The very best iPad equipment for 2024

Otterbox is an skilled relating to safety, as seen with their telephone circumstances, however its Symmetry Series 360 series reveals that it has design chops, too. Symmetry circumstances look just like the Apple’s Good Cowl, however the clear, scratch-resistant again is sturdy with out including a whole lot of weight to the iPad. Plus, the sting safety is substantial, so that you received’t have to fret about harm from the inevitable, unintentional bumps your pill takes. I additionally like the additional flap Otterbox added that retains the iPad display screen cowl closed and holds the second-generation Apple Pencil to the facet of the iPad Professionals. Symmetry Sequence 360 circumstances can be found for many iPad fashions, and whereas they’re dearer than some no-name iPad case you may discover on Amazon, they’re value it if you need a terrific stability of safety and magnificence.

Talking of cheaper iPad circumstances that refill Amazon’s search outcome pages, some which might be truly worthwhile are from Moko and ProCase. If you happen to like the appear and feel of Apple’s Good Cowl, however don’t wish to drop $50-plus on one, each of those manufacturers have dupes that provide you with that model at a fraction of the price of the first-party choice. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor

Of the plethora of iPad stands I’ve used, Twelve South’s HoverBar Duo is the one which has come closest to excellent. The “duo” within the title refers to the truth that the gadget can both prop your iPad up utilizing an arm hooked up to a weighted base, or the identical arm simply hooked up to a desk or desk utilizing its included clamp. The stand comes totally assembled on the weighted base, however it’s fairly straightforward to modify to the clamp because of the included directions and fundamental instruments within the field. If you happen to spring for the latest model, it’ll be even simpler because of a brand new quick-switch tab that allows you to swap between the weighted base and the clamp attachment with any further instruments.

It wasn’t exhausting to safe my 11-inch iPad Professional within the vice-grip that’s the HoverBar Duo’s pill clip, though it did take some drive to maneuver the arm into the fitting place. That’s in all probability for the perfect as a result of it confirmed how robust the arm is; it stayed in place with out buckling, sliding down or in any other case breaking a sweat. I principally used the HoverBar Duo with the clamp attachment, which allowed me to make use of my iPad Professional as a secondary display screen whereas working. The included clamp ought to match most desks and tables too, as it will probably accommodate floor thickness from 0.4 inch to 1.4 inches.

If you happen to’re prepared to sacrifice flexibility for one thing extra elegant, Elago’s P2 stand for iPad could also be a great match. It’s product of a single piece of aluminum with a ledge to your iPad and some well-placed cutouts that you could snake a charging cable by way of. The ledge can be large sufficient to accommodate most iPad circumstances. It will not be foldable or adjustable, however its minimalist design will make it a pretty addition to your desk. — V.P.

Probably the greatest Bluetooth keyboards I’ve used lately is the Logitech MX Keys Mini. It’s not designed particularly for the iPad, however it works fairly properly with it. It combines a whole lot of the ergonomics and the final feel and look of the MX lineup right into a compact and transportable keyboard. The Keys Mini has a slim profile that’s barely raised as a result of its prime bar, plus snug backlit keys which might be a dream to sort on. The backlight is certainly one of my favourite options as a result of it routinely comes on when it senses your fingers getting near the keyboard. That means it solely stays illuminated while you’re typing, conserving battery life in the long term. Logitech estimates the Keys Mini will last as long as 10 days, relying on backlight use, or as much as 5 months with none backlight use.

Logitech’s $100 MX Keys Mini could also be on the costly facet, however it’s one which could possibly be each your iPad keyboard and your important desk typing gadget. It may connect with as much as three units on the identical time, permitting you to swap between them shortly with only a press of a key, and it has a number of different useful keys too like one which brings up the emoji picker and one other that mutes your microphone (fairly helpful on Zoom calls). However if you need an iPad keyboard that’s much more inexpensive, and even thinner, we nonetheless just like the Logitech Keys to Go, which we’ve advisable prior to now and you may often discover for between $50 and $70. — V.P.

If you happen to actually wish to indulge, Apple’s personal Magic Keyboard is the way in which to go. This costly keyboard case magnetically attaches to the newest iPad Professionals and retains them “floating” above the keyboard and trackpad. We praised the Magic Keyboard for its typing consolation and exact trackpad, however dinged it for its restricted vary of movement. It’s simply the fanciest keyboard case accessible for the iPad and it’s one to think about if cash isn’t any object — or if you need essentially the most trendy iPad keyboard cash should buy. — V.P.

This probably received’t come as a shock, however the Apple Pencil Pro is the perfect stylus you will get for the iPad. All fashions of the Apple Pencil are designed to work particularly with iPads and it reveals of their clean writing efficiency. The most recent stylus has a double-tap function that you could customise to a sure diploma, and pressure-sensitivity lets you add as a lot or as little element as you wish to digital art work. Plus, it nonetheless helps wi-fi charging while you snap it magnetically to the facet of your pill. I extremely advocate shelling out the more money for an Apple Pencil if you happen to’re an artist — you received’t be dissatisfied. — V.P.

There are different choices which might be extra inexpensive than the Apple Pencil, although, like Logitech’s Crayon. It’s simply pretty much as good when it comes to latency and accuracy — drawing in Procreate was a lag-free expertise and my strokes at all times ended up precisely the place I needed them to be – and it’s much more grippy by default because of its oval-shaped design. However as somebody who primarily makes use of an Apple Pencil for digital artwork, I missed strain sensitivity when utilizing the Crayon.

Other than that, the opposite largest annoyance is that it’s a must to use a Lightning or USB-C cable to cost it. (Even the latest mannequin for the iPad Professionals doesn’t magnetically connect to the pill for charging.) Whereas I wouldn’t counsel the Crayon for severe artists, I might advocate it for anybody who’s on a strict price range, particularly digital journal-keepers, dedicated note-takers and the like. — V.P.

We known as Logitech’s MX Anywhere 3S a “nearly ideal travel mouse.” It’s mild at simply 95 grams and the buttons are almost silent so that you received’t bug anybody within the room along with your livid clicking. The improved 8K DPI optical sensor works on nearly any floor — together with, for instance, the upholstered arm of your sofa. Relying on the colour you decide, the MX Anyplace 3S is constituted of between 61 and 78 p.c post-consumer recycled plastic. And the rechargeable battery lasts round 70 days on a cost. This era doesn’t embrace a USB dongle (which wouldn’t work along with your iPad anyway) however we by no means observed any lag in Bluetooth efficiency in our assessments anyway. — Amy Skorheim, Reporter

Working at a pc could be a ache within the neck (actually), so I needed a technique to play with my iPad after work with out having to elevate my head off the sofa. Certain, I may use my arms, however that will get tiring. This Tablift iPad holder appears to be like a bit of humorous, like some mech-spider attacking your chest, however it works precisely as I’d hoped. The adjustable legs are repositionable however fairly sturdy as soon as they’re in place, and three slots maintain your pill at totally different angles, together with a forward-leaning one which’s notably good for mendacity down. It’s a bit of cumbersome, so I curl up the legs and retailer it underneath my sofa. The slots and securing clip carry out finest in case your gadget is bare, although I’ve been in a position to make use of it with a Smart Folio hooked up with little situation. — A.S.

If you happen to plan on pushing your iPad Professional to its limits as a day by day driver, you’ll in all probability want greater than the pill’s single USB-C port. Apple has supplied little steering to which USB-C hubs and adapters work finest with the iPad Professionals — there’s no MFi certification for equipment like this but. Some hubs particularly promote that they work with the latest iPad Professionals, and if you wish to be further protected, I like to recommend shopping for a kind of that comes from a good model.

Satechi’s $100 Aluminum Stand and Hub is a favourite for its foldable design and the way it packs ports and charging capabilities right into a compact iPad accent. The holder itself rotates outward, revealing a hidden, hooked up USB-C cable and a rubber bumper that retains the stand in place in your desk. On the again edge are a 4K HDMI socket, one USB-A port, a headphone jack, each SD and microSD card slots and a 60W USB-C connection for charging.

I appreciated the flexibility of Satechi’s hub. I may simply use it once I wanted to prop my iPad as much as watch a YouTube video, and by simply plugging within the hooked up cable, I may swap to utilizing my iPad as extra of a piece gadget with all the mandatory connectors in place. It’s additionally surprisingly mild at 10 ounces. Mix that with its foldable design and you’ve got a full-featured hub that may simply be stuffed in a bag. — V.P.

Not everybody wants, or desires, to spend $100 on a dock for his or her iPad. (If you happen to’re utilizing it as a laptop computer alternative, it’s definitely worth the funding.) If you happen to’d quite spend much less, or simply need one thing a bit extra light-weight, Anker’s 7-in-1 USB-C hub is an efficient alternative. It has most ports that you would ever need, with the one exception being an Ethernet jack. The slim dongle homes two USB-A ports, two USB-C connections, SD and microSD card slots and a 4K/30Hz HDMI port. We additionally like that it offers as much as 85W of pass-through charging, which implies you possibly can energy up your iPad whereas utilizing Anker’s hub as the principle connector between the pill and its charging cable. Anker makes a few variations of this hub, together with one that does have that coveted Ethernet port, however it’s exhausting to beat $35 for the usual 7-in-1 mannequin. — V.P.

Apple and different tech corporations are more and more leaving wall adapters out of their units’ containers, so it’s value selecting up a pair that may deal with charging a few items of tech as shortly as doable. Anker’s 45W Nano II GaN adapter is an efficient one as a result of it will probably fast-charge iPhones and iPads, plus the gallium nitride technology constructed into it helps forestall overheating. In only a half hour of charging, I obtained a few 33 p.c enhance in battery life on my 11-inch iPad Professional when utilizing this accent. Gallium nitride can be a giant purpose why the 45W adapter is smaller than a whole lot of competing adapters accessible now, together with Apple’s. We additionally like its foldable design, which can permit it to suit higher in cramped areas and in journey luggage. — V.P.

Of all the facility banks we tested, the Nimble Champ Pro was the second quickest to refill an iPad. The quickest general was Mophie’s large Powerstation Professional, however that one is admittedly overkill if you happen to’re simply utilizing it for a pill. The Champ Professional, alternatively, has a slim profile, a useful carrying strap and two USB-C ports. On a fifth-generation iPad Air, it moved the battery gauge from 5 p.c to full in underneath two hours — and it nonetheless had sufficient juice leftover to provide it one other 75 p.c bump. That is the pack I seize once I’m having fun with my iPad on the sofa and don’t wish to rise up to revive its dying battery. — A.S.

Paperlike is the preferred model on this area, with matte display screen protectors for each mannequin of iPad. A set comes with two sheets and consists of information stickers that can assist you get the protector positioned correctly. The 2-pack usually sells for $40 ro $45, relying on the dimensions of your iPad. For one thing a bit of cheaper, Bersem’s screen protectors are a terrific worth at $11 for a pack of two. Not solely does the matte end assist while you’re drawing or taking digital notes, however it additionally reduces display screen glare and doesn’t intervene with FaceID on the latest iPads. — A.S.

Bellemond’s “Kent Paper” overlay has essentially the most satisfying texture of the paper-feel display screen protectors I’ve tried. The blur is minimal and the friction between the stylus and the display screen is good for drawing. I miraculously managed to get the Bellemond affixed with minimal bubbles after watching the video linked with the QR code on the field. Two sheets are available in a pack, so you possibly can revert to a unadorned display screen for some time then return to the paper-feel down the highway. If you happen to’d like a bit of extra assist with correct placement of your display screen protector, you may recognize Zagg’s GlassFusion+ Canvas which comes with a mounting tray for utility. It’s additionally constituted of a polymer designed to soak up and defend your display screen from impression. — A.S.

All paper-feel protectors impart a slight blur, which is why magnetic covers that you could reposition make strong alternate options. They provide texture while you’re drawing or writing, however you possibly can take away them simply while you wish to watch Star Trek with full readability. The PenMat from PenTips makes use of skinny magnets alongside the sides to affix the movie to your display screen and comes with a plastic sleeve to retailer the duvet while you’re not utilizing it. Software and elimination is useless easy, and in addition, there aren’t any bubbles! The maintain is surprisingly safe and the mat has a delightful, velvety texture. I did discover a number of faint squeaks when drawing with the Pencil, which didn’t trouble me however may bug those that are delicate to sounds. — A.S.