The Best iPad to Buy (and Some to Avoid) in 2026: Compare the Air, Pro, Mini

2026 年最佳 iPad 选购指南（及避坑指南）：Air、Pro 与 Mini 对比

FINDING THE BEST iPad should be simple. You get whatever’s new, right? If only. Apple sells four main iPad models in varying sizes, each with its own strengths. In addition, a growing number of older iPads are floating around the eBays of the world. Since all these devices largely look the same, it’s important to know what you’re buying and what you should pay for it. This guide covers the iPad models currently available, what’s coming up, the key differences between them, and the older versions that are still in use (including those you should avoid at any price). I also break down which Apple Pencil and accessories to pair with your device.

寻找最适合的 iPad 本应很简单。买最新的就行，对吧？如果真有那么简单就好了。苹果目前销售四款主要 iPad 机型，尺寸各异，各有千秋。此外，市面上还有越来越多的旧款 iPad 在二手平台流通。由于这些设备外观大同小异，了解你买的是什么以及合理的价位至关重要。本指南涵盖了当前在售的 iPad 机型、即将发布的新品、它们之间的关键区别，以及仍在使用的旧版本（包括那些无论多便宜都应避开的型号）。我还将详细说明应为你的设备搭配哪款 Apple Pencil 及配件。

Which iPad Do You Own?

你拥有的是哪款 iPad？

There are tons of iPads out in the world, and it can be tough to figure out exactly what model you own if you’re thinking of selling it or you’re looking for accessories and want to make sure they’ll work with your iPad. Apple also doesn’t name its slates sequentially as it does with the iPhone, only adding to the confusion. No matter. Finding your model is simple.

市面上的 iPad 型号繁多，如果你打算出售设备，或者在购买配件时想确认兼容性，很难准确判断自己拥有的是哪一款。苹果不像命名 iPhone 那样按顺序命名 iPad，这更增加了混乱。不过没关系，查找你的型号很简单。

Look at the back of your iPad. Etched on the back cover, near where it says “Designed by Apple in California,” should be a model number starting with the letter A. Head to this website from Apple. Look for your corresponding model number, and that’s it! You found your iPad model. (Pro tip: Use your browser’s “Find in Page” function to type in your model number and find it quickly.)

查看 iPad 的背面。在后盖上，靠近“Designed by Apple in California”字样的地方，应该刻有一个以字母 A 开头的型号代码。前往苹果官网的对应页面，查找你的型号代码，就这么简单！你已经找到了你的 iPad 型号。（专业提示：使用浏览器的“在页面上查找”功能输入型号代码，可以快速定位。）

Is Now a Good Time to Buy?

现在是购买的好时机吗？

Yes. The iPad Air was updated to the M4 in March of 2026, while the base iPad and iPad Pro were both refreshed in 2025. Most people should buy one of those, and they’re perfectly great options. There were initial reports that the base iPad would get updated this spring as well, moving up to the A18 chip to give it Apple Intelligence features for the first time. It didn’t come to fruition, though, so the next likely launch time is this fall.

是的。iPad Air 在 2026 年 3 月升级到了 M4 芯片，而基础款 iPad 和 iPad Pro 均在 2025 年进行了更新。大多数人购买这些机型即可，它们是非常出色的选择。最初有报道称基础款 iPad 也会在今年春季更新，升级至 A18 芯片以首次支持 Apple Intelligence 功能。但该计划并未实现，因此下一次可能的发布时间是今年秋季。

Apple’s iPad Pro, powered by the M5 chip, launched in October 2025; it’s the most recent model. You can either opt for the latest or find the M4 iPad Pro on sale. At the earliest, we’ll see the iPad Pro get updated alongside the M6 chip this fall. Some reports have indicated that the M6 may get delayed until 2027, which would also delay the iPad Pro.

搭载 M5 芯片的 iPad Pro 于 2025 年 10 月发布，是目前最新的机型。你可以选择最新款，也可以寻找打折的 M4 iPad Pro。最早的话，我们可能会在今年秋季看到 iPad Pro 随 M6 芯片一同更新。一些报道指出 M6 可能会推迟到 2027 年，这也将导致 iPad Pro 的更新延期。

Lastly, the iPad Mini is the oldest at this point, updated in late 2024. If the reports end up being true and the iPad Mini does get upgraded later this year, this will be the biggest iPad update of the year, as it would see an upgrade to OLED for the first time.

最后，iPad Mini 是目前最旧的机型，更新于 2024 年底。如果传闻属实，iPad Mini 将在今年晚些时候迎来升级，这将是今年 iPad 产品线中最大的更新，因为它将首次升级为 OLED 屏幕。

iPadOS 27 Finally Takes Siri Seriously

iPadOS 27 终于让 Siri 变得“靠谱”了

iPadOS 27 was announced at WWDC, and the focus was all on Siri. It introduces not only a dedicated Siri AI app based on the world knowledge and context of Google Gemini, but also highly improved integration with apps like Camera, Mail, Photos, Messages, Calendar, and more. The most interesting of these AI features is Shortcuts, which now lets you create an automated task using natural language that can trigger actions across multiple apps.

iPadOS 27 在 WWDC 上发布，重点全在 Siri 上。它不仅引入了一个基于 Google Gemini 全球知识库和上下文的专用 Siri AI 应用，还极大地改善了与相机、邮件、照片、信息、日历等应用的集成。这些 AI 功能中最有趣的是“快捷指令”，现在你可以使用自然语言创建自动化任务，从而触发跨多个应用的操作。

It also refines the highly controversial Liquid Glass redesign from last year’s iPadOS 26, adding a slider in Settings to change the opaqueness of the transparency. Other notable changes in this year’s upcoming software update include faster, more efficient performance, user-made Custom Extensions that can be created through natural language, custom EQ with AirPods, dramatically extended parental controls, and lots more.

它还改进了去年 iPadOS 26 中备受争议的“Liquid Glass”设计，在设置中增加了一个滑块，用于调整透明度。今年即将到来的软件更新中其他值得注意的变化包括：更快、更高效的性能，通过自然语言创建的用户自定义扩展，AirPods 自定义均衡器，大幅扩展的家长控制功能等等。