Equipment will probably be key whether or not you’re turning your new Apple iPad right into a laptop computer alternative or simply making an attempt to guard it in opposition to daily-life hazards. It’s tempting to show to Apple’s personal equipment — and in some instances, you need to — however there’s a slew of alternate options from different corporations like Otterbox, Logitech and Anker, that work simply as nicely and are sometimes extra reasonably priced. We examined out a bunch of instances, keyboards, styli and different miscellany to find out that are the perfect iPad equipment to purchase that can assist you get essentially the most out of your iPad, from the iPad Air to the iPad Mini or a special iPad mannequin.
Otterbox Symmetry 360 case
Otterbox is an knowledgeable in relation to safety, as seen with their cellphone instances, however its Symmetry Series 360 series exhibits that it has design chops, too. Symmetry instances look much like Apple’s Good Cowl, however the clear, scratch-resistant again is high-quality and durable with out including a number of weight to the iPad. Plus, the sting safety is substantial, so that you gained’t have to fret about harm from the inevitable, unintentional 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 facet 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 value it if you’d like an ideal stability of safety and magnificence.
Talking of cheaper iPad instances that replenish Amazon’s search consequence pages, some which are really worthwhile are from Moko and ProCase. For those who like the appear and feel of Apple’s Good Cowl, however don’t wish to drop $50-plus on one, each of those manufacturers have dupes that provide you with that type at a fraction of the price of the first-party possibility.
Shop Moko cases at Amazon
Shop ProCase cases at Amazon
Twelve South HoverBar Duo
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 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, nevertheless it’s fairly simple to change to the clamp because of the included directions and primary instruments within the field. For those who 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 additional 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 precise place. That’s in all probability for the perfect 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 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 probably accommodate floor thickness from 0.4 inch to 1.4 inches.
For those who’re keen to sacrifice flexibility for one thing extra elegant, Elago’s P2 stand for iPad could also be match. It’s product of a single piece of aluminum with a ledge in your iPad and some well-placed cutouts that you may snake a charging cable by. The ledge can be large sufficient to accommodate most iPad instances. It might not be foldable or adjustable, however its minimalist design will make it a sexy addition to your desk.
Buy Elago P2 stand at Amazon – $20
Logitech MX Keys Mini
Among the finest Bluetooth keyboards I’ve used just lately is the Logitech MX Keys Mini. It’s not designed particularly for the iPad, nevertheless it works fairly nicely with it. It combines a number of the ergonomics and the overall feel and look of the MX lineup right into a compact and transportable 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 considered one of my favourite options as a result of it robotically comes on when it senses your palms getting near the keyboard. That means 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, nevertheless it’s one which could possibly be each your iPad keyboard and your primary desk typing system. It may hook up with as much as three gadgets on the identical time, permitting you to swap between them rapidly with only a press of a key, and it has a number of different helpful 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’d like one thing an iPad keyboard that is much more reasonably priced, and even thinner, we nonetheless just like the Logitech Keys to Go, which we’ve beneficial prior to now and you may normally discover for between $50 and $70.
Buy Logitech Keys to Go at Amazon – $60
Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad
For those who actually wish to indulge, Apple’s personal Magic Keyboard is the way in which to go. This costly case magnetically attaches to the newest 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 out there for the iPad and it’s top-of-the-line keyboards to think about if cash is not any object — or if you’d like essentially the most fashionable iPad keyboard cash can purchase.
Apple Pencil
This seemingly gained’t come as a shock, however the Apple Pencil is the perfect stylus you may get for the iPad. Each the first- and second-generation Pencils are designed to work particularly with iPads and it exhibits of their clean writing efficiency. The second-gen stylus has a double-tap function that you may customise to a sure diploma, and pressure-sensitivity lets you add as a lot or as little element as you wish to digital paintings. I extremely advocate shelling out $100 or $130 for the Apple Pencil for those who’re an artist — you gained’t be disenchanted.
Buy Apple Pencil (1st gen) at Amazon – $99
Logitech Crayon
There are different choices which are extra reasonably priced than the Apple Pencil, although, like Logitech’s $70 Crayon. It’s simply pretty much as good when it comes to 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.
Apart from that, the opposite greatest annoyance is that it’s important to use a Lightning or USB-C cable to cost it. (Even the most recent 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.
Paperlike display screen protector
For those who’re a heavy consumer of the Apple Pencil or another stylus, you need to take into account getting a display screen protector in your new iPad. They pull double-duty: Not solely do they act as a primary line of protection in case your iPad goes careening onto the concrete, however they’ll additionally improve the digital drawing and writing expertise. Utilizing a stylus on an iPad is unusual at first as a result of gliding the stylus nib over a glass floor feels nothing like “regular” writing. Matte display screen protectors can get nearer to replicating the pen-on-paper expertise, they usually additionally stop the stylus nib from sporting down so rapidly. Paperlike is the preferred on this house, however Bersem’s screen protectors are an ideal worth at $11 for a pack of two. Not solely does the matte end assist if you’re drawing or taking digital notes, nevertheless it additionally reduces display screen glare and doesn’t intervene with FaceID on the most recent iPads.
Buy Bersem screen protector (2 pack) at Amazon – $11
Satechi Aluminum Stand and Hub
For those who 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 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 most recent iPad Professionals, and if you wish to be additional secure, 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 may 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 may swap to utilizing my iPad as extra of a piece system with the entire needed 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.
Anker 7-in-1 USB-C hub
Not all customers want, or need, to spend $100 on a dock for his or her iPad. (For those who’re utilizing it as a laptop computer alternative, it’s definitely worth the funding.) For those who’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 selection. It has most ports that you would 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, nevertheless it’s onerous to beat $35 for the usual 7-in-1 mannequin.
Buy Anker 8-in-1 hub at Amazon – $80
Samsung T7 SSD
It may be onerous to anticipate how a lot storage you’ll want in your iPad. Possibly you picked up the bottom mannequin, however over time the system has changed into your primary gadget, holding most of your vital paperwork, images, apps and extra. You probably have one of many newest iPad fashions with USB-C, you should utilize that port to attach the system to an exterior drive, offloading information and releasing up onboard house in your system. We like Samsung’s T7 collection of transportable SSDs for his or her slick designs, quick speeds and numerous modes of safety. The T7, the T7 Touch and the T7 Shield all help learn/write speeds of as much as 1,050/1,000 MB/s, and their palm-sized designs make them simple to toss in a bag earlier than you permit for the day. All three additionally help AES 256-bit {hardware} encryption and non-compulsory password safety, however you’ll get the added bonus of a fingerprint reader on the T7 Contact. As for the T7 Protect, it’s the most recent within the lineup and has a extra sturdy design with a rubberized exterior and an IP65 ranking for water and dirt resistance.
Buy Samsung T7 Touch (1TB) at Amazon – $160
Buy Samsung T7 Shield (1TB) at Amazon – $160
Anker Nano II 45W GaN charger
Apple and different tech corporations are more and more leaving wall adapters out of their gadgets’ packing containers, so it’s value selecting up a pair that may deal with charging a few items of tech as rapidly as attainable. Anker’s 45W Nano II GaN adapter is an effective one as a result of it will probably fast-charge iPhones and iPads, plus the gallium nitride technology constructed into it helps stop overheating. In only a half hour of charging, I bought a couple of 33 % enhance in battery life on my 11-inch iPad Professional when utilizing this accent. Gallium nitride can be an enormous purpose why the 45W adapter is smaller than a number of competing adapters out there 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 baggage.
Anker PowerCore 26,800
It’s good to have a transportable battery with you if you’re utilizing your iPad on the go – no matter if it’s your day by day driver otherwise you’re solely utilizing it for a number of choose duties. Anker’s PowerCore 26,800 has a excessive sufficient capability to cost up most tablets virtually two instances over, making it not possible that you just’ll completely run out of energy earlier than you get to your subsequent vacation spot. Whereas it gained’t cost laptops, it’s going to work for many cellular gadgets, and it has three USB-A ports so you possibly can energy as much as three gadgets concurrently. And because the brick itself weighs simply over one pound, it gained’t overwhelm your bag all day lengthy, both.
