iPad Buying a 10th gen iPad?

[Christopher Kim]

I believe <80% requirement is only needed if covered under AppleCare

I'm pretty sure this is the case even when not under Applecare and wanting to pay. Because with iPad battery replacements, Apple just gives you a new (refurbished) device and doesn't actually replace the battery, I'm almost certain that in order to get a new battery and pay $99 battery replacement cost, your battery must show <80% health with their diagnostics. Even if you're willing to pay for it.

This is the case with iPads and Watches, and also most newer Macs (where they replace the Topcase). I think the only product where the 80% rule isn't required (even when paying) is the iPhone, since with those, Apple can actually just replace the battery.

I'm not 100% sure though.

 

[Warped9]

Okay, then. I got lucky.

I decided on the Air and that I will sell my old 10.5 Pro on my own rather than the trade-in option.

Anyway when I went to purchase my new Air (a blue one) apparently I was unaware of a holiday incentive for staff purchase. So instead of getting 10 percent off ($80) I got 15 percent off ($120).

That definitely made it more palatable. (-:

Love the wireless setup from iPad to iPad. When technology works as it should, and you have proper passwords and such, it’s magical. No fuss.

It’ll take getting used to no home button—I keep reaching for it.

Wow—I just remembered this iPad Air has no audio jack. Now I need to get bluetooth headphones at some point.


...or I could just get myself the USB-C to audio jack adaptor, which makes more sense since I don't use headphones much.

 

[Jcmwwe]

Does anyone know if the iPad Air 5 has pmw and or temporal dithering? Since the iPad 9th and iPad 10th both don’t, that could be a factor in someone’s decision also. Thanks.

 

[jm31828]

Does anyone know if the iPad Air 5 has pmw and or temporal dithering? Since the iPad 9th and iPad 10th both don’t, that could be a factor in someone’s decision also. Thanks.

Notebookcheck verified there is no PWM on the Air 5, but they did not state anything about temporal dithering, and I can't find anything anywhere about that.

Interestingly, Notebookcheck specifically called out the fact that there is no temporal dithering on their review of the iPad 10th gen- along with the statement about no PWM. It's something they have just started testing for, so they are only doing this on the absolute latest releases from the way it looks.

I will say I don't know for sure, but in the store I get a bit of eye discomfort when using the Air 5 (and the Pro 11 inch)- I know neither have PWM, so I suspect it might be temporal dithering. It's not too bad, and I may adjust if I had one and used it for some time, but interestingly the 10th gen was more pleasing to my eyes, it didn't cause any discomfort at all.

 

[rui no onna]

This is the case with iPads and Watches, and also most newer Macs (where they replace the Topcase). I think the only product where the 80% rule isn't required (even when paying) is the iPhone, since with those, Apple can actually just replace the battery.

The only reason there's an exception for the iPhone is due to #batterygate. Before that, Apple required <80% for iPhone, too, even when you're paying.

I reckon Apple greatly prefers steering customers towards buying a new device costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars rather than replacing the battery on the old device for less than $100.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I am Gen Z myself, and I get Apple Products for Christmas every year. If I can get Apple Products for Christmas every year, I guarantee that this father can also give an iPad X, which is very low compared to my Christmas list this year.
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No you don’t know for sure whether that father could afford to pay +£200 for the iPad 10 over the 9. As a father who has recently bought an iPad 9 for my daughter, I can safely say if someone chipped in and told my daughter in front of me that the 10 was better, they’d have gotten a very aggressive response from me.

 

[rui no onna]

I am Gen Z myself, and I get Apple Products for Christmas every year. If I can get Apple Products for Christmas every year, I guarantee that this father can also give an iPad X, which is very low compared to my Christmas list this year.
View attachment 2123603

Budgets vary greatly. As far as I'm aware, median income in the US is around $65K a year. Factor in taxes and essentials, that doesn't leave much leeway for $5K a year on Apple stuff. The iPad is a luxury item to begin with. Even if the dad can afford the extra $100+, he may not want to.

While there have been years when my Apple spending was high, I just don't see much benefit in spending $5K every year upgrading Apple products.

I also don't see much benefit with the 10th gen. If I wanted a cheap iPad, I'd just go 9th gen. If I wanted better, I'd go directly with Air 5 or M1/M2 iPad Pro.

 

[rui no onna]

Wow—I just remembered this iPad Air has no audio jack. Now I need to get bluetooth headphones at some point.


...or I could just get myself the USB-C to audio jack adaptor, which makes more sense since I don't use headphones much.

My dad loses even his wired earphones frequently so I instead of getting him AirPods, I just got him a couple of $18 Sony WI-C100 wireless bluetooth earphones. Works quite well and it has way better battery life than BeatsX or AirPods.

When the battery on my AirPods die, I'd probably just go with the Sony, too.

 

[Warped9]

I have a couple of pairs of wired Apple Earpods (from successive iPhones) as well as a pair of old but good Sony earbuds about. I’ll just get the USB-C to audio jack adaptor.

 

[Warped9]

Okay, I’ve been using this new Air 5 for only a day, but I have some early impressions.

- Firstly, it’s definitely not losing its charge like my old 10.5 Pro. Nice.
- It’s odd getting used to no home button and getting used to the gestures to go back to home screen or to turn apps off, but not a huge learning curve.
- 10.9 vs. 10.5 is certainly bigger, but it doesn’t seem really bigger.
- I can‘t put my finger on exactly what is different, but the image quality is definitely different. I had no complaints with my 10.5’s display, but I feel there is more sharpness and I think see more detail here. The colours also seem a little truer and maybe a wee bit more vivid. Hard to tell exactly.
- I don’t hear much real difference in the audio. The Air’s dual speakers sound fine compared to the 10.5’s four speakers. No complaints.
- The tablet is definitely snapper and more responsive, but it’s not a light years’ difference.
- iPadOS 15.7 seems somehow different on this Air 5 from my 10.5 Pro. The keyboard seems different and the menu in Settings seems different. Mail seems different, too. I should have indulged in a side-by-side comparison, but last night I wiped my 10.5 so I have to go by memory alone, and based on that somethings seem different.

I have to say I think it’s a testament to the 10.5 Pro that this Air 5 doesn’t feel radically different or radically better than the five year old Pro. I can only assume an M1 or M2 iPad Pro 11 would impress as much better than a 10.5 Pro.

 

[rui no onna]

Okay, I’ve been using this new Air 5 for only a day, but I have some early impressions.

- Firstly, it’s definitely not losing its charge like my old 10.5 Pro. Nice.
- It’s odd getting used to no home button and getting used to the gestures to go back to home screen or to turn apps off, but not a huge learning curve.
- 10.9 vs. 10.5 is certainly bigger, but it doesn’t seem really bigger.
- I can‘t put my finger on exactly what is different, but the image quality is definitely different. I had no complaints with my 10.5’s display, but I feel there is more sharpness and I think see more detail here. The colours also seem a little truer and maybe a wee bit more vivid. Hard to tell exactly.
- I don’t hear much real difference in the audio. The Air’s dual speakers sound fine compared to the 10.5’s four speakers. No complaints.
- The tablet is definitely snapper and more responsive, but it’s not a light years’ difference.
- iPadOS 15.7 seems somehow different on this Air 5 from my 10.5 Pro. The keyboard seems different and the menu in Settings seems different. Mail seems different, too. I should have indulged in a side-by-side comparison, but last night I wiped my 10.5 so I have to go by memory alone, and based on that somethings seem different.

I have to say I think it’s a testament to the 10.5 Pro that this Air 5 doesn’t feel radically different or radically better than the five year old Pro. I can only assume an M1 or M2 iPad Pro 11 would impress as much better than a 10.5 Pro.

Air 5 display is 500 nits. Pro 10.5 display is 600 nits plus it has ProMotion.

You really wouldn’t notice much difference in screen size among 10.2”, 10.5”, 10.9” and 11”.

11” is just wider than 10.5” but retains the same height. 10.9” is also wider than 10.5” but ever so slightly shorter in landscape.

 

[FeliApple]

Okay, I’ve been using this new Air 5 for only a day, but I have some early impressions.

- Firstly, it’s definitely not losing its charge like my old 10.5 Pro. Nice.
- It’s odd getting used to no home button and getting used to the gestures to go back to home screen or to turn apps off, but not a huge learning curve.
- 10.9 vs. 10.5 is certainly bigger, but it doesn’t seem really bigger.
- I can‘t put my finger on exactly what is different, but the image quality is definitely different. I had no complaints with my 10.5’s display, but I feel there is more sharpness and I think see more detail here. The colours also seem a little truer and maybe a wee bit more vivid. Hard to tell exactly.
- I don’t hear much real difference in the audio. The Air’s dual speakers sound fine compared to the 10.5’s four speakers. No complaints.
- The tablet is definitely snapper and more responsive, but it’s not a light years’ difference.
- iPadOS 15.7 seems somehow different on this Air 5 from my 10.5 Pro. The keyboard seems different and the menu in Settings seems different. Mail seems different, too. I should have indulged in a side-by-side comparison, but last night I wiped my 10.5 so I have to go by memory alone, and based on that somethings seem different.

I have to say I think it’s a testament to the 10.5 Pro that this Air 5 doesn’t feel radically different or radically better than the five year old Pro. I can only assume an M1 or M2 iPad Pro 11 would impress as much better than a 10.5 Pro.

I mentioned it here, I made a similar upgrade (9.7-inch iPad Pro on iOS 12 to Air 5 on iPadOS 15.6, although I still have the former)

Some questions and observations:

-I assume you had iPadOS 15.7 on your 10.5-inch iPad Pro based on what you said. If iOS 12 already severely decreased battery life on my 9.7-inch iPad Pro, I can’t imagine how poor it must be on iPadOS 15 on the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, even if yours is one model newer. The difference is probably more surprising for you than it was for me, even if the Air 5 is… more or less 2-2.5 times better (around 10-11 hours - 14 on iOS 9 - to around 23-25 hours of screen-on time). What was your screen-on time on the 10.5-inch iPad Pro?

-Do you have a newer design iPhone? I found it totally smooth because I have the iPhone Xʀ.

-The difference between 9.7 and 10.5-inches must be significant, I find the Air 5‘s screen a lot larger than my iPad Pro.

-On paper, the early gen iPad Pros’ screen is really good, I reckon the full screen plays a part here. I noticed it too, not because the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is bad, but the full-screen’s immersive experience has something to do with it, I reckon.

-Completely surprised by the speakers comment. My iPad Pro 9.7-inch blows the Air 5’s speakers out of the water, even if it is the first gen and smaller. Louder, fuller sound. The Air 5 sounds good, but the Pro sounds considerably better, imo.

-Agreed on performance too, even if I was on iOS 12, which is better than iPadOS 15. The difference isn’t significant, at all.

In what way does settings seem different? I can compare them side-by-side, perhaps I can see it too.

It’s a testament to iPads’ longevity. Barring battery life, which is repeatedly obliterated by iOS updates, the overall performance remains good. I am extremely critical of iOS updates, but I have to give credit where credit is due.

 

[rui no onna]

-Completely surprised by the speakers comment. My iPad Pro 9.7-inch blows the Air 5’s speakers out of the water, even if it is the first gen and smaller. Louder, fuller sound. The Air 5 sounds good, but the Pro sounds considerably better, imo.

Iirc, one of the minor gripes about the Pro 10.5 back in the day was its speakers surprisingly weren’t as loud as the Pro 9.7.

 

[FeliApple]

Iirc, one of the minor gripes about the Pro 10.5 back in the day was its speakers surprisingly weren’t as loud as the Pro 9.7.

I did not know that. Very surprising, like you said. Thanks for the info!

 

[jm31828]

Does anyone out there in this thread have the 10th gen, made that decision over the others and is really happy with it?

I had ordered the Air 5 on Black Friday when it was on sale for $499, have not yet opened it. I was debating how much I really need in a tablet, and if a lower cost device would better suit my needs.... and there seems to be something with how Apple's "Wide color gamut" display on the Air works vs. the sRGB display on the 10th gen- the Air 5 has a slight eye irritation effect for me, whereas I don't get that on the 10th gen when playing with both of them in the store.

So, to take advantage of the $389 sale at Costco, I picked up the 10th gen last night. I have them both and will return one of them once I decide which I want to keep. Not opening either of them until Christmas.

I love the idea of the added horsepower and more RAM in the Air, it would be future proof- but for what I will be doing- browsing the web, browsing social media, and some photo editing in Affinity Photo or Pixelmator- I just don't know if I would ever need the added RAM and processing power of the Air, and it might be a safer bet to go with the cheaper device with the display that seems easier on my eyes (though I think my eyes would adjust to the Air 5 if I started using it consistently, it's not bad- it's a very minor effect).

I know that the A14 in the 10th gen is just barely behind the M1 Air on the Geekbench single core scores, so it won't feel any slower for the apps I use.... since I don't play games on these devices, don't really have a need for any multitasking, and don't perform any high powered tasks and likely won't ever grow into any of that work (video creation/editing, etc.)....
For my use case, is there any reason that the A14 with 4GB of RAM would be a problem say, 2-3 years down the road?

Personally I'm happy with almost everything about the 10th gen, the only thing that gives me some concern is the 4GB RAM.... if it had 6 GB, to me it would be a no brainer to just go with that device.

 

[Warped9]

Some questions and observations:

- What was your screen-on time on the 10.5-inch iPad Pro?

- Do you have a newer design iPhone? I found it totally smooth because I have the iPhone Xʀ.

- In what way does settings seem different? I can compare them side-by-side, perhaps I can see it too.

I don't have hard numbers on the screen time. It was a general impression the 10.5 isn't holding its charge like before. It certainly wasn't 10 hours, but then I wasn't using it for hours on end. Sometimes I'd use it for a few minutes and other times for a couple of hours.

I have an iPhone 8+ which I am quite happy with.

15.7 on my Air seems a bit different than 15.7 on my old Pro. It's as if some menu options have moved around a bit and maybe if there are added options I don't recall being there before. It's weird because I can't identify exactly (from memory) whats different, but it does seem slightly different.

 

[rui no onna]

I love the idea of the added horsepower and more RAM in the Air, it would be future proof- but for what I will be doing- browsing the web, browsing social media, and some photo editing in Affinity Photo or Pixelmator- I just don't know if I would ever need the added RAM and processing power of the Air,

I think you might be underestimating how much RAM web browsing consumes nowadays. I've seen some webpages that use 1GB on Safari Mac. Something like Best Buy or Amazon uses ~400-600MB per tab.

Now with increased support for desktop versions of websites since iPadOS 13, I wouldn't be surprised if RAM consumption in iPad Safari is the same as on the desktop version.

No wonder tabs reload a lot on just 3-4GB RAM.

Websites using infinite scrolling in particular are prone to crashing on low RAM iPads as well.

 

[jm31828]

I think you might be underestimating how much RAM web browsing consumes nowadays. I've seen some webpages that use 1GB on Safari Mac. Something like Best Buy or Amazon uses ~400-600MB per tab.

Now with increased support for desktop versions of websites since iPadOS 13, I wouldn't be surprised if RAM consumption in iPad Safari is the same as on the desktop version.

No wonder tabs reload a lot on just 3-4GB RAM.

Websites using infinite scrolling in particular are prone to crashing on low RAM iPads as well.

Thanks for the discussion.
Interestingly, even if I have a large number of tabs open in Safari on my 4GB iPhone (13 Mini), I haven't noticed any freezing or reloading that occurs- it is oddly smooth for only 4GB.

But I get your point- things may be moving in the wrong direction on this with apps being more memory hogs now that there are iPads that have more than 4GB out there (8GB being available on both the Air and Pro lines now). I would hate to be stuck in 2 years thinking "Damn, I should have really bought the model that had 8GB RAM"....

 

[rui no onna]

Thanks for the discussion.
Interestingly, even if I have a large number of tabs open in Safari on my 4GB iPhone (13 Mini), I haven't noticed any freezing or reloading that occurs- it is oddly smooth for only 4GB.

But I get your point- things may be moving in the wrong direction on this with apps being more memory hogs now that there are iPads that have more than 4GB out there (8GB being available on both the Air and Pro lines now). I would hate to be stuck in 2 years thinking "Damn, I should have really bought the model that had 8GB RAM"....

iPhones still use mobile layouts though.

On iOS 12, 4GB RAM was plenty. Granted, Safari wasn’t as capable as on iPadOS 13+.

iPadOS 13 had notably worse memory management than 12 and 15 made it even worse.

Mind, I find apps to be better behaved with regards to RAM. It’s websites and webapps that seem to be getting out of control.

 

[Warped9]

Yes, trade-in is less hassle. But I could also go the route I used for my last two iPhones of selling them on consignment. A guy I know runs his own little computer repair shop and sells some stuff as well. I told him what I wanted for my devices and whatever he got above that was his. Both phones were in mint condition with all the accessories and an Otterbox case. I was satisfied so I guess I could do the same with this iPad Pro although my Targus case is a bit worn.

So I went to see Matt, the fellow with his his own computer repair shop, to see about selling my 10.5 Pro on consignment. Turns out I still had the 10.5’s original box and packaging as well as the original charging block, all in mint shape like the iPad. The original lightning cord is long gone, but not long ago I had bought a 2m. (6ft.) cord before I decided to get a new iPad, so I included it with my 10.5.

Turns out Matt was looking for a good second hand iPad as a gift for his nephew. He offered me $250 CAN for my 10.5 in it’s original box with accessories. Done.

Looks like it worked out all around. Factor in my staff discount and what I got for my old iPad and I got the new Air for the retail price of a new 9th gen 10.2.—$429 CAN. Sweet!

 

[jm31828]

iPhones still use mobile layouts though.

On iOS 12, 4GB RAM was plenty. Granted, Safari wasn’t as capable as on iPadOS 13+.

iPadOS 13 had notably worse memory management than 12 and 15 made it even worse.

Mind, I find apps to be better behaved with regards to RAM. It’s websites and webapps that seem to be getting out of control.

But even if using apps mostly (with Safari being a lower percentage amount of my usage), it sounds like going with the Air if at all possible is going to be the much smarter choice, that the 4GB RAM will feel quite restrictive in the near future.....

With that likely being the case, it is really disappointing that Apple chose to stick with 4GB in the 10th gen iPad and even the Mini.

 

[rui no onna]

But even if using apps mostly (with Safari being a lower percentage amount of my usage), it sounds like going with the Air if at all possible is going to be the much smarter choice, that the 4GB RAM will feel quite restrictive in the near future.....

With that likely being the case, it is really disappointing that Apple chose to stick with 4GB in the 10th gen iPad and even the Mini.

Yeah. Coming from devices with 2-4GB RAM, I wouldn’t bother with the 10th gen myself. It’s either 9th gen or Air 5 (or if you get lucky, $549 M1 iPad Pro 11 like the Target Cyber Monday sale) for me.

I have the mini 6 and it’s annoying when apps crash.

I’ve been playing Art of War Legions recently. It crashes a lot and is pretty much stop motion on my old iPhone 7 (A10/2GB). Crashes sometimes and stutters often on the iPad 7th gen (A10/3GB). Crashes every once in a while and stutters sometimes on the iPad mini 6 (A15/4GB). Meanwhile, it runs very smoothly on M1 + 8GB/16GB even when I have screen recording running.

We’re planning on retiring both the 2016 iPad Pro 9.7 and 2018 iPad 6th gen at the same time with RAM being culprit in both cases. Meanwhile, the 2017 iPad Pro with 4GB RAM still has quite a bit of life left in it. The extra longevity that 8GB RAM affords is why I’d rather spend the extra $100 or so on the Air 5 rather than opt for the 10th gen.

 

[jm31828]

Yeah. Coming from devices with 2-4GB RAM, I wouldn’t bother with the 10th gen myself. It’s either 9th gen or Air 5 (or if you get lucky, $549 M1 iPad Pro 11 like the Target Cyber Monday sale) for me.

I have the mini 6 and it’s annoying when apps crash.

I’ve been playing Art of War Legions recently. It crashes a lot and is pretty much stop motion on my old iPhone 7 (A10/2GB). Crashes sometimes and stutters often on the iPad 7th gen (A10/3GB). Crashes every once in a while and stutters sometimes on the iPad mini 6 (A15/4GB). Meanwhile, it runs very smoothly on M1 + 8GB/16GB even when I have screen recording running.

We’re planning on retiring both the 2016 iPad Pro 9.7 and 2018 iPad 6th gen at the same time with RAM being culprit in both cases. Meanwhile, the 2017 iPad Pro with 4GB RAM still has quite a bit of life left in it. The extra longevity that 8GB RAM affords is why I’d rather spend the extra $100 or so on the Air 5 rather than opt for the 10th gen.

Thanks- that all makes sense. The 4GB RAM may be fine for now, but I may be regretting it in a couple of years, even with relatively light usage.

(However speed-wise, the A14 chip in the 10th gen is probably good for a long time?)

And congrats on snagging that Cyber Monday deal on the 11" iPad Pro! That is a truly fantastic deal! My wife mentioned seeing those on Target's website that weekend and by the time I got online to look the 128GB storage options were already sold out.... but by then I had already ordered my Air 5, so I wasn't too upset. (though to get that extra 64GB of storage as well as ProMotion for $50 more would have been great)

 

[sunking101]

Thanks- that all makes sense. The 4GB RAM may be fine for now, but I may be regretting it in a couple of years, even with relatively light usage.

(However speed-wise, the A14 chip in the 10th gen is probably good for a long time?)

And congrats on snagging that Cyber Monday deal on the 11" iPad Pro! That is a truly fantastic deal! My wife mentioned seeing those on Target's website that weekend and by the time I got online to look the 128GB storage options were already sold out.... but by then I had already ordered my Air 5, so I wasn't too upset. (though to get that extra 64GB of RAM as well as ProMotion for $50 more would have been great)

Never mind in a couple of years, for some of us 4GB of RAM isn't enough right now. The Mini 6 should have debuted with 6GB of RAM and there is no way that I would buy a tablet equipped with 4GB of RAM and expect it to last me even 3 years.

 

[jm31828]

Never mind in a couple of years, for some of us 4GB of RAM isn't enough right now. The Mini 6 should have debuted with 6GB of RAM and there is no way that I would buy a tablet equipped with 4GB of RAM and expect it to last me even 3 years.

Ok, makes sense- thanks!
I hate spending money on things that are outdated or worthless in short order, and it sounds like the 10th gen- though 25% cheaper right now and seemingly would be OK for me right now- may turn into a mistake in the not to distant future.

I also was considering the fact that Apple may be bringing my functionality and apps specifically to the M1 devices, and I'd have some serious FOMO at that point.

I agree, I don't know why they didn't put 6GB RAM in both the new Mini as well as the 10th gen iPad.... I mean with the Air and Pro at 8GB, those would still be superior, so Apple wouldn't be cutting into sales of those devices. It makes no sense, unless those are aimed at people who have no idea about RAM in the first place and only use them for Youtube and web browsing, and would have no qualms about upgrading again in a couple of years when they start to bog down.