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1. Best overall: iPad Pro 2022
2. Best value: iPad Pro 2021
3. Best Air: iPad Air 2022
4. Best budget: iPad 2022
5. Best portable: iPad Mini 2021
FAQs
How to choose
How we test
The best iPads for video editing deliver smooth and fast editing, colour grading and video rendering. Not bad for a tablet! In fact, these are basically the best tablets for video editing you can get today, especially if you team it with a Magic Keyboard.
But which of the iPad generations should you choose? We've put all of them through benchmarks tests from the likes of Cinebench, as well as actually using them to edit video, to discover which ones are most worth investing in.
So whether you’re looking for the absolute best iPad for video editing, or you’re only starting out and want something more affordable, you should find what you're looking for on our list. Just note that the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard don't come with your purchase. So you'll have to buy those separately if you want to turn your iPad into a drawing tablet or laptop.
Quick list
Thanks to its M2 chip inside, which boasts an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, this iPad leaves the others in the dust. If you can afford it, it will future-proof your video editing setup.
Read more below
Although not as powerful as the latest iPad Pro, this M1 model will see you through your video editing workloads smoothly, especially when paired with 16GB of RAM.
Read more below
This thin, light and affordable iPad boasts an M1 chip and a lovely Liquid Retina display. The only thing that holds this model back when it comes to editing is its limited storage options.
Read more below
The best iPad for video editing available now
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Best iPad for video editing overall
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
There’s no denying it, the iPad Pro (2022) models are the most powerful iPads of them all. Thanks to that M2 chip inside, which boasts an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, these leave pretty much everything else in the dust. If only they weren’t bogged down by their steep price tag, which not a lot of people are willing to pay – not with the slightly more affordable M1 iPad Pros still holding their own when it comes to demanding workloads.
Still, if you have the money to spend, the iPad Pro (2022) will essentially future-proof your portable or on-the-go video editing setup. Especially if you upgrade to the 16GB RAM. Go for the iPad Pro 12.9-inch, and you’ll enjoy a peak brightness of 1,600 nits and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio – just the ticket if you’re editing HDR content. Our reviewer found this iPad's screen as a "thing of beauty... It's razor sharp, delivering the most beautiful, accurate colours."
You might be disappointed by the lack of battery life upgrade here, as it remains at 10 hours maximum on a single charge, like its predecessors. But, when you think about how much more power you’re getting, especially when you’re using video editing software that tends to use the GPU more, you'll realise that it is, in fact, more power efficient. See our iPad Pro (M2, 2022) review for more details.
Best value iPad for video editing
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Although they're not as powerful as the latest iPad Pros, both models of the iPad Pros (M1, 2021) are still very powerful video editing tablets, even by today's standards. Better yet, they’re more affordable than ever before, with many retailers eager to sell off their stock by offering discounts. That makes them the better value models for most people.
These M1-powered models' 8-core CPU, as well as 8-core GPU, will see you through your video editing workloads smoothly, especially when paired with 16GB of memory. Meanwhile, the Liquid Retina display (Liquid Retina XDR on the 12.9-inch) with a P3 wide colour gamut will ensure that all those colours are well-reproduced. Our reviewer found tat "accuracy is impeccable, and colours only appear boosted in the quality of their reproduction by the direct application of a very even backlight." For more details, read our iPad Pro (M1) 12.9-inch review.
Best iPad Air for video editing
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
This thin and light iPad also gets a lot of power from its M1 chip. And, really, the only thing that holds this model back when it comes to editing is its limited storage options – you can't get more than 256GB, strangely enough – and only 8GB memory. If you’re a video editor, you know the difference an extra 8GB RAM can make to your workflow.
Still, that 8-core CPU, alongside the 8GB GPU is still pretty impressive. And, if you think the previous generation iPad Air, powered by the snappy A14 Bionic chip, was good, you’ll be blown away by the massive difference in performance here – as we were in our iPad Air (2022) review. Just like the iPad Pro 11-inch (2021), it boasts a Liquid Retina display with a P3 wide colour gamut and 264ppi pixel density, which means you’re getting crisp, detailed, vibrant picture quality with well-reproduced colours to help you make great videos.
While this is a more affordable proposition than the Pro, though, it’s not exactly the cheapest option. If you want a budget iPad that’s better suited for beginners and students, check our number four option instead.
Best budget iPad for video editing
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The latest iPad has had a massive upgrade in specs, thanks to the A14 Bionic chip that’s now powering it, and the larger, brighter screen. Both contribute to taking the original iPad line from being the iPad for most users to being one of the most capable tablets out there that can handle CPU-hungry and GPU-intensive tasks… like easier video editing workloads, for example.
That’s right; the previously underestimated, often overlooked iPad is now capable of seeing students and fledging video editors through their demanding creative process. We’ve witnessed this first-hand in our iPad 2022 review. And, you need not spend more than $750 / £750 for it either (although be warned, it went up in price when it got its new chip).
Due to its limitations in RAM – you can only get an 8GB one – we cannot confidently recommend it to professional video editors. Time is money, after all. But, if you’re just starting and still honing the craft, this one’s a money-saving ace.
Best portable iPad for video editing
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
All the other iPads on this list have nice big screens, which is great for video editing. But if portability is key, then you'll be pleased to know that the small iPad mini still gives great performance.
Yes, the 8.3-inch screen is a little poky, but that does make this iPad extremely easy to take around with you. The Liquid Retina display with 2266x1488 resolution at 326 pixels per inch is impressively crisp and detailed. The A15 Bionic chip provides enough power to run video editing apps. And you get USB-C support and 5G connectivity into the bargain. Read more in our full iPad mini (6th gen) review.
FAQs
Can an iPad actually handle serious video editing?
Certainly! In particular, the latest iPad Pros with the M2 or M1 chip can handle video editing using apps like LumaFusion or DaVinci Resolve for iPad with ease. Video editing tasks can also be done smoothly on other types of iPad, although in general you get what you pay for. So basically, the more you spend on an iPad, the faster and more responsive your experience will be.
Can I turn my iPad into a laptop?
The Magic Keyboard transforms your iPad into something akin to a laptop by adding a physical keyboard and trackpad. Note that it's not quite the same as a MacBook, though, because you'll still be running iOS, rather than macOS, so you won't be able to run full Mac software such as Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. Also note that you have to buy it separately and it's not cheap. For more affordable alternatives, read our roundup of the best iPad keyboards.
What video editing apps work best on an iPad?
The most powerful video editing app for iPad is arguably Da Vinci Resolve thanks to its combination of video editing and colour correction in one software tool. There are plenty more to choose from, though, and each has something unique to offer. So check out our full list of video editing apps to find the right fit for you.
How to choose the best iPad for video editing
How do you choose between the best iPads for video editing? Well, that's largely down to price. If money's no object, then you can't go wrong with the iPad Pro M2, the number one pick on our list. Otherwise, you're basically balancing how much you want to spend with the speed and power of the tablet. On the whole, iPad Pros are more powerful than iPad Airs, and the basic iPad is at the bottom of the list. Similarly, every time you go back a year from 2022, you'll step down in both price and power.
There's only one other major consideration when it comes to video editing: the size of the screen you're looking for. Most people will prefer a larger one in order to see more picture detail, but that will also make your tablet larger and less portable. So if you want something easy to carry, you may prefer to go in the opposite direction and opt for an iPad mini.
How we test iPads for video editing
Finding the best iPad for video editing is partly about assessing specifications, partly about machine testing, and partly about how each model performs in practice, at actual video editing tasks. So while we use benchmark tests like Geekbench to measure processing muscle, we also import and render actual 4K footage to see how smoothly each iPad performs when editing complex projects. We also assess the brightness, colour accuracy and HDR capabilities of the screen, battery life, and audio quality from the speakers.
