speakers, cameras and face ID instead of a fingerprint sensor.

And this leads us perfectly into the last ipad size. 12.9in. This is only available as an iPad Pro and this one has all the features, the best screen, speakers, chip, everything. All with a massive 12.9in display. This iPad looks like it’s excessive, and in many areas it really is. The ipad feels absolutely massive in the hand, and with the magic keyboard attachment, this weighs more than Apple’s MacBook air laptops. The massive screen and high refresh-rate makes it great for digital artists, and watching videos and movies on the big mini-led display is fantastic. It also makes a decent computer replacement for those who might want to use it as their only computer. In sheer specs the 12.9in ipad is the best, but from a usability standpoint, it’s size makes it a bit difficult to be used as a tablet to do tablet things, and really starts pushing into laptop territory. But because of its big screen it’s the best at multi-tasking between multiple apps and as a laptop alternative.