The Basic iPad Is My Preferred Home and Travel Tech. Here's Why

iPads aren’t necessities, and yet, they’re the main screens my family uses in my home. When it comes to kids using them, getting a cheaper iPad is practically a must. Apple’s entry-level iPad is more than enough for anyone who’d use an iPad for basic movie-watching, game-playing, video chats and even some light work. 

The 10th-gen iPad doesn’t work with Apple Intelligence, and it doesn’t support the higher-end Pencil Pro stylus, but it can work for art with a USB-C Pencil just fine and has a lot of keyboard case options that nearly turn it into a laptop. It’s the least expensive and most versatile computer in our house, and whenever we need to do something quickly, like order groceries online, look at photos together or do some quick research on a trip we’re planning, it’s usually the first thing we turn to.

I can’t justify the iPad as a true laptop replacement. On any trip my family goes on, it is the first device after a phone that any of us decide to pack. The iPad has fancier varieties that ramp up processing power, display quality and size, and add more storage. Still, in many ways, all iPads feel relatively the same. That’s the great success of the iPad in the first place, and it’s also why cheaper iPads are still great gifts.

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The 10th-gen iPad is the perfect size and price

I like the 11-inch iPad size the most. It’s a perfect blend of screen size and portability, and it’s a great fit for keyboard cases. It’s easy to slip in a bag and big enough to multitask on with split-screen apps. I love doing quick writing and note-taking on iPads with keyboard cases, and the iPad is also my preferred quick and easy way to watch TV shows and movies by myself. I don’t always play games on the iPad (I’m a game console person), but games like Catan, Balatro and Retro Bowl on the iPad are my personal obsessions.

I play with plenty of gadgets in my house, and the iPad is one of many tools in my tech collection. It really hits me how much the iPad is an essential family tool when I see how my wife gravitates to it, or my kids. It’s comforting; it’s instant; and most of the iPads in our home are years old, which doesn’t even slightly affect how often we use them. That’s why I suggest that buying low is the way to go, despite how nice and speedy higher-end iPads can seem.

Read more: Best iPad for 2024

In a world full of rapidly changing tech and gadgets, it’s nice that each generation of the iPad can be so reliable and stable. Sure, the 10th-gen iPad might get updated next spring, but in the meantime it’s the best affordable bet for basic uses, such as watching TV, creating art and playing select games. 

If you’re searching for more affordable gifts, here are 31 of the best tech gifts under $100 and the best early Black Friday deals.