Best iPad for seniors 2025: Which is the best iPad for older users?

Macworld

If you’re an older user looking to pick up an iPad, or someone wanting to gift an Apple tablet to Grandad or Grandma, which is the best iPad to choose? There’s a fair selection in the current Apple catalog, from the diminutive iPad mini all the way up to the incredibly powerful (not to mention very expensive) iPad Pro. It can be intimidating, especially as different users have different needs. To help you make sense of it all, here’s our guide to finding the best iPad for seniors.

What makes an iPad good for older users?

iPad owners don’t magically transform into timid technophobes on their 70th birthdays, and there isn’t one right answer to this question. Any iPad model might turn out to be the right choice for a specific older user, depending on that user’s precise requirements.

But there are a few criteria that tend to become more of a factor when our bodies begin to age. Screen size is one element: with eyes not being as strong as they once were a large, easy to read screen could be the most important factor. That said, weight and portability may also be important; some older users have arthritis, while others find they tire more easily than they used to when using a tablet for extended periods of time.

The iPad could be an important part of the users connection to family and grandchildren, with video calling becoming a families go to method for staying in touch. A large screen is also ideal for viewing photos and videos and even reading ebooks.

Price versus power and features is also an important consideration, since you don’t want to spend lots of money on a device with capabilities you’ll never really use. That said, you do want to be future-proofed though as users tend to go years between iPad updates.

These requirements can be true for any user, so it’s always best to talk to the person in question about their particular needs if you want to pick the perfect tablet. The right model for you (or yours) will be determined by your budget and a number of other factors. The cheapest iPad is the A16 iPad, but if you pay a little more the 11-inch iPad Air is a great option. For a big screen, perfect for reading, watching videos or FaceTiming family the 13-inch iPad Air is ideal.






Best large-screen iPad: Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M3, 2025)















Pros

Gigantic screen

Good performance thanks to M3 chip

Good value


Cons

Heavy














Best Prices Today:








Retailer


Price









Check




Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide






Product


Price




Price comparison from Backmarket








Why the 13-inch iPad Air is good for seniors: All of the benefits of the 11-inch iPad Air (below) apply here, but the 13-inch model has some additional advantages that make it idea for older folk.

For those with fading eye-sight, the larger, easy to read screen of the 13-inch iPad Air can be a real benefit. Here you have an iPad that’s about as big as a laptop – in fact this iPad could happily take the place of a laptop if you attach a keyboard. The size makes it ideal for viewing photos, video-calling the grandchildren and reading ebooks.

It great value compared to the 13-inch iPad Pro and, while it’s less powerful than that model, if you aren’t likely to be using the iPad for the kind of features that require such power, such as gaming and video editing, an iPad Pro would be unnecessary.

Read our full Apple iPad Air 13-inch review







Best priced performance: 11-inch iPad Air (M3, 2025)















Pros

M3 processor

USB-C port

Smart connector


Cons

Expensive














Best Prices Today:








Retailer


Price









Check




Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide






Product


Price




Price comparison from Backmarket








Why the 13-inch iPad Air is good for seniors: While it’s true that the iPad Pro models are the most powerful iPads available, for most people they are simply overkill. Also, they come with Pro-level prices, which isn’t great if you’re only going to use them to watch videos and FaceTime the grandkids. For the more discerning user who requires plenty of power but at a reasonable price, the iPad Air is an excellent solution.

There’s not much to differentiate the iPad and 11-inch iPad Air, but, when you look closely, you can see from where the extra expense comes. The two devices are around the same size, and both sport a Liquid Retina display, but the one on the Air is fully-laminated, so there’s no air-gap between the glass and digitizer, which makes it feel like you’re touching the actual pixels and makes using the compatible Apple Pencil (2nd gen) that much smoother.

They feature the same 12MP cameras on the back and front on the longer side of the device. But, under the hood the Air has the incredibly powerful M3 processor, which is found in several recent Macs. This takes things to another level. If someone wants to play games, use graphically intensive apps or just wants a really fast user experience, then the M3 delivers that in spades.

The USB-C port allows you to connect various external devices, such as storage or monitors, so it can easily transform into a laptop with a processor that’s desktop-class. Apple offers the sleek Magic Keyboard folio case, but at $299/£319 it’s way overpriced, so we’d suggest a third-party Bluetooth keyboard and case as a more frugal option.


Read our full

Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M3, 2025) review







Best small tablet: Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)
























Best Prices Today:








Retailer


Price









Check




Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide






Product


Price




Price comparison from Backmarket








Why the iPad mini (A17 Pro) is good for seniors: It’s a sad fact that as we age our bodies can lose some of their strength or gain some conditions that we avoided when younger. If you’re looking for a lightweight iPad, and therefore easier to hold for longer periods, then the iPad mini (A17 Pro) is the one to choose. At around 0.65lbs/293g it’s roughly half the weight of the standard iPad.

This is made possible, as the name suggests, by the smaller display. But the 8.3-inch panel is still an excellent size for the web, not to mention better as an e-reader thanks to being easier to hold.

Under the hood, the iPad mini is a powerhouse, with an A17 Pro chip (as seen in the iPhone 15 Pro), which is (unlike the A16) compatible with Apple Intelligence and therefore better future-proofed.


Read our full

Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) review







Cheapest iPad: iPad (A16, 2025)















Pros

Affordable

Bright screen

Impressive battery life


Cons

No Apple Intelligence

Glossy display

Heavier and thicker than iPad Pro and Air














Best Prices Today:








Retailer


Price









Check




Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide






Product


Price




Price comparison from Backmarket








Why the iPad (A16) is good for seniors: This is the cheapest iPad model in Apple’s current lineup. For many (perhaps most) people, this iPad will deliver everything you want from a tablet and not cost you a small fortune in the process.

This iPad is ideal for surfing the web, watching streaming services, and shopping online. For FaceTime calls there’s a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera that offers advanced features such as Center Stage (which allows the user to move around on video calls while the iPad tracks them so they don’t disappear out of view) and 1080p video. Having an excellent video-call experience is key to keeping in touch with grandkids, friends or family around the world.

The 10.9-inch display is also large enough for eyes that might be starting to diminish, while the touch targets on the screen will be easy to hit with unsteady hands. Of course, many seniors are full of more life and vigor than their grandchildren, and the ability to connect an Apple Smart keyboard and first-gen Apple Pencil makes this a perfect companion for traveling while writing memoirs or creating art.

The main disadvantage to this iPad is the processor – it doesn’t run the AI Apple Intelligence features available on all other iPads. Apple Intelligence powers a variety of tools designed to enhance communication, creativity, and productivity, including writing tools, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence and more. Apple’s roll out of these features has been slow, so right now there may be nothing that appeals, but over the next few years the impact of these AI capabilities will grow and this iPad won’t support them. This iPad also lacks Stage Manager, which is a feature on the iPads Air and Pro that allows you to use multiple apps simultaneously in a way that is more like a desktop computer.


Read our full

Apple iPad (A16) review