Best iPad accessories: the top cases, keyboards & add-ons for your Apple tablet
Upgrade your slate with these nifty peripherals
From digital doodling to gaming on the go, Apple’s tablets are multi-talented tools right out of the box. But the best iPad accessories can make your Cupertino slate even greater. There are styli for sensitive scribbling, stands for elevated entertainment and keyboard cases to keep your fingers busy. There’s even a mount that transforms your iPad into a drawing board – and a screen protector which imitates paper.
Ready to accessorise your setup? Whether you’re emailing on a Mini, streaming on a standard edition or illustrating pics on a top-spec Pro, you’ll find peripherals in our list to improve every type of Apple tablet – whatever you choose to use it for.
Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
From a palette of arty apps to displays more vibrant than a Jackson Pollock painting, the latest iPads are doozies for doodlers. The only problem? Detailed drawings are difficult when you’re sketching with your sausage fingers. Swap clumsy tips for a precision nib with Apple’s second-gen Pencil: lightweight and shaped to fit your grip, the stylus attaches magnetically to the side of compatible iPads, for lag-free line work whenever inspiration strikes. Tilt and pressure sensitivity mean you can throw varying shade on your digital canvas, while a touch surface lets you tap to swap tools without breaking your creative flow.
Mous iPad Case
Apple’s latest slates might be lighter than ever, but they still won’t float if your butter fingers sling them at the floor. Protect yours from tumbles with this hardcore case from Mous. Line with AiroFoam, each shell shields your iPad from the impact of accidental drops. Raised edges are designed to save the screen, while a rigid backplate reduces twisting. And when you’re not busy tossing your tablet to the ground, the folio can support your iPad at four stand angles. Available to fit the standard iPad, Air and both sizes of Pro, it also works with the Apple Pencil.
TwelveSouth HoverBar Duo
Sous chef, mini cinema or Sidecar to your MacBook: iPads can be handy screens in all sorts of scenarios. And if it’s utility you’re after, this sturdy stand will help you situate your slate almost anywhere in mid-air – courtesy of an articulating arm and swivelling head. With your tablet in the gripper, use the weighty base for desktop support or deploy the bundled clamp for secure attachment to table edges. You can also suspend it from cabinets above, for a fully floating kitchen control panel.
Anker Nano II 30W
Every model of iPad is rated for up to 10 hours of web browsing on a single charge. And when your surfing session saps the final dregs of fuel, every iPad needs the same thing: plug time. Want a compact charger that doesn’t wimp out on wattage? Anker’s miniature brick charges your tablet at maximum power, without adding bulk to your bag. Dinky be design, it’s some 59% smaller than Apple’s official 30W USB-C adapter, yet boosts your slate at the same rate. And when your tablet’s tank is full, it can also service a MacBook Air at full speed.
Moft Invisible Tablet Stand
Need to prop your iPad? You could use a hardback book. Or for a neater solution that doesn’t take ten minutes to position, you could stick this slimline stand to your tablet’s back. Attached with removable glue, Moft’s Invisible plinth supports your slate in six positions across portrait and landscape. Hitting the road? Lightweight and barely there, the stand folds flat like an origami ramp.
Sketchboard Pro
Radical redesigns are rare in Cupertino. Want an accessory which instantly transforms your tablet? This mount doesn’t just take your slate back to the drawing board: it makes it into one. Laid low or stood like an easel, it gives your wrists somewhere to rest and your brain some space to think. Slot your iPad into the middle and it becomes a digital drafting table, inclined at 20 degrees for comfortable creativity – whether you’re doodling a cartoon or design a room. Besides a Pencil slot and charging cord cutout, the central mount can also be swapped to fit different models.
Satechi Aluminium Stand & Hub
With Apple’s M1 silicon inside, the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air come closer than ever to full-fat laptop rivals. The only problem? They’re both one-port wonders. Upgrade your slate’s connectivity with this hub-and-stand combo. Compact and foldable, its aluminium finish is the perfect fit to your iPad – as is the USB-C connector. Wired in, the low-profile companion equips your iPad with 4K HDMI, USB-A and USB-C ports, as well as dual SD card readers and that much-missed headphone port.
Paperlike
Apple’s Pencil does a stellar impression of a leaded sketcher, but your iPad can’t fully replicate the feedback from a physical notepad. Prefer to feel like you’re putting pen to paper, without actually putting pen to paper? For an A4 experience with added smarts , stick a Paperlike topper on your tablet’s glass. Designed to emulate the pulpy stuff, the protective layer features a textured finish which lightly increases the friction between your Pencil’s tip and your iPad’s screen, for more tactile note taking. It also reduces reflections – ideal for glare-free appreciation of your penmanship.
Apple Magic Keyboard
Folded flat for protection front and back, Apple’s keyboard case looks just like any other. Flip it open, though, and the Magic Keyboard reveals itself to be more than a tappable wrapper. Sure, backlit scissor keys ensure a responsive typing experience, but you also get a trackpad with gesture support, plus a USB-C port harboured in the hinge. The pièce de résistance? A floating cantilevered fold: attach your tablet to the magnetic back plate and it’ll hover above the base, leaving you free to tweak the angle as you like.
Harber Slim Sleeve
After a tough day of tapping apps, your iPad deserves somewhere chic to sleep. Lined with wool felt, this leather pocket protects your tablet in understated style. A slender sleeve for your slate, the Evo is sewn slim by design, but still big enough to accommodation a keyboard case. There’s also a little loop for an Apple Pencil, plus it ships in four shades – so there’s bound to be a tone that matches your brogues.
Anker PowerCore 20K
With an empty cell inside, an iPad is nought but an aluminium clipboard. Keen to keep your tablet fully functioning? Anker’s power bank puts plenty of power in your pocket. Its 20,000mAh capacity is big enough to refill an iPad Mini twice (with a little bit leftover), while the built-in 20W USB-C port delivers fuel at full speed. Plus a secondary 18W USB-A port means you can dish out energy to other devices in need.
Logitech Combo Touch
Who needs a hybrid laptop when one case can make your iPad into pretty much the same thing? Neatly protective and made to fit the Pro and Air, Logitech’s four-in-one shell ships with an integrated kickstand and detachable keyboard. So you can use it like a laptop – complete with backlit keys, sizeable trackpad and full row of function shortcuts – or ditch the caps for keyless freedom. The stand can flick back for drawing support, tilt through 50 degrees of adjustment or fold away for a traditional tablet setup. And it all works via your iPad’s Smart Connector, no batteries necessary.
Apple AirPods Pro
Your iPad might pack impressive stereo speakers, but sometimes you need the sonic seclusion of wireless earphones. And if you’re filling your lugs with ‘buds, you can do a lot worse than Apple’s own AirPods Pro. Besides a comfortable fit, decent noise cancelling and excellent audio, the earbuds also offer the convenience of seamless iPad pairing thanks to the H1 chip they harbour. And if you’re an Apple Music subscriber, you can also use them to enjoy immersive spatial audio via a compatible Apple tablet.
Chris Rowlands
Freelance contributor 
