Don’t underestimate the basic iPad. As I learned while testing the iPad 11 for this review, the newly updated tablet with an Apple A16 processor is an almost shockingly good computer when one considers it costs only $349.
I put Apple’s latest low-cost tablet to the test and came away reminded that one doesn’t need an iPad Pro to be productive. Or have fun.
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2025 iPad 11 (A16) review
I’m an iPad Pro user — it’s my primary computer. I’m accustomed to using Apple’s latest M4 processor and a 13-inch screen, so I felt some trepidation stepping back to an 11-inch iPad with an A16. I shouldn’t have worried.
Most of what we do with our computers simply isn’t that demanding. Online shopping, social media and watching videos don’t require cutting-edge technology. As my time testing the iPad 11 for this review shows, its A16 processor is up to the job.
Whether the 11-inch screen is large enough is a personal decision. But it certainly makes the tablet very comfortable to hold and extremely easy to carry around — two areas where it beats a MacBook every time.
Apple's entry-level tablet gets a solid upgrade, with a welcome boost to the base model's storage. It's a great option for watching videos, checking emails, surfing the web and more.
- A16 processor
- Ultra Wide 12MP front camera supports Center Stage
- Storage starts at 128GB
- Does not support Apple Intelligence.
Table of contents: 2025 iPad 11 (A16) review
- 11-inch screen beats the heck out of 9.7 inches
- So very portable
- 2025 iPad 11 offers acceptable performance
- More storage = fewer problems
- Grab an Apple Pencil
- USB-C trounces Lightning
- Touch ID: Better than typing in passwords
- Excellent and meh cameras
- Long battery life
- Consider a keyboard
- Should you upgrade?
- 2025 iPad 11 final thoughts
- Pricing
11-inch screen beats the heck out of 9.7 inches
If you’re considering upgrading to the 2025 iPad from a much older model, the first thing you’ll notice is the much larger display. It’s not exactly edge-to-edge, but it’s much closer to that goal now that the old Home button has been kicked to the curb. The result: an 11-inch screen.
Plenty of people still use a 9.7-inch iPad. The new display is 23% bigger. Yes, almost a quarter larger — and the change is definitely noticeable.
Even if you’re moving from the newer 10.2-inch version, a larger display improves watching videos and playing games. But more screen space benefits everything you do, whether it’s Instagram or email, Temu or FaceTime.
Plus, more area to work in enhances the side-by-side multitasking capabilities that Apple built into iPadOS. You can open two applications next to each other, making it a snap to share information between them. You can even drag and drop text and images across.
To be clear, I can get a lot more done on my 13-inch iPad. That screen is 40% larger, after all. But those tablets cost at least $450 more.
Screen specs
Forgive me for getting technical for a moment, but some people like specs. The screen is 1,640 by 2,360 pixels, which works out to 264 pixels per inch. And the backlight on the LCD hits 500 nits of brightness.
In nontechnical terms, everything on the iPad 11 screen looks very crisp, including text — that’s where the high number of pixels per inch matters. And the colors appear sharp, not the least bit muddy. As I discovered during testing for this review, othing about the look of the iPad 11 display suggests “low-end tablet.”
Especially as this is the first in the budget iPad line to boast a fully laminated display. That means there’s no gap between the glass and the LCD panel.
So very portable
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
One of the iPad 11 advantages that’s easy to overlook is how very portable it is. Even a slim and light MacBook Air seems gargantuan in comparison.
The tablet is a mere 9.8 inches by 7.0 inches by 0.3 inches. That’s smaller than a magazine. Even in a protective case, it’s still easy to carry around — you won’t even notice its 1-pound weight in a backpack.
I spent hours reading ebooks and web pages on the new iPad. It’s definitely comfortable to hold while lying back on a couch.
If you’re using an older iPad, don’t be concerned that the 11-inch screen made the new model bigger or heavier. It didn’t happen. This tablet family continues to hold on to approximately the same dimensions for years and years.
Like its predecessor, the 2025 iPad 11 comes in blue, pink, yellow or silver.
iPad 11 review: Acceptable performance
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
This isn’t Apple’s most powerful tablet. It’s actually the slowest. But that’s a bit like talking about the slowest car in the Formula 1 race — it’s still quite fast.
As previously noted, I use an M4 iPad Pro, which is Apple’s fastest tablet. But after my time with the 2025 iPad, I’m starting to wonder why. The A16 in Apple’s latest is enough to give the iPad snappy performance with the software I run every day — streaming video, listening to podcasts, reading email and accessing the web.
There is a notable exception that cannot be overlooked: the A16 can’t fully take advantage of a second screen. True, you can connect the 2025 iPad to a TV and watch video, or even mirror the tablet screen on a larger one. But you cannot double your work area by opening additional applications on a second display. That requires an iPad Air or iPad Pro with an M-series processor.
iPad 11 review: Benchmarks
I understand general comments on performance are too vague for some readers, so let’s bring on the benchmarks. In the Geekbench 6 CPU test, multi-core performance came in at 5493. That means the iPad 11 is 42% faster than the iPad 9, it’s 96% quicker than the iPad 8, and its performance is 297% better than the iPad 7.
I deliberately skipped over the iPad 10 — there’s little reason to upgrade from that model. But more on that in a bit.
For another perspective, my M4 iPad Pro is 2.5X faster than the iPad 11 … according to Geekbench 6. But that doesn’t carry through into the everyday experience. It’s only important when running applications that strain the processor. What I’m trying to say is, the budget iPad offers decent performance to average users.
Apple Intelligence
The iPad 11 does not support Apple Intelligence, which means it will never be able to make use of Apple’s suite of AI tools that tweak users’ grammar and images or generate cutesy pictures based on user prompts. The hardware just isn’t there. The AI tools require at least an Apple 17 processor and 8GB of RAM, while the new tablet uses an A16 and 6GB.
Currently, Apple Intelligence is … underwhelming. But it potentially could become more useful as Apple rolls out improvements. Unfortunately, users of the 2025 iPad will never get to take advantage of those enhancements.
More storage = fewer problems
The base model 2025 iPad 11 comes with 128GB of storage. That’s twice the starting capacity of the iPad 10. Alternatively, you can configure the iPad 11 with 256GB or 512GB at purchase.
No one ever had too much storage. Especially in a world where image file sizes keep getting bigger and bigger.
Grab an Apple Pencil
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Want to draw on your iPad? Just pick up an Apple Pencil.
For small children, an iPad with a stylus can replace crayons. It’s also a great way to learn to write. For adults, a tablet and stylus like Apple’s can be a first step into becoming a digital artist.
The iPad 11 supports Apple Pencil (USB-C), released in 2024. I tested it with that stylus, and it worked perfectly. While the tablet also supports the original Apple Pencil from 2015, that’s really for the benefit of school systems that long ago bought loads of them. If you’re in the market for a new stylus, get the one from 2024.
USB-C trounces Lightning
Thankfully, Apple stopped hobbling its tablets with the old Lightning port. The 2025 iPad includes a USB-C port instead. At its most basic, this means you can use the same cable to charge a MacBook, iPad and iPhone.
Going above and beyond that, the switch to USB-C opens the iPad to a whole world of accessories. It’s now easy to use flash drives, external SSDs, memory card readers, Ethernet adapters, even many external monitors. Just plug them in.
Touch ID: Better than typing in passwords
When Apple kicked out the old Home button, it didn’t give up on Touch ID. Now you place your finger on the side button of the iPad 11 to scan your fingerprint and unlock the tablet.
It also gives quick and easy access to the password manager bundled with iPadOS. You can stop trying to remember all your myriad passwords — the tablet does it for you.
The iPad Pro models include Face ID, so simply looking at the computer is enough to unlock them. That’s even more convenient, but getting the feature requires spending quite a bit more cash.
Excellent and meh cameras
Video calls are a major use for this type of iPad. And it’s utterly outstanding at them — every bit as good as any of the pricier models. The 12MP front-facing camera is located so calls look best with the tablet in landscape orientation. And it supports Apple’s brilliant Center Stage, so it automatically tries to keep you centered in your video even if you move a bit.
The camera on the back is… also a camera. It’s 12MP and is capable of taking nice-looking images in good lighting conditions, but struggles when conditions are more challenging.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Really, the limitations should not surprise anyone. Rear tablet cameras generally don’t get a lot of use, so there’s no point in putting a fancy one in a low-cost product like this one.
iPad 11 review: Long battery life
Apple says the 2025 iPad goes for 10 hours of typical use — “surfing the web on Wi‐Fi or watching video“ — on a single charge. My testing bears that out.
An ordinary day for me involves using the tablet for about eight hours, which drains the battery roughly 70%. That extra 30% can easily keep the device going another couple of hours, if I ever need it. Clearly, the device can fully satisfy all but the most demanding of users … who should be shopping around for a power bank.
Recharges go quickly. My tests show the computer can take in up to 26W, and the battery level goes up 30% in half an hour of charging. Note that this is in the range from 30% to 80%, while charging slows as the battery level approaches 100%.
Consider a keyboard
An iPad can be all the computer you need for your personal life. Do your shopping, read your email, take part in social media… everything. But if you want to forgo a Mac, you probably need a physical keyboard for the tablet. The iPadOS onscreen one is fine for tapping out short messages, but when the time comes to enter lots of text, you’ll want a keyboard.
You can set the tablet on a desk and connect a Bluetooth or USB keyboard to it. Or get a keyboard case so you can type wherever you go.
Should you upgrade?
To reiterate what our buying guide says, those who own an iPad 10 shouldn’t have their eye on an iPad 11. Apple’s A16 processor in the newer model is about 20% faster than the A14 in the older one, but that’s the only significant change — this is mostly a simple “chip and ship” upgrade.
If your iPad 10 already feels underwhelming, it’s possible you’ve outgrown Apple’s budget tablets. It may be time to upgrade to an iPad Air or even an iPad Pro.
Those with an iPad 9, iPad 8, etc., should seriously think about a new tablet. If nothing else, the battery in your current one is neatly worn out. And wouldn’t it be nice to have a new tablet with more pep?
iPad 11 review: Final thoughts
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Despite its modest specs, there’s a good chance the iPad 11 is all the tablet you need. It easily handles the sort of things we generally need our computers to do, like social media and online shopping. And a tablet is easier to use while lounging on a couch than a notebook will ever be.
Apple speed-boosted the iPad 11 with an A16 processor, making an already good tablet just a bit better. But it didn’t go far enough to let the computer make use of Apple Intelligence, a puzzling failure. Still, this is a brilliant product for the price.
★★★★☆
Pricing
While the iPad 10 launched at $449, the new version starts at $349. If I haven’t said this enough in this review, the iPad 11 is an outstanding value.
Buy it from: Amazon
Apple's entry-level tablet gets a solid upgrade, with a welcome boost to the base model's storage. It's a great option for watching videos, checking emails, surfing the web and more.
- A16 processor
- Ultra Wide 12MP front camera supports Center Stage
- Storage starts at 128GB
- Does not support Apple Intelligence.
Apple did not provide Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
