iPad iPad 9 3gb of ram enough?

[NicholasOne]

Hello so i have been looking to buy a new tablet and the iPad 9 looks really tempting.

Even though there are better screens and storage in some similarly priced andorid tablets those aren't really major selling points to me.
The screen is decent enough i don't need 120hz for anything...And im not planning to store a lot of photos and vids on it so 64gb should be fine...Im basing this off the use of my phone...It also has 64 and 60% of the storage is vids and pics...So i figure if exclude that i would have plenty of space....Thats more or less that...On to my question....

The only spec that made me hesitant about buying this device...The ram...
For 2021 3gb is standard even on some budget phones i really can't see how that can be enough for an iPad?

I mean if someone can clear this up or share their experience...Im not really farmilar with iPadOS optimization and ram managment...

Is that enough for day to day stuff having like maybe 10 apps open in the background...Using split screen and app overlay and such all together...?

Thanks

 

[rui no onna]

It will work. It’s just going to reload a lot.

 

[NicholasOne]

It will work. It’s just going to reload a lot.

To compare in relative terms lets say to an Android device...

A 3gb Android tablet to an iPad...Are the 3gb on the iPad functionally more than the Android because of the OS?

 

[rui no onna]

To compare in relative terms lets say to an Android device...

A 3gb Android tablet to an iPad...Are the 3gb on the iPad functionally more than the Android because of the OS?

I don’t have a recent Android device to compare with. 🤷‍♀️

 

[darngooddesign]

You will notice it in apps or browser tabs reloading when you return to them after doing other heavy tasks. With a keyboard if you press CMD+Tab to cycle through open apps, you will see fewer compared to if you double press the home button because those have been auto closed. I think having a browser ad blocker like WIPR also helps because not as many things load into RAM with the web page.

The iPad is fine if you are somewhat single-task focused, that's not to say it wont do split screen fine which my 2016 iPad Pro handles fine with 2GB RAM, but if you want to jump frequently from app to app I suggest you step up to the Air or a refurbished iPad Pro. You might even find a deal on last year's iPad Air which had 4GB RAM and I don't recall too many complaints from regular users on that one.

 

[JPack]

I would say it's not enough based on my experience. You'll get reloads for sure.

 

[Digitalguy]

To compare in relative terms lets say to an Android device...

A 3gb Android tablet to an iPad...Are the 3gb on the iPad functionally more than the Android because of the OS?

Yes, except for games. Because of the way apps are coded in IOS they take less RAM than on Android (that's a long story to explain but it dates back to the origins of both IOS and Android), but the difference is not dramatic. I would say that 3GB on IOS is roughly equivalent to 4GB on Android (but it also depends on which Android version), that is lots of reloads.
My suggestion would be not to update it too much because iPadOS seems to be using more RAM with each update, unless you put important data on it and you care a lot about security (personally I am fine with non updated iPads because of how I use them and how sandboxed they are). At some point reloads could turn into actual lag and freezes, as it happens already on 2GB devices. But after a couple of years of missed updates apps will not update anymore to the latest version, so pick you poison.

 

[sorgo †]

Love my iPad 9 but yeah not gonna lie Safari and app reloads can get annoying—especially Safari.

 

[NicholasOne]

Yes, except for games. Because of the way apps are coded in IOS they take less RAM than on Android (that's a long story to explain but it dates back to the origins of both IOS and Android), but the difference is not dramatic. I would say that 3GB on IOS is roughly equivalent to 4GB on Android (but it also depends on which Android version), that is lots of reloads.
My suggestion would be not to update it too much because iPadOS seems to be using more RAM with each update, unless you put important data on it and you care a lot about security (personally I am fine with non updated iPads because of how I use them and how sandboxed they are). At some point reloads could turn into actual lag and freezes, as it happens already on 2GB devices. But after a couple of years of missed updates apps will not update anymore to the latest version, so pick you poison.

I had the impression that the difference is a lot bigger...

Because it kind of dosen't make sense tbh...I would understand they had to cut down on the hardware for the budget iPad...But even the 2020 air which should be like the flagship consumer tablet for most people has 4gb of ram only...It was like 700 euros here when it came out like what??

But i assume its not that big of deal because there is so much talk about the polish of these devices that as a longterm Android user it makes it seem like we are cavemen with sticks...figuratively speaking...

Or at least i hope because im almost completely settled on buying one...Im not really someone that needs 20 apps open in the background but like i would want at least 7-8 to work fine switching between them...

 

[NicholasOne]

You will notice it in apps or browser tabs reloading when you return to them after doing other heavy tasks. With a keyboard if you press CMD+Tab to cycle through open apps, you will see fewer compared to if you double press the home button because those have been auto closed. I think having a browser ad blocker like WIPR also helps because not as many things load into RAM with the web page.

The iPad is fine if you are somewhat single-task focused, that's not to say it wont do split screen fine which my 2016 iPad Pro handles fine with 2GB RAM, but if you want to jump frequently from app to app I suggest you step up to the Air or a refurbished iPad Pro. You might even find a deal on last year's iPad Air which had 4GB RAM and I don't recall too many complaints from regular users on that one.

Not really an option im in Europe so because of taxes or whatever its more expensive than in the states....
The ipad air 4 is still selling for 700 euros...Which is like 760 dolars...

I want to at least be able to have 7-8 apps like notability, safari and stuff like that to run smooth...

 

[MrKennedy]

I went from an iPad 6 (2gb ram) to an iPad 8 (3gb ram) and reloading hasn’t been an issue for me.

 

[ACG12]

Spend the extra money and get an Air 5. 8gb of RAM will keep you from wanting to throw the tablet against the wall every time it reloads an app.

And this is coming from someone who’s been using an Air 3 and iPhone SE2020 for two years…the reloads are getting worse and that even with very few apps in the background.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

To compare in relative terms lets say to an Android device...

A 3gb Android tablet to an iPad...Are the 3gb on the iPad functionally more than the Android because of the OS?

I can answer that. With Android you get less reloads vs iOS even with a similar amount of RAM. I have used Android tablets and phones and reloads are rarely if ever a problem. The main issue with iOS is that it has a very aggressive memory manager so it will kick things out of memory if it’s been idle for too long. Android doesn’t suffer from that. There’s of course a trade off because an iPad typically runs smoother than Android devices.

I own a 6th gen and 9th gen iPad and both work just fine if you have 1-2 tabs open even with websites that load lots of Javascripts. Android runs a little slower but it handles more with the same amount of RAM. As was suggested to you previously, the 9th gen is a really good value iPad but if you want multiple tabs open and multiple apps running then you might want to look athe iPad Air or the Pro tablets which start out with 8GB of RAM.

 

[Digitalguy]

I can answer that. With Android you get less reloads vs iOS even with a similar amount of RAM. I have used Android tablets and phones and reloads are rarely if ever a problem. The main issue with iOS is that it has a very aggressive memory manager so it will kick things out of memory if it’s been idle for too long. Android doesn’t suffer from that. There’s of course a trade off because an iPad typically runs smoother than Android devices.

I own a 6th gen and 9th gen iPad and both work just fine if you have 1-2 tabs open even with websites that load lots of Javascripts. Android runs a little slower but it handles more with the same amount of RAM. As was suggested to you previously, the 9th gen is a really good value iPad but if you want multiple tabs open and multiple apps running then you might want to look athe iPad Air or the Pro tablets which start out with 8GB of RAM.

I think this cannot be generalized, it depends on which is the Android device. Android can use virtual memory (swap to disk) if the OEM allows it (Samsung does for instance, as some Chines OEMS do too), so they can work like a desktop OS, trading speed for less reloads (some manufactured do not let you configure this, some do, again like Samsung in recent OneUI versions). Also some Android OEMs let you keep apps in RAM, which means exclude them from their periodic "optimization" (read "ejection") and also send you low RAM notifications, just like on desktop.
IOS does none of that. It only relies on memory compression and ejection. This is done based on the number of apps open but also periodically to avoid memory leaks, which means apps tend to increase the RAM consumption if left open over long periods (this happens in any OS, but mobile devices tend to be restarted much less often)
Android does exactly the same (memory compression, ejection, periodic optimization), but again they can rely on swap to disk, optimization exclusions and low RAM warnings.

 

[NicholasOne]

Spend the extra money and get an Air 5. 8gb of RAM will keep you from wanting to throw the tablet against the wall every time it reloads an app.

And this is coming from someone who’s been using an Air 3 and iPhone SE2020 for two years…the reloads are getting worse and that even with very few apps in the background.

Yeah the Air 5 didn't even come out yet here, i imagine it will cost upwards of 700 euros when it does...Simply money i don't have but thanks for the suggestion.

 

[d5aqoëp]

1st iPad to come with 2GB RAM was iPad Air 2 in 2014. Almost after 8 years, Apple are being stingy and misers when it comes to RAM. No optimizations in iOS can take you far in this day and age of heavy web pages and apps.

3GB RAM is a serious bottleneck.For more money, it's better to get M1 iPad Pro 11" as it is great value for money and future proof with it's 8GB RAM.

 

[snipr125]

3GB is fine as long as you manage your Safari tabs, and can accept some app reloads if you keep them in the app switcher. My Air 3 with 3 GB RAM is nice and smooth to use, but occasionally Utube reloads in the background.

 

[NicholasOne]

1st iPad to come with 2GB RAM was iPad Air 2 in 2014. Almost after 8 years, Apple are being stingy and misers when it comes to RAM. No optimizations in iOS can take you far in this day and age of heavy web pages and apps.

3GB RAM is a serious bottleneck.For more money, it's better to get M1 iPad Pro 11" as it is great value for money and future proof with it's 8GB RAM.

Yeah that was kind of what i was worried about...
Do you think maybe an Android tablet like the Mi pad 5 for 50 euros less but has 6gb ram double the base storage and a better screen is worth it? The iPad is bit faster with its CPU...I mean in 2022 how bad could Android tablet OS be?

Bad enough to still go for the iPad even with inferior hadrware?

 

[NicholasOne]

3GB is fine as long as you manage your Safari tabs, and can accept some app reloads if you keep them in the app switcher. My Air 3 with 3 GB RAM is nice and smooth to use, but occasionally Utube reloads in the background.

I could live with the refreshing as long as its fast...

You know what...Idk why im overthinking this soo much...I can get the iPad and see for myself...The tech store here has a 60 day return policy...I can test it out....lol

 

[rui no onna]

I could live with the refreshing as long as its fast...

You know what...Idk why im overthinking this soo much...I can get the iPad and see for myself...The tech store here has a 60 day return policy...I can test it out....lol

It is fast. Even the A12 (Air 3, 8th gen) is still pretty fast.

 

[kierennyc]

Feels blessed to live in a big city like NYC where you can pick up so many second hand devices for peanuts. I paid $350 last year for a IPP 11 and $500 for my wife’s IPP 12.9 (both 2018 models in mint condition and 12.9 with apple keyboard case). People literally give stuff away here if you haggle.

 

[dms_91]

1st iPad to come with 2GB RAM was iPad Air 2 in 2014. Almost after 8 years, Apple are being stingy and misers when it comes to RAM. No optimizations in iOS can take you far in this day and age of heavy web pages and apps.

3GB RAM is a serious bottleneck.For more money, it's better to get M1 iPad Pro 11" as it is great value for money and future proof with it's 8GB RAM.

So spend more than double the money for the best iPad to get 8gb of ram...some can't afford that

 

[Charlie Carcinogen]

The buyers guy say that the base model iPad is neutral right now. Is there any chance that there will be an upgraded model this September? If so, it might be worth it for you to wait.

 

[Diablo360]

Should be enough for basic tasks. My 2018 Pro has 4gb, and it has been more than enough