Best iPad for Students in 2025: What's Right for You?

✨ Which iPad is the best for students in 2025? 

The iPad Air M3 is the versatile all-rounder, while the iPad Pro M4 is the heavyweight contender. The iPad A16 is designed for budget-conscious students, and the iPad Air M1 offers the best overall value for money. Med students should get the ultra-compact iPad Mini A17. 

Why you can trust this list 

Back Market is one of the leading marketplaces for refurbished electronics. Thousands of devices pass through our hands, and our experts know them inside out, which allows us to make accurate, trustworthy recommendations. We understand people, too, and know how to match the right phones, laptops, and tablets to their needs. Our deep knowledge stems from thoroughly understanding iPad models, examining their specs, and comparing them carefully. In the end, it's all about helping you make a solid, informed choice.  

All our devices undergo full restoration and must pass rigorous performance tests before being sold. This gives us even more insight when creating lists like these. You can trust what you read as we provide full transparency and unbiased reviews. We never recommend devices we wouldn't buy ourselves. 

We also keep a close eye on which devices are the most popular with our buyers, and tracking this in real time helps us keep our opinions fresh and up to date.  

🏆 Best all-round iPad for students — iPad Air M3 (2025) 

iPad Air M3 specifications 

• Operating system: iPadOS 18 

• Colors: Blue / Purple / Starlight / Space Grey 

• Casing: Aluminum frame and back, scratch-resistant glass front 

• Dimensions: 11.05 x 8.46 x 0.24 in 

• Weight: 21.7 oz 

• Screen size: 11-inch / 13-inch 

• Screen resolution: 2048 x 2732 pixels at 264 ppi 

• Display: Liquid Retina 

• Chip: Apple M3 

• CPU: Octa-core 

• RAM: 8 GB 

• Storage: 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB 

• Sound: Landscape stereo speakers 

• Main camera: 12MP 

• Video capture: 4K 

• Battery life: Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‐Fi or watching video 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E 

• Apple Pencil support: Yes 

iPad Air M3 pros and cons 

iPad Air M3: features and benefits

The iPad Air M3 offers the best balance of performance and portability for most students. It's a reliable companion for taking lecture notes, FaceTiming with classmates to collaborate on projects, and handling everyday tasks. While the base model has limited storage, you can get one with more space, with options available up to 1 TB. Importantly, it supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil via a USB-C, which makes it great for note-taking and creative work. It's also an excellent tablet for streaming music and movies, and features a solid front camera for video calls. Apple Intelligence completes the package, making this the best iPad for students in general. 

✨ The iPad Air M3 is the best all-around iPad for students as it combines strong performance, portability, Apple Pencil support, and Apple Intelligence with options for up to 1TB of storage.  

🏆 Best iPad for students on a budget — iPad A16 (2025) 

iPad A16 (2025) specifications 

• Operating system: iPadOS 18 

• Colors: Silver / Blue / Yellow / Pink 

• Casing: Aluminum frame and back, scratch-resistant glass front 

• Dimensions: 9.79 x 7.07 x 0.28 in 

• Weight: 17 oz 

• Screen size: 11-inch 

• Screen resolution: 2360 x 1640 pixels at 264 ppi 

• Display: Liquid Retina 

• Chip: Apple A16 

• CPU: 5-core 

• RAM: 6 GB 

• Storage: 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB 

• Sound: Landscape stereo speakers 

• Main camera: 12MP 

• Video capture: 4K 

• Battery life: Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‐Fi or watching video 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E 

• Apple Pencil support: Yes 

iPad A16 (2025) pros and cons 

iPad A16 (2025): features and benefits 

The iPad A16's biggest draw is its comparatively low price. It provides an affordable way to access a bucketload of Apple's latest tech on a student budget. For that reason, the iPad A16 (2025) is the best iPad for students on a budget. While it doesn't have Apple's fastest chip, it's still capable of handling everyday student tasks, like note-taking, recording lectures, and collaborating with classmates online. It showcases premium build quality for its price, with the aluminum casing feeling both sturdy and stylish. Additionally, it offers plenty of storage for documents, video tutorials, and other course materials.  

 ✨ The iPad A16 (2025) is the best iPad for students on a budget as it offers solid performance, premium build quality, and ample storage for study needs without the high price tag. 

🏆 Best iPad for science/engineering and design students — iPad Pro M4 

iPad Pro M4 specifications 

• Operating system: iPadOS 18 

• Colors: Silver / Space Black 

• Casing: Aluminum frame and back, scratch-resistant glass front 

• Dimensions: 9.83 x 6.99 x 0.21 in 

• Weight: (11-inch) 15.7 oz / (13-inch) 20.5 oz 

• Screen size: 11-inch / 13-inch 

• Screen resolution: (11-inch) 2420 x 1668 pixels at 264 ppi / (13-inch) 2752 x 2064 pixels at 264 ppi 

• Display: Ultra Retina XDR with Tandem OLED 

• Chip: Apple M4 

• CPU: 16-core 

• RAM: 8 GB / 16 GB 

• Storage: 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB 

• Sound: 4-speaker audio 

• Main camera: 12MP 

• Video capture: 4K 

• Battery life: Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‐Fi or watching video 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E 

• Apple Pencil support: Yes 

iPad Pro M4 pros and cons 

iPad Pro M4: features and benefits

We'll be straight with you, the iPad Pro M4 would be overkill for most students. You usually wouldn't buy a pricey high-end tablet with massive power just for note-taking and basic coursework. As aforementioned, the iPad Air M3 can handle all of that and more. But some courses demand laptop-level performance from a tablet. Graphic design software is especially resource-intensive, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) courses also require higher specs. For these, the iPad Pro M4 is the best choice. Its powerful M4 chip prevents lag and handles multitasking without breaking a sweat.  

✨ The iPad Pro M4 is the best iPad for science/engineering and graphic design students, as it offers laptop-level performance and smooth multitasking that lighter models can't match.  

🏆 Best value-for-money iPad for students — iPad Air M1 

iPad Air M1 specifications 

• Operating system: iPadOS 15.4 (upgradable to iPadOS 18.6) 

• Colors: Starlight / Purple / Pink / Blue / Space Grey 

• Casing: Aluminum frame and back, scratch-resistant glass front 

• Dimensions: 9.75 x 7.03 x 0.24 in 

• Weight: 16.2 oz 

• Screen size: 10.9-inch 

• Screen resolution: 1640 x 2360 pixels at 264 ppi 

• Display: Liquid Retina 

• Chip: Apple M1 

• CPU: Octa-core 

• RAM: 8 GB 

• Storage: 64 GB / 256 GB 

• Sound: Landscape stereo speakers 

• Main camera: 12MP 

• Video capture: 4K 

• Battery life: Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‐Fi or watching video 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E 

• Apple Pencil support: Yes 

iPad Air M1 pros and cons 

iPad Air M1: features and benefits 

The iPad Air M1 strikes the perfect balance between performance and affordability. It's more powerful than the budget iPad A16 without pricing itself out of reach, which makes it our top pick for value in terms of features and price. It excels at multitasking and is light enough to be highly portable between lectures. You'll get all the features you'd expect from an Apple tablet, including Apple Intelligence, Siri, and FaceTime, plus the upgraded front camera now delivers clearer and sharper video calls. 

✨ The iPad Air M1 is the best value-for-money iPad for students as it strikes the best balance of performance, features, portability, and price. 

🏆 Best iPad for medical students: iPad mini A17

iPad mini A17 specifications

• Operating system: iPadOS 18 

• Colors: Blue / Space Grey / Starlight / Purple 

• Casing: Aluminum frame and back, scratch-resistant glass front 

• Dimensions: 7.69 x 5.31 x 0.25 in 

• Weight: 10.5 oz 

• Screen size: 8.3-inch 

• Screen resolution: 1488 x 2266 pixels at 327 ppi 

• Display: Liquid Retina 

• Chip: Apple A17 

• CPU: Hexa-core 

• RAM: 8 GB 

• Storage: 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB 

• Sound: Landscape stereo speakers 

• Main camera: 12MP 

• Video capture: 4K 

• Battery life: Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‐Fi or watching video 

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E 

• Apple Pencil support: Yes 

iPad mini A17 pros and cons

iPad mini A17: features and benefits 

It might seem unusual to single out a tablet just for med students. However, anyone in the field will instantly recognize the iPad mini A17's value. We chose the device deliberately, as it's the smallest iPad available, which gives it an edge during rotations where med students juggle note-taking, patient assessments, and treatment plans on the fly. The iPad Mini A17 is a full-featured tablet that's lighter and easier to carry than the larger models, yet powerful enough to run med-specific apps for after-hours study. 

✨ The iPad Mini A17 is the best tablet for med students as it combines compact portability with enough power to handle note-taking during rotation and medical apps.  

Comparing the best iPads for students

*Prices listed from August 2025 and subject to change. 

Shopping tips to get the best iPad for students 

Here's a tip that could save you a good chunk of cash: buying a refurbished iPad gives you all the performance of a new one, but at a much lower cost. You can get discounts of up to 50% by shopping on Back Market. Such savings can go a long way when you're a student, especially if it's your first year living in your own place. All our iPads have been fully restored: defective parts replaced, thoroughly deep-cleaned, and rigorously tested to ensure they perform up to the same standards as the original new benchmarks.  

It's not too good to be true; you really will get a top-class iPad that will last for years. We back this up with a 1-year warranty for peace of mind. Additionally, you also have the optional Back Market protection plan, which covers screen cracks, accidental drops, and water damage, with up to two free repairs if needed.  

Trade in your old devices for cash

You can reduce the price of a Back Market iPad by taking advantage of our Trade-in program. We've made it simple and hassle-free. Just provide us with the details about your device for an instant offer, ship your device to us for free, and once everything checks out, you get paid. It's a great way to earn extra cash, upgrade to a new device affordably, and help combat the planet's carbon footprint and e-waste crisis.