iPad iPad Air 2 replacement help

[meridiusuk]

Hi all

Can anyone recommend a iPad to replace the iPad Air 2 from 5 years ago.

I have seen the iPad and iPad Air but not sure how they compare to the air It’s for the wife so she watches a lot of video and surfing but I am sure I read the iPad had a worse screen from the 5 year old version ?

I wanted a bigger screen to and noticed the iPad had a 10.2 and air is a 10.9 I think.

I just wanted to upgrade hers and not a great coast but have the same screen quality or better as the air 2 is now struggling and you can see it’s jerking and slowing down here and there.

Any help would be great thanks

 

[coolguy4747]

Any current iPad will be an improvement in terms of performance. I don't think any iPad has a worse screen, except maybe the iPad mini 6 if the "jelly scrolling" bothers you, or the 12.9" iPad Pro if you don't like the miniLED backlight. Maybe the regular iPad screen isn't laminated, so you might notice a difference there, but the current iPad Air should have a good screen.

 

[Cosmosent]

Highly-recommend you consider the 2021 iPad mini.

It is the single-best-value Apple currently offers !

UN-fortunately, many know that & it is almost-impossible to get right now !

A15 + 326 PPI display !

The lowest-end iPad is a Dog; don't get it !

The Air4 is a good fall-back, but it's Front Camera isn't as good as on the 2021 iPad mini, & it has ONLY a 264 PPI display.

 

[rui no onna]

The lowest-end iPad is a Dog; don't get it !

Umm, nope.

I've got the iPad 9th gen, mini 6, Air 4 and M1 Pro 11 as well as a bunch of older iPads.

For typical tasks, the 9th gen feels just as fast as any of the latest models. It's noticeably more fluid compared to the 2016 Pro 9.7 and 2017 Pro 10.5. The 9th gen is definitely way more responsive compared to the Air 2.

Can anyone recommend a iPad to replace the iPad Air 2 from 5 years ago.

I have seen the iPad and iPad Air but not sure how they compare to the air It’s for the wife so she watches a lot of video and surfing but I am sure I read the iPad had a worse screen from the 5 year old version ?

I wanted a bigger screen to and noticed the iPad had a 10.2 and air is a 10.9 I think.

Note, the Power button TouchID on Air 4/mini 6 fails more often than Home button TouchID. I find the placement is more awkward as well even if I have two fingers programmed. Don't know if that's something that will bother your wife.

I know if I were buying for my mom, I'd get her either an iPad with TouchID Home button or one with FaceID.

 

[powersurge]

Just a tip BestBuy offered me $100 trade in value when I checked yesterday for my iPad Air 2 (128gb). Not so bad when you consider mine was bought at launch so its 7 years old with a worn out battery.

Personally I wouldn't consider the current iPad Air. Its cost is too close to the iPad Pro 11 inch ($600 vs $800 with double the storage) which has a lot of features and upgrades over the Air, nor the mini (iffy screen quality and jelly scroll).

iPad 9th gen vs iPad Pro 11 or 12.9 I'd say. All of them have similar battery life so that's not a concern.

9th gen iPad is a pretty big value (A13, 3gb of ram, 64gb of storage for $300) and probably enough for just video and browsing if you want to save money but the iPad Pro's look to be pretty epic packing a M1 with 120hz refresh rate display and 8gb of ram. If you plan to get the Apple Pencil then the iPad Pro is the way to go (easier charging, far better responsiveness).

Oh and if your considering the iPad Pro 12.9 inch consider not just size but weight as a possible factor. iPad Air 2 (1 pound) weighs about the same as the iPad Pro 11 inch but the iPad Pro 12.9 (1.5 pound total) weighs roughly a half a pound more (about the same weight as the 1st gen iPad oddly enough).

 

[EugW]

If you want a better and bigger screen, get the current iPad Air.

If you don't mind the non-laminated screen, then get the current iPad.

 

[YanniDepp]

I don't think any iPad has a worse screen

This isn’t true.

The iPad Air 2 had a laminated screen with no air gap between the LCD and the glass. It improved the quality of the screen in a way you wouldn’t miss if you’d never seen it, but it’s hard to go back to the old way if you’re used to it.

When Apple launched the next iPad in 2017 they decided to make it a low-cost device and took the laminated screen away. They added it to the iPad mini 4 and made it a more premium device.

 

[MrAperture]

iPad 9

 

[meridiusuk]

Thanks all

It’s just for the wife she only uses it for browsing watching YouTube and news apps Mainly.

She would never use a pencil and she does not game on it it’s basically a tool for using the web and watching videos

I have a iPad Pro M1 but when I picked here iPad Air 2 I noticed it was struggling badly now with even the simplest tasks so this is why I might buy her a new one.

I don’t want to spend a lot on it as she only uses it as I stated above. I k no ow the iPad none air version are very cheap but thought I would ask if it would be a better machine that hers i now now the screen is hot laminated and has a air gap and will check that out in store but I sought she will notice.

I just do t want to buy something that has worse spec somewhere than her 7 year old iPad.

The minis are to small so there out. The iPad Air does seem close to the price point of the pros which I find odd.

I noticed apple sell refurbs of

Refurbished iPad Wi-Fi+Cellular 128GB - Space Grey (7th Generation)​

For the same price but these came out in 2019 and not sure how they compare.

 

[rui no onna]

I noticed apple sell refurbs of

Refurbished iPad Wi-Fi+Cellular 128GB - Space Grey (7th Generation)​

For the same price but these came out in 2019 and not sure how they compare.

iPad 7th gen is A10/3GB. Faster than the Air 2 but at this point, the CPU is 5 years old so don't expect to be able to use it for another 7-8 years.

The iPad 8th gen shows up on the refurb store from time to time and has A12/3GB (same as the Air 3). That one should maintain performance longer than 7th gen for just a marginal increase in cost.

 

[Devvy]

Hi all

Can anyone recommend a iPad to replace the iPad Air 2 from 5 years ago.

I have seen the iPad and iPad Air but not sure how they compare to the air It’s for the wife so she watches a lot of video and surfing but I am sure I read the iPad had a worse screen from the 5 year old version ?

I wanted a bigger screen to and noticed the iPad had a 10.2 and air is a 10.9 I think.

I just wanted to upgrade hers and not a great coast but have the same screen quality or better as the air 2 is now struggling and you can see it’s jerking and slowing down here and there.

Any help would be great thanks

I moved from an Air2 to the 9th base iPad. I was concerned about the non-laminated screen at first, but personally it doesn't bother me at all; it's not something I constantly notice.
Yes, there are more reflections; but the max. brightness of the 9th gen is higher than the Air2's, which - for me - compensates for it. To my eye, the colors of the 9th iPad pop more too.
The iPad9 is thicker as well, but mine is put in a solid case anyway.
My advice: if it is just the speed that bothers you about the Air2, the iPad 9 is perfectly fine. If you need usb-c connectivity, it becomes another story.

 

[MhaelK]

I'm currently rocking an 2014 Air 2, and while it for a second almost got a second life on iPadOS15.0 recently the newest 15.1 has made it almost unusable for even basic tasks.

But, what I wanted to say was that I have used the new iPad 9th gen next to the Air2 and the A13 together with the bigger screen makes it a more than a great upgrade in my opinion (and cheap). While I can see upon inspection that the screen is not laminated it wouldn't bother me at all, reflecting is a bit more but overall not a deal breaker depending on use-case. The lack of USB-C is the major downside for me. But then again it is a bargain for the price and the A13 is more than powerful enough for most people and probably the best buy for most people. Plus the base model is often on sale (outside periods of chip-shortage at least)

Maybe buy it for her and if she does look truly happy. Tell her that she can exchange it for whatever version that suits her needs the best - it is the thought that counts, and maybe she is secretly dreaming of the mini or having a pencil for drawing or making art. You never know

 

[meridiusuk]

Cheers all will let you know what I decided

 

[capathy21]

Check out the Apple refurbished store for a 2018 11 inch iPad Pro.