iPad shoppers beware: One of the new models is not like the others

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Michael Grothaus

Sat, Mar 8, 2025, 3:00 AM 5 min read

After updating the iPad Pro and iPad mini in 2024, the company has just unveiled a third-generation iPad Air and an eleventh-generation iPad. Many fans of Apple’s tablets have been eagerly awaiting these updates, especially since before this week, the company’s entry-level iPad had not had a refresh since October of 2022.

But if you’ve been waiting until this week’s reveals, hoping for a clear picture of Apple’s iPad offerings in order to select the one best for your needs, well, I’ve got bad news: the iPad lineup remains as confusing as ever. Here’s why.

Not all models support Apple Intelligence

Apple makes four different types of iPads: the iPad Pro, the iPad Air, the iPad, and the iPad mini. Yet despite each model getting an update within the last year—one of them still lacks the hardware to run Apple’s much-hyped Apple Intelligence AI platform, which debuted in October 2024. That would be the new iPad—yes, the eleventh-generation tablet that Apple announced just this week. In 2025.

In a baffling move, Apple decided to equip the new iPad with just 6GB of memory and the A16 chip—the CPU Apple first introduced all the way back in 2022 in the iPhone 14 Pro series and later included in the iPhone 15 series. None of these devices can run Apple Intelligence because the AI platform requires at least 8GB of memory.

It’s shocking that Apple decided to limit its new 2025 iPad to just 6GB of memory and the A16 instead of giving it the more advanced A17 Pro chip and 8GB of memory that can run Apple Intelligence and that the smaller iPad mini, introduced in 2024, has packed inside.

Why would Apple do this? I’ve reached out to the company for comment and have yet to hear back, but the most likely reason is that Apple wants to push customers into its higher-priced iPad models, like the iPad mini ($499) and iPad Air ($549), instead of having them buy the entry-level iPad ($349).

Consumers are starting to go crazy for AI, and, in my opinion, Apple knows that by excluding Apple Intelligence from the entry-level iPad, many of them will instead opt to shell out another $150 to $200 more on an iPad that supports it.

You can’t fault a company for wanting to make more money. But the lack of Apple Intelligence support on the new iPad is going to confuse a lot of people. Some may buy it thinking it comes with Apple Intelligence since, you know, every other iPad does. This device is kind of already obsolete—at least if you ever want to use Apple Intelligence.

The thinnest and lightest model..is not the one you would think

The lack of Apple Intelligence on Apple’s newest iPad isn’t the only thing likely to confuse consumers.

Many people are drawn to tablets because they are thin and light and thus easier to lug around than a laptop. Historically, Apple’s thinnest and lightest devices have all fallen under a unique moniker: “Air.” There’s the MacBook Air—the thinnest laptop Apple sells. There’s the (very likely) upcoming iPhone Air, which will be the thinnest iPhone ever, and of course, there is the iPad Air, which is the thinnest…wait, no.

You would think the iPad Air would be the thinnest iPad Apple makes, but that’s not true. If you want the thinnest iPad, you actually need to buy the iPad Pro (which is 5.1 mm or 5.3 mm thin, depending on screen size) and not the iPad Air (which is 6.1 mm thin). But what if you want the lightest iPad? Surely, that’s the iPad Air, right?

No. That’s the 11-inch iPad Pro, which weighs in at 0.98 pounds. The 11-inch iPad Air is 1.01 pounds (and if you think it’s fair to compare apples to oranges, the iPad mini with its 8.3-inch screen comes in at just 0.65 pounds, beating the iPad Air by a long shot).

Do you see how confusing this could be to the average consumer? And don’t even get me started on Apple Pencil compatibility (the Apple Pencil Pro works with the smaller iPad mini from 2024, but not the larger, newer iPad Apple introduced this week).

Which iPad should you get?

I’ve long hoped that Apple would fix its confusing iPad lineup. They didn’t do it last year, or the year before, and with the new iPads this week, it looks like they aren’t going to do it in 2025 either. So, if you are in the market for a new iPad, maybe this little cheat sheet will help you out:

If you want the thinnest iPad, get an iPad Pro (not the iPad Air).
If you want the lightest iPad, get the iPad mini.
If you want to be able to use the Apple Pencil Pro, get the iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad mini.
If you want Apple Intelligence, get the iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad mini—and avoid the new iPad.

And if you want a lack of confusion…I guess maybe wait to see if the 2026 iPad family finally brings much-needed simplicity to Apple’s tablet lineup?

The new 2025 iPad and iPad Air are now available to pre-order and will be released on March 12.

This post originally appeared at fastcompany.com
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