5 Best iPads for Every College Student
Having a tablet on hand can give students an extra edge. You can easily take this portable gadget from one class to the other. So there is no more excuse to skip taking down notes!
But the best choice will depend on your needs and what you are going to use it for. Whether you are looking for an upgrade or need a more sensible value-for-money iPad, you can find what suits your needs.
Our Top Picks: Best iPads for Every College Student
It’s true that not all iPads are created the same, varying in size, specs, and features. So no matter what you need as a college student, these can help you excel.
iPad Mini (6th gen, 2021)
Battery life: 10 hours
Size: 7.7” x 5.3” x 0.3 “
Weight: 0.7 pounds
OS: iPadOS 15
CPU: A15 Bionic
Storage: 64GB, 256GB
Display: 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488 pixels) Liquid Retina
If you are on the hunt for a very light notepad that you can easily bring from one class to another, this comes in very handy. This is king when it comes to portability. This has a healthy battery life, so it can handle a pretty packed-up campus life, from morning class to a late-night schedule.
For a small unit, this is rather fast, and the screen displays. The screen is one of the best we have seen for an iPad of this size, the color screen has a very good range and the contrast is quite impressive.
It can protect your eyes from glare, should you need to take down notes outside the classroom, it has an anti-reflective coating that renders it eye-friendly in bright environments.
If you are attending online classes, you will also find the webcam quite impressive. The front camera has a centerstage technology that can follow your movement. That can make up for a seamless experience during recording and Zoom meetings and classes.
The downside? This is a pricier option compared to the older model, considering that it has some limitations such as a multi-user option in iPad iOS.
iPad Air (5th gen, 2022)
Battery life: 10 hours
Size: 9.75” x 7.03” x 0.24 “
Weight: 1.02 pounds
OS: iPad 18.1
CPU: Octa-core
Storage:64GB or 256GBCamera
Display: 810.9-inch 2360 x 1640 Liquid Retina
Whether you’re a fashionista or looking for a seeker and simmer design, this can satisfy your needs and fancies. It has a balanced combination of form and function.
The newer mode has upgraded specs but still retains that thick bezel that makes it easier to hold and grasp the iPad.
The screen is quite impressive, the color accuracy is rather very good, and you can see the nice contrast in the images.
This is more of an in-between choice, if you don’t need the prowess of an iPad Pro but need a better-performing unit than the iPad 9th gen, this suits you best. This is a perfect universal choice for enjoyable streaming videos for reaction papers, playing games during break, and jotting down notes. It can become a favorite choice for emailing, videos, and light browsing. With the longer and dependable battery life, you can use this for your morning classes to late-night schedules. This is more of a jack of all trades that you can use for a variety of purposes.
The downside is that the storage can seem lacking for larger-size images and 4k videos.
iPad (9th gen)
Battery life: 10 hours
Size: 9.8” x 6.8” x .29”
Weight: 1.08 pounds
OS: iPad 18.1
CPU: A13 Bionic
Storage:64GB or 256GB
Display: 10.2-inch with True Tone
This is a value-for-money iPad that can be more popular among working students. It can easily fit into your budget but won’t sacrifice performance. At less than 400 dollars, this iPad functions rather decently, you can enjoy almost the same features as the more expensive models, well almost.
It isn’t fancy looking nor does it have a sleeker and slimmer body but this can suffice universal needs without the need to spend more than what you can.
It comes with imitations of course words. From the thicker bezels, lack of USB C, and a big old circular button that gives away its price. With the older design, it is only compatible with a first-generation iPad pencil.
Despite that, this can still be perfect for light browsing, emailing, writing, and jotting down notes. It also has centerstage support that can make video calls and Zoom classes more seamless.
iPad Pro M4 2024
Battery life: estimated 10 hours
Size: 11.09” x 8.48” x 0.20”
Weight: 1.28 pounds
OS: Apple M4
CPU: 9-core 4.4 GHz
Storage:256GB to 2TB
Display: 11″ or 13″ Ultra Retina XDR
If you’re a design student, this immersive and powerful iPad will help you excel in your major. Excellent storage space, speedy response, and 10 graphic cores make this a workhorse. This can keep up with more demanding tasks and assignments.
With the stunning OLED display and color accuracy, you can see images as keen and precise as the printed output. This matches what you see on the screen versus the real thing. This is quite crucial if you are in the design industry, this will help you deliver what it is the client’s requests and orders.
Design-wise, it radiates precision. It is slim and sleek, almost too fragile looking that it can bend, but we didn’t have such a bad experience or anything similar to it.
Though the battery performance is not as staggering as we hoped it would be, it wasn’t such a nuisance since that is warranted to keep the seek and slim design. Just don’t forget to bring your charger, be on the lookout for charging ports or power outlets, or just bring your power bank.
iPad 10th gen 2022
Battery life: 10 hours
Size: 9.79” x 7.07” x .28”
Weight: 1.05 pounds
OS: iPad 18.1
CPU: A14 Bionic chip with 16-core Neural Engine
Storage:64GB or 256GB
Display: 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone
This iPad can be another universal favorite with a more generic and simple design. The newer model has improvements and upgrades, though not a fancy bit, this can suffice most needs of college students. And the recent price drop makes it a more value-for-money choice for most.
It can help you fulfill simple daily medicare assignments and note-taking. You can also stream videos and watch YouTube tutorials. For the affordable price, it offers lots of features
design-wise, it’s not too old fashioned and it got rid of the thick bezels and instead sports a more upgraded design. It even comes in a variety of colors and a seeker body. So you can still be on a budget without the iPad’s look giving it away.
What we Considered in Making this list
Portable and easy to carry around, iPads can add convenience. These can take the place of heavier laptops. So there isn’t any more excuse to refrain from taking notes.
There are different types of iPads and there are a handful that can best serve the needs of college students, no matter what they are majoring at.
Size of the iPad and your purpose
Since we are talking about portability, the dimensions are critical. The usual range of ideal units is from 8 to 13 inches. The smaller ones, referred to as minis are best bets when you have several classes in a day and need to move in an instant, You can easily slip this in your bag and not mind how heavy or light it gets. But the smart body does have limitations. For instance, if you draft documents, you will need a bigger space. So smaller is not always necessarily better. If your tasks warrant a bigger space, you will need something that measures between 10 to 11 inches, or even a 13” iPad. So you have to be certain in what specific tasks you will use the iPad mostly for.
For instance, design students may need one with a blogger screen. Luckily we have chosen units that can suffice both function and portability.
Price vs the specs you need
The Pro is one of the more expensive units. More expensive iPads are often packed with more prowess and features and tend to be speedier and more fluid. But due to its heftier price, these are best for those who need more graphical abilities, such as design students. However, you are always welcome to get the expensive models regardless if you just need something for jotting down notes.
You as have to keep in mind the amount of storage the iPad has. For basic tasks such as light browsing, streaming videos, and taking down notes, you don’t need as much, a 64 g storage might suffice. But for more demanding tasks, you need one that has 512GB or more of storage space.
That said, you can still find a suitable iPad that might not be as powerful as a Pro but may still offer a bit more than just the mediocre one.
Modern conveniences should not always ruin your budget
These nifty gadgets can be conveniences, and timesavers and can even be your lifeline as a student. It can help you keep up with notes, and be more precise with your tasks and assignments. Buying a more expensive unit is not always the best route or the only way. These can be added expenses on top of your school fees and living allowances. So we made a list that can help you get the most efficient iPad that can meet your needs in school without the needless expense.
