The most effective iPad equipment for 2024

Otterbox is an expert when it comes to protection, as seen with their phone cases, but its Symmetry Series 360 series shows that it has design chops, too. Symmetry cases look similar to the Apple’s Smart Cover, but the clear, scratch-resistant back is sturdy without adding a lot of weight to the iPad. Plus, the edge protection is substantial, so you won’t have to worry about damage from the inevitable, accidental bumps your tablet takes. I also like the extra flap Otterbox added that keeps the iPad screen cover closed and holds the second-generation Apple Pencil to the side of the iPad Pros. Symmetry Series 360 cases are available for most iPad models, and while they’re more expensive than some no-name iPad case you might find on Amazon, they’re worth it if you want a great balance of protection and style.

Speaking of cheaper iPad cases that fill up Amazon’s search result pages, some that are actually worthwhile are from Moko and ProCase. If you like the look and feel of Apple’s Smart Cover, but don’t want to drop $50-plus on one, both of these brands have dupes that give you that style at a fraction of the cost of the first-party option. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor

Of the plethora of iPad stands I’ve used, Twelve South’s HoverBar Duo is the one that has come closest to perfect. The “duo” within the identify refers to the truth that the gadget can both prop your iPad up utilizing an arm connected to a weighted base, or the identical arm simply connected to a desk or desk utilizing its included clamp. The stand comes totally assembled on the weighted base, but it surely’s fairly straightforward to change to the clamp due to the included directions and fundamental instruments within the field. If you happen to spring for the newest mannequin, it’ll be even simpler due to a brand new quick-switch tab that permits you to swap between the weighted base and the clamp attachment with any additional 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 pressure to maneuver the arm into the precise place. That’s most likely for the very best as a result of it confirmed how sturdy the arm is; it stayed in place with out buckling, sliding down or in any other case breaking a sweat. I largely 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 could possibly 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 fabricated from a single piece of aluminum with a ledge to your iPad and some well-placed cutouts you could snake a charging cable via. The ledge can also be large sufficient to accommodate most iPad circumstances. It might not be foldable or adjustable, however its minimalist design will make it a lovely addition to your desk. — V.P.

Top-of-the-line Bluetooth keyboards I’ve used just lately is the Logitech MX Keys Mini. It’s not designed particularly for the iPad, but it surely works fairly effectively with it. It combines a number of the ergonomics and the overall 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 resulting from its high bar, plus snug backlit keys which can be a dream to kind on. The backlight is considered one of my favourite options as a result of it mechanically comes on when it senses your fingers getting near the keyboard. That method it solely stays illuminated if 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 aspect, but it surely’s one which may very well be each your iPad keyboard and your essential desk typing system. It could actually connect with as much as three units on the identical time, permitting you to swap between them rapidly with only a press of a key, and it has just a few 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’d like 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 most recent iPad Execs 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 out there for the iPad and it’s one to think about if cash isn’t any object — or if you’d like essentially the most trendy iPad keyboard cash should purchase. — V.P.

This doubtless received’t come as a shock, however the Apple Pencil Professional is the very best 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 easy writing efficiency. The most recent stylus has a double-tap characteristic you could customise to a sure diploma, and pressure-sensitivity permits you to add as a lot or as little element as you wish to digital art work. Plus, it nonetheless helps wi-fi charging if you snap it magnetically to the aspect of your pill. I extremely advocate shelling out the more money for an Apple Pencil for those who’re an artist — you received’t be dissatisfied. — V.P.

There are different choices which can be extra inexpensive than the Apple Pencil, although, like Logitech’s Crayon. It’s simply pretty much as good by way of 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 due to its oval-shaped design. However as somebody who primarily makes use of an Apple Pencil for digital artwork, I missed stress sensitivity when utilizing the Crayon.

Except for that, the opposite greatest annoyance is that it’s important to use a Lightning or USB-C cable to cost it. (Even the most recent mannequin for the iPad Execs doesn’t magnetically connect to the pill for charging.) Whereas I wouldn’t counsel the Crayon for severe artists, I’d advocate it for anybody who’s on a strict finances, particularly digital journal-keepers, dedicated note-takers and the like. — V.P.

We referred to as Logitech’s MX Wherever 3S a “nearly ideal travel mouse.” It’s mild at simply 95 grams and the buttons are practically silent so that you received’t bug anybody within the room together 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 choose, the MX Wherever 3S is produced from 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 embody a USB dongle (which wouldn’t work together with your iPad anyway) however we by no means seen any lag in Bluetooth efficiency in our checks anyway. — Amy Skorheim, Reporter

Working at a pc could be a ache within the neck (actually), so I needed a strategy to play with my iPad after work with out having to raise my head off the sofa. Positive, I might use my arms, however that will get tiring. This Tablift iPad holder appears slightly humorous, like some mech-spider attacking your chest, but it surely 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 completely different angles, together with a forward-leaning one which’s significantly good for mendacity down. It’s slightly cumbersome, so I curl up the legs and retailer it beneath my sofa. The slots and securing clip carry out greatest in case your system is bare, although I’ve been in a position to make use of it with a Good Folio connected with little concern. — A.S.

If you happen to plan on pushing your iPad Professional to its limits as a day by day driver, you’ll most likely want greater than the pill’s single USB-C port. Apple has offered little steering to which USB-C hubs and adapters work greatest with the iPad Execs — there’s no MFi certification for equipment like this but. Some hubs particularly promote that they work with the most recent iPad Execs, and if you wish to be additional 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, connected 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 favored the flexibility of Satechi’s hub. I might simply use it after I wanted to prop my iPad as much as watch a YouTube video, and by simply plugging within the connected cable, I might change to utilizing my iPad as extra of a piece system with the entire vital 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 needs, 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 well worth the funding.) If you happen to’d moderately spend much less, or simply need one thing a bit extra light-weight, Anker’s 7-in-1 USB-C hub is an effective selection. It has most ports that you may 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 gives as much as 85W of pass-through charging, which suggests you possibly can energy up your iPad whereas utilizing Anker’s hub as the primary connector between the pill and its charging cable. Anker makes a few variations of this hub, together with one which does have that coveted Ethernet port, but it surely’s exhausting to beat $35 for the usual 7-in-1 mannequin. — V.P.

Apple and different tech firms are more and more leaving wall adapters out of their units’ bins, so it’s price choosing up a pair that may deal with charging a few items of tech as rapidly as doable. Anker’s 45W Nano II GaN adapter is an effective one as a result of it could possibly fast-charge iPhones and iPads, plus the gallium nitride expertise constructed into it helps forestall overheating. In only a half hour of charging, I received a few 33 p.c increase in battery life on my 11-inch iPad Professional when utilizing this accent. Gallium nitride can also be an enormous cause why the 45W adapter is smaller than a number of competing adapters out there now, together with Apple’s. We additionally like its foldable design, which is able to permit it to suit higher in cramped areas and in journey baggage. — V.P.

Of all the ability banks we examined, the Nimble Champ Professional was the second quickest to refill an iPad. The quickest total was Mophie’s large Powerstation Professional, however that one is de facto overkill for those who’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 beneath two hours — and it nonetheless had sufficient juice leftover to offer it one other 75 p.c bump. That is the pack I seize after I’m having fun with my iPad on the sofa and don’t wish to stand up to revive its dying battery. — A.S.

Paperlike is the most well-liked model on this house, with matte display screen protectors for each mannequin of iPad. A set comes with two sheets and contains information stickers that will help you get the protector positioned correctly. The 2-pack sometimes sells for $40 ro $45, relying on the scale of your iPad. For one thing slightly cheaper, Bersem’s display screen protectors are an incredible worth at $11 for a pack of two. Not solely does the matte end assist if you’re drawing or taking digital notes, but it surely additionally reduces display screen glare and doesn’t intrude with FaceID on the most recent 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 excellent 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 slightly extra assist with correct placement of your display screen protector, you would possibly admire Zagg’s GlassFusion+ Canvas which comes with a mounting tray for software. It’s additionally produced from a polymer designed to soak up and shield your display screen from influence. — A.S.

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