iPad 11 vs. iPad 10: Should you upgrade?

Amid the attention garnered by the M4 MacBook Air and the M3 iPad Air announcements, the base iPad update announcement largely went unnoticed. Sure, the upgrades to the new 11th-generation base iPad aren’t significant, but the ones it received are consequential, as the last refresh the lineup received was back in 2022.

But what’s really changed on the 11th-gen iPad? And do these changes warrant upgrading from the 10th-gen iPad? Let’s find out.

iPad 11 vs. iPad 10: Specs comparison

Not much has changed on the iPad 11 compared to the iPad 10. The specs comparison table below should give you a better idea.

iPad 11 vs. iPad 10: Key differences

With the specs out of the way, let’s take a look at all the areas where the iPad 11 and iPad 10 differ.

Processor

The most significant upgrade the new iPad received is the chipset. It is now powered by an A16 processor with one less CPU and GPU core than the A16 powering the iPhone 14 Pro series and the iPhone 15. In comparison, the 10th-gen iPad used an A14 Bionic processor. This new chipset brings in a significant boost in performance and also enables the iPad for more software updates.

If you are worried about how this two-year-old chipset would perform, let me tell you it is good enough for a base iPad. I have the similar chip running on my iPhone 14 Pro, and it does everything I throw at it without any hiccups; even heavy games like PUBG mobile run smoothly. You can expect similar performance on the 11th-gen iPad. And with the larger surface area of the iPad enabling better heat dissipation, the A16 might even provide a better sustained performance.

Storage

Following the trend of increasing base storage, Apple bumped up the base storage of the new iPad to 128GB from 64 GB. It also added a 512GB variant, which wasn’t available in the previous model. The new base storage is a welcome change, as storage upgrades cost a lot on Apple products.

Bluetooth connectivity

With the upgraded chipset, the connectivity features also got a minor boost. The all-new iPad 11 supports Bluetooth 5.3 compared to Bluetooth 5.2 on the iPad 10. While you may not notice a performance difference in regular usage, the newer version should give you a better range when you connect the iPad to Bluetooth accessories like earphones, a mouse, or a keyboard.

Pricing

In another surprising move, Apple dropped the price of the new iPad, now starting at $349 for the base variant, which is $100 less than the launch price of the iPad 10th Gen. This is another welcome change for consumers, especially for student buyers, providing fantastic value for the price.

Who should upgrade to the iPad 11?

Those were some of the key upgrades in the new iPad 11th gen. The rest of the specs are exactly the same as the older model. You still get the same USB-C port, display, and cameras, and it even supports the same accessories.

If you own an iPad 10th-gen, it is not worth upgrading to iPad 11. You might probably won’t even notice anything different on the new version. However, you can consider upgrading if you use a 9th-gen or older iPad. In this case, you will get a USB-C port, a Center Stage supported front camera, and a much faster processor, all packaged in a refreshing new design.

Verdict

The iPad 11 is a great entry-level iPad. Anyone looking for an entertainment device, a gadget for the kids, school, or even for elders at home, can consider it. The bumped-up storage and reduced price also make it very easy to recommend. For this, I would say, “Well done, Apple!”

If you are confused about which iPad to get, our iPad buying guide can help you.

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