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Air 2 > Pro

Italianblend

Italianblend

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 21, 2011
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Fatima
has anyone made the upgrade from the air 2 to the 9.7 iPad Pro? I could use the extra storage at 32 but I'm mainly wondering if the processor upgrade is worth thr switch. What are your opinions? Was tempted to get the new iPad but it looks like almost a downgrade.
 
Italianblend said:
has anyone made the upgrade from the air 2 to the 9.7 iPad Pro? I could use the extra storage at 32 but I'm mainly wondering if the processor upgrade is worth thr switch. What are your opinions? Was tempted to get the new iPad but it looks like almost a downgrade.
Click to expand...
No not at all worth it wait for Pro 2
 
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Italianblend said:
has anyone made the upgrade from the air 2 to the 9.7 iPad Pro? I could use the extra storage at 32 but I'm mainly wondering if the processor upgrade is worth thr switch. What are your opinions? Was tempted to get the new iPad but it looks like almost a downgrade.
Click to expand...

I am in the same situation as you with an Air 2 128GB + CELLULAR and want to upgrade badly. My volume buttons have been broken for a month. I am gonna wait it out for the iPad Pro 2.
 
I ordered a refurb Air 2. My iPad Mini died back in December, and I'm convinced by the arguments here that a new 10.5" iPad Pro won't probably be out until after the iPhone 7S/8 is announced. I figure I'll take the ~$200 I'm saving now vs a 9.7 Pro and put that toward a 10.5 Pro when it comes out.
 
I made the upgrade. The biggest differences in my experience are:
  1. Screen. Amazingly calibrated display. Makes the Air 2 look much too blue (probably 7000K?). Great in any light, extremely accurate
  2. Speakers. Just for casual listening, the Air 2 has crappy speakers. Especially more with any case on it. But the Pro is actually listenable, without straining to hear just basic voice/video.
  3. Speed. I put this last, but it's still an improvement.
I didn't put Pencil/dock support, as I personally don't use those.
 
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I recently made the switch and it's a pretty big upgrade imo.

-A9X is snappier (A8x never felt as fast after 8.4.1)
-Love the upgraded speakers
-Front and rear cameras are now actually useable.

I agree with you, the 2017 iPad is a downgrade vs the Air 2. Get the pro, but only if you get a discount. I got mine for $20 more than the 2017 iPad.
 
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depends, if you do not

  1. use the speaker and camera ever
  2. have no use for a 119€ pencil
  3. cannot for the life of god see a difference of "true tone"
like me, then no
 
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At this point I would really try to hold out for the pro 2. I am still on an Air 2 and it's going strong. Seriously considered an upgrade then the Pros came out, but didn't have much use for the pencil or keyboard. The speakers were the only real reason, so I decided to skip the pro and hang onto the Air 2 for now.
 
I absolutely love my iPad Pro 9.7 upgraded about 2 months ago. Initially I sold my air 2 thinking I didn't need an iPad anymore and I got a good price.

What's better about the pro 9.7:

True tone - at first I thought it was a gimmick but it's a lot better on the eyes makes it easier to read

Speakers - 4 of them instead of 2 and they are louder

Camera - much better great if you take pictures or even for scanning documents/files

Screen - Its even less reflective than the Air 2, its brighter and wider colour gamut. The screen is also easier to keep clean than the Air 2.

Speed - I definitely see a speed increase but its not a huge jump.

Battery life - Im getting an extra hour from what I used to get when my Air 2 was brand new. All together Im getting about 16 hours with the brightness set at 25%.

Build quality - Don't have any issues with the screen being sensitive when I push down on it and the iPad vibrates a lot less when using the speakers.

What its missing - Wish it had 4gb of ram and an updated Touch ID sensor.

Is it worth the extra money than the Air 2? - Honestly its not worth a penny extra then what the Air 2 costs. Also considering the Pro 9.7 has been on the market for a year now.
 
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Ok thanks all. I am not really disliking my current iPad other than the 16gb storage. If I only knew when the new pros would get an upgrade. I think I'll wait it out for now, unless I see an amazing $200 off deal somewhere. It's been a great iPad and I still use it every day.
 
my fiancee only got her due to a contract coming up for renewal and was only £18 more than old contract.

still expensive but she really wanted a pro.
 
A pity that they don't offer a 256gb version.

It would make it very attractive for me then; 128gb doesn't quite cut it.
 
I can say without a doubt the Pro screen is just a joy to look at with True Tone. I found my eyes getting quite strained on the Air 2 in the evenings which doesn't happen anymore with the Pro.(Im attributing this to the True Tone display NOT Night Shift). So for that alone its a huge upgrade. Speed is not a huge difference for most tasks. I'll second what everyone else has said as far as the advantages. If you were to use a pro for a couple weeks then go back the the Air 2, you realize how nice it is to have a decent set of speakers for casual music/video and a gorgeous screen.

If you asked this 6 months - a year ago I'd say yes but now I'd say just wait for the next model and get that. Unless they drop the price of the 9.7 pro.
 
bufffilm said:
A pity that they don't offer a 256gb version.

It would make it very attractive for me then; 128gb doesn't quite cut it.
Click to expand...
No 256GB version of what? The new iPad? That's understandable. The target market for that is the lower end. Besides, why sell a 256GB iPad for $529 when the ones desperate for more storage will be willing to pony up $799 (or $899 Wi-Fi, $1029 LTE at launch), albeit perhaps not happily.
 
rui no onna said:
No 256GB version of what? The new iPad? That's understandable. The target market for that is the lower end. Besides, why sell a 256GB iPad for $529 when the ones desperate for more storage will be willing to pony up $799 (or $899 Wi-Fi, $1029 LTE at launch), albeit perhaps not happily.
Click to expand...

Just greed on Apple's part...

Not terribly bummed out, but had they offered a 256gb version...I might have bought that and just sat on it until Apple rolls out oled for the iPad. :)
 
Italianblend said:
has anyone made the upgrade from the air 2 to the 9.7 iPad Pro? I could use the extra storage at 32 but I'm mainly wondering if the processor upgrade is worth thr switch. What are your opinions? Was tempted to get the new iPad but it looks like almost a downgrade.
Click to expand...
Have had all iPads.

Updated from iPad Air2 to iPad Pro 9.7. The only differences I notice are glass is a 'little' bit less reflective and the pencil is pretty cool. I appreciate how the display changes color at night and with the ambient lighting ( it does make reading a bit easier on the eyes ).

For almost $300US plus another $100US for the pencil, I would have to say, while I enjoy the IPP9.7 I would not recommend getting one over the new iPad, unless you needed the pencil.

I would not recommend an Air 2, I would get the new iPad.
 
There are significant upgrades to the pro from the Air 2 if you are looking for better performance out of specific features.

If you used this an hour a day very casually as a consumption device primarily, the extra cash may not be worth it, and it may be more worth it to wait.

If however, you find that you really work on it a lot, if you do a lot of typing, use it for reporting and spreadsheets, if you find the pencil would be useful, than totally worth it.

Keep your eyes on Best Buy and Staples, they offer aggressive deals all the time. If it is just a matter of more storage, with patience, you will find what you are looking for.
 
gobikerider said:
No not at all worth it wait for Pro 2
Click to expand...
If you don't think it's going to be worth it now you probably won't think it it will be worth it then. There won't be much in terms of groundbreaking change. I'd say if you can get a sale of 100 dollars off it's TOTALLY worth it! 100 dollars for 16GB more storage, True Tone, Smart Connector, better processor and stereo speakers is a no-brainer! I was able to get 150 off my 9.7 IPP a month ago at Target so just be patient and a sale will come up.
 
Tapiture said:
If you don't think it's going to be worth it now you probably won't think it it will be worth it then. There won't be much in terms of groundbreaking change. I'd say if you can get a sale of 100 dollars off it's TOTALLY worth it! 100 dollars for 16GB more storage, True Tone, Smart Connector, better processor and stereo speakers is a no-brainer! I was able to get 150 off my 9.7 IPP a month ago at Target so just be patient and a sale will come up.
Click to expand...
I'll wait and get a proper upgrade to a Pro 2 with all the new Pro goodies and then a better display and even faster processor.
 
Is true tone even used anywhere in average joes daily life? I literally havent noticed any difference on my 7 Plus compared to my 6 or iPad Air 2
 
itsmilo said:
Is true tone even used anywhere in average joes daily life? I literally havent noticed any difference on my 7 Plus compared to my 6 or iPad Air 2
Click to expand...
Maybe that's because iPhone doesn't have True Tone... iPad Pro 9.7 is the only device with True Tone. Before I bought my Pro I thought it was just a gimmicky thing but it actually gives the display this X factor that makes it seem really natural and it's probably the best display of any device I've ever experienced. Multiple people have said to me "wow that's a nice display." Not to mention how much nicer it is to read on.
 
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Tapiture said:
Maybe that's because iPhone doesn't have True Tone... iPad Pro 9.7 is the only device with True Tone. Before I bought my Pro I thought it was just a gimmicky thing but it actually gives the display this X factor that makes it seem really natural and it's probably the best display of any device I've ever experienced. Multiple people have said to me "wow that's a nice display." Not to mention how much nicer it is to read on.
Click to expand...
Yup. The TrueTone display of the 9.7 Pro is the most accurate display that 99.9% of people will ever see, much less have the opportunity to actually own. When you compare the 9.7 Pro display to that fancy 4K TV you just bought, it will become obvious just how crappy the TV actually is, for color accuracy.

http://www.displaymate.com/iPad_Pro9_ShootOut_1.htm
 
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