The iPad 11 is the best budget-friendly tablet you can buy, but there are two big drawbacks

Sometimes, the best device for your money is actually the cheapest one.

The iPad 11 is the perfect example. It's Apple's least expensive iPad, but I'd argue it's also the best value for your money. It has some disadvantages compared to the more premium iPads, like a less powerful processor and less premium accessories. However, those are small compromises for the average user, so much so that you probably wouldn't notice the difference in everyday tasks.

I used the iPad 11 for work, gaming, reading, and streaming on Netflix for two weeks and was surprised by how solid it felt, considering it seems like a minimal upgrade over the iPad 10 on paper.

Don't judge this tablet by its chassis — the hardware inside got a noticeable upgrade that makes the iPad 11 one of the best tablets you can buy and a steal for budget users.

iPad 11: Specs (as reviewed)

iPad 11: Price and configurations

The iPad 11 is available in a few configurations, including Wi-Fi-only models starting at $349 and Cellular models starting at $499. You can choose from four colors, including blue, yellow, pink, and silver. Each model is also available in three storage configurations: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.

This is Apple’s base iPad, so it’s designed to be the most affordable in the lineup. The 11th-generation model features the same price and design as the iPad 10th-generation, but there are a few improvements in terms of what you’re getting for your money.

Most notably, Apple increased the base storage in the iPad from 64GB to 128GB, which is a major upgrade. You’re now getting double the base storage for the same starting price of $349. The iPad 11 also sports a much newer A16 chip, which (as I’ll dig into below) significantly improves over the A14 Bionic chip in the 10th-gen iPad.

Our review unit is the silver Wi-Fi-only iPad 11 with 128GB of storage.

iPad 11: Design

Apple must have been living by the old adage of “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” when designing the iPad 11. It sports effectively the same design as the 10th-gen model. Outside of their cases, I couldn’t tell the iPad 11 apart from my iPad 10.

That’s not to say this design is bad; it’s just nothing new. The display is a hair larger at 11 inches rather than 10.9, but the difference is indistinguishable. The chassis even measures exactly as the previous model. With that said, you really can't go wrong with this design. It's clean, straightforward, and reasonably thin, and lightweight for the price. If you get the iPad 11 in silver, it could even be mistaken for an iPad Air. Of course, the more colorful chassis options are fun, too (although a bit harder to match with a case).

In terms of screen size and dimensions, the iPad 11 sits in the middle of the iPad line-up, measuring 9.79 x 7.07 x 0.28 inches and weighing in at 1.05 pounds, putting it on par with the 11-inch iPad Air:

• iPad Mini 7 (8.3-inch display): 7.69 x 5.3 x 0.25 inches, 0.65 pounds
• iPad Air M3 (11-inch display): 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches, 1.01 pounds
• iPad Pro M4 (13-inch): 11.09 x 8.48 x 0.20 inches, 1.28 pounds

iPad 11: Battery life

Battery life is one of the iPad 11’s biggest strengths. It lasted 11 hours and 25 minutes in our testing, about half an hour longer than the iPad 10, a full hour longer than the iPad Mini 7, and nearly 2 hours longer than the iPad Air M3.

This means the iPad 11 delivers the longest battery life in the iPad lineup, second only to the iPad Pro M4. So, if battery life is your top concern, the iPad 11 delivers great value for your money.

It’s worth noting, though, that using the Magic Keyboard Folio with the iPad 11 drains battery life faster. I could still go a full day working on the iPad 11 with the Magic Keyboard without charging, but I always needed to recharge at the end of the day.

iPad 11: Display

The iPad 11 sports an 11-inch, 2360 x 1640, 60Hz Liquid Retina display that’s virtually identical to the display on the 10th-gen iPad. While the specs are the same, the iPad 11’s display offers a slight improvement in color quality and brightness.

Side-by-side with my iPad 10, I could hardly tell the difference, but the iPad 11’s display is slightly more vivid, with colors that are a tad brighter and richer.

Regardless of the quality improvement over the previous model, the iPad 11's display offers a solid all-around viewing experience for games, videos, and text. I noticed good contrast, smooth animations, and vibrant colors in everything from episodes of Supernatural to games like Hades and Katana ZERO.

In our testing, the iPad 11 featured slightly higher color gamut and display brightness scores than the iPad 10. While its display wasn’t as vivid as the iPad Mini 7 or iPad Air M3, the iPad 11 surprisingly sports a brighter display than its more premium siblings.

iPad 11: Magic Keyboard Folio and Apple Pencil

The iPad 11 is compatible with all the same accessories as the iPad 10, including the Magic Keyboard Folio and the Apple Pencil USB-C. The downside is that the iPad 11 isn’t compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro. Frustratingly, it’s somehow still compatible with the antiquated Apple Pencil 1st Generation, though (which Apple doesn’t even sell anymore; besides that, you’d need an adapter just to connect it to the iPad 11).

While budget-conscious users are likely to need only the basic Apple Pencil USB-C, it’s still a bit frustrating that Pencil compatibility is not consistent across the entire iPad lineup. Even the iPad Mini 7 is compatible with the Pencil Pro.

With that said, I’ve been using the Apple Pencil USB-C for a couple of years and have been perfectly happy with it. It works great with the iPad 11, and it’s the ideal Pencil for anyone who wants to use their iPad to take notes or do a bit of casual doodling. Unless you mainly use your iPad for art, you probably don’t need the Pencil Pro.

The Magic Keyboard Folio is a surprisingly good accessory, as well. I generally don’t like kickstand keyboards like this one. I expected it to be a mushy, disappointing typing experience, but it’s much more solid than you’d think, delivering snappy, responsive keystrokes and seamless connectivity with the iPad.

Even mouse navigation with the built-in trackpad was much smoother than I expected. Plus, the Magic Keyboard Folio even has function keys. The only missing thing is keyboard shortcuts, which don't work in iPadOS.

I love this keyboard as an accessory, but I wish it was lighter and had a proper hinge or magnetic attachment inside to keep it shut when you have your iPad and keyboard closed. As it is, nothing is holding the keyboard shut when you fold your iPad down on it, so the whole thing will flop open if you pick it up by one half or the other.

iPad 11: Audio

The iPad 11 features landscape stereo speakers, two to each side, that offer a punchy, immersive audio experience. I normally use my iPad with my favorite pair of wireless earbuds, but if you prefer to use the speakers, they are plenty good enough for casual listening, for videos and games.

I used the speakers while watching an episode of Supernatural on Netflix and playing some Hades and found the audio clear and well-balanced. The energetic soundtrack in Hades had a good mix of bass and mids without drowning out dialogue or sound effects.

iPad 11: Performance

The iPad 11 is powered by Apple’s A16 chip, which was previously in the iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 Pro. Interestingly, this is not the same A16 chip, though.

The A16 found in the iPhone featured a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, while the version in the iPad 11 sports a 5-core CPU and a 4-core GPU. For some reason, Apple gave the iPad 11 a less powerful version of an already outdated chip.

It’s also important to note that the A16 chip is not compatible with Apple Intelligence, which requires at least the A17 Pro or M1 chip. The iPad 11 is the only iPad that isn’t compatible with Apple Intelligence.

Despite those drawbacks, the iPad 11 had no trouble keeping up with my everyday tasks on it, including word processing in the Google Docs app, web browsing, streaming content on Netflix, and some casual gaming. Web pages and apps loaded quickly, and multi-tasking was fluid all around.

The iPad 11 performed noticeably faster than my iPad 10, as well, which showed in our test results, where it significantly outscored its predecessor across the board. There’s still an expected performance gap between the iPad 11 and the Mini 7 and Air M3, but it’s still a solid improvement if you’re upgrading from an older iPad on a budget.

iPad 11: Gaming and graphics

iPads have always been my favorite devices for mobile gaming, especially the iPad Mini 7. While the iPad 11 isn't quite as powerful as the Mini, it's no slouch either, delivering a smooth and enjoyable casual gaming experience that's a step up from the iPad 10.

I immediately noticed the improved graphics performance on the iPad 11 while playing Hades. While this game runs well overall on the iPad 10, I've noticed a bit of lagging now and then, particularly when rooms get crowded with enemies.

I didn't experience any lag or freezing at all on the iPad 11, though. Movement, load times, and combat were all perfectly smooth and responsive. The iPad 11 also stayed fairly cool during my gaming sessions (usually about 30 to 60 minutes).

The iPad can be a fun mobile gaming device that's especially handy if you travel, want a larger screen for mobile games, or are looking for something for your kids to game on. It's definitely best with a Bluetooth controller, though. I used a regular Xbox controller with my iPad without any issues.

The iPad 11 might not be the greatest iPad for gaming (I'd argue that title goes to the iPad Mini 7 thanks to its compatibility with the Razer Kishi Ultra), but it can keep up just fine with the vast majority of mobile games. If you want to play the rare AAA titles available on iPadOS, like Resident Evil 4 or Assassin's Creed Mirage, you should opt for an M-series iPad like the iPad Air M3 instead.

iPad 11: Cameras

The iPad 11 sports a 12MP wide main camera that supports 4K video up to 60 fps along with a 12MP landscape front-facing camera with Center Stage.

Most people are not buying an iPad for the camera, but there are situations where you might need it, like joining video calls or taking a photo of a document to mark up with the Apple Pencil. The cameras on the iPad 11 are perfectly fine for those uses, but the quality is nothing to write home about.

One key change from older iPads is the placement of the front-facing camera along the right edge of the iPad 11 rather than the vertical top edge. The iPad 10 had this orientation, too, and it’s much more convenient for FaceTime and other video calls than the portrait-oriented front-facing camera on older iPads.

iPad 11: iPadOS 18

Like all iPads, the iPad 11 comes with some standard apps pre-installed, such as Safari, Notes, and Maps. It includes Apple's standard limited one-year warranty, which you can extend with AppleCare+ for an additional $3.49 per month or $34.99 per year, giving you access to $29 repairs for screen damage or $99 for other accidental damage.

At the time of writing, the iPad 11 ships with iPadOS 18, which includes home screen and lock screen customization, a streamlined control center, and improvements to several default apps like Notes and Calculator.

For instance, the Notes app now has a handy Smart Script feature that can clean up your messy handwriting or even correct your spelling in handwritten text. The Calculator app also has a full scientific calculator now, which is a super helpful upgrade if you use your iPad as a work or school device.

While these features are nice updates, there is one new iPadOS feature you won't find on the iPad 11: Apple Intelligence. The iPad 11 does not have a powerful enough processor to run Apple's new AI platform. In fact, it's the only iPad in the current iPad line-up that doesn't have Apple Intelligence.

Bottom line

Despite a couple of drawbacks, the 11th-generation base iPad is still the best iPad for most people, thanks to a reasonable starting price with significantly more base storage, a newer processor, solid battery life, and decent performance for the price. While the iPad 11 might look identical to the iPad 10, it boasts some significant improvements in performance and battery life that make it a worthy upgrade and a great all-around budget pick.

The Magic Keyboard Folio and Apple Pencil USB-C aren't perfect accessories, but they're better than you might expect and make a well-rounded package for students or anyone on a budget. However, it would be nice if Apple had made the iPad 11 compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro (and finally quit advertising the discontinued Apple Pencil 1st Generation). It's high time for Apple Pencil compatibility to get standardized across the iPad lineup.

The only other notable drawback to the iPad 11 is the lack of support for Apple Intelligence, Apple's suite of AI features (which, at the time of writing, are still rolling out). The iPad 11 is the only iPad that can't run Apple Intelligence, which may be a letdown for some users. If that's a deal breaker for you, you would be better served with the iPad Mini 7 or the iPad Air M3.

However, those drawbacks aside, the iPad 11 is the ideal tablet for most people, balancing the basic features the average user needs with a reasonable price and decent accessories. Unless you absolutely need the top-tier performance from an M-series chip, the iPad 11 is the best budget-friendly tablet you can buy.