One of the most asked questions on the channel right now is:
Which iPad should I buy?
On one hand… there’s an iPad for everyone.
On the other hand, having too many options can cause confusion.
Apple currently sells 6 iPad models! Different shapes, features, sizes… Same software…
To help you with your decision… I’ve looked at every single iPad and came
up with 7 different profiles and the best recommendation for each of those.
These 7 profiles don’t cover every single profession out there of course, but I’ve
designed them with variety in mind, so you should be able to identify yourself in one of them.
iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Mini
The criteria I used was very simple, and relevant to the iPad specifically, and assumes that you are
settled on getting an iPad. If you are not, then you’re gonna love my next video too.
But I considered Budget, Performance, Portability and Display Features
And finally, this video is before WWDC so I am coming at this based on current iPadOS 17.5.
The first profile we will look at is of course… Graphic Designers and Digital Artists.
I still think by and large, that is demographic that
Apple targets…first…when we talk about the iPad.
And the iPad I am going to recommend here…is the 13 inch iPad Pro. Followed by the 12.9 inch
M2 iPad Pro. And the choice between the two, at the moment… will largely depend on your budget.
It sounds obvious… but I’d find it difficult to recommend the iPad Air for this demographic,
for this profile… because of the importance of the display.
Not just the size, but the colour accuracy and contrast.
Which brings me to the nano texture question. I have finally seen this
in person and… even though it’s not as bad as I thought… It’s anti-reflective alright,
but it’s actually quite smooth as a display so for drawing or writing…
I still think there are better solutions out there that is not gonna cost you an extra $700 dollars.
Not to mention you need to use a special cloth for it…which if
you lose or need a new one… It’s another $19 dollars or $19 quid here in the UK!
I think you will find it better to save on storage… and this nano texture and
instead… get the Pencil Pro and if you want to reduce glare and
improve the feel on the screen, you can get a decent screen protector.
Now… when I was writing the idea for this video, I didn’t plan for the segue to work
this well… But talking about reducing glare on the screen… and using a decent screen protector,
this video is being sponsored by the absolute best one out there, which is Paperlike.
They are extremely popular, for people who take notes and make drawings on the
iPad because of that nice feel of writing or drawing on paper.
Their new Paperlike version 2.1 is now available for the new iPads…
and if you're using your iPad a lot for writing or drawing… it
gives you a nice feel as if you were writing or drawing on actual paper.
The other benefit of this protector… It’s very easy to clean and MASSIVELY
reduces the amount of fingerprint marks on your beautiful new display!
Writing and drawing on the iPad with Paperlike makes my handwriting much
more legible as well, because the Apple Pencil doesn't slip as much anymore.
The cool thing about Paperlike 2.1… is that they made it so… it further
improves that feel of writing on paper… without sacrificing screen clarity.
Paperlike's Nanodots® technology (it’s what they call it) is what makes this protector stand out.
They placed these tiny… Nano dots that cover the surface of the protector… which makes
the Apple Pencil vibrate slightly to mimic the tactile feedback of a pencil on paper.
At the same time, these nano dots are soft enough to prevent damage to the tip of the Apple Pencil.
This technology, which was developed in Switzerland… allows the light from
the display… to shine around AND through the protector… with minimal refraction.
This means.. very little to no glare when using
it. And more importantly… it means you don’t need to go the $2000 dollars spec’d out iPad!
And they are SO confident in this protector… that they offer this 100-day satisfaction guarantee.
That’s amazing!
If for… whatever reason you are not satisfied or mess up the
application twice, they will offer a free replacement… or a refund within 100 days.
You can’t get better customer service than that!
They also sell other accessories like the drawing glove which… even though
I am not an artist, I will be getting one as well.
I am big fan, been using this for a while now and to buy yours,
there is a link in the description of this video…
And if you're watching on TV, just pause the video and scan the QR code here.
And thank you so much Paperlike for sponsoring this video.
In summary for this profile of Digital Artists and Graphic Designers, I think
that higher-resolution display… What do they call it? Liquid…ULTRA Retina XDR…
It does make the iPad Pro ideal for detailed artwork and design.
In my tests, the chip itself only makes marginal difference in using these apps,
so definitely pick an iPad Pro… but the config that suits your budget.
What about students and people who work in the education system?
For this profile I will be recommending the iPad
Air. Followed by the Standard iPad depending on your budget.
I think right now… the iPad Air, has the best balance between performance and price.
The portability aspect.. is not here or there really as these things are so light and thin now.
But even going back to the M1 iPad Air… despite what we content creators might try
really hard to tell you… is powerful enough for doing educational stuff.
Reading, taking notes and studying, and even watching videos and playing some
games… all of that is entirely possible without any hiccups.
From a budget perspective, the question becomes interesting when you ask yourself:
Should I get the latest M2 iPad Air or the previous… M2 iPad Pro?
Personally I’d go for the older model Pro. Because soon you might graduate, or you might
want to try new things like some graphic design or video editing.. and the M2 chip, and the
media engine on the Pro.. even though it’s not the latest… is still going to be better than the Air.
The regular iPad is a good option here too, but from a longevity perspective,
I’d say it would be best to save a bit more,
what is it, another $200-250 dollars… and get the iPad Air with the M-chip, if you can.
What about business professionals and executives.
Now, this is a profile that… outside of YouTube, is where I’d fit in. And
the one I’d recommend myself… is the Galaxy Tab… I mean… 11 inch iPad Pro.
Because the iPad Pro, at 11 inch, whether the M2 or M4… they are both powerful but very portable,
which is great. I am always on a train, and having something a little smaller
to catch up on emails and powerpoint presentations, is exactly what I need.
If I try to multitask a little bit,
I can be typing on one side of the screen and still have enough space for a YouTube video.
If I am working from home, I can hook this up to a screen and have it next to my main monitor.
The only time I would recommend the larger iPad Pro for business professionals.. is when
you are doing a lot of writing. I do think the bigger Magic Keyboard will be better for that.
Not so much the display or performance, but the keyboard will definitely help.
Another profile I thought about, is one that is not very often talked about, which
is Healthcare professionals. And the surprising connection between that and aeroplane pilots!
The iPad has incredible apps for healthcare and the best iPad I
can recommend here is… firstly, the iPad mini! Followed by the 11 inch iPad Air.
But I think the mini is actually the best one here because it’s highly
portable and can be easily carried around in a lab coat or a small bag.
It has a nice Liquid Retina display which is gonna perfect
for quick reference to medical records, imaging, and making consultation notes,
without it being this massive thing between you and your patient.
It’s not the M chip… but guess what? It doesn’t need it!
The A15 Bionic chip will give you enough power for running medical apps smoothly.
You get all the goodies from a software perspective that you get on all iPads…
you can get the Apple Pencil for it… and I am sure you can find some great deals online too,
but directly from Apple at the time of recording is $499.
The connection between Healthcare and Aeroplane pilots? A good friend of the channel who flies…
or used to fly aeroplanes a lot, tells me that the iPad mini… is the best one,
because of that confined space that you are working with,
especially in smaller aeroplanes… yeah it’s the perfect iPad to have it out of the way.
Before I talk about the next profile, just a quick reminder to you know… hit that like button. If you
are enjoying it of course, and if you like my stuff, it would be awesome if you subscribed.
Now about us… content creators, video editors and audio professionals?
Of course, the recommendation here is the larger iPad Pro,
again either the 12.9 M2 or 13 inch M4 iPad Pro.
Because… similar to graphic designers, we will benefit from the large,
high-quality display for video editing, content creation and mastering audio tracks.
But…If I am really honest, I think there are levels here.
And I can’t speak for audio professionals, but when I say video editors, I struggle to believe
that there are high-end video editors out there using the iPad Pro as their main editing rig.
I think for entry level creators, or perhaps not entry level creators,
but for creators producing content that is not too complex, the iPad will of course be good enough.
What I mean by not too complex is something like this video… if I
kept it to two or three layers max of 4K footage and added a bit of music.
But the minute you add a little bit of flourish,
like these plugins you are seeing now… that’s the iPad out of the question.
I do think most content creators will have
the iPad as an additional tool to their setup, rather than the main device.
Sure, the the M4 chip is giving us insane… desktop
level performance for the editing software to work…
And if you want to, you can get 2TB of storage and really do a lot locally… I think once you
get to a certain level of video editing, you’re gonna need a Mac or a PC really.
So whilst I recommend the iPad Pro for this profile,
I think you can be quite clever and save a lot by using external storage and,
unless you are working in direct sunlight… avoid the nano-texture… don’t wanna say scam.
But you know what I mean…It’s a trick to get you to spend more really.
What about Writers and Journalists?
Yes I thought about you too! I recommend the just the standard iPad. Not the Pro,
the Air, the Mini… but the good old iPad.
It’s the most affordable iPad and when it comes to writing…
researching… and some light multi tasking.. It’s really all you need.
If you really want to, you can add the Magic Keyboard FOLIO… Not
quite the same as the Magic Keyboard, but honestly, I’d probably skip that and get a
Logitech keyboard or a full size bluetooth keyboard that you are comfortable with.
If you’r not bothered about watching content in the highest possible quality or editing photos,
videos, etc.. this is will be more than enough.
And last but not least… Engineers and Architects.
I would also recommend the larger iPad Pro here. Whether you go for
the M2 or M4 chip I’d say that it will literally come down to your budget,
because the difference in processing power, when you translate it to those CAD
applications or loading large technical documents… it’s gonna be negligible.
You will definitely appreciate a larger display and of course,
the fact that you can have enough power to run professional-grade apps and maybe
even a bit of multitasking with some project management apps on the display at the same time.
Let me know in the comments which profile suits you best
and if my recommendation made sense for you.
I hope this little system of comparing the iPads gave you a realistic way to compare them,
but please do let me know if I left something out as well… that you feel should have been included.
I am always looking for ways to improve the content for you, so I welcome all feedback.
Don’t forget to subscribe for my comparison
against the Tab S9 Ultra which is already in the works!
And I will see you soon!