The best iPad accessories for 2024

Otterbox is an skilled in terms of safety, as seen with their telephone circumstances, however its Symmetry Series 360 series reveals that it has design chops, too. Symmetry circumstances look much like the Apple’s Sensible Cowl, however the clear, scratch-resistant again is sturdy with out including lots of weight to the iPad. Plus, the sting safety is substantial, so that you gained’t have to fret about harm from the inevitable, unintended bumps your pill takes. I additionally like the additional flap Otterbox added that retains the iPad display cowl closed and holds the second-generation Apple Pencil to the facet of the iPad Professionals. Symmetry Sequence 360 circumstances can be found for many iPad fashions, and whereas they’re costlier than some no-name iPad case you would possibly discover on Amazon, they’re price it if you need an excellent steadiness of safety and elegance.

Talking of cheaper iPad circumstances that replenish Amazon’s search consequence pages, some which are really worthwhile are from Moko and ProCase. If you happen to like the feel and appear of Apple’s Sensible Cowl, however don’t need to drop $50-plus on one, each of those manufacturers have dupes that offer you that type at a fraction of the price of the first-party possibility. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor

Of the plethora of iPad stands I’ve used, Twelve South’s HoverBar Duo is the one which has come closest to excellent. The “duo” within the identify refers to the truth that the gadget can both prop your iPad up utilizing an arm connected to a weighted base, or the identical arm simply connected to a desk or desk utilizing its included clamp. The stand comes totally assembled on the weighted base, but it surely’s fairly simple to change to the clamp because of the included directions and fundamental instruments within the field. If you happen to spring for the latest model, it’ll be even simpler because of a brand new quick-switch tab that permits you to swap between the weighted base and the clamp attachment with any additional instruments.

It wasn’t laborious to safe my 11-inch iPad Professional within the vice-grip that’s the HoverBar Duo’s pill clip, though it did take some pressure to maneuver the arm into the appropriate place. That’s in all probability for the most effective as a result of it confirmed how robust the arm is; it stayed in place with out buckling, sliding down or in any other case breaking a sweat. I largely used the HoverBar Duo with the clamp attachment, which allowed me to make use of my iPad Professional as a secondary display whereas working. The included clamp ought to match most desks and tables too, as it might accommodate floor thickness from 0.4 inch to 1.4 inches.

If you happen to’re keen to sacrifice flexibility for one thing extra elegant, Elago’s P2 stand for iPad could also be a superb match. It’s made from a single piece of aluminum with a ledge on your iPad and some well-placed cutouts which you could snake a charging cable via. The ledge can also be huge sufficient to accommodate most iPad circumstances. It will not be foldable or adjustable, however its minimalist design will make it a gorgeous addition to your desk. — V.P.

Among the finest Bluetooth keyboards I’ve used lately is the Logitech MX Keys Mini. It’s not designed particularly for the iPad, but it surely works fairly properly with it. It combines lots of the ergonomics and the final appear and feel of the MX lineup right into a compact and moveable keyboard. The Keys Mini has a slim profile that’s barely raised on account of its high bar, plus comfy backlit keys which are a dream to sort on. The backlight is one among my favourite options as a result of it mechanically comes on when it senses your palms getting near the keyboard. That method it solely stays illuminated if you’re typing, conserving battery life in the long term. Logitech estimates the Keys Mini will last as long as 10 days, relying on backlight use, or as much as 5 months with none backlight use.

Logitech’s $100 MX Keys Mini could also be on the costly facet, but it surely’s one which may very well be each your iPad keyboard and your most important desk typing gadget. It may well connect with as much as three units on the similar time, permitting you to swap between them rapidly with only a press of a key, and it has a number of different useful keys too like one which brings up the emoji picker and one other that mutes your microphone (fairly helpful on Zoom calls). However if you need an iPad keyboard that’s much more reasonably priced, and even thinner, we nonetheless just like the Logitech Keys to Go, which we’ve really useful previously and you’ll normally discover for between $50 and $70. — V.P.

If you happen to actually need to indulge, Apple’s personal Magic Keyboard is the way in which to go. This costly keyboard case magnetically attaches to the most recent iPad Professionals and retains them “floating” above the keyboard and trackpad. We praised the Magic Keyboard for its typing consolation and exact trackpad, however dinged it for its restricted vary of movement. It’s simply the fanciest keyboard case obtainable for the iPad and it’s one to think about if cash is not any object — or if you need probably the most trendy iPad keyboard cash should purchase. — V.P.

This possible gained’t come as a shock, however the Apple Pencil Pro is the most effective stylus you will get for the iPad. All fashions of the Apple Pencil are designed to work particularly with iPads and it reveals of their easy writing efficiency. The most recent stylus has a double-tap characteristic which you could customise to a sure diploma, and pressure-sensitivity lets you add as a lot or as little element as you need to digital paintings. Plus, it nonetheless helps wi-fi charging if you snap it magnetically to the facet of your pill. I extremely suggest shelling out the extra cash for an Apple Pencil should you’re an artist — you gained’t be disillusioned. — V.P.

There are different choices which are extra reasonably priced than the Apple Pencil, although, like Logitech’s Crayon. It’s simply pretty much as good by way of latency and accuracy — drawing in Procreate was a lag-free expertise and my strokes all the time ended up precisely the place I needed them to be – and it’s much more grippy by default because of its oval-shaped design. However as somebody who primarily makes use of an Apple Pencil for digital artwork, I missed stress sensitivity when utilizing the Crayon.

Other than that, the opposite largest annoyance is that it’s important to use a Lightning or USB-C cable to cost it. (Even the latest mannequin for the iPad Professionals doesn’t magnetically connect to the pill for charging.) Whereas I wouldn’t recommend the Crayon for critical artists, I might suggest it for anybody who’s on a strict price range, particularly digital journal-keepers, dedicated note-takers and the like. — V.P.

We known as Logitech’s MX Anywhere 3S a “nearly ideal travel mouse.” It’s gentle at simply 95 grams and the buttons are almost silent so that you gained’t bug anybody within the room along with your livid clicking. The improved 8K DPI optical sensor works on nearly any floor — together with, for instance, the upholstered arm of your sofa. Relying on the colour you decide, the MX Anyplace 3S is made out of between 61 and 78 p.c post-consumer recycled plastic. And the rechargeable battery lasts round 70 days on a cost. This era doesn’t embrace a USB dongle (which wouldn’t work along with your iPad anyway) however we by no means observed any lag in Bluetooth efficiency in our exams anyway. — Amy Skorheim, Reporter

Working at a pc is usually a ache within the neck (actually), so I needed a approach to play with my iPad after work with out having to raise my head off the sofa. Certain, I may use my arms, however that will get tiring. This Tablift iPad holder seems slightly humorous, like some mech-spider attacking your chest, but it surely works precisely as I’d hoped. The adjustable legs are repositionable however fairly sturdy as soon as they’re in place, and three slots maintain your pill at completely different angles, together with a forward-leaning one which’s significantly good for mendacity down. It’s slightly cumbersome, so I curl up the legs and retailer it underneath my sofa. The slots and securing clip carry out greatest in case your gadget is bare, although I’ve been in a position to make use of it with a Smart Folio connected with little challenge. — A.S.

If you happen to plan on pushing your iPad Professional to its limits as a day by day driver, you’ll in all probability want greater than the pill’s single USB-C port. Apple has supplied little steerage to which USB-C hubs and adapters work greatest with the iPad Professionals — there’s no MFi certification for equipment like this but. Some hubs particularly promote that they work with the latest iPad Professionals, and if you wish to be additional protected, I like to recommend shopping for a kind of that comes from a good model.

Satechi’s $100 Aluminum Stand and Hub is a favourite for its foldable design and the way it packs ports and charging capabilities right into a compact iPad accent. The holder itself rotates outward, revealing a hidden, connected USB-C cable and a rubber bumper that retains the stand in place in your desk. On the again edge are a 4K HDMI socket, one USB-A port, a headphone jack, each SD and microSD card slots and a 60W USB-C connection for charging.

I preferred the flexibility of Satechi’s hub. I may simply use it once I wanted to prop my iPad as much as watch a YouTube video, and by simply plugging within the connected cable, I may swap to utilizing my iPad as extra of a piece gadget with the entire vital connectors in place. It’s additionally surprisingly gentle at 10 ounces. Mix that with its foldable design and you’ve got a full-featured hub that may simply be stuffed in a bag. — V.P.

Not everybody wants, or needs, to spend $100 on a dock for his or her iPad. (If you happen to’re utilizing it as a laptop computer substitute, it’s definitely worth the funding.) If you happen to’d reasonably spend much less, or simply need one thing a bit extra light-weight, Anker’s 7-in-1 USB-C hub is an effective alternative. It has most ports that you might ever need, with the one exception being an Ethernet jack. The slim dongle homes two USB-A ports, two USB-C connections, SD and microSD card slots and a 4K/30Hz HDMI port. We additionally like that it supplies as much as 85W of pass-through charging, which suggests you possibly can energy up your iPad whereas utilizing Anker’s hub as the primary connector between the pill and its charging cable. Anker makes a few variations of this hub, together with one that does have that coveted Ethernet port, but it surely’s laborious to beat $35 for the usual 7-in-1 mannequin. — V.P.

Apple and different tech corporations are more and more leaving wall adapters out of their units’ containers, so it’s price choosing up a pair that may deal with charging a few items of tech as rapidly as doable. Anker’s 45W Nano II GaN adapter is an effective one as a result of it might fast-charge iPhones and iPads, plus the gallium nitride technology constructed into it helps stop overheating. In only a half hour of charging, I received a few 33 p.c increase in battery life on my 11-inch iPad Professional when utilizing this accent. Gallium nitride can also be a giant cause why the 45W adapter is smaller than lots of competing adapters obtainable now, together with Apple’s. We additionally like its foldable design, which is able to enable it to suit higher in cramped areas and in journey luggage. — V.P.

Of all the facility banks we tested, the Nimble Champ Pro was the second quickest to refill an iPad. The quickest general was Mophie’s large Powerstation Professional, however that one is basically overkill should you’re simply utilizing it for a pill. The Champ Professional, then again, has a slim profile, a useful carrying strap and two USB-C ports. On a fifth-generation iPad Air, it moved the battery gauge from 5 p.c to full in underneath two hours — and it nonetheless had sufficient juice leftover to provide it one other 75 p.c bump. That is the pack I seize once I’m having fun with my iPad on the sofa and don’t need to rise up to revive its dying battery. — A.S.

Paperlike is the preferred model on this area, with matte display protectors for each mannequin of iPad. A set comes with two sheets and contains information stickers that will help you get the protector positioned correctly. The 2-pack sometimes sells for $40 ro $45, relying on the scale of your iPad. For one thing slightly cheaper, Bersem’s screen protectors are an excellent worth at $11 for a pack of two. Not solely does the matte end assist if you’re drawing or taking digital notes, but it surely additionally reduces display glare and doesn’t intervene with FaceID on the latest iPads. — A.S.

Bellemond’s “Kent Paper” overlay has probably the most satisfying texture of the paper-feel display protectors I’ve tried. The blur is minimal and the friction between the stylus and the display is excellent for drawing. I miraculously managed to get the Bellemond affixed with minimal bubbles after watching the video linked with the QR code on the field. Two sheets are available in a pack, so you possibly can revert to a unadorned display for some time then return to the paper-feel down the street. If you happen to’d like slightly extra assist with correct placement of your display protector, you would possibly recognize Zagg’s GlassFusion+ Canvas which comes with a mounting tray for software. It’s additionally made out of a polymer designed to soak up and shield your display from affect. — A.S.

All paper-feel protectors impart a slight blur, which is why magnetic covers which you could reposition make strong alternate options. They provide texture if you’re drawing or writing, however you possibly can take away them simply if you need to watch Star Trek with full readability. The PenMat from PenTips makes use of skinny magnets alongside the sides to affix the movie to your display and comes with a plastic sleeve to retailer the quilt if you’re not utilizing it. Utility and removing is lifeless easy, and likewise, there are not any bubbles! The maintain is surprisingly safe and the mat has a lovely, velvety texture. I did discover a number of faint squeaks when drawing with the Pencil, which didn’t trouble me however would possibly bug those that are delicate to sounds. — A.S.