iPad 2018 basically same as 2013?

[ericinboston]

I was considering buying a new iPad to replace my 2013 Air that is starting to show age surfing websites.

According to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad the only difference between 5 years of development is the CPU, RAM size, and megapixels...and of course exactly how new of an iOS can be installed.

Are there other differences such as better speakers or longer battery life? The physical dimensions are 99.9% the same. I was hoping for major leaps in screen resolution or battery life or significantly better Facetime camera (1.2MP is a joke while my 2+ year old iPhone 7 is 7MP) or stereo/better sound after 5 years.

Thanks in advance!

 

[AppleHaterLover]

Usability on these new iPads is MILES ahead of what you can do on that crusty old Air. You can do true multitasking on the new iPads.

Speakers and battery will be the same. I don’t think you have been following iOS or Apple in general if you’re expecting more resolution/PPI.

Plus, you’re getting good performance in a $329 package. If you want tremendous speed and performance, go for the iPad Pro (wait another month before the next one comes out).

 

[rui no onna]

I was considering buying a new iPad to replace my 2013 Air that is starting to show age surfing websites.

According to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad the only difference between 5 years of development is the CPU, RAM size, and megapixels...and of course exactly how new of an iOS can be installed.

Are there other differences such as better speakers or longer battery life? The physical dimensions are 99.9% the same. I was hoping for major leaps in screen resolution or battery life or significantly better Facetime camera (1.2MP is a joke while my 2+ year old iPhone 7 is 7MP) or stereo/better sound after 5 years.

Thanks in advance!

The 2018 iPad 6th gen is quite similar to the 2013 iPad Air except it has TouchID, Pencil support, 2GB RAM and is much faster at a lower starting price (for 32GB base vs 16GB base in 2013).

As for the iPhone 7 comparison, the 2018 iPad starts at $329. Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 starts at $449 after recent price cuts.

Mind, I actually do get better battery life with the 2017 iPad 9.7 (A9) versus the iPad Air (A7). I expect the 2018 iPad (A10 Fusion) with its dedicated low power cores should have same or bettery battery life as my 2017 iPad.

If you want better features, I believe the 2017 Pro 10.5 can be frequently found on sale for ~$500 and there are new Pro models that are expected to be released soonish.

 

[JPack]

The brightness of the display was improved by about 15% in 2017 to 500 nits.

 

[acorntoy]

It sounds like you want the 9.7 Pro or the 10.5 Pro. They have everything you ask for, better battery life, much improved screen technology that improves the experience, they have stereo sound and they have much better FaceTime cameras. The iPad pros from the 9.7 forward fit everything you want.



Your looking for an upgrade over your current Air, but your looking at a budget offering that was modeled off the original Air to keep cost down.


https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad/ipad_pro_97/wi_fi

That’s Apple’s refurbished 9.7 pros. Could find better prices elsewhere, but it’ll come with a new warranty and you can even add AppleCare to it, it’s chip is slower than the budget ipad, but it literally does everything you ask for in the first post and would be a great upgrade from an air, at a price that isn’t insane.
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I was considering buying a new iPad to replace my 2013 Air that is starting to show age surfing websites.

According to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad the only difference between 5 years of development is the CPU, RAM size, and megapixels...and of course exactly how new of an iOS can be installed.

Are there other differences such as better speakers or longer battery life? The physical dimensions are 99.9% the same. I was hoping for major leaps in screen resolution or battery life or significantly better Facetime camera (1.2MP is a joke while my 2+ year old iPhone 7 is 7MP) or stereo/better sound after 5 years.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Macalicious2011]

Are there other differences such as better speakers or longer battery life? The physical dimensions are 99.9% the same. I was hoping for major leaps in screen resolution or battery life or significantly better Facetime camera (1.2MP is a joke while my 2+ year old iPhone 7 is 7MP) or stereo/better sound after 5 years.

Unfortunately the iPads have seen little hardware updates over the years. I upgraded from an iPad 3, the first retina iPad, and the jump to a 10.5 Pro has not been massive. Sure it's faster and I can multi-task but the screen doesn't look noticeably better when browsing or watching videos.

I'm really waiting for a 4K or OLED iPad. If I was you I would wait for either until upgrading. Don't buy the 2018 iPad. Not not a good enough upgrade.

If you desperately need a new iPad then wait a few weeks and pick up the latest pro, alternatively pick up a used 10.5 Pro.

 

[jclardy]

Part of the difference is the $170 price drop and doubling the storage. If you want upgrades, you have to buy the new "high end" model - the Pro, which has apple pencil, smart connector keyboard, bigger display, stereo speakers, more color accurate screen with truetone, brighter display, plus being much faster and doubling the RAM. And that is the 2017 model, you'll have to wait a few weeks for the actual 2018 Pro.

 

[ericinboston]

I don’t think you have been following iOS or Apple in general if you’re expecting more resolution/PPI.

Actually I follow Apple every day. Literally. What I'm very surprised at is that over 5 years there has been 0 improvement in iPad display (at least resolution...I don't see anything else regarding build quality or the like).

My current iPad has a very nice display...I just thought by now it would have been updated to accommodate upcoming movie resolutions but more importantly for me, picture resolutions. Obviously Megapixels/resolution is not the only factor in a great photo but we have lots of gorgeous DSLR pix at resolutions much higher than the iPad and have had these photos for 8+ years. It would be nice to see all the beauty on the iPad and not just our computers/external monitors.

My main reason to upgrade is that I'm still running the original iOS on it (I am now forced to jump to 11.x and I will never do that and cripple the iPad) and hence the browser is 5 years old...websites are beginning to crawl and crash now...even real basic sites. I also cannot install/upgrade any of my apps because I need at least iOS 10.x which is no longer available. So Apple is basically forcing my hand.

The rest of the iPad experience is nice...email, music, Netflix, etc. I just wish I had upgraded to 9.x or 10.x awhile ago do offset the future browser problems a little more.

 

[NT1440]

Usability on these new iPads is MILES ahead of what you can do on that crusty old Air. You can do true multitasking on the new iPads.

Speakers and battery will be the same. I don’t think you have been following iOS or Apple in general if you’re expecting more resolution/PPI.

Plus, you’re getting good performance in a $329 package. If you want tremendous speed and performance, go for the iPad Pro (wait another month before the next one comes out).

That's not entirely accurate, the speakers between 2013 and now have improved quite a bit generation over generation.

 

[ericinboston]

I'm really waiting for a 4K or OLED iPad. If I was you I would wait for either until upgrading. Don't buy the 2018 iPad. Not not a good enough upgrade.

If you desperately need a new iPad then wait a few weeks and pick up the latest pro, alternatively pick up a used 10.5 Pro.

Nah...the Pro 12" is $779+ (there is no reason to go from a 9.7 to 10.5 screen for hundreds of dollars and tiny storage)...wayyy to expensive in my eyes. If I wait 6+ months for the next iPad, there is a possibility of Apple yanking the headphone jack or getting rid of Lightning...both of which I heavily use today...plus there's all the wait time and if it's a major change I'm unhappy and if there's a tiny change I'm unhappy for waiting.

 

[AppleHaterLover]

Nah...the Pro 12" is $779+ (there is no reason to go from a 9.7 to 10.5 screen for hundreds of dollars and tiny storage)...wayyy to expensive in my eyes. If I wait 6+ months for the next iPad, there is a possibility of Apple yanking the headphone jack or getting rid of Lightning...both of which I heavily use today...plus there's all the wait time and if it's a major change I'm unhappy and if there's a tiny change I'm unhappy for waiting.

We were talking 2018 iPads. The iPad Pros have quad stereo speakers (which sound WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY better than those on the regular iPad. I'd say my 12.9 iPP sounds better than my MBP 2017) and the ProMotion displays (which are a major change) and are quite worth the upgrade IMO.

Plus in 3 weeks' time you'll be able to score one for cheap.

 

[rui no onna]

It sounds like you want the 9.7 Pro or the 10.5 Pro. They have everything you ask for, better battery life, much improved screen technology that improves the experience, they have stereo sound and they have much better FaceTime cameras. The iPad pros from the 9.7 forward fit everything you want.



Your looking for an upgrade over your current Air, but your looking at a budget offering that was modeled off the original Air to keep cost down.


https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad/ipad_pro_97/wi_fi

That’s Apple’s refurbished 9.7 pros. Could find better prices elsewhere, but it’ll come with a new warranty and you can even add AppleCare to it, it’s chip is slower than the budget ipad, but it literally does everything you ask for in the first post and would be a great upgrade from an air, at a price that isn’t insane.
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Note, the Pro 9.7 actually has the worst battery life I've seen on an iPad (brand new, ~10h onscreen time at low brightness when I used to get ~12h with the brand new Air).

Mind, the Pro 9.7 is still my primary iPad. Absolutely no complaints when it comes to performance.
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Nah...the Pro 12" is $779+ (there is no reason to go from a 9.7 to 10.5 screen for hundreds of dollars and tiny storage)...wayyy to expensive in my eyes. If I wait 6+ months for the next iPad, there is a possibility of Apple yanking the headphone jack or getting rid of Lightning...both of which I heavily use today...plus there's all the wait time and if it's a major change I'm unhappy and if there's a tiny change I'm unhappy for waiting.

The iPad Air was the flagship when it was released. Meanwhile, the 2017 iPad 5th gen and 2018 iPad 6th gen were released specifically as budget models. You can't expect flagship features on budget pricing.

The 64GB Wi-Fi Pro 10.5 is often on sale for $500 which was the price of the 16GB Wi-Fi Air when it was released. I think that's pretty reasonable for the performance and feature upgrades (120Hz fully laminated HDR display, 4GB RAM, cameras, etc).

 

[ericwn]

We actually have a discussion on this very board where multiple members claim tobe very satisfied with iOS 12 on their iPad Air - maybe it’s worth having a look at their experiences too before you shell out cash for new hardware.
Best success!

 

[ericinboston]

We actually have a discussion on this very board where multiple members claim tobe very satisfied with iOS 12 on their iPad Air - maybe it’s worth having a look at their experiences too before you shell out cash for new hardware.
Best success!

I actually bought the latest iPad 128GB model a few hours ago. Sadly, I am unimpressed...

1. Web surfing speeds are only slightly better than my 5 year old Air...and I have a 200Mbit connection so it's not my wifi
2. iPad still uses USB 2.0 technology. Yikes. This is really a slap in the face. It took hours to copy over a few thousand MP3 files. I see that the Pro model (again, for more than double the price) uses USB 3.0.

Likely I will return this and either a)pray the iPad Pro offers a 128GB model (and other bells and whistles) cheaper than last year's model or b)I wait until spring for a new iPad 7th gen to see what Apple releases.

$429 is a great price for this if you have a pre-Air iPad or simply want a lot more storage. But other than storage, it really doesn't offer anything compelling (as an iPad upgrade) to plunk down that much money when so little has changed in 5 years. I actually may consider upgrading the old Air to iOS 11 or 12 if/when the web surfing becomes worse.

Thanks everyone for your feedback!!

 

[AppleHaterLover]

I actually bought the latest iPad 128GB model a few hours ago. Sadly, I am unimpressed...

1. Web surfing speeds are only slightly better than my 5 year old Air...and I have a 200Mbit connection so it's not my wifi
2. iPad still uses USB 2.0 technology. Yikes. This is really a slap in the face. It took hours to copy over a few thousand MP3 files. I see that the Pro model (again, for more than double the price) uses USB 3.0.

Likely I will return this and either a)pray the iPad Pro offers a 128GB model (and other bells and whistles) cheaper than last year's model or b)I wait until spring for a new iPad 7th gen to see what Apple releases.

$429 is a great price for this if you have a pre-Air iPad or simply want a lot more storage. But other than storage, it really doesn't offer anything compelling (as an iPad upgrade) to plunk down that much money when so little has changed in 5 years. I actually may consider upgrading the old Air to iOS 11 or 12 if/when the web surfing becomes worse.

Thanks everyone for your feedback!!

Suggestion: drop by the Apple Store again and try a 10.5" Pro. I'm sure you'll like the better speakers and the ProMotion display.

Then get a refurb from Apple.com

 

[acorntoy]

Suggestion: drop by the Apple Store again and try a 10.5" Pro. I'm sure you'll like the better speakers and the ProMotion display.

Then get a refurb from Apple.com

At this point it’s more of a rant than an advice thread. Plenty of people told them the budget iPad is not what they were looking for, yet they went out, bought one, and weren’t pleased with it. The pros offer what they want, and can often be found on sale equivalent to what they paid for a new Air. They want a cheap upgrade.

 

[ericinboston]

At this point it’s more of a rant than an advice thread. Plenty of people told them the budget iPad is not what they were looking for, yet they went out, bought one, and weren’t pleased with it. The pros offer what they want, and can often be found on sale equivalent to what they paid for a new Air. They want a cheap upgrade.

1. It's not a rant...and there were people advocating both iPad and Pro.
   
2. Show me where a $779 Pro model can be found on sale for the price of my 32GB Air that I bought 3.5 years ago for $372 (March 2015) or for a current $429 128GB iPad. I'd buy the Pro in a heartbeat at those prices.
3. I don't want a CHEAP upgrade...I want a 5-year newer "version" of the same model I own and regardless of price, to be a great upgrade. The $429 iPad is not a great upgrade over the Air unless the only improvement you care about is storage. It's also more expensive than the 3.5 year old iPad and even the current $329 iPad is essentially what I paid 3.5 years ago (remember the technology is 5 years old).
   
4. I will likely buy a 2017 Pro $779 model if it goes on sale for a significant discount...such as $629 or less before the new Pros are released. Or, I will see what Apple releases for new Pros and decided if I want to buy the 2018 model or go searching for a 2017 Pro.
5. I don't consider the iPad a "budget" iPad or tablet. There are tons of non-Apple tablets for significantly less money out there but I really like the iPad. The iPad was Apple's only iPad for years and then Apple essentially stops innovating the iPad, releases the "Pro", and now the iPad is what you deem "budget". Look at the wiki link I put here and look at the prices of iPads...Apple has essentially renamed the product (from iPad to Pro) and increased the price.
   
6. If Apple is not going to innovate anymore on the iPad (which I guess they are not after 5 years) then I agree with those here stating that the Pro is a better suited model for my expectations. I just then have to decide if I'm going to pay such a high cost (regardless if you think it's worth the price) for the Pro. $629 is about the top end I am willing to pay for any iPad. Currently that gets me 64GB which is paltry. $779 is the next jump which is 256GB. Knowing what I know now about the specs on all current iPads, give me a Pro 128GB at $629 or less and I'll be there in a jiffy...so it sounds like I have to wait a few weeks to see what Apple announces or hope to find a bargain on the 256GB model.

 

[AppleHaterLover]

At this point it’s more of a rant than an advice thread. Plenty of people told them the budget iPad is not what they were looking for, yet they went out, bought one, and weren’t pleased with it. The pros offer what they want, and can often be found on sale equivalent to what they paid for a new Air. They want a cheap upgrade.

Then I'll rant too.

1. It's not a rant
2. Show me where a $779 Pro model can be found on sale for the price of my 32GB Air that I bought 3.5 years ago for $372 (March 2015) or for a current $429 128GB iPad. I'd buy the Pro in a heartbeat at those prices.
3. I don't want a CHEAP upgrade...I want a 5-year newer "version" of the same model I own and regardless of price, to be a great upgrade. The $429 iPad is not a great upgrade over the Air unless the only improvement you care about is storage. It's also more expensive than the 3.5 year old iPad and even the current $329 iPad is essentially what I paid 3.5 years ago (remember the technology is 5 years old).
   
4. I will likely buy a 2017 Pro $779 model if it goes on sale for a significant discount...such as $629 or less before the new Pros are released. Or, I will see what Apple releases for new Pros and decided if I want to buy the 2018 model or go searching for a 2017 Pro.
5. I don't consider the iPad a "budget" iPad or tablet. There are tons of non-Apple tablets for significantly less money out there but I really like the iPad. The iPad was Apple's only iPad for years and then Apple essentially stops innovating the iPad, releases the "Pro", and now the iPad is what you deem "budget". Look at the wiki link I put here and look at the prices of iPads...Apple has essentially renamed the product (from iPad to Pro) and increased the price.
   
6. If Apple is not going to innovate anymore on the iPad (which I guess they are not after 5 years) then I agree with those here stating that the Pro is a better suited model for my expectations. I just then have to decide if I'm going to pay such a high cost (regardless if you think it's worth the price) for the Pro. $629 is about the top end I am willing to pay for any iPad. Currently that gets me 64GB which is paltry. $779 is the next jump which is 256GB. Knowing what I know now about the specs on all current iPads, give me a Pro 128GB at $629 or less and I'll be there in a jiffy...so it sounds like I have to wait a few weeks to see what Apple announces or hope to find a bargain on the 256GB model.

Yes it's a rant.

You can get the 2017 64GB 10.5" Pro for $549. With a greatly improved display, speakers etc.

The "iPad" is now the budget iPad because there is now an iPad, that costs half of what iPads used to cost, doing more things than those iPads used to do. Good luck using Word and Excel at the same time on that 2013 iPad Air.

What happened here is that you're expecting the 2018 Corolla to be 50% cheaper and 100% faster than a 2013 Lexus and that's not going to happen.

 

[acorntoy]

1. It's not a rant
2. Show me where a $779 Pro model can be found on sale for the price of my 32GB Air that I bought 3.5 years ago for $372 (March 2015) or for a current $429 128GB iPad. I'd buy the Pro in a heartbeat at those prices.
3. I don't want a CHEAP upgrade...I want a 5-year newer "version" of the same model I own and regardless of price, to be a great upgrade. The $429 iPad is not a great upgrade over the Air unless the only improvement you care about is storage. It's also more expensive than the 3.5 year old iPad and even the current $329 iPad is essentially what I paid 3.5 years ago (remember the technology is 5 years old).
   
4. I will likely buy a 2017 Pro $779 model if it goes on sale for a significant discount...such as $629 or less before the new Pros are released. Or, I will see what Apple releases for new Pros and decided if I want to buy the 2018 model or go searching for a 2017 Pro.
5. I don't consider the iPad a "budget" iPad or tablet. There are tons of non-Apple tablets for significantly less money out there but I really like the iPad. The iPad was Apple's only iPad for years and then Apple essentially stops innovating the iPad, releases the "Pro", and now the iPad is what you deem "budget". Look at the wiki link I put here and look at the prices of iPads...Apple has essentially renamed the product (from iPad to Pro) and increased the price.
   
6. If Apple is not going to innovate anymore on the iPad (which I guess they are not after 5 years) then I agree with those here stating that the Pro is a better suited model for my expectations. I just then have to decide if I'm going to pay such a high cost (regardless if you think it's worth the price) for the Pro. $629 is about the top end I am willing to pay for any iPad. Currently that gets me 64GB which is paltry. $779 is the next jump which is 256GB. Knowing what I know now about the specs on all current iPads, give me a Pro 128GB at $629 or less and I'll be there in a jiffy...so it sounds like I have to wait a few weeks to see what Apple announces or hope to find a bargain on the 256GB model.

Multiple people told you not to get that iPad. Apple improved the 9.7s up to the pro, then released a cheap version that was the Air with a better chip. This year it’s an Air with a better, better chip and pencil support. It’s obvious from the first post that was a bad decision, at $329 base you might not consider it a budget iPad, but Apple does, and that’s who your getting it from. For about that cash you could get an Android that could compete with the X. It’s all about pricing power. Apple has pricing power. Your talking about the “iPad” but technically the last “iPad” that were innovative was the iPad 3 and 4. The Air and Air 2 were the upgrades over those, Apple then upgraded the air 2 in the 9.7 pro. A bit later they took the original iPad Air and stuck a better processor in it, but kept out all of the features that came with the Air 2 and 9.7 pro (the exact features you were looking for) and revived the name “iPad” this time as not new or innovative but the cheapest and most affordable of the lineup. That’s what “iPad” means now, it’s the most affordable iPad you can get, but it’s using old technology to reach that price. Apple then cut the 9.7 and raised the price further after making the screen bigger.

I’m not trying to be a jerk, it just looks like you ignored a lot of advice in this thread that would have helped you before you purchased. Like you said, at this point your only option is a pro.

The iPad Pro 9.7 256GB can be had directly from Apple with a new year warranty for $589 is it the newest? No. But it sure looks like it would fit you perfectly. The screen, speakers, and camera are all better as well as it being plenty fast enough to last at least 2-3 years down the road, maybe further if Apple keeps focusing on speed like iOS 12.
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/FLMY2LL/A/Refurbished-97-inch-iPad-Pro-Wi-Fi-256GB-Space-Gray

If you want one of those, I’d probably buy it sooner rather than later, as Apple tends to discontinue refurbished iPads and such faster than computers and it’s probably near the end of its sale, and it’ll probably go away with the new line. If you want a 10.5 I’d wait, the prices are just gonna drop when the new iPad comes, even in the refurbished section making them an even better deal.

You can even sit and wait for a deal on the brand new iPads if your willing to pay the higher price. I got a 12.9 256GB 2nd generation for $100 off - preordered through BH Photo making it (at the time before Apple increased storage cost) the exact same price as the base 64GB model.

 

[ericinboston]

...I’m not trying to be a jerk, it just looks like you ignored a lot of advice in this thread that would have helped you before you purchased. Like you said, at this point your only option is a pro.

The iPad Pro 9.7 256GB can be had directly from Apple with a new year warranty for $589 is it the newest? No. But it sure looks like it would fit you perfectly. The screen, speakers, and camera are all better as well as it being plenty fast enough to last at least 2-3 years down the road, maybe further if Apple keeps focusing on speed like iOS 12.
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/FLMY2LL/A/Refurbished-97-inch-iPad-Pro-Wi-Fi-256GB-Space-Gray

If you want one of those, I’d probably buy it sooner rather than later, as Apple tends to discontinue refurbished iPads and such faster than computers and it’s probably near the end of its sale, and it’ll probably go away with the new line. If you want a 10.5 I’d wait, the prices are just gonna drop when the new iPad comes, even in the refurbished section making them an even better deal.

You can even sit and wait for a deal on the brand new iPads if your willing to pay the higher price. I got a 12.9 256GB 2nd generation for $100 off - preordered through BH Photo making it (at the time before Apple increased storage cost) the exact same price as the base 64GB model.

I agree with you and AppleHaterLover regarding what Apple has done with the innovation, pricing, and naming of the iPads over the years. I was just hoping to buy it and use it and experience the zippiness that people had mentioned over the original Air. I didn't articulate it at the time but I was hoping for USB 3.0 also.

Honestly, I don't consider this a rant...I find it a discussion where people have provided links, data, and examples. Rant's are when people are unprofessional and just make broad claims like "this sucks" or "it's junk" or "I hate it". I'm not terribly unhappy with the iPad 2018...just disappointed it couldn't have been better and I'm close enough to new Pros and examples here of others to buy so that gives me more reason to return it.

Thank you all for your input and feedback and I will look into that Refurb. I'm not sure if I'm willing to part with that much money for the Pro 1.0...I think I will try to find a 2.0 or 3.0 since I plan on keeping it for 4+ generations.

Hopefully this thread can be helpful to others since I've chimed in regarding my experience of using both side by side.

Thanks again.

 

[rui no onna]

I agree with you and AppleHaterLover regarding what Apple has done with the innovation, pricing, and naming of the iPads over the years. I was just hoping to buy it and use it and experience the zippiness that people had mentioned over the original Air. I didn't articulate it at the time but I was hoping for USB 3.0 also.

Honestly, I don't consider this a rant...I find it a discussion where people have provided links, data, and examples. Rant's are when people are unprofessional and just make broad claims like "this sucks" or "it's junk" or "I hate it". I'm not terribly unhappy with the iPad 2018...just disappointed it couldn't have been better and I'm close enough to new Pros and examples here of others to buy so that gives me more reason to return it.

Thank you all for your input and feedback and I will look into that Refurb. I'm not sure if I'm willing to part with that much money for the Pro 1.0...I think I will try to find a 2.0 or 3.0 since I plan on keeping it for 4+ generations.

Hopefully this thread can be helpful to others since I've chimed in regarding my experience of using both side by side.

Thanks again.

From what I gather, you appear to still be running iOS 7/8 on your iPad Air. Stick iOS 11 on it and the difference between Air and 6th gen is bound to be much more noticeable.

 

[Freakonomics101]

After owning the 10.5, the bezels on the older iPads look HUGE. I definitely don’t miss that generation. My iPad Air was awful on iOS 11. I couldn’t stand it so I upgraded to the Pro 9.7 then to the 10.5. I’m sticking with the 10.5 because I actually prefer the second gen Touch ID on it. iPhone... Face ID all the way.

 

[Freakonomics101]

At this point it’s more of a rant than an advice thread. Plenty of people told them the budget iPad is not what they were looking for, yet they went out, bought one, and weren’t pleased with it. The pros offer what they want, and can often be found on sale equivalent to what they paid for a new Air. They want a cheap upgrade.

Should’ve tested it at the Apple Store first before buying.

 

[Freakonomics101]

Check out Swappa if you want a good price on a 10.5 or 9.7 Pro. They may have some good deals on there. Like others have said, I don’t recommend the regular iPads. If you want an iPad with the extra perks and performance improvements, the Pro models are what you want to go with. Shoot, even the Air 2 would be better than the Air 1. The Air 2 has more RAM, a laminated display and has an impressively long line of support. iPad Air 2 owners are all saying iOS 12 is flying and smooth as butter on it. I look at the Air 2 as the very first iPad Pro... they just didn’t choose to name it a Pro.

 

[Macalicious2011]

I'm sure you'll like the better speakers and the ProMotion display.

The Pro motion isn't a big deal.

It doesn't make content "look" better and mainly benefit pencil users. Video looks better on my three year old OLED Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and on my 3 month old Dell XPS 13 with a 4k touch screen.

I only bought the Pro because my iPad 3 was unusable. For anyone else with a usable iPad, hold off upgrading until the iPad either has a 4k or OLED screen.