The best iPad accessories for 2024

Otterbox is an professional in relation to safety, as seen with their cellphone instances, however its Symmetry Series 360 series reveals that it has design chops, too. Symmetry instances look just like the Apple’s Sensible Cowl, however the clear, scratch-resistant again is sturdy with out including quite a lot of weight to the iPad. Plus, the sting safety is substantial, so that you received’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 screen cowl closed and holds the second-generation Apple Pencil to the aspect of the iPad Professionals. Symmetry Collection 360 instances can be found for many iPad fashions, and whereas they’re costlier than some no-name iPad case you may discover on Amazon, they’re price it if you would like a fantastic stability of safety and elegance.

Talking of cheaper iPad instances that replenish Amazon’s search end result pages, some which might be truly worthwhile are from Moko and ProCase. In case you like the appear and feel of Apple’s Sensible Cowl, however don’t wish 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 good. The “duo” within the title 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 absolutely assembled on the weighted base, however it’s fairly simple to change to the clamp because of the included directions and primary instruments within the field. In case you spring for the latest model, it’ll be even simpler because of a brand new quick-switch tab that allows you to swap between the weighted base and the clamp attachment with any further instruments.

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

In case you’re prepared to sacrifice flexibility for one thing extra elegant, Elago’s P2 stand for iPad could also be a very good match. It’s manufactured from a single piece of aluminum with a ledge to your iPad and some well-placed cutouts you could snake a charging cable via. The ledge can also be huge sufficient to accommodate most iPad instances. It will not be foldable or adjustable, however its minimalist design will make it a horny addition to your desk. — V.P.

Among the best Bluetooth keyboards I’ve used lately is the Logitech MX Keys Mini. It’s not designed particularly for the iPad, however it works fairly nicely with it. It combines quite a lot of the ergonomics and the overall 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 might be a dream to kind on. The backlight is certainly one of my favourite options as a result of it routinely comes on when it senses your fingers getting near the keyboard. That means it solely stays illuminated once 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 aspect, however it’s one which could possibly be each your iPad keyboard and your foremost desk typing system. It will probably connect with as much as three gadgets on the similar time, permitting you to swap between them shortly with only a press of a key, and it has a couple 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 would like an iPad keyboard that’s much more inexpensive, and even thinner, we nonetheless just like the Logitech Keys to Go, which we’ve beneficial up to now and you’ll often discover for between $50 and $70. — V.P.

In case you actually wish to indulge, Apple’s personal Magic Keyboard is the way in which to go. This costly keyboard folio 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 accessible for the iPad and it’s one to contemplate if cash isn’t any object — or if you would like probably the most fashionable iPad keyboard cash can purchase. — V.P.

This doubtless received’t come as a shock, however the Apple Pencil Pro is the very best stylus you may 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 newest stylus has a double-tap characteristic you could customise to a sure diploma, and pressure-sensitivity means that you can add as a lot or as little element as you wish to digital paintings. Plus, it nonetheless helps wi-fi charging once you snap it magnetically to the aspect of your pill. I extremely advocate shelling out the more money for an Apple Pencil for those who’re an artist — you received’t be disillusioned. — V.P.

There are different choices which might be extra inexpensive than the Apple Pencil, although, like Logitech’s Crayon. It’s simply nearly as good when it comes to latency and accuracy — drawing in Procreate was a lag-free expertise and my strokes at all times ended up precisely the place I wished 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 greatest annoyance is that it’s a must 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 counsel the Crayon for critical artists, I might advocate it for anybody who’s on a strict finances, 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 mild at simply 95 grams and the buttons are practically silent so that you received’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 created from between 61 and 78 % post-consumer recycled plastic. And the rechargeable battery lasts round 70 days on a cost. This technology doesn’t embody a USB dongle (which wouldn’t work along with your iPad anyway) however we by no means seen any lag in Bluetooth efficiency in our assessments anyway. — Amy Skorheim, Reporter

Working at a pc generally is a ache within the neck (actually), so I wished a solution to play with my iPad after work with out having to elevate my head off the sofa. Positive, I might use my arms, however that will get tiring. This Tablift iPad holder seems to be a bit of humorous, like some mech-spider attacking your chest, however it 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 totally different angles, together with a forward-leaning one which’s notably good for mendacity down. It’s a bit of cumbersome, so I curl up the legs and retailer it beneath my sofa. The slots and securing clip carry out greatest in case your system is bare, although I’ve been ready to make use of it with a Smart Folio connected with little concern. — A.S.

In case you plan on pushing your iPad Professional to its limits as a day by day driver, you’ll most likely want greater than the pill’s single USB-C port. Apple has offered 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 further 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 appreciated the flexibility of Satechi’s hub. I might simply use it after I wanted to prop my iPad as much as watch a YouTube video, and by simply plugging within the connected cable, I might change to utilizing my iPad as extra of a piece system with the entire crucial connectors in place. It’s additionally surprisingly mild 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. (In case you’re utilizing it as a laptop computer alternative, it’s definitely worth the funding.) In case you’d quite spend much less, or simply need one thing a bit extra light-weight, Anker’s 7-in-1 USB-C hub is an efficient alternative. It has most ports that you could possibly 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 offers as much as 85W of pass-through charging, which suggests you’ll be able to 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, however it’s onerous to beat $35 for the usual 7-in-1 mannequin. — V.P.

Apple and different tech firms are more and more leaving wall adapters out of their gadgets’ bins, so it’s price choosing up a pair that may deal with charging a few items of tech as shortly as potential. Anker’s 45W Nano II GaN adapter is an efficient one as a result of it will possibly fast-charge iPhones and iPads, plus the gallium nitride technology constructed into it helps stop overheating. In only a half hour of charging, I acquired a couple of 33 % increase in battery life on my 11-inch iPad Professional when utilizing this accent. Gallium nitride can also be an enormous purpose why the 45W adapter is smaller than quite a lot of competing adapters accessible now, together with Apple’s. We additionally like its foldable design, which can permit it to suit higher in cramped areas and in journey luggage. — V.P.

Of all the ability 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 admittedly overkill for those who’re simply utilizing it for a pill. The Champ Professional, alternatively, 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 % to full in beneath two hours — and it nonetheless had sufficient juice leftover to offer it one other 75 % bump. That is the pack I seize after I’m having fun with my iPad on the sofa and don’t wish to rise up to revive its dying battery. — A.S.

Paperlike is the most well-liked model on this area, with matte display screen 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 a bit of cheaper, Bersem’s screen protectors are a fantastic worth at $11 for a pack of two. Not solely does the matte end assist once you’re drawing or taking digital notes, however it additionally reduces display screen 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 screen protectors I’ve tried. The blur is minimal and the friction between the stylus and the display screen 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’ll be able to revert to a unadorned display screen for some time then return to the paper-feel down the street. In case you’d like a bit of extra assist with correct placement of your display screen protector, you may respect Zagg’s GlassFusion+ Canvas which comes with a mounting tray for utility. It’s additionally created from a polymer designed to soak up and shield your display screen from affect. — A.S.

All paper-feel protectors impart a slight blur, which is why magnetic covers you could reposition make strong options. They provide texture once you’re drawing or writing, however you’ll be able to take away them simply once you wish 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 screen and comes with a plastic sleeve to retailer the duvet once 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 couple of faint squeaks when drawing with the Pencil, which didn’t hassle me however may bug those that are delicate to sounds. — A.S.