iPad Air iPad Air 4 - what storage size?

[Saralou]

Hi,

So I decided a while back to get the iPad Air 4. The intention then was to replace my MacBook Pro from 2011 with the iPad. (I have a gaming PC as well so I wouldn't be computerless)

Since then I have been able to buy the computer I had at work (MBP ~2007) so I have a “new” computer. I still want to try out life with an iPad air though and the biggest question that I don't seem to wrap my head around is the storage size. I have been thinking back and forth between the two but I can't seem to make up my mind.
I intend to use the iPad for writing and I write a lot. I have over 2000 notes on my phone at the moment. I also intend to use it to browse the Internet, watch tv shows and movies and maybe do some coloring and also edit photos.

I travel abroad about two or three times a year, in a normal year, and probably download some. Movies or episodes of the show I'm watching at the moment. Other than that, I intend on stream the media I consume

For reference: my iPhone has 128 Gb and uses about 35 GB. I do use iCloud and have 200 GB there and I use 44 GB of my iCloud storage. Almost everything (40 GB) is my pictures and videos.

Will it be enough with 64 GB? Or should I go for the 256? What do you guys think?
I know that there is a lot of similar threads out there, I've read them, and my conclusion was that I need to ask as well.

Thank you in advance!

 

[rui no onna]

If you're only using 35GB on the iPhone, it seems to me you can get by with 64GB on the iPad as long as you don't download a lot of movies and episodes.

You might also want to consider the 2020 iPad Pro 11. I've seen 128GB Wi-Fi for $700 on sale and we might see even better discount when the 2021 iPad Pros are actually released.

 

[CTHarrryH]

Are you going to download stuff before traveling - is so you probably need more than the 128

 

[Broadus]

If you're only using 35GB on the iPhone, it seems to me you can get by with 64GB on the iPad as long as you don't download a lot of movies and episodes.

You might also want to consider the 2020 iPad Pro 11. I've seen 128GB Wi-Fi for $700 on sale and we might see even better discount when the 2021 iPad Pros are actually released.

I was thinking the same. Also, if the OP or her family is a Costco member, the 2020 iPad Pro 11 128GB is $650.

 

[SkiHound2]

My uses are somewhat like yours. I mostly use my iPad for media consumption, web browsing, reading, image editing, email, etc. And I really like it as a traveling companion (or at least did prior to the pandemic). I no doubt have more apps on my phone than I really use. I also have quite a few movies and TV series seasons stored. I know I could trim down quite a bit but I currently am using about 115gb. I know I could free up a good bit of space with better management hygiene, but I don't feel 64gb is sufficient for me. Could I manage, probably. But I don't want to need to continually deal with storage management. And I like having some media on my device, especially when traveling and when access to good wifi may or may not be readily available. Also, there are things like power outages, etc., that might limit access to cloud based storage. I'd consider looking at a 2020 128gb Pro. Haven't looked recently but Amazon has had them at about $700. I think I saw them for a bit less a few days back. The A12Z is still a very fast processor that will do everything you seem to do. The speakers are better, you get promotion display, you get better cameras (if you ever use them). Price for the 256gb Air will not be substantially different and I think 128gb will give you a lot more flexibility than 64gb.

 

[Gandek]

I have 256GB on my iPhone and store my photos offline + have a ton of headroom for the future
My iPad Air has 64GB though which il use to edit airdropped photos off my iPhone + have most of my games on here

It all works out for me

 

[AutomaticApple]

Hi,

So I decided a while back to get the iPad Air 4. The intention then was to replace my MacBook Pro from 2011 with the iPad. (I have a gaming PC as well so I wouldn't be computerless)

Since then I have been able to buy the computer I had at work (MBP ~2007) so I have a “new” computer. I still want to try out life with an iPad air though and the biggest question that I don't seem to wrap my head around is the storage size. I have been thinking back and forth between the two but I can't seem to make up my mind.
I intend to use the iPad for writing and I write a lot. I have over 2000 notes on my phone at the moment. I also intend to use it to browse the Internet, watch tv shows and movies and maybe do some coloring and also edit photos.

I travel abroad about two or three times a year, in a normal year, and probably download some. Movies or episodes of the show I'm watching at the moment. Other than that, I intend on stream the media I consume

For reference: my iPhone has 128 Gb and uses about 35 GB. I do use iCloud and have 200 GB there and I use 44 GB of my iCloud storage. Almost everything (40 GB) is my pictures and videos.

Will it be enough with 64 GB? Or should I go for the 256? What do you guys think?
I know that there is a lot of similar threads out there, I've read them, and my conclusion was that I need to ask as well.

Thank you in advance!

Honestly, you should easily be able to get away with 64GB of storage.

 

[loybond]

You guys realize you can just plug in a flash drive with your media on it right?

 

[rui no onna]

You guys realize you can just plug in a flash drive with your media on it right?

Not for videos with DRM (e.g. offline Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, iTunes, etc).

 

[Saralou]

If you're only using 35GB on the iPhone, it seems to me you can get by with 64GB on the iPad as long as you don't download a lot of movies and episodes.

You might also want to consider the 2020 iPad Pro 11. I've seen 128GB Wi-Fi for $700 on sale and we might see even better discount when the 2021 iPad Pros are actually released.

Thank you for the reply! I don't intend on downloading a lot of movies or tv-shows. I always stream and thb I watch mostly on my Apple TV.

I get why you are suggesting the iPad Pro but I really want the iPad Air.

 

[Saralou]

I was thinking the same. Also, if the OP or her family is a Costco member, the 2020 iPad Pro 11 128GB is $650.

I do not live in the US, so Costco isn't a thing here. I live in Sweden and you could only dream on buying almost any iPad for $650 😅

 

[rui no onna]

Thank you for the reply! I don't intend on downloading a lot of movies or tv-shows. I always stream and thb I watch mostly on my Apple TV.

I get why you are suggesting the iPad Pro but I really want the iPad Air.

I was just pointing it out as another option that might suit.

I can definitely understand preferring the Air. Personally, I just bought an open-box Sky Blue 256GB LTE Air 4 from Best Buy.

 

[Saralou]

My uses are somewhat like yours. I mostly use my iPad for media consumption, web browsing, reading, image editing, email, etc. And I really like it as a traveling companion (or at least did prior to the pandemic). I no doubt have more apps on my phone than I really use. I also have quite a few movies and TV series seasons stored. I know I could trim down quite a bit but I currently am using about 115gb. I know I could free up a good bit of space with better management hygiene, but I don't feel 64gb is sufficient for me. Could I manage, probably. But I don't want to need to continually deal with storage management. And I like having some media on my device, especially when traveling and when access to good wifi may or may not be readily available. Also, there are things like power outages, etc., that might limit access to cloud based storage. I'd consider looking at a 2020 128gb Pro. Haven't looked recently but Amazon has had them at about $700. I think I saw them for a bit less a few days back. The A12Z is still a very fast processor that will do everything you seem to do. The speakers are better, you get promotion display, you get better cameras (if you ever use them). Price for the 256gb Air will not be substantially different and I think 128gb will give you a lot more flexibility than 64gb.

Thank you for your reply. I totally get why you would suggest the iPad PRO and the 2020 128GB is indeed a couple of dollars cheaper than the 256 GB iPad Air. I live in Sweden though and the price difference isn't that big.

I don't really need any iPad at all. I just want it. And I really want a green iPad Air. I know it's kinda stupid but yeah, it's what I want. I really think I would be just fine with 64 GB and probably would ever think about it. It's just that fear of having to do storage management in the future that gets me. I understand that's what Apple want, so we all just buy the more expensive one. I just can't make up my mind if the price difference is worth never ever having to think about storage. 🤷‍♀️

 

[limesmoothie]

Just bought an Air 4 cellular model, and went with the 64gb. I’ve got a storage plan and most of my main usage is streaming/cloud based. If you’re planning to carry a lot on the tablet with you e.g. downloading movies to watch on planes etc, then you might want to up the storage, but most light to medium users will manage with 64.

 

[rui no onna]

I don't really need any iPad at all. I just want it. And I really want a green iPad Air. I know it's kinda stupid but yeah, it's what I want.

Lol, the color was part of the decision for me, too. It was hard choosing between Sky Blue and Green. To be perfectly honest, I want both. 😅

 

[sublunar]

Non M1 iPads have greatly softened in price at third party retailers since the M1 iPad Pro has come out. For the record I have a 64Gb iPad Pro 11" bought from the refurb store a few months ago and I haven't come close to filling it yet but I'd have done more expansive stuff with it - such as video editing - if I had got the 256Gb version at the time. And yes, I do regret not being able to use it for heavier duty jobs but I have my eye on M1 Macs since they came out.

One thing to look out for is close-out deals for the 2020 iPad Pro which comes with 128Gb base storage. It seems to me that for your use case absolute processor stats are not overly important but you might get more out of the 120Hz pro-motion screen, Face ID, 4 speakers, LIDAR scanner, and the mics, and the iPad Pro comes with 6Gb RAM rather than the 4Gb in the iPad Air 4.

If storage management will become an issue in the future then more built in storage will help for sure but that's where 128Gb base storage on the Pro helps stave that off for a little longer. And the thing about the colours is - when you're using it in a case you'll not notice what colour device you are using. My third party case is blue even though the iPad Pro is space grey.

Apple UK had a drought on non iPad Minis in the refurbs store and they have now started appearing again but discounts are good but not amazing.

And Amazon UK is recording up to 20% off retail price for iPad Pros especially smaller storage SKUs, so start monitoring prices for deals.

 

[Saralou]

Damn it guys, now I feel even more confused. 😅 I've looked at what price point the iPad Pro 2020 128 GB is at and it's just about 100 dollars more than the iPad Air 64 Gb but at the same time about 80 dollars less than the 256 Gb Air.

As I wrote in the beginning I intend on doing some photo editing, but not much at all. I think it's fun to edit the photos in Lightroom, I do it on my phone atm. Other than that and streaming/browsing the web my biggest usage will be writing and notetaking. I've already bought both the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil because it was a big sale a couple of months ago on accessories. I think I will have to think about this a little bit more. 128 GB would be perfect and I'm intrigued with the 120Hz screen. I will never take a photo with the iPad so the camera doesn't bother me..

 

[tazdevl]

Imo get the 256 Air. File sizes are not getting smaller and you can’t add storage to an iPad. It’s better to have a surplus than play the whole deleting apps and pushing stuff on the cloud because you’re out of space game. The cloud paradigm is great until you don’t have a fast or reliable cell or wifi connection.

Nothing wrong with wanting your iPad to be colorful either. I wish the new Pros had a couple other color options.

When traveling there are times when you’ll want to download shows if the internet sucks, isn’t available like on some forms of transport, or you get stuck somewhere. You’ll be glad you have the extra space. The air has plenty of horsepower for your use case.

 

[one more]

Damn it guys, now I feel even more confused. 😅 I've looked at what price point the iPad Pro 2020 128 GB is at and it's just about 100 dollars more than the iPad Air 64 Gb but at the same time about 80 dollars less than the 256 Gb Air.

As I wrote in the beginning I intend on doing some photo editing, but not much at all. I think it's fun to edit the photos in Lightroom, I do it on my phone atm. Other than that and streaming/browsing the web my biggest usage will be writing and notetaking. I've already bought both the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil because it was a big sale a couple of months ago on accessories. I think I will have to think about this a little bit more. 128 GB would be perfect and I'm intrigued with the 120Hz screen. I will never take a photo with the iPad so the camera doesn't bother me..

If you want to do photo editing, I would strongly advise iPad Pro, purely due to its better screen quality. The ProMotion is not as relevant here, but deeper blacks would definitely help. iPad Air 4 screen is ok, but is somewhat “washed out” in comparison. If in 2022 Air gets OLED in and Pro 11” - mini-LED (XDR), the screen story might change. For now, however, iPad Pro definitely has a better screen.

 

[SkiHound2]

Thank you for your reply. I totally get why you would suggest the iPad PRO and the 2020 128GB is indeed a couple of dollars cheaper than the 256 GB iPad Air. I live in Sweden though and the price difference isn't that big.

I don't really need any iPad at all. I just want it. And I really want a green iPad Air. I know it's kinda stupid but yeah, it's what I want. I really think I would be just fine with 64 GB and probably would ever think about it. It's just that fear of having to do storage management in the future that gets me. I understand that's what Apple want, so we all just buy the more expensive one. I just can't make up my mind if the price difference is worth never ever having to think about storage. 🤷‍♀️

My wife and I were in Stockholm about 3 years ago. We actually did a presentation at a conference. Lovely city. My family immigrated to the US from around Bergen. We spent a few days in Bergen, then up into the fjords (stunning), and eventually over to Stockholm. Unfortunately we didn't see much outside of Stockholm but it was a great trip. Perhaps someday we'll be able to actually travel again.

 

[sublunar]

Damn it guys, now I feel even more confused. 😅 I've looked at what price point the iPad Pro 2020 128 GB is at and it's just about 100 dollars more than the iPad Air 64 Gb but at the same time about 80 dollars less than the 256 Gb Air.

As I wrote in the beginning I intend on doing some photo editing, but not much at all. I think it's fun to edit the photos in Lightroom, I do it on my phone atm. Other than that and streaming/browsing the web my biggest usage will be writing and notetaking. I've already bought both the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil because it was a big sale a couple of months ago on accessories. I think I will have to think about this a little bit more. 128 GB would be perfect and I'm intrigued with the 120Hz screen. I will never take a photo with the iPad so the camera doesn't bother me..

If you've already got both the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil I would start tracking iPad Air 4 and iPad Pro 2020 prices at your preferred retailers. I expect the 2020 iPad Pro will start to disappear from sale quite soon while the iPad Air 4 remains a current Apple product.

You may still be able to pick up official refurbs from Apple at a generous discount off the list price but also bear in mind that the M1 iPad Pro 2021 retails for £749 UK and looks a huge upgrade on the 2020 iPad Pro which at the moment is on sale in the UK for £600 UK. For comparison, the iPad Air can be had for £520 (64Gb) or £629 (256Gb).

Prices and availability obviously will change and I believe Apple's refurb store will offer 2018 iPad Pros for 24% off and 2020 iPad Pros for 15% off in due course (on previous pattern behaviour).

M1 MacBooks are out of the question due to the prior investment in the Magic keyboard and pencil. If it were me, depending on budget, I'd steer away from 64Gb as a storage tier. 128Gb might be adequate, 256Gb seems more than fine but I'd only be assessing against video editing which you probably don't do.

Obviously paying for 256Gb storage you might not get near using isn't great. I have 256Gb on my iPhone at the moment - but then I got it on a deal for the same price as 128Gb and I am somewhere near 45Gb used on that.

My conclusion would be to go for the iPad Pro 128Gb BUT bear in mind that the M1 iPad Pro would be a massive leap ahead if you are prepared to wait a short while for it and pay a bit more (obviously disregard if that's outside your budget).

Ideally if Apple ever release more refurb 2018 models they may do some respectable discounts and the 11" ones there ought to fit your Magic keyboard and pencil too.

 

[ericwn]

You guys realize you can just plug in a flash drive with your media on it right?

Which app do you recommend to manage external photo libraries then? Most apps only want to chew data from the build-in storage.

 

[Saralou]

If you've already got both the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil I would start tracking iPad Air 4 and iPad Pro 2020 prices at your preferred retailers. I expect the 2020 iPad Pro will start to disappear from sale quite soon while the iPad Air 4 remains a current Apple product.

You may still be able to pick up official refurbs from Apple at a generous discount off the list price but also bear in mind that the M1 iPad Pro 2021 retails for £749 UK and looks a huge upgrade on the 2020 iPad Pro which at the moment is on sale in the UK for £600 UK. For comparison, the iPad Air can be had for £520 (64Gb) or £629 (256Gb).

Prices and availability obviously will change and I believe Apple's refurb store will offer 2018 iPad Pros for 24% off and 2020 iPad Pros for 15% off in due course (on previous pattern behaviour).

M1 MacBooks are out of the question due to the prior investment in the Magic keyboard and pencil. If it were me, depending on budget, I'd steer away from 64Gb as a storage tier. 128Gb might be adequate, 256Gb seems more than fine but I'd only be assessing against video editing which you probably don't do.

Obviously paying for 256Gb storage you might not get near using isn't great. I have 256Gb on my iPhone at the moment - but then I got it on a deal for the same price as 128Gb and I am somewhere near 45Gb used on that.

My conclusion would be to go for the iPad Pro 128Gb BUT bear in mind that the M1 iPad Pro would be a massive leap ahead if you are prepared to wait a short while for it and pay a bit more (obviously disregard if that's outside your budget).

Ideally if Apple ever release more refurb 2018 models they may do some respectable discounts and the 11" ones there ought to fit your Magic keyboard and pencil too.

The thing is that the pricing in Sweden is a lot higher. iPad Air 64 Gb is 6900 SEK (around 690 dollars) and then it just goes up from that.

I have a Macbook Pro (2017) with a 500 gb harddrive as my "main" computer as well as a M1 MBP at work. So I'm all set computerwise. I really don't "need" an iPad at all, I just "want" it and the iPad Pro has never been interesting to me. It seems a little bit overkill for my use. The only reason I consider it is because the 2020 model at 128 GB is just between the both Air in pricing.

 

[rui no onna]

The thing is that the pricing in Sweden is a lot higher. iPad Air 64 Gb is 6900 SEK (around 690 dollars) and then it just goes up from that.

Doesn't that include 25% VAT, though? That would make it $552 for device only.

I'm Los Angeles adjacent (10.25% sales tax) so it's $665 for me with tax and CA Recycling Fee.

Other states have lower or no sales tax but just think of it this way, we get cheap electronics but our healthcare costs are through the roof.

 

[sublunar]

The thing is that the pricing in Sweden is a lot higher. iPad Air 64 Gb is 6900 SEK (around 690 dollars) and then it just goes up from that.

I have a Macbook Pro (2017) with a 500 gb harddrive as my "main" computer as well as a M1 MBP at work. So I'm all set computerwise. I really don't "need" an iPad at all, I just "want" it and the iPad Pro has never been interesting to me. It seems a little bit overkill for my use. The only reason I consider it is because the 2020 model at 128 GB is just between the both Air in pricing.

Depending on where you are street prices may vary in the coming months, especially for Apple gear which is no longer current.

I also have MacBook Pros of varying age and power for use with macOS stuff, I got the 64Gb iPad Pro 2018 when I saw one on refurb deal. I was really waiting for the 256Gb, possibly with cellular, as a relatively cheap ultraportable field solution using LumaFusion.

My reasoning was that 13" Intel MacBook Pros aren't the fastest for exporting short videos and I was interested in the A12x CPU for video exporting over a newer 13" MacBook Pro and also for using generic USB-C chargers as replacing Magsafe adapters for older Apple laptops is pricey.

I obviously now wish I had got the 256Gb version but the M1 MacBook Air has come along making it potentially feasible that a 256Gb device with the exporting horsepower required could cost around the same price as the M1 iPad Pro 256Gb + Magic keyboard. And the FaceTime camera would be on the long edge so you don't look like you're staring off axis during FaceTime calls when an iPad is in landscape orientation.

That's not to say that the iPad Pro has been a misstep for me. What I have been left with is a very useful device for consuming content as a second screen that I can move around and take out of the house - it's in a cheap third party case not the magic keyboard. And it can happily make edits to text and spreadsheets. I'd even go as far as saying I don't need an AppleTV 6th generation because of the iPad Pro - I have a USB-C to HDMI connector.

Typing on the iPad Pro using the on screen keyboard is adequate but I'm seeing performance issues in iOS Word after some minutes of typing - which might be One Drive or iOS app related - so I am trying other apps out for writing (they have to be able to cloud sync with a Mac version so I can edit anywhere).

For field use the Magic Keyboard would be expensive making the 'laptop' style arrangement a bit top heavy by my estimation - in the field I could literally be using it on my lap so I'd be concerned about an iPad Pro+Magic keyboard tipping over in a way that it wouldn't be on a traditional laptop if I was sitting with it on my lap in the field.

Looking back now I certainly would not spend iPad Air/Pro money on the 64Gb storage tier - 128Gb might be ok, 256Gb would be great. Anything more would depreciate a lot unless I intend to get very serious with the iOS ecosystem. The issue for me is macOS has a much better multitasking system that computer users will be more used to so if the prices are similar then I am always going to gravitate towards macOS.

Ironically, my iPhone SE 2020 has 256Gb of storage and it'll be interesting to see if I can get used to running LumaFusion on that in due course. It's just a pity there's no magic keyboard arrangement for a phone