Don’t know which iPad you’ve got? Find out easily with our guide to model numbers and other clues
Which iPad have I got? It was just called ‘iPad’ in the shop.
This might seem like an odd question, but Apple has almost always played down the ‘version number’ side of things with its iPad line of tablets; only the iPad 2, iPad mini 3 and 4 and the iPad Air 2 have widely advertised numbers – the others have tended to be called just iPad, or ‘iPad with Retina display’.
There have been a total of 12 iPad models altogether – the iPad, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, and the iPad mini and iPad mini 2 with Retina display, iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 4, as well as the iPad Pro 12.9in and 9.7in – and in this article we’ll help you work out which one you’ve got.
This can be useful information when trying to work out if an app is compatible with your tablet, or if you’ll be able to run the next version of iOS, among other things. (It will also be handy if you want to know how much faster the next iPad will be compared to your current experience.)
Which iPad do I have: Model numbers
You can easily tell which iPad you’ve got by reading the model number on the back and checking it against the following table, which uses information from Apple’s support website.
The number you’re looking for is labelled ‘Model’ – on the iPad above it’s A1490, which makes it an iPad mini 2
| iPad model | Version number | Other clues |
| iPad (aka iPad 1) | A1219 (Wi-Fi version) A1337 (Wi-Fi + cellular version) |
Old 30-pin port at the bottom; no camera apertures |
| iPad 2 | A1395 (Wi-Fi version) A1397 or A1396 (Wi-Fi + cellular versions) |
Old 30-pin port |
| iPad (third generation) | A1416 (Wi-Fi version) A1430 or A1403 (Wi-Fi + cellular versions) |
Old 30-pin port |
| iPad (fourth generation) | A1458 (Wi-Fi version) A1459 or A1460 (Wi-Fi + cellular versions) |
Lightning port at the bottom |
| iPad Air | A1474 (Wi-Fi version) A1475 (Wi-Fi + cellular version) |
Lightning port |
| iPad Air 2 | A1566 (Wi-Fi version) A1567 (Wi-Fi + cellular versions) |
Lightning port; Touch ID fingerprint sensor on Home button, Gold model available |
| iPad mini 1 | A1432 (Wi-Fi version) A1454 or A1455 (Wi-Fi + cellular versions) |
Lightning port; iPad minis are smaller – about the size of a paperback |
| iPad mini 2 (iPad mini with Retina display) | A1489 (Wi-Fi version) A1490 (Wi-Fi + cellular version) |
Lightning port |
| iPad mini 3 | A1599 (Wi-Fi version) A1600 (Wi-Fi + cellular version) |
Lightning port, Gold model available, Touch ID fingerprint sensor on Home button. |
| iPad mini 4 | A1538 (Wi-Fi version) A1550 (Wi-Fi + cellular version) |
Lightning port, Gold model available, Touch ID fingerprint sensor on Home button. |
| iPad Pro 12.9in | A1584 (Wi-Fi version) A1652 (Wi-Fi + cellular version) |
A much bigger screen – 12.9in, Gold model available, there’s a smart connector for the Smart Keyboard on the left side. |
| iPad Pro 9.7in | A1673 (Wi-Fi version) A1674 or A1675 (Wi-Fi + cellular version) |
Smaller than the 12.9in version, Gold model available, there’s also a smart connector for the Smart Keyboard on the left side. |
Which iPad do I have: Lightning and 30-pin docks
A simple way of telling apart certain iPads – particularly the iPad 3 and iPad 4, which are otherwise pretty much identical – is whether they have a Lightning or old 30-pin dock connector at the bottom. Here’s what the Lightning port looks like:
And here’s the 30-pin dock, which is noticeably wider:
Source: Macworld
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