Technologies

Best iPad for 2023: Navigating Apple’s Tablets

Guess what? There’s no perfect iPad right now. Here is the breakdown of our top choices.

iPad shoppers, I have frustrating news for you. There’s no perfect iPad anymore. This is the state of iPads in early 2023: lots of choices but no clear-cut, absolute winner. There are, however, some specific shopping tips we can offer. And some good news.

The latest iPads have confused the landscape further. The 10th-gen iPad is more expensive than the ninth-gen iPad, which remains on sale. The 10th-gen model has a better-placed front-facing camera for video chats, a larger screen, a faster processor and USB-C charging, but needs its own cases and a weird dongle for charging the first-gen Pencil.

Meanwhile, the newest iPad Pros get better M2 processors, faster Wi-Fi 6E and 5G connectivity and a new «Pencil hover» tool for proximity-based previews of art tools, but the design remains the same and the front camera placement hasn’t been fixed, which remains frustrating for anyone who was hoping to use the iPad Pro for work-based video chats when in landscape mode. Also, iPadOS is no closer to replacing your Mac, except for Stage Manager’s external monitor support coming later this year.

The best iPads for now may arguably still be older models: The 9th-gen iPad is the best choice for kids and budget shoppers a year after its debut.

Meanwhile, the iPad Air, released earlier this year, remains the best «Pro on a budget» iPad with its fast M1 chip and Pencil 2 support. It doesn’t fix that front camera either, though, so if looking good on Zoom and FaceTime matters the most, consider that 10th-gen iPad instead.

Read more: Best iPad Deals Right Now

Our top choice: Again, no clear winner

There’s a $120 starting price gap between the $329 entry-model 9th-gen, which remains in the line, and the new $449 10th-gen version. That gives the older model a bit of an edge over the new one, despite the latter’s slightly larger display, side camera, better processor and USB-C connection — especially if you only really need one of those upgrades, like the camera relocation. If you need all those upgrades and can afford it but don’t need an M1 CPU, the step-up model makes sense.

Whichever model or screen size you go with, all the current iPads support the latest version of iPadOS (a version of iOS specifically for iPads) and either the first- or second-gen Apple Pencil — though the most recently released 10th-gen model’s Pencil support is less than elegant. Let’s just say there’s a dongle involved, which is rarely a good thing. Apple is supporting external monitors as an extended desktop for iPads with an M1 chip or better via a software update to iPadOS 16 that’s coming later this year, but the feature, called Stage Manager, remains buggy and feels experimental.

No matter what iPad you buy, there are ways of connecting keyboard cases, Bluetooth and otherwise, although your options will vary. That’s good news for anyone who wants to do more than stream videos and music, browse websites and play Apple Arcade games. Plus, all the current iPad models support mouse and trackpad use, for a more MacBook-like experience. The Apple Magic Keyboard is compatible with the iPad Pro and iPad Air, but not the 10th-gen iPad (which has a new Magic Keyboard Folio case instead).

Check out the selections below to find the best iPad for your needs. And then read further for more advice.

Technologies

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 23, #804

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Aug. 23, #804.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

The NYT Connections puzzle is often tough, but today’s is next-level tough. The blue category went wild with long, almost archaic vocabulary. See my rant below when I spoil the blue category for you. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Cars get thirsty too.

Green group hint: Place to play.

Blue group hint: Trickery.

Purple group hint: Who thought of that?

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Liquids you put into cars.

Green group: Arena.

Blue group: Skulduggery.

Purple group: Modern inventions.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is liquids you put into cars. The four answers are brake fluid, coolant, fuel and oil.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is arena. The four answers are bowl, coliseum, hippodrome and stadium.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is skulduggery. The four answers are chicanery, deceit, legerdemain and subterfuge.

OK, first, «skulduggery» is one heck of a word, but then … legerdemain? Seriously? The dictionary defines that as «skillful use of one’s hands when performing conjuring tricks.» New one on me.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is modern inventions. The four answers are crypto, podcast, smartwatch and vape.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Aug. 23, #334

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 23, No. 334.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition might be tough. Not sure how many people who play this are up on Six Nations Rugby. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Big win.

Green group hint: Think scrums.

Blue group hint: Good catch!

Purple group hint: College towns.