Yes... I bought it at release and sold it in March 2018. I JUST said I did so why are you asking that question ? Maybe read my statement again . I OWNED a 10.5. I’ll take the A12 over the A10X...
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iPad Cheapest iPad that's still worthwhile?
- Thread starter aldo82
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Yes... I bought it at release and sold it in March 2018. I JUST said I did so why are you asking that question ? Maybe read my statement again . I OWNED a 10.5. I’ll take the A12 over the A10X...
[doublepost=1565876073][/doublepost]Today at Newegg: refurb mini for $200
I want to wait until the next iPad comes out for the promise of external storage over USB-C, but if I wanted one today, I get this deal.
Unless the smaller form factor is a must-have, better off spending an extra $50 on a brand new 2018 iPad 6th gen.
But RAM is more important than the processor. Look what Apple did with the A8. Devices with 2gb will get the new iOS while 1gb won’t.
I’ll take everything that’s literally better in the pro 10.5 over the Air 3 that’s hindered except for its processor.
Worthwhile is very much in the eye of the beholder here. Performance is a really big deal as far as how long the model you buy will last, but for me there are other factors. I could probably justify giving up the quad speakers, the ProMotion screen refresh rates, and the Pencil 2 compatibility in order to save money. All three of those things would be tough to give up, but I could do it.
What I could NOT give up is the fully laminated screen. I have hated the non-laminated screens ever since the original iPad Air. They feel/sound hollow and thumpy to me and degrade the experience in my mind.
So for me, the minimum viable iPad right now is the iPad Air 2019. I know from the experience with the second gen Pros that the 10.5” screen is fantastic, and it would allow me to reunite with my favorite iPad case of all time: the Zagg Rugged Messenger.
What I could NOT give up is the fully laminated screen. I have hated the non-laminated screens ever since the original iPad Air. They feel/sound hollow and thumpy to me and degrade the experience in my mind.
So for me, the minimum viable iPad right now is the iPad Air 2019. I know from the experience with the second gen Pros that the 10.5” screen is fantastic, and it would allow me to reunite with my favorite iPad case of all time: the Zagg Rugged Messenger.
The iPad 9.7 is not worth it mostly because the screen is vastly inferior to the other models since it's not laminated. As a result, it makes it look cheap as iPhones since iPhone 6 mostly have laminated displays and I am used to it. In my opinion, a used 9.7 or 10.5 Pro for a little more compared to a new iPad 2018 9.7 is a better value for the value added feature it provides such as smart keyboard support, True Tone, laminated display, better cameras and quad speakers. If you have a bit more money, an iPad Air 3 is a good value if you want something new with a recent processor. Also, I highly doubt Apple will put a laminated display in the new budget iPad and will still use a screen that has a noticeable air-gap.
Since I now have an iPad Pro 11 256 GB, which I managed to get new in box for $745, which is $204 off what Apple currently sells it for, I would never go back to a budget iPad since it would be a big downgrade. Besides my Macbook Pro, I use it to do some productivity work as well, especially with the new features of iPadOS. I upgrade to the Pro 11 since I wanted something a little more powerful and USB-C support. I still use my 9.7 Pro, which is in every way superior to the iPad 9.7 2018.
In short, my recommendations are to get a used 10.5 Pro or 9.7 Pro. If you want new, an Air 3 is a pretty good choice for most people and will last longer with the new A12 CPU and 3 GB of RAM.
Since I now have an iPad Pro 11 256 GB, which I managed to get new in box for $745, which is $204 off what Apple currently sells it for, I would never go back to a budget iPad since it would be a big downgrade. Besides my Macbook Pro, I use it to do some productivity work as well, especially with the new features of iPadOS. I upgrade to the Pro 11 since I wanted something a little more powerful and USB-C support. I still use my 9.7 Pro, which is in every way superior to the iPad 9.7 2018.
In short, my recommendations are to get a used 10.5 Pro or 9.7 Pro. If you want new, an Air 3 is a pretty good choice for most people and will last longer with the new A12 CPU and 3 GB of RAM.
I'm guess display beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I had both the 10.5 and now the 5th and 6th gens, and virtually see very little difference. To me, laminated is mostly hype and a marketing strategy to make us think paying $100's more is worth it.
Laminated also potentially comes with its own issues (spots, bands, dark areas, etc.) that never occur with the regular iPad. The so-called hollow tapping problem is a non-issue to me and actually never notice it.
Laminated also potentially comes with its own issues (spots, bands, dark areas, etc.) that never occur with the regular iPad. The so-called hollow tapping problem is a non-issue to me and actually never notice it.
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I never have any issues with my laminated display as my iPad Pro 9.7 display is still looks good with no bright spots whatsoever. The laminated issues are overblown, except for possibly the Pro 10.5 models.
Laminated display is up closer to the glass and feels more solid when tapping it. It doesn’t look any better resolution wise, but it is a higher quality interface than a non laminated display. It is not just marketing hype. I get very annoyed by the look, feel, and sound of non laminated displays.
But again, if I were trying to save money, not having this feature wouldn’t be the end of the world.
I can understand that point of view. Again, it's very much a personal interpretation and experience.
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iPad Air 1. Aim for 64GB. Have 3 of them for the kids. Handles every game they throw at it. Easily source-able cheap replacement parts. Battery is the easiest iPad battery to replace.
I have an iPad Air 1 and even Bejeweled stutters on it at times. At this point in time, I really don't recommend it. 6th gen at $250 is best bet on the low end of the pricing scale (and is probably very similar to the Air in terms of construction and repairability).
My iPad Air 1 did not age well. It really started showing its age when iOS 6 came out.
Haha—whoops—I was thinking of iOS 9 when they added in all the new multitasking features. It started to really chug from then on.
I'm actually still running iOS 9 on my Air (last version I can take screenshots of Netflix and other DRM video).
It's not so bad. I found it more stable than iOS 8 in any case. iOS 8 went on a constant crash+load loop on several websites I visit (particularly the ones with infinite scrolling). Besides, I think the Air only got PIP and slide over.
Granted, I do have Reduce Motion enabled and Background App Refresh disabled. I can't remember if iOS 9 had the Siri Suggestions but if it does, I have that disabled, too. Didn't really use it for heavy apps either (I couldn't anyway, it only had a measly 16GB since it was only intended to be a placeholder). Mostly just used it for web browsing, video streaming and ebooks.
10.5 Pro over the Air.
ProMotion Display + Quad Speakers cannot be overlooked when buying an iPad. They’re amazing.
ProMotion Display + Quad Speakers cannot be overlooked when buying an iPad. They’re amazing.
I have to agree. I do like that the Air now has a fully laminated display, but for me personally I couldn't go back to 2 speakers and non ProMotion refresh rate. I use the Pencil a lot for digital art and note taking, and I use the external speakers a lot during the day for podcasts and music and at night for watching video. It's just too nice to go backwards. I would say if you want to be ok with the old school speaker config and refresh rates on the Air in the interest of saving some money, DO NOT try any generation of Pro model at the store.
The basic iPad, which can be had for $249, will work just fine for your needs. I am currently beta testing iPad OS on an iPad 5th generation and it runs really good (mouse and keyboard too), so the current model (which has Apple Pencil support) will run just as good if not better. Not knocking an iPad Air or a Pro, they are fine devices, but from what you are wanting to do, a $249 iPad will work just fine. I use the current basic iPad as my daily driver and I do a ton with it.
A lot of people forget that the base model iPad is still a very powerful iPad. Adding Pencil support a couple of years ago sweetened the deal even more.
Agreed. I'm a network admin, do most of my heavy lifting with my Surface Pro, but I use my base model iPad every single day. I use it as my computer at home (pay bills order online, etc), I even VPN into my office with it and use Remote Desktop, use Word, Excel, iCloud for my files, text, surf the web, email, music streaming, watching a movie or TV and so on. Not one time has this thing slowed down. It is the first device I pick up in the morning when getting my kid ready for school because she wants to know what the lunch menu will be that day (I like to save paper so the schools menu, in PDF, is easily saved and accessed on my iPad). It is a fantastic little device, and when iPad OS becomes mainstream, pair it with a mouse and keyboard and you have a mini computer (with a quad core processor) that runs iOS/iPad OS blazingly fast.