iPad or laptop?
A laptop, for most buyers: an iPad with keyboard and Pencil costs £732.97, more than a 16GB laptop. An iPad wins for notes and drawing. UK costs by task.
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Should you buy an iPad or a laptop?
A laptop, for a buyer who needs one device for everything: it runs desktop programs and costs less than an iPad set up to work like one. An iPad is the better buy for handwritten notes, drawing, reading and streaming, or as a second device beside a laptop.
The numbers settle it. On Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026), the Apple iPad (A16)with Apple's Magic Keyboard Folio and an Apple Pencil (USB-C) costs £732.97, £2.98 more than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 14 Gen 10 with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The tablet shortlist is in Best tablet UK 2026.
| Situation | Buy | Pick | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| One device for everything | Laptop | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 14 Gen 10 | £729.99 |
| Handwritten notes beside a laptop | iPad | Apple iPad (A16) | £404.97 |
| Tablet that doubles as a laptop | iPad | Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) | £743.57 |
| Android, stylus in the box | Tablet | Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 | £799.00 |
| Coding, desktop Office, exam software | Laptop | Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) | £1,303.07 |
How much does an iPad cost when set up as a laptop?
An iPad set up as a laptop costs £603.96 to £1,141.57 on Amazon UK in October 2026, once a keyboard and an Apple Pencil are added. Apple sells neither with the iPad. Compare Electronic added each part and set the total against a laptop at about the same price.
| Set-up | Tablet | Keyboard | Pencil | Total | Laptop at a similar price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPad (A16) + Logitech Combo Touch + Apple Pencil (USB-C) | £404.97 | £119.99 | £79.00 | £603.96 | MacBook Neo, from £699 at Apple UK |
| iPad (A16) + Magic Keyboard Folio + Apple Pencil (USB-C) | £404.97 | £249.00 | £79.00 | £732.97 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 14 Gen 10, £729.99 |
| iPad Air 11-inch (M4) + Logitech Combo Touch + Apple Pencil Pro | £743.57 | £154.99 | £129.00 | £1,027.56 | n/a |
| iPad Air 11-inch (M4) + Magic Keyboard + Apple Pencil Pro | £743.57 | £269.00 | £129.00 | £1,141.57 | MacBook Air 13-inch (M5), £1,303.07 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 (S Pen included) | £799.00 | Extra | £0.00 | £799.00 plus keyboard | n/a |
Three findings stand out. First, Apple's own keyboards add 36% to 61% to the tablet price: £249.00 for the Magic Keyboard Folio on a £404.97 iPad (A16), and £269.00 for the Magic Keyboard on a £743.57 iPad Air. Second, every iPad above starts at 128GB of storage, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 14 Gen 10 and the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) carry 512GB. Third, Apple UK prices are higher still: the iPad (A16) set-up costs £757 at Apple UK and the iPad Air set-up £1,147, against £1,299 for the cheapest MacBook Air and £699 for the MacBook Neo.
The sums change for a buyer who already owns a laptop or desktop. The iPad then becomes a second device, the keyboard is optional, and the Apple iPad (A16) with an Apple Pencil (USB-C) costs £483.97, a note-taking and reading kit no laptop at that price matches for handwriting. The Apple Pencil (USB-C) lacks pressure sensitivity, which the £129.00 Apple Pencil Pro adds on the iPad Air. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Lite does the same second-device job for £339.01 with an S Pen in the box, £144.96 less than the iPad (A16) kit.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 at £799.00 also includes an S Pen, which saves the Pencil cost. Laptop budgets by use are set out in How much should I spend on a laptop?
Radar · 0-100 scores
- iPad Air 11-inch (M4)
- iPad (A16)
- Galaxy Tab S11
- Galaxy Tab S10 Lite
Which tasks need a laptop, and which suit an iPad?
A laptop is needed for coding, exam software and Adobe Premiere Pro; an iPad is better for handwritten notes, drawing and reading; essays and video editing work on both. Compare Electronic's task table sets out where each one wins.
| Task | iPad | Laptop | Better buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essays and reports | Pages, Google Docs or Word with a keyboard case | Full desktop Word | Either; laptop for long documents |
| Coding | Swift Playgrounds; no Visual Studio Code or Xcode | Any IDE, terminal and local tools | Laptop |
| Note-taking | Handwriting and diagrams with Apple Pencil | Typing only on most models | iPad |
| Video editing | Final Cut Pro for iPad, DaVinci Resolve for iPad | Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve | Laptop for Premiere Pro; either otherwise |
| University exams | Not supported by the Inspera Integrity Browser | Windows and macOS supported | Laptop |
| Drawing and reading | Pencil Pro, 264 ppi screen, 464 g (Air 11) | Heavier, no pen on most | iPad |
iPadOS 26 narrowed the gap with resizable windows and a menu bar, but an iPad still installs apps only from the App Store. Microsoft also requires a Microsoft 365 subscription to edit in Word on screens larger than 10.1 inches, which covers every 11-inch iPad. Buyers who only need a browser and documents can spend less on a Chromebook, and Mac buyers should read Is a MacBook Air worth it?
Which iPad works best as a laptop?
The Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) is the iPad to buy for laptop duty, at £743.57 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026). It pairs the M4 chip with 12GB of memory, supports the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air with its trackpad and the Apple Pencil Pro, and weighs 464 g.
Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) specifications (Apple)
- Chip: Apple M4, 12 GB memory
- Display: 11 in Liquid Retina, 264 ppi, 500 nits
- Storage: 128 GB
- Battery: up to 10 hours
- Weight: 464 g, 6.1 mm thick
- Accessories: Apple Pencil Pro, Magic Keyboard for iPad Air
The M4 chip runs Final Cut Pro for iPad, Wi-Fi 7 is built in, and Touch ID sits in the top button. The weak points are a 60 Hz screen and 128GB of storage, and the full set-up with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro reaches £1,141.57.
Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) - pros and cons
Where to buy
Check price
Three alternatives cover a lower budget and Android, at Amazon UK prices on 11 October 2026.
Also consider
Verdict
Buy a laptop if it has to be the only device: an iPad (A16) set up with keyboard and Pencil costs £732.97, more than a 16GB laptop, and still cannot run desktop programs. Buy an iPad for notes, drawing and reading, and the Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) at £743.57 if it must also stand in for a laptop; a MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) costs £161.50 more than the full iPad Air set-up. The wider choice is in Best tablet UK 2026 and Which iPad should I buy?
Frequently asked questions
Can an iPad replace a laptop?
An iPad can replace a laptop for writing, email, web apps, streaming and handwritten notes, but not for desktop programs such as Visual Studio Code, desktop Excel or Windows exam software. The Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) is the best iPad for laptop duty, at £743.57 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026), before a keyboard.
How much does an iPad with a keyboard and Apple Pencil cost?
On Amazon UK in October 2026, the Apple iPad (A16) with Apple's Magic Keyboard Folio and an Apple Pencil (USB-C) costs £732.97. The Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) with the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air and an Apple Pencil Pro costs £1,141.57. A Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case cuts the iPad (A16) set-up to £603.96.
Is an iPad or a laptop better for university?
A laptop is better as a student's only device, because exam software such as the Inspera Integrity Browser runs only on Windows and macOS, and SPSS and SOLIDWORKS need a desktop operating system. An iPad works well beside a laptop for handwritten lecture notes. The Apple iPad (A16) costs £404.97 on Amazon UK in October 2026.
Should I buy an iPad Air or a MacBook Air?
A MacBook Air suits a buyer who types most of the day and needs macOS apps; an iPad Air suits one who handwrites, draws or reads. On Amazon UK in October 2026, the Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro costs £1,141.57, £161.50 less than the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) at £1,303.07.
Can you write essays on an iPad?
Yes. Pages, Google Docs and Microsoft Word all run on iPadOS, and a keyboard case makes long writing comfortable. Microsoft requires a Microsoft 365 subscription to edit documents in Word on screens larger than 10.1 inches, which covers every current 11-inch and 13-inch iPad. Apple's Magic Keyboard Folio for the iPad (A16) costs £249.00 on Amazon UK.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 a good laptop replacement?
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 comes closer than most tablets, because Samsung DeX gives it a desktop-style mode with resizable windows and a taskbar, and an S Pen comes in the box. It still runs Android apps rather than Windows programs. The Wi-Fi 128GB model costs £799.00 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026).