The best iPads for video editing offer a smooth, dynamic user experience. From cutting together clips to colour grading, rendering and export, a good iPad can do it all, and the good news is that you don't have to spend a fortune to get a fantastic option.
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✅ We are solely focused on what creatives need ✅ We try out every tablet we recommend ✅ We consult experts in video editing ✅ Long-term, real-world testing
We’ve run benchmark tests on a selection of iPads, using apps like LumaFusion and the other best video editing software to identify the best options for different needs. The unquestionable winner is the iPad Pro (M4, 2024), the most powerful iPad ever made. However, I think many users will be better suited to something more affordable, and have provided a range of recommendations.
As someone who's been in the tech and lifestyle writing gig for some time, it's my business to know all there is to know about the latest iPads.I've tested heaps of gadgets for T3, Digital Camera World and, of course, Creative Bloq, and I was also formerly Buying Guides Editor at TechRadar. I've tested iPads of all generations across a multitude of creative tasks, and video editing is among the suite of challenges I put to a new iPad to see how it performs. I've factored in price when making my picks, in order to ensure that you get the best value for money possible with a video-editing iPad.
Thanks to its M4 chip inside, which boasts either a 9 or 10-core depending on configuration, this iPad leaves the others in the dust. If you can afford it, it will future-proof your video editing setup. Read more below
With its upgraded M2 chip, the iPad Air is surprisingly affordable compared to the 2022 iPad Air 5 series. It offers 50% faster performance than the M1 thanks to an upgraded CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. Read more below
While it's no M2, the A14 Bionic chip powering this iPad is more than capable, and we love its large, bright screen. It can handle CPU-hungry and GPU-intensive tasks without breaking the bank, though it's only available with 8GB RAM. Read more below
Apple's 7th-generation iPad mini is one of the best video editing tools you can buy if you're often on the move with little luggage. The display is small but clear, and there's enough power to handle 4K video if you're not going to heavy with effects. Read more below
✅ You need as much power as you can get: For crunching through intensive editing workloads, the iPad Pro M4 is your best bet. ✅ You want to use the latest stylus: The iPad Pro M4 is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro, with new ergonomic features.
Don't buy it if
❌ You're not a professional editor working in high resolutions: This will be more power than you need, for more than you need to spend.
The bottom line
🔎 iPad Pro (M4, 2024) is unquestionably the most powerful and capable iPad you can buy for video editing – but it's probably overpowered for most. ★★★★
Faster, thinner and more beautiful than ever before, the new iPad Pro 13 (M4, 2024) features several improvements that make it a fantastic pick for video editing. Its OLED screen technology offers improved contrast, and the slate is compatible with the new Apple Pencil Pro. Plus, its powerful M4 chip offers enough power to easily handle more demanding tasks like video editing.
Despite its thin, 5.1mm frame, this is a robust tablet providing an excellent surface for video editing, though it's a little larger than some of its less powerful siblings. However, with that size comes the greatest boon; that beautiful Tandem OLED display, which sandwiches two OLED panels and offers, according to Apple, 1,000 nits of standard brightness and 1,600 nits of HDR brightness, the same as with the 2022 model. The Ultra Retina XDR OLED display looks even crisper than its predecessor.
With a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, it's also incredibly responsive and especially shines when paired with the new Apple Pencil Pro. This new stylus introduces its own benefits; namely, how its new rotating barrel can quickly change the orientation of pen and brush tools, and the ability to squeeze the stylus to access a quick menu with tools and settings.
In our full review, it's fair to say we were blown away. The latest iPad Pro offers an incredible level of processing power – we put it through a range of tasks, and when it came to video editing in LumaFusion, the sheer speed on offer even outpaced reviewer's (slightly older) MacBook Pro to shame. But here lies the rub – the M4 iPad Pro is so bleeding fast that there are very few apps capable of fully taking advantage of what it has to offer.
This means that you're paying for a lot of power you don't really need – indeed, power that the vast majority of even video editors are never going to need. It's definitely the best iPad for video editing, that's not even in question, but unless you have a high budget and need the best, or you want to future-proof yourself for years to come, you'll be able to spend less on one of our next options and still get the performance you're looking for.
"If you don’t have an iPad and want an insanely fast, very well designed creative tablet for video editing then this is for you. For current iPad owners, it's not worth the upgrade – too many apps aren’t yet capable of using this much power."
Resolution: 2360x1640 (11-inch) 2732x2048 (13-inch) at 264 ppi
Dimensions: 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 6.1mm (11-inch) 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.1mm (13-inch)
Reasons to buy
+
Powerful M2 Chip
+
USB-C charging
+
New Ultra Wide landscape camera
Reasons to avoid
-
The new iPad Pro M4 is lighter and thinner
Buy it if
✅ You want high-level performance for a reasonable price: The iPad Air is currently the best balance of value in my opinion. ✅ You also want a decent on-board camera: The new 12MP Ultra Wide front camera delivers impressive quality.
Don't buy it if
❌ You want the lightest iPad: Confusingly, the latest iPad Pro is actually slimmer and lighter than the latest iPad Air. ❌ You want maximum power: For maximising export speeds, or 3D work, the Pro rules the roost.
The bottom line
🔎 iPad Air (M2, 2024) delivers a solid balance of performance against price, making it the best option for non-pro editors. ★★★★
Although the specs of iPad Air models won't ever quite live up to more recent versions of the larger slates, we think the iPad Air (M2, 2024) offers great value for money, making for a capable workstation without the need for pro-level power. It has a 13-inch display option, which is great if you want enough power and space to edit videos especially while on the move.
Plus, the inclusion of the M2 chip means the new iPad Air offers 50% faster performance than the M1 model thanks to its upgraded CPU, GPU and Neural Engine. There's also the new landscape 12MP Ultra Wide front camera, which has been repositioned to more naturally suit video calls, should you also need to use your new slate for connecting with friends, family or colleagues, too.
With its advanced power, the most recent iPad Air is also capable of handling AI tasks, and it's even compatible with the newly announced Apple Pencil Pro and the Apple Pencil USB-C too, if you don't want to get your screen grubby.
In our review, we put the new iPad Air through its paces for some editing with LumaFusion, and it acquitted itself very nicely. The editing process itself was slick, responsive and enjoyable, and the only time we noticed significant slowing was during import and export. It's a small advance over the previous M1 model, and it feels slow when you put it up against the M4 iPad Pro (but then again, what doesn't?). The salient point is that the iPad Air M2 will absolutely deliver all the functionality you need for video editing.
"For most editors, I'd say this is the sweet spot for you between cost and functionality. Powerful enough and not as eye-watering as the iPad Pro M4 on the price front."
✅ You're on a budget: It was fairly cheap at launch, and has only got cheaper. ✅ You're a casual video editor: If you just need to throw a few clips together for socials, the iPad will accomplish it easily.
Don't buy it if
❌ You're a pro: Work on anything too complex or high-res and the export times will start to add up. ❌ You want to use the latest stylus: It only supports the first-gen Apple Pencil – and you need an adapter.
The bottom line
🔎 iPad (2022) is more than capable for basic 4K editing tasks, with a bright display and decent power. ★★★★
The latest vanilla iPad (i.e. not a Pro, Air or Mini) has enjoyed a massive upgrade in specs, thanks to the A14 Bionic chip that’s now powering it, and the larger, brighter screen. Both contribute to taking the original iPad line from being the iPad for most users to being one of the most capable tablets out there that can handle CPU-hungry and GPU-intensive tasks… like easier video editing workloads, for example.
That’s right: the previously underestimated, often overlooked iPad is now capable of seeing students and fledging video editors through their demanding creative process. We’ve witnessed this first-hand in our review, in which we found the iPad to be more than capable for a majority of creative tasks, including video editing. And it has really come down in price over the past few years, available for as little as £499 or $279.
Due to its limitations in RAM – you can only get an 8GB one – we cannot confidently recommend it to professional video editors. Time is money, after all. But, if you’re just starting and still honing the craft, this one’s a money-saving ace.
"As an everyday iPad user, and someone who likes to indulge in my creativity with tasks like video editing, I have to say this is the option I would go for."
✅ Portability is king for you: It's mini by name, mini by nature with the smallest iPad Apple makes. ✅ You're on a budget: This delivers more power than a standard iPad but is still cheaper than an Air or a Pro.
Don't buy it if:
❌ You need plenty of room to work: The smaller display can feel unavoidably cramped for editing.
The bottom line
🔎 iPad mini (7th gen, 2024) is unparalleled for its ability to be taken absolutely anywhere. If the screen isn't too small for you, it's a great buy. ★★★★
All the other iPads on this list have nice big screens, which is great for video editing. But if portability is key, then you'll be pleased to know that the small iPad mini still gives great performance.
Yes, the 8.3-inch screen is a little poky, but that does make this iPad extremely easy to take around with you. The Liquid Retina display with 2266x1488 resolution at 326 pixels per inch is impressively crisp and detailed. The A17 Pro chip provides enough power to run video editing apps for light video editing on the go. And you get USB-C support and 5G connectivity into the bargain.
We ran a few video editing tests in our full review, and found the iPad mini to perform admirably. It handled 4K footage without any problems. The 3:2 aspect ratio of the screen is well-suited to video playback, and having Apple Pencil Pro compatibility is welcome.
The device started to struggle with playback when trying to edit log footage and add significant effects or enhancements, so a full editing workflow in a program like Davinci Resolve will tax this smaller tablet unless you use proxies or optimised media. The small screen could also make navigating panels frustrating, but this tablet will do the job for editing video for social media, for example.
Can an iPad actually handle serious video editing?
Certainly! Video editing tasks can also be done smoothly on all types of iPad, although in general you get what you pay for. So basically, the more you spend on an iPad, the faster and more responsive your experience will be.
What is the best video editor for iPad?
We do much of our iPad video editing on LumaFusion, which offers a brilliant video-editing suite that's well-optimised for tablets. Alternatively, you might want to consider DaVinci Resolve, which is powerful and complex.
Can I turn my iPad into a laptop?
The Magic Keyboard transforms your iPad into something akin to a laptop by adding a physical keyboard and trackpad. Note that it's not quite the same as a MacBook, though, because you'll still be running iOS, rather than macOS, so you won't be able to run full Mac software such as Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. Also note that you have to buy it separately and it's not cheap. For more affordable alternatives, read our roundup of the best iPad keyboards.
What video editing apps work best on an iPad?
The most powerful video editing app for iPad is arguably Da Vinci Resolve thanks to its combination of video editing and colour correction in one software tool. There are plenty more to choose from, though, and each has something unique to offer. So check out our full list of video editing apps to find the right fit for you.
How to choose the best iPad for video editing
How do you choose between the best iPads for video editing? Well, that's largely down to price. If money's no object, then you can't go wrong with the iPad Pro M2, the number one pick on our list. Otherwise, you're basically balancing how much you want to spend with the speed and power of the tablet. On the whole, iPad Pros are more powerful than iPad Airs, and the basic iPad is at the bottom of the list. Similarly, every time you go back a year from 2022, you'll step down in both price and power.
There's only one other major consideration when it comes to video editing: the size of the screen you're looking for. Most people will prefer a larger one in order to see more picture detail, but that will also make your tablet larger and less portable. So if you want something easy to carry, you may prefer to go in the opposite direction and opt for an iPad mini.
How we test iPads for video editing
Finding the best iPad for video editing is partly about assessing specifications, partly about machine testing, and partly about how each model performs in practice, at actual video editing tasks. So while we use benchmark tests like Geekbench to measure processing muscle, we also import and render actual 4K footage to see how smoothly each iPad performs when editing complex projects. We also assess the brightness, colour accuracy and HDR capabilities of the screen, battery life, and audio quality from the speakers.
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Los Angeles-based Michelle is a writer and photographer. She regularly writes for TechRadar, Steve's Digicams and Techlicious, and is currently a freelance SEO and Production editor for TechRadar.
