If you are a student and planning to buy a new iPad, you would want something that has great features and is budget-friendly. You can easily take your notes, read through digital books, make presentations, complete your assignments, and do anything related to your schoolwork. Here are the best iPad for students in 2021 which are quite affordable.
What you will see?
iPad Air 4
With iPad Air 4, you get almost all the features of the iPad Pro, and it comes at a pocket-friendly price. It is only 10.9-inches in size, thus giving you a good screen size, and you can even carry it anywhere. You get a 2360-by-1640 pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (PPI) in the iPad Air 4. So you get quite a good image quality for your educational videos and notes. You get a vibrant image quality with display features like Wide color and True Tone. Moreover, you don’t need to worry about staining your screen with fingerprints with the fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.
The latest design for the iPad Air 4 is quite similar to the iPad Pro, with flat edges and no bezels. Although, it lacks the Face ID feature and has Touch ID. You can even connect it with the 11-inch iPad Pro-Magic Keyboard. The A14 Bionic chip gives the iPad fast processing speed. It supports Apple Pencil 2, uses WiFi 6, and you can choose from different colors. Moreover, the storage ranges from 64GB to 256GB.
- 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display
- Can connect with Magic Keyboard
- Compatible with Apple Pencil 2
- Touch ID
- A14 Bionic chip
- Price is more than the past model
- No Face ID
- Only 64GB or 256GB storage options
iPad Mini 5
If you are someone who can manage with a smaller screen and needs a cheaper option, you can go for the iPad Mini 5. This is the cheapest iPad for students. It has features similar to the iPad Air 3 but doesn’t have the Smart Connector. It has a 7.9-inch Retina display with True Tone. Although you don’t get the Face ID system, you have Touch ID for biometrics and security. The A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine gives you good processing speed. For storage capacity, you get two options, 64GB or 256GB. It is compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil. As you don’t get the Smart Connector, you won’t be able to connect with accessories like Apple’s Smart Keyboard. Although, you can connect it with great Bluetooth keyboards.
- The Screen size of 7.9-inch.
- Features are mostly similar to iPad Air 3.
- Budget-friendly
- Supports 1st-gen Apple Pencil
- Storage size up to 256GB
- Smaller screen size
- Uses Touch ID
- No Smart Connector
iPad 9th-generation (2021)
If you want an iPad that is budget-friendly and has most of the latest iPad features, then the iPad 9th-generation is for you. With the 10.2-inch Retina display, you can comfortably read, make notes, sketch, and complete your assignments. Although it does not support the latest second-generation Apple Pencil still gets the Smart Connector. You can still use the first-generation Apple Pencil and can connect your iPad with Apple’s Smart Keyboard.
Moreover, the bionic chip is one of the most significant compromises you have to make. iPad 9th-generation uses the A12 Bionic chip, which is relatively backward but gives you good processing speed for your schoolwork. Also, the storage space option includes 32GB or 128GB storage capacities. As you don’t get the middle ground storage space of 64GB, you will have to think about the data you store on your iPad and use the cloud storage. As you get the Home button with this model, the iPad will have larger bezels on display. But it doesn’t affect the 10.2-inch size display.
- Budget-friendly
- 10.2-inch display size
- Compatible with 1st-generation Apple Pencil
- It has Smart Connector so you can connect to Smart Keyboard and other accessories.
- Has older A12 chip
- No Face ID and still has bezels
- Storage space only has two options- 32GB or 128GB
iPad Pro 2021
If budget is not your issue, and you want an iPad full packed with the latest features, then you can go for iPad Pro (2021). For the screen size, you get the option of 11-inch and 12.9-inch. So, if you are someone, who wants to carry your iPad everywhere, then the 11-inch size is for you. Whereas, if you want an iPad in place of a laptop, then the 12.9-inch is for you. But before buying any of the sizes, remember that the 11-inch still uses the Liquid Retina display. Whereas the 12.9-inch uses the latest Liquid Retina XDR display, so you get more vibrant image quality in this model.
It does not have bezels so you get plenty of screen space. You get the Face ID for biometrics and security for your iPad Pro. Moreover, it uses the M1 chip, the latest Apple chip. The M1 chip gives you eight cores, four for performance and the other four for energy efficiency. For storage capacity, you can choose from 8GB of RAM with 128/256/512GB. And the other option is 16GB of RAM with 1TB or 2TB storage.
Regarding the rear camera, you get 12MP wide and ultra-wide camera lenses. So you can click good pictures for your school work and presentations. For the front camera, you get a 12MP TrueDepth camera to enjoy good quality for your online lectures. Moreover, the TrueDepth camera has a Center Stage feature, so the camera focus will move with you even if you move. One of the most exciting features is the iPad Pro (2021) supports the second-generation Apple Pencil. Also, with the Smart Connector, you can connect with the Smart Keyboard and Magic Keyboard. Although, note that you don’t get the standard 3.5mm headphone jack with this model.
- Two screen size options- 11 or 12.9-inch.
- Uses Face ID.
- Apple’s M1 chip
- Supports second-generation Apple Pencil
- Storage space up to 2TB
- Expensive
- Only two color options
- No 3.5mm headphone jack
Conclusion- Best iPad for students
If you are tight on budget and don’t want to miss out on the good features of an iPad, you can go for the iPad 8th-generation. We consider it one of the best iPad for students. It has a 10.2-inch Retina display and uses the A12 Bionic chip. The only setback is 32GB and 128GB storage space options, so you will have to rationalize the data you store on your iPad and cloud. Whereas, if a budget does not bind you, you can go for the iPad Pro (2021). It has the latest features, an M1 chip, and good camera quality for your online classes. Moreover, you can choose from a wide range of storage space options. The only setback for this model is, that it lacks the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Which iPad are you planning to buy? Tell us in the comments section below.
