As much as we truly and deeply love the Pro and Air models of Apple’s venerable iPad, we totally get the fact that sticker shock coming out of Cupertino is a real thing. That’s why we’ve always had a soft spot in our heart for the “base model” iPad, which performs like anything but a base model now that it’s armed with the A16 chip. This 11-inch workhorse is back under $300 at Amazon right now, which is a real opportunity to score a great tablet at a great price.
The A16 is the same processor that powered the iPhone 15 Pro, which means the performance headroom is well beyond what most tablet tasks demand — browsing, streaming, and note-taking barely get it to break a sweat, while heavier workloads like photo editing, immersive gaming, and multitasking across split-screen apps run without the lag that older iPads started showing. All-day battery life means the iPad goes from morning to night without reaching for a charger, which is the practical requirement for a device that travels between a couch, a desk, and a bag.
You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best
The 11-inch Liquid Retina display has always been the main reason people buy iPads over cheaper Android tablets and don’t look back. Colors are accurate, text is sharp, and True Tone adjusts the white balance to match ambient lighting so the screen stays comfortable whether you’re reading in bed or working near a window. For streaming, it’s a better panel than most TVs people watch from across a room — and you’re holding it two feet from your face, where quality differences are impossible to miss.
The camera setup handles the two things people actually use tablet cameras for. The 12MP front camera with Center Stage tracks your face during video calls and keeps you centered as you move, which matters for anyone using the iPad as a work-from-home screen or for FaceTime with family. The 12MP rear camera with True Tone flash is primarily a document scanner — and a very good one — though it shoots respectable 4K video in a pinch.
Scratching the Surface
iPadOS gives the iPad its software edge: split-screen multitasking, Scribble for handwriting-to-text in any text field with an Apple Pencil, and access to over a million apps designed specifically for the iPad’s screen size. If you want to really max out the A16 iPad’s potential, opt for the sold-separately accessories: The Magic Keyboard Folio adds a detachable keyboard and trackpad for laptop-style productivity, and Apple Pencil USB-C turns it into a drawing and note-taking device. Touch ID in the top button handles unlock and Apple Pay with a fingerprint.
Now that Amazon’s cut $50 from the price to bring it down to $299, the A16 iPad is priced close enough to budget tablets that the comparison stops making sense — nothing at this price has this display, this chip, or this app ecosystem. If a new iPad has been on the list, the $50 discount removes the last reason to wait.