The best tablet hardware anyone makes, attached to the oldest argument in Apple's line-up: what are you actually going to do with it? Buyer's-regret threads about this device are unusually candid.
This entry is written from the 4 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
It depends on how you will use it. 63% would buy it again, which means roughly 37% would not. Owner posts describe realising a cheaper iPad would have done the same job.
The honeymoon ends on purpose rather than on quality. Owners still admire the device while questioning whether the spend matched how they use it.
Owner posts describe realising a cheaper iPad would have done the same job. Ends up used for consumption despite being bought for work. The gap between capability and iPadOS becomes more frustrating with time.
Worth it for: Illustrators and designers who draw for hours; People who genuinely work primarily on an iPad; Heavy annotators and readers who want the best screen. Think twice if: You are buying it hoping to replace a laptop; Your use is mostly video, browsing and email; The total cost with accessories is a stretch.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 7.8 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 9.0 / 10 |
| One month | 8.2 / 10 |
| Six months | 7.4 / 10 |
| One year | 7.1 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 7.1 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
A buyer walking through why the purchase did not match their actual usage.
Prospective-buyer thread where existing owners describe how much they really use theirs.
Directly addresses the mismatch between the hardware's capability and typical use.
First-person account of where iPadOS holds up as a laptop replacement and where it does not.