One of the best 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 title 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 absolutely assembled on the weighted base, however it’s fairly straightforward to modify to the clamp because of the included directions and primary instruments within the field. In case you spring for the most recent mannequin, it’ll be even simpler because of a brand new quick-switch tab that permits you to swap between the weighted base and the clamp attachment with any further instruments.

It wasn’t laborious to safe my 11-inch iPad Professional within the vice-grip that’s the HoverBar Duo’s pill clip, though it did take some drive to maneuver the arm into the correct 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 will probably accommodate floor thickness from 0.4 inch to 1.4 inches.

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

Probably the greatest Bluetooth keyboards I’ve used just lately is the Logitech MX Keys Mini. It’s not designed particularly for the iPad, however it works fairly nicely with it. It combines plenty of the ergonomics and the overall feel and appear of the MX lineup right into a compact and moveable keyboard. The Keys Mini has a slim profile that’s barely raised attributable to its high bar, plus snug backlit keys which are a dream to kind on. The backlight is certainly one of my favourite options as a result of it mechanically comes on when it senses your palms getting near the keyboard. That manner 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, however it’s one which may very well be each your iPad keyboard and your important desk typing machine. It might probably connect with as much as three units 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 useful keys too like one which brings up the emoji picker and one other that mutes your microphone (fairly helpful on Zoom calls). However in order for you an iPad keyboard that’s much more inexpensive, and even thinner, we nonetheless just like the Logitech Keys to Go, which we’ve beneficial up to now and you may often discover for between $50 and $70. — V.P.

In case you actually wish to indulge, Apple’s personal Magic Keyboard is the best way to go. This costly keyboard case 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 accessible for the iPad and it’s one to think about if cash isn’t any object — or in order for you probably the most trendy iPad keyboard cash should buy. — V.P.

This doubtless received’t come as a shock, however the Apple Pencil Professional is the very best stylus you may get for the iPad. All fashions of the Apple Pencil are designed to work particularly with iPads and it reveals of their clean writing efficiency. The most recent stylus has a double-tap characteristic which you could customise to a sure diploma, and pressure-sensitivity lets you add as a lot or as little element as you wish 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 additional cash for an Apple Pencil when you’re an artist — you received’t be dissatisfied. — V.P.

There are different choices which are 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 because of 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 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 counsel the Crayon for critical artists, I’d 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 Wherever 3S a “nearly ideal travel mouse.” It’s mild at simply 95 grams and the buttons are almost 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 made out of 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 exams anyway. — Amy Skorheim, Reporter

Working at a pc generally is a ache within the neck (actually), so I needed a strategy to play with my iPad after work with out having to elevate my head off the sofa. Certain, I may use my arms, however that will get tiring. This Tablift iPad holder appears just a little humorous, like some mech-spider attacking your chest, however it 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 significantly good for mendacity down. It’s just a little cumbersome, so I curl up the legs and retailer it below my sofa. The slots and securing clip carry out greatest in case your machine is bare, although I’ve been ready to make use of it with a Good Folio hooked up with little problem. — A.S.

In case you 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 steerage to which USB-C hubs and adapters work greatest 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 further secure, I like to recommend shopping for a type 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 preferred the flexibility of Satechi’s hub. I may simply use it after I wanted to prop my iPad as much as watch a YouTube video, and by simply plugging within the hooked up cable, I may change to utilizing my iPad as extra of a piece machine with the entire crucial 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. (In case you’re utilizing it as a laptop computer substitute, it’s definitely worth the funding.) In case you’d slightly 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 might 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 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, however it’s laborious 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 value selecting up a pair that may deal with charging a few items of tech as rapidly as potential. Anker’s 45W Nano II GaN adapter is an efficient one as a result of it will probably fast-charge iPhones and iPads, plus the gallium nitride know-how 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 be an enormous purpose why the 45W adapter is smaller than plenty of competing adapters accessible now, together with Apple’s. We additionally like its foldable design, which is able to enable it to suit higher in cramped areas and in journey baggage. — 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 basically overkill when you’re simply utilizing it for a pill. The Champ Professional, however, 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 below two hours — and it nonetheless had sufficient juice leftover to present 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 rise 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 consists of information stickers that will help 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 just a little cheaper, Bersem’s display screen protectors are a fantastic worth at $11 for a pack of two. Not solely does the matte end assist once you’re drawing or taking digital notes, however it additionally reduces display screen glare and doesn’t intervene with FaceID on the most recent iPads. — A.S.

Bellemond’s “Kent Paper” overlay has probably 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 a pack, so you possibly can revert to a unadorned display screen for some time then return to the paper-feel down the street. In case you’d like just a little 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 made out of a polymer designed to soak up and defend your display screen from affect. — A.S.

All paper-feel protectors impart a slight blur, which is why magnetic covers which you could reposition make strong alternate options. They provide texture once you’re drawing or writing, however you possibly can take away them simply once you wish 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 quilt once you’re not utilizing it. Utility and elimination is lifeless 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 hassle me however would possibly bug those that are delicate to sounds. — A.S.