For years, the entry-level iPad has been my top pick, and that's not because fancier iPads aren't better. They are better, faster, nicer and have gorgeous displays. But for the $349 price Apple charges for the basic iPad, which now has 128GB of storage and an A16 processor, that sounds just right.

The new iPad is generous with storage, serves a faster chip, and a familiar Apple package without a price hike. It’s not perfect, but gets close to that summit.

When it debuted in 2022, Apple’s 10th-generation iPad sat in something of a no-man’s land, bringing a long-overdue design revamp at an inflated price. A year and a half later, Apple gave the slate a $100 price cut and immediately turned it into a much more enticing value.