Apple iPad (A16)

The iPad (A16), Apple's 11-inch entry iPad, was announced on 4 March 2025 as an update to the standard iPad rather than a redesign. According to Apple's press release, it has "double the starting storage and the A16 chip". This page draws on Apple's newsroom announcement, its iPad 11-inch (A16) product page and its technical specifications page. Performance statements are Apple's own claims from its testing, and we label them. At the end we note what the sources do not cover.

What changed

Apple's headline change is the chip. The A16 is said to give a jump in performance for everyday tasks and iPadOS experiences while keeping all-day battery life. Apple says the updated iPad is nearly 30 percent faster than the previous generation and, compared with an iPad with the A13 Bionic, up to 50 percent better in overall performance. It also claims the A16 makes the iPad up to 6x faster than the best-selling Android tablet. The footnotes explain that these figures come from Apple's testing in January and February 2025 with pre-production iPad (A16) units, using a selection of tasks in Microsoft Excel for iPad for the generational comparison and common commercial apps and industry benchmarks for the Android comparison, against a Qualcomm SM6375-based Android tablet running Android 14. Apple notes that performance depends on settings, usage and environment. The chip has a 5-core CPU, a 4-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine.

Display and design

The display is an 11-inch Liquid Retina LED-backlit Multi-Touch panel with IPS technology, at 2360 by 1640 pixels and 264 ppi, with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and a fingerprint-resistant coating. Apple gives the diagonal as 10.86 inches measured as a rectangle, because of the rounded corners. The body is 248.6 mm tall, 179.5 mm wide and 7 mm deep, and weighs 477 grams for the Wi-Fi model and 481 grams for Wi-Fi plus Cellular. It comes in silver, blue, pink and yellow. Security is handled by Touch ID in the top button. The Smart Connector on the left side supports accessories, and there is a USB-C port on the bottom that supports charging, DisplayPort and USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mb/s. It can drive one external display at up to 4K resolution at 60 Hz.

Storage, colours and price

The iPad starts with 128 GB of storage and is also offered with 256 GB and a new 512 GB configuration. In the United States, Wi-Fi models started at 349 dollars and Wi-Fi plus Cellular models at 499 dollars, with education prices of 329 and 479 dollars. Apple opened pre-orders on 4 March in 29 countries and regions, and deliveries and in-store availability began on 12 March 2025. The box includes the iPad, a 1-metre USB-C charge cable and a 20W USB-C power adapter.

Cameras and audio

The back camera is a 12MP Wide camera with an f/1.8 aperture, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4, panorama up to 63MP and 4K video recording at 24, 25, 30 or 60 frames per second, plus slow motion at 1080p up to 240 fps. The front camera is a landscape 12MP Center Stage camera with an f/2.4 aperture, which keeps you in frame on FaceTime calls and video conferences. There are landscape stereo speakers and dual microphones for calls, video recording and audio recording. Playback supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 video and Dolby Atmos audio.

Wireless and battery

All models support Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. Cellular models add 5G (sub-6 GHz) and Gigabit LTE, using eSIM only, and Apple states that the iPad is not compatible with physical SIM cards. The battery is a 28.93 watt-hour cell. Apple's figures are up to 10 hours of web surfing on Wi-Fi or video watching, and up to 9 hours of surfing on a cellular data network. Charging works via the power adapter or from a computer over USB-C.

Software and accessories

The newsroom text describes iPadOS 18 features such as Math Notes in Calculator that solve handwritten expressions with Apple Pencil, Smart Script in Notes that smooths and lets you edit handwriting, audio recording with transcription in Notes, more flexible home screen icons and widgets, and a redesigned Control Center. The product page adds accessory support: Apple Pencil (USB-C), Apple Pencil (1st generation) via a USB-C to Apple Pencil adapter that pairs and charges it, and the Magic Keyboard Folio, a two-piece design with a detachable keyboard, a trackpad, a 14-key function row and a back panel with adjustable stand. A Smart Folio provides front and back protection.

How Apple pitches everyday use

The product page organises the tablet around a few everyday themes. For work, Apple points to note-taking, collaboration and multitasking between apps, and to machine learning features that help with tasks such as editing 4K video or interacting with content in photos and videos through Live Text. For creativity, it highlights the Liquid Retina display as a canvas for Apple Pencil, the built-in microphones for recording, and the rear camera for scanning and marking up documents or identifying objects with Visual Look Up. For play, it mentions Game Mode for more consistent frame rates, SharePlay and pairing a game controller, plus augmented reality experiences for learning.

Environment

Apple says the updated iPad has at least 30 percent recycled content overall, including 100 percent recycled aluminium in the enclosure, 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets and, in a first for iPad, over 95 percent recycled lithium in the battery. The packaging is entirely fibre-based. Those are Apple's claims about the product line as described at launch.

What is not covered

The sources do not describe how the tablet performs in independent tests, and Apple's speed claims are relative to specific comparison devices. Nothing in the pages we used gives a screen-on time for real-world mixed use, and the price we quote is the U.S. price at launch, which varies elsewhere. The product page also links features such as the Magic Keyboard Folio and Apple Pencil, which are sold separately.

Who it is for

The iPad (A16) is for students, families and anyone who wants a simple, affordable tablet with a solid chip and plenty of storage. If you want a more powerful chip, compare it with the iPad Air with M3, or with the compact iPad mini with A17 Pro. The previous entry model is the iPad 10th generation, and the iPad (A16) versus iPad 10th generation page compares them. Android alternatives include the Galaxy Tab A9. Browse every model in tablets.