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On March 4, 2025, Apple announced the eleventh-generation iPad. The company's latest entry-level iPad is nearly identical to its predecessor, with the most changes hiding inside the device. If you are looking for an affordable tablet, choosing between the iPad 10 (still in stock in many stores and with decent discounts) might not be an easy task. In this Specs Appeal, we compare the last three generations of budget-friendly iPads, so here is everything you need to know.
The iPad 11 is quite a minor spec bump over the previous generation. It is powered by the A16 processor with faster CPU and GPU performance. However, those chips are likely binned as they only have five cores (the A14 in the iPad 10 and the A13 in the iPad 9 have six cores). Despite that, Apple still promises a 30% CPU performance increase over the A14 and a 50% increase over the A13.
Another change over the previous-gen iPad is a little increase in display size. It is now a proper 11-inch tablet, while the iPad 10 has a 10.9-inch display. However, the resolution is the same (so are the physical dimensions of both iPads).
For most users, the iPad 11 is a no-brainer choice, especially if they are buying their first iPad or upgrading from seriously old and unsupported iPads. You get more performance and more storage in the cheapest configuration over the iPad 10. With that in mind, the iPad 10 is also a good pick, but only if you are on a tight budget. You can find the iPad 10 for as little as $279, and in this price bracket, a $70 is a notable difference. The A14 chip is still good for daily iPad usage, so the only reasonable concern here is storage—make sure you are ok with having only 64GB, which might be a bit tough to swallow in 2025.
Also, neither is good for you if you want an iPad with Apple Intelligence (not sure if there are such users, but still). The iPad 11 has the A16 processor, which does not support Apple's AI feature suite. In this regard, you will be much better with a discounted iPad Air M2.
Here are the differences between the iPad 11 (A16, 2025) and the iPad 10 (A14, 2022):
- A slightly bigger display: 11 inches instead of 10.9 inches (still not fully laminated).
- A newer, more powerful processor, albeit with five cores instead of six.
- 128GB in the base model and a new 512GB max configuration.
- 6GB of RAM instead of 4GB.
- Bluetooth 5.3 support.
- Smart HDR 4 for the rear-facing camera
- Cheaper: $349 instead of $449.
And here is a detailed spec-by-spec comparison (changes highlighted in bold):
| iPad 11 | iPad 10 | iPad 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size and weight |
9.79 x 7.07 x 0.28" 248.6 x 179.5 x 7 mm 1.05 lbs 477 grams |
9.8 x 6.8 x 0.29" 250.6 x 174.1 x 7.5 mm 1.07 lbs 487 grams |
|
| Display |
11-inch Liquid Retina All-screen design 2360x1640, 261 ppi 500 nits brightness sRGB, True Tone |
10.9-inch Liquid Retina |
10.2" Retina 2160x1620, 264 ppi 500 nits brightness sRGB, True Tone |
| Processor |
Apple A16 5-core CPU 4-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine |
Apple A14 Bionic 6-core CPU 4-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine |
Apple A13 Bionic |
| Apple Intelligence | Not supported | ||
| Memory | 6GB | 4GB | 3GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 64GB and 256GB | 64GB and 256GB |
| Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 5G (sub-6), Gigabit LTE, 3G, GPS eSIM-only |
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 5G (sub-6), Gigabit LTE, 3G, GPS Nano-SIM, eSIM |
Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2 Gigabit-class LTE, 3G, GPS Nano-SIM, eSIM |
| Front Camera |
Landscape Camera |
Portrait Camera 12MP, f/2.4 aperture Center Stage Retina Flash 1080p video @ 60 fps |
|
| Rear Camera |
12MP, f/1.8 Smart HDR 4 for photos 4K video @ 60 fps 1080p video @ 60/120/240 fps |
12MP, f/1.8 Smart HDR 3 for photos 4K video @ 60 fps 1080p video @ 60/120/240 fps |
8MP, f/2.4 HDR 1080p video @ 30 fps 720p video @ 120 fps |
| Battery |
28.6 Wh Up to 10 hours of video (Wi-Fi) Up to 9 hours of video (cellular) |
32.4 Wh Up to 10 hours of video (Wi-Fi) Up to 9 hours of video (cellular) |
|
| Audio | Two landscape speakers | Two speakers on the bottom side | |
| Security | TouchID in the top power button | TouchID in the Home button | |
| Ports | USB-C, Smart Connector | Lightning, 3.5 mm audio jack, Smart Connector | |
| Apple Pencil |
1st gen Apple Pencil Apple Pencil USB-C Requires USB-C-to-Lightning adapter |
1st gen Apple Pencil | |
| Colors | Silver, Pink, Blue, Yellow | Space Gray, Silver | |
| Launch price | $349 | $449 | $329 |
The new iPad is now available for preorder, with shipments scheduled for March 12, 2025.
Hope you enjoyed this news post.
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