It is wise to save some money rather than splurging for the nice-ness of the Pros. Like I said, my usage is mainly leisure and casual browsing. For productivity I have my MB Pro M1 Pro 14'inch. The saving money part is more attractive than the FaceID and ProMotion and then some...
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All iPads Dilemma on iPad(s)
- Thread starter wabisabizo
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For the use cases given, the M2 air will feel less nice than your previous Pro. All in all a nice gift for your spouse I guess 
I thought the same when I bought the 11” M4, but looks like this is the first screen which ever caused eye strain to me. 🙁 I used throughout the years several screens with LCD, mini-LED, OLED (only on iPhones & Watch till I bought the iPad last week), and none of them caused eye burn within 5-10 mins like the iPad does. I work on a 16” MBP with mini-LED, and I can look on the screen all day (and I do, since I’m an iOS developer).
Although I have to say, maybe my eyes got adapted, or the OLED had some run-in period, but I can stare at the iPad for 20-30 mins without eye strain after about a week of usage 🤷♂️ I’m glad I kept my M1 Pro, so I can still test the new one within the return period, but I might have to return it.
(By the way, it’s the best iPad I have ever touched except the screen, which is unfortunate: lighter, more stiff than my M1, snappier performance, etc)
For your use cases, either the Air or the Pro will suit you just fine. The question honestly should be of whether or not ProMotion (120Hz Refresh Rate), Face ID, Thunderbolt I/O (instead of normal USB-C), a LiDAR scanner, tandem OLED, or any thing of that sort is important enough for you to spend the extra money. Based on your description of what you do, you really ought to be fine with the M2 Air. Tandem OLED ought to make watching things really nice, but do consider that you are spending $300 more for the privilege.
Either of those iPads will serve my purpose and maybe then some. Tbh, after using 120Hz and FaceID since iPad Pro 2018 and then on iPhone 13 Pro & 15 Pro, its hard to go back to 60Hz and just swiping up to unlock by just looking at it. But in the end, money over matters. iPad Air M2 looks like a sweet deal to me as I can save up money for traveling. Also, where I live, the gap from iPad Air M2 to iPad Pro M4 is of $ 533 (approx.) much more than $ 300 in USA I believe.
If you were okay with the LCD display on your old iPad Pro and don’t care about 120hz, I would go M2 Air 100% for your use case. I do the same with my iPad, plus taking notes, and just got an M1 Air when they went on sale because even that is more than necessary for those needs
The M2 is twice as fast as the A12X in the 2018 models, if that helps, and 3x faster graphics
The M2 is twice as fast as the A12X in the 2018 models, if that helps, and 3x faster graphics
Also considering iPadOS 18 still supports A10 processors, I don’t think you need to be concerned about software updates. You’ll easily get 5+ years out of M2
Supports A10 with 3GB memory but not A10X with 4GB
Apple-BS.But yeah 5+ years from now for M2 Air for sure.
Apple has been showing a pattern in terms of iPadOS updates for several years now... Base iPads get 5 majors OS updates (total 6 OS versions) while air and pro get 7 (total of 8). So M2 air and M4 pro might get the exact same OS updates, since they are in the same category and were released with the same OS version.
Similarly A12 mini 5 and air3 should lose support next year while the base iPad 8 (A12 too) should get iPadOS 19, just like the 2018 iPad pro (A12X), so same chip, same RAM, different number of updates. Or different chip but same number of updates, based on OS at launch.
When I said this for the A10 and A10X months ago people said it made no sense, but Apple confirmed the pattern once more.
Similarly A12 mini 5 and air3 should lose support next year while the base iPad 8 (A12 too) should get iPadOS 19, just like the 2018 iPad pro (A12X), so same chip, same RAM, different number of updates. Or different chip but same number of updates, based on OS at launch.
When I said this for the A10 and A10X months ago people said it made no sense, but Apple confirmed the pattern once more.
I have a 2018/3rd Generation/A12X 12.9-inch iPad Pro. I hardly notice ProMotion on it when switching between it and my mini. I also am generally not the hugest fan of Face ID (I feel like it's a step-down from Touch ID). I recognize that these are entirely subjective opinions. I'm not sure I'd spend $300 on ProMotion alone as a non-professional iPad user. But, again, that's just me.
They be charging more over here where I live, the iPad Air M2 starts at $720 and the iPad Pro M4 starts at $1,253. Either way I'm spending more for both. Also, no Official Apple Stores here, just Re-sellers so maybe why they are overpriced from other markets. I visited the store a while ago, checked both, iPad Air M2 and iPad Pro M4. Man, the pro has got me drooling with the form and the OLED screen 😅 I think I need more time to think it over before I purchase 😆
The OLED screen is simply gorgeous. Hands down the best display on any apple device ever.
The M4 has more RAM and is hands-down future proof (especially if you get the larger models).
The M4 has more RAM and is hands-down future proof (especially if you get the larger models).
I'd say buy the pro. It may seem overkill for several reasons, but there are 2 reasons in your original post:
• 1 longevity; you have been using your iPad Pro since 2018, that's 6 years, which in itself is already a very respectable time, but even then you can pass it on to someone else and it's still a very usable device. Buying the Pro guarantees a couple of years more of software updates and security patches.
• 2 you take the 11" because you don't want to wield a huge slab. The difference in weight between the Pro M4 and the Air is very noticeable. You'll like it more.
(• Bonus point: if you're consuming media, the refresh rate of the Air would be a step down from your current pro; you'd be downgrading the display instead of upgrading).
Never heard a complaint (about those things)? Is this your first time on the MacRumors forums then? 😂
(I kid. I kid. But
There are definitely people complaining about the iPad Pro with the M4. Or specifically complaining about the M4 being constrained by iPadOS.
“Why even sell an iPad with an M4? You can’t do anything with iPadOS. The M4 is wasted potential in an iPad!!!”
(That’s not a direct quote. I’m just giving an example of the general kind of feeling some people have.)
I find iPadOS to be fine. I’ve used an iPad as my primary computing device for years. I have some complaints, but I’m mostly happy with the experience.
But I too wonder if the M4 is a bit of overkill. I don’t know what I could do with an M4 iPad Pro that I couldn’t do with an M2 iPad Air. I’m sure some people can make use of the extra performance. But for most… the M2 is likely more than enough.
Since you came from iPad Pro, better get the iPad Pro. You can also get M2 Pro due the performance difference with M4 is not much (but be aware the accessories are different than M4).
I had a similar dilemma and considered the new Air.
In the end I went for a second hand M1 Pro 11 inch mostly because it has promotion which I’m a sucker for.
Also for a better price than a new Air, I got more storage, better speakers and data transfer speeds all of which were important to me.
Overall I think I just found the Air didn’t have the value I was looking for, for the price.
In the end I went for a second hand M1 Pro 11 inch mostly because it has promotion which I’m a sucker for.
Also for a better price than a new Air, I got more storage, better speakers and data transfer speeds all of which were important to me.
Overall I think I just found the Air didn’t have the value I was looking for, for the price.
Accessories aren't an issue for me, since I am mainly using it for Media Consumption and Casual Browsing. I can consider the iPad Pro M2 over M4 as its cheaper roughly by $300
Pretty much everyone is saying the M4 Pro for “future proofing” and all the extra bells and whistles, but to me it sounds like the Air will meet the needs described, and likely for a good long while.
I get the idea of buying the best device you can afford, but there’s also such a thing as buying more than you need.
I get the idea of buying the best device you can afford, but there’s also such a thing as buying more than you need.
I agree. I'm debating going for the M4, but that's due to the screen, promotion and a few other features. But for 99.9% of people, the M2 Air is plenty. Here in the UK, the price gap is massive.
Well, that sounds like you don't need the power of an M4 chip. So the question becomes whether the better screen is worth the price difference for you. Also, that the M4 is a bit more future proof, but that's not something we can predict with 100% accuracy. So I'd make the decision mainly on how much you value the screen.
I guess only time will tell as I’m all the more confused 😂 but thank you for making me ponder
M4 will be better for Apple Intelligence features that use on-device inference, especially the ones with 1-2 TB storage since they have double the RAM.
It shouldn't be confusing - it's just a matter of whether the difference in screen quality is worth the $300 price difference TO YOU. This is going to be a personal preference, so other people's opinions aren't going to help you. Is there anywhere you can go to take a look at the iPads, and see the screens with your own eyes?