Best Apple Tablets in 2026

The Apple A12 Bionic chip drives smooth performance on a 7.9-inch Retina display with True Tone and 500 nits peak brightness. At just 454g with Apple Pencil support and an anti-reflective, P3 wide color screen, it’s an easily pocketable digital notebook. This tablet suits commuters and students who prioritize one-handed reading and light sketching over heavy multitasking.

A 10-core M4 chip and 10-core GPU handle demanding workflows, complemented by a 2420x1668 OLED 120Hz Ultra Retina XDR display with a nano-texture glass option to cut glare. Its thin 444g build and Thunderbolt/USB 4 port connect fast external displays, while all-day battery life sustains long creative sessions. Best for digital artists using Apple Pencil Pro for precision drawing, video editors working with 4K ProRes footage, and multitaskers using Stage Manager with external monitors.

The M3 chip with a 9-core GPU drives demanding creative tasks, and the 13-inch Liquid Retina display delivers P3 wide color and 600 nits brightness with ultralow reflectivity. Configurable up to 1TB storage and all-day battery life pair with Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard support, making it a versatile canvas for art and note-taking. It’s best suited for students and digital artists who prioritize a bright, color-accurate display and lightweight portability at 617g for sketching, media consumption, and light 4K video editing.

The M5 chip with its 10-core CPU and 16-core Neural Engine drives AI-accelerated tasks on a sharp 11-inch Ultra Retina XDR OLED display, all packed into a mere 444-gram body. iPadOS 26 adds a flexible windowing system and Apple Intelligence for private, on-device assistance, while the optional nano-texture glass cuts glare in challenging light. Best for digital illustrators and mobile designers who require precise Apple Pencil Pro input and color-accurate rendering in a portable form.

The M5 chip with its 10-core CPU and 16GB of RAM accelerates AI and creative workloads, while the 13-inch 120Hz OLED display with optional nano-texture glass cuts glare for accurate color work. This Geek Squad Certified Refurbished unit includes a 90-day warranty, making high-end features like Wi-Fi 7 and Apple Pencil Pro support more affordable. It’s best for digital artists and illustrators who need a precise, glare-free canvas for color-critical projects.