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 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, but it surely’s fairly simple to change to the clamp due to the included directions and primary instruments within the field. In the event you spring for the newest mannequin, it’ll be even simpler due to a brand new quick-switch tab that allows you to swap between the weighted base and the clamp attachment with any additional instruments.

It wasn’t arduous to safe my 11-inch iPad Professional within the vice-grip that’s the HoverBar Duo’s pill clip, though it did take some power to maneuver the arm into the proper place. That’s most likely for one of the best 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 possibly accommodate floor thickness from 0.4 inch to 1.4 inches.

In the event you’re prepared to sacrifice flexibility for one thing extra elegant, Elago’s P2 stand for iPad could also be match. It’s made from a single piece of aluminum with a ledge to your iPad and some well-placed cutouts you can snake a charging cable by. The ledge can be huge sufficient to accommodate most iPad circumstances. It is probably not foldable or adjustable, however its minimalist design will make it a beautiful addition to your desk. — V.P.

Top-of-the-line Bluetooth keyboards I’ve used lately is the Logitech MX Keys Mini. It’s not designed particularly for the iPad, but it surely works fairly nicely with it. It combines loads of the ergonomics and the final appear and feel of the MX lineup right into a compact and moveable 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 one in all my favourite options as a result of it routinely comes on when it senses your fingers getting near the keyboard. That approach it solely stays illuminated once 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, but it surely’s one which may very well be each your iPad keyboard and your foremost desk typing machine. It may well hook up with as much as three gadgets on the similar time, permitting you to swap between them rapidly with only a press of a key, and it has just a few different helpful 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 beneficial prior to now and you’ll often discover for between $50 and $70. — V.P.

In the event you actually need to indulge, Apple’s personal Magic Keyboard is the way in which to go. This costly keyboard folio magnetically attaches to the most recent 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 obtainable for the iPad and it’s one to contemplate if cash is not any object — or if you need essentially the most trendy iPad keyboard cash can purchase. — V.P.

This seemingly gained’t come as a shock, however the Apple Pencil Professional is one of the best stylus you may get for the iPad. All fashions of the Apple Pencil are designed to work particularly with iPads and it exhibits of their easy writing efficiency. The newest stylus has a double-tap function you can customise to a sure diploma, and pressure-sensitivity permits you to add as a lot or as little element as you need to digital paintings. Plus, it nonetheless helps wi-fi charging once you snap it magnetically to the facet of your pill. I extremely suggest shelling out the extra cash for an Apple Pencil if you happen to’re an artist — you gained’t be disenchanted. — 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 wished 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.

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 most recent mannequin for the iPad Professionals doesn’t magnetically connect to the pill for charging.) Whereas I wouldn’t recommend the Crayon for severe artists, I might suggest it for anybody who’s on a strict price range, particularly digital journal-keepers, dedicated note-takers and the like. — V.P.

We referred to as Logitech’s MX Anyplace 3S a “nearly ideal travel mouse.” It’s mild at simply 95 grams and the buttons are almost silent so that you gained’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 Anyplace 3S is constructed from between 61 and 78 % 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 is usually a ache within the neck (actually), so I wished a technique to play with my iPad after work with out having to carry my head off the sofa. Certain, I might 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, 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 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 beneath my sofa. The slots and securing clip carry out finest in case your machine is bare, although I’ve been in a position to make use of it with a Sensible Folio hooked up with little challenge. — A.S.

In the event you plan on pushing your iPad Professional to its limits as a every day driver, you’ll most likely 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 most recent iPad Professionals, 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, 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 favored the flexibility of Satechi’s hub. I might 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 might swap to utilizing my iPad as extra of a piece machine with all the essential 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. (In the event you’re utilizing it as a laptop computer substitute, it’s definitely worth the funding.) In the event you’d fairly spend much less, or simply need one thing a bit extra light-weight, Anker’s 7-in-1 USB-C hub is an efficient 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 supplies as much as 85W of pass-through charging, which implies you’ll be able to 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 which does have that coveted Ethernet port, but it surely’s arduous 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 gadgets’ packing containers, so it’s price selecting 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 efficient one as a result of it will possibly fast-charge iPhones and iPads, plus the gallium nitride know-how constructed into it helps stop overheating. In only a half hour of charging, I bought a few 33 % increase 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 loads of competing adapters obtainable now, together with Apple’s. We additionally like its foldable design, which can enable it to suit higher in cramped areas and in journey luggage. — V.P.

Of all the facility banks we examined, the Nimble Champ Professional was the second quickest to refill an iPad. The quickest general was Mophie’s huge Powerstation Professional, however that one is actually overkill if you happen to’re simply utilizing it for a pill. The Champ Professional, then again, has a slim profile, a helpful carrying strap and two USB-C ports. On a fifth-generation iPad Air, it moved the battery gauge from 5 % to full in beneath two hours — and it nonetheless had sufficient juice leftover to present it one other 75 % bump. That is the pack I seize once I’m having fun with my iPad on the sofa and don’t need to stand 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 contains 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 display screen protectors are an awesome worth at $11 for a pack of two. Not solely does the matte end assist once you’re drawing or taking digital notes, but it surely additionally reduces display screen glare and doesn’t intervene 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 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 a pack, so you’ll be able to revert to a unadorned display screen for some time then return to the paper-feel down the highway. In the event you’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 software. It’s additionally constructed from a polymer designed to soak up and shield your display screen from impression. — A.S.

All paper-feel protectors impart a slight blur, which is why magnetic covers you can reposition make stable options. They provide texture once you’re drawing or writing, however you’ll be able to take away them simply once you need 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 once you’re not utilizing it. Utility and elimination is useless easy, and likewise, there are not any bubbles! The maintain is surprisingly safe and the mat has a lovely, velvety texture. I did discover just a few faint squeaks when drawing with the Pencil, which didn’t trouble me however may bug those that are delicate to sounds. — A.S.