iPad Is the 9th gen iPad worth an upgrade at $269?

[hky740]

My wife and I have a couple of older iPads - she has a 5th generation and me a 7th.

Hers especially is showing its age. The battery drains quickly and it's very sluggish to do much of anything these days. Mine isn't that bad but it's starting to show some age too.

Even though the 9th generation isn't the newest or the greatest, is it worth an upgrade at $269 over the 5th or 7th generation iPads? We primarily use them to browse, do social media, stream movies, etc.

It seems like the biggest boost on the 9th gen is the A13 chip as opposed to the A9/A10 chips in the iPads we have. That, along with a bump to 64 GB storage. Our iPads have 32 GB.

Insights appreciated.

 

[darngooddesign]

My wife and I have a couple of older iPads - she has a 5th generation and me a 7th.

Hers especially is showing its age. The battery drains quickly and it's very sluggish to do much of anything these days. Mine isn't that bad but it's starting to show some age too.

Even though the 9th generation isn't the newest or the greatest, is it worth an upgrade at $269 over the 5th or 7th generation iPads? We primarily use them to browse, do social media, stream movies, etc.

It seems like the biggest boost on the 9th gen is the A13 chip as opposed to the A9/A10 chips in the iPads we have. That, along with a bump to 64 GB storage. Our iPads have 32 GB.

Insights appreciated.

Yes, it will be a very good upgrade.

 

[estabya]

Yes, it will be a very good upgrade.

Darngooddesign is right. Updating to an A13 from an A10 on the 7th gen and especially the A9 in the 5th will be a substantial update for daily use. And as you mentioned in the OP, the new batteries should be significant as well.

 

[DaveTheRave]

Any future-proofing concerns with an older A-chip?

 

[RaphaZ]

Hi OP! I had one 5th gen, and traded a year ago for a 9th gen. The 9th is significantly better, go for it.

 

[darngooddesign]

Any future-proofing concerns with an older A-chip?

Use it until sometime in the future you have proof that need to upgrade.

I would get 256 instead of 64.

 

[sracer]

Use it until sometime in the future you have proof that need to upgrade.

I would get 256 instead of 64.

Yes, more is better but that ultimately depends upon what the OP is going to use it for.

I have a 64GB 9th gen... the upcharge to 256 is obscene IMO. I use a micro SD card dongle with a 256GB card for all of my media. I'm impressed with how well it works for that purpose... especially because of how iPad OS has been improved over the years to manage external storage.

Apple MFi Certified Lightning to Micro SD Card Reader for iPhone, iPad - Supports iOS 13, exFAT & FAT32

Apple MFi Certified Lightning to Micro SD Card Reader for iPhone, iPad - Supports iOS 13, exFAT & FAT32

www.amazon.com

 

[darngooddesign]

Yes, more is better but that ultimately depends upon what the OP is going to use it for.

I have a 64GB 9th gen... the upcharge to 256 is obscene IMO. I use a micro SD card dongle with a 256GB card for all of my media. I'm impressed with how well it works for that purpose... especially because of how iPad OS has been improved over the years to manage external storage.

Apple MFi Certified Lightning to Micro SD Card Reader for iPhone, iPad - Supports iOS 13, exFAT & FAT32

Apple MFi Certified Lightning to Micro SD Card Reader for iPhone, iPad - Supports iOS 13, exFAT & FAT32

www.amazon.com

Good suggestion

 

[Richard8655]

I recently went from 5th (32gb) to 9th (64gb) and that has worked well for me. As in your case, the 5th was getting fairly sluggish, though the battery was still 100%. Everything significantly zippy fast now.

Much of my storage needs is satisfied by iCloud and Mac computer hard drive (connected over WiFi). But 64gb would have been enough anyway. So yes, recommending that upgrade path.

 

[hky740]

Thanks for the responses. My wife wants to trade her 5th gen in for Best Buy credit (apparently they'd give $60).

With me, it's tough. My 7th gen iPad still works fine for what I use it for, mostly browsing, streaming, and social, though it is starting to show its age after almost four years. I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't meet the cut off for iPad OS 18 in 2024.

Trade in credit would knock the 9th gen iPad down to $189 + tax for me. It's like, if I don't upgrade with this, what are the odds I can get an upgrade in a year or so for that relatively cheap?

 

[Digitalguy]

Thanks for the responses. My wife wants to trade her 5th gen in for Best Buy credit (apparently they'd give $60).

With me, it's tough. My 7th gen iPad still works fine for what I use it for, mostly browsing, streaming, and social, though it is starting to show its age after almost four years. I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't meet the cut off for iPad OS 18 in 2024.

Trade in credit would knock the 9th gen iPad down to $189 + tax for me. It's like, if I don't upgrade with this, what are the odds I can get an upgrade in a year or so for that relatively cheap?

the 7th gen iPad will get iPadOS 18, but will stop there. Apple is on clear 6 year support path for the base iPad.

 

[hky740]

the 7th gen iPad will get iPadOS 18, but will stop there. Apple is on clear 6 year support path for the base iPad.

For what I use it for, would you upgrade from a 7th to a 9th for $189? Or wait until my 7th is totally bricked and hope to get an upgrade for less than $200 at that time? (to me, that's a very risky bet to make...)

 

[Tripps9000]

Reading your post I would say get rid of your iPad 7 and get the iPad 9 I have been using mine for over a year and half and it has been good for me also the front facing camera has been upgraded to a 12 megapixel Ultra Wide with use for center stage as well as True Tone was added to the nine as well so even though the 9 uses the same body as the 7 it has many upgrades that make it worth getting 👍🏻

 

[estabya]

I also think it’s worth the update. Since it’s still being sold en masse to the education market the iPad 9 will get many OS updates to come.

 

[Digitalguy]

For what I use it for, would you upgrade from a 7th to a 9th for $189? Or wait until my 7th is totally bricked and hope to get an upgrade for less than $200 at that time? (to me, that's a very risky bet to make...)

Personally I would wait till the iPad 11 is announced in September. Why? Cause at that point we'll know if the 9 is kept or discontinued (there will always be time to buy it and there will still be sales) and if the 10 is kept at the 9's price or discontinued (unlikely if the 11 is sold at the 10's price). Apple kept the 9 gen to maintain the entry level price. If Apple lowers the 10 to that level, it's a better buy (unless lightning and the audio jack are important to you). They could lower it less (to 349). But they won't abandon the 9's price point or raise it too much. And again there will be sales at some point. The 7 is still usable, contrary to the 5, so it could still be used to wait a couple of months.

 

[hky740]

Personally I would wait till the iPad 11 is announced in September. Why? Cause at that point we'll know if the 9 is kept or discontinued (there will always be time to buy it and there will still be sales) and if the 10 is kept at the 9's price or discontinued (unlikely if the 11 is sold at the 10's price). Apple kept the 9 gen to maintain the entry level price. If Apple lowers the 10 to that level, it's a better buy (unless lightning and the audio jack are important to you). They could lower it less (to 349). But they won't abandon the 9's price point or raise it too much. And again there will be sales at some point. The 7 is still usable, contrary to the 5, so it could still be used to wait a couple of months.

Thanks for the advice. It's a tough call. Do you see the 10th gen getting down to $269 on sale with $80 more off that for trading in a 7th?

 

[Yebubbleman]

My wife and I have a couple of older iPads - she has a 5th generation and me a 7th.

Hers especially is showing its age. The battery drains quickly and it's very sluggish to do much of anything these days. Mine isn't that bad but it's starting to show some age too.

Even though the 9th generation isn't the newest or the greatest, is it worth an upgrade at $269 over the 5th or 7th generation iPads? We primarily use them to browse, do social media, stream movies, etc.

It seems like the biggest boost on the 9th gen is the A13 chip as opposed to the A9/A10 chips in the iPads we have. That, along with a bump to 64 GB storage. Our iPads have 32 GB.

Insights appreciated.

The bump in spec is fine. I don't know that it's the best value out of the lineup, but it's certainly your most affordable upgrade option when it comes to 10-11-inch iPad options. I'd argue that the best value option in that size category is the current iPad Air. But, if you're only looking at it from the standpoint of "will the 9th Generation iPad present me with an appreciable upgrade over a 5th generation iPad?", the answer is definitely yes.

 

[ACG12]

I wouldn’t. The 3gb of RAM was the reason I got rid of my iPad Air 3.

At minimum get the 10th Gen with 4gb of RAM.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

If you absolutely will not go over $269, then yes it’s a good upgrade.
But it should be noted that Apple does not promise anything in relation to software support, and the A13 is already a 4 year old cpu.
While iPads Seem to get a year or two over the iPhones with software upgrades, that might not always be the case.
And buying a 9th generation instead of a refurbished 10th generation, or an M1 refurbished might be the difference between an iPad you’re happy with for 2-3 years to one you’ll be happy with for 5-7+ years.
Also, buying the 9th gen over any other iPad means you're stuck with Lightning for several more years, while it’s clear USB-C is the future port for years to come.
But it’s all about what’s important to you.

 

[sracer]

If you absolutely will not go over $269, then yes it’s a good upgrade.
But it should be noted that Apple does not promise anything in relation to software support, and the A13 is already a 4 year old cpu.
While iPads Seem to get a year or two over the iPhones with software upgrades, that might not always be the case.
And buying a 9th generation instead of a refurbished 10th generation, or an M1 refurbished might be the difference between an iPad you’re happy with for 2-3 years to one you’ll be happy with for 5-7+ years.
Also, buying the 9th gen over any other iPad means you're stuck with Lightning for several more years, while it’s clear USB-C is the future port for years to come.
But it’s all about what’s important to you.

The countdown timer of when Apple will stop supporting a device begins when Apple stops selling it... not when it started. The 9th gen is still being sold so we can expect more years of support regardless of how old the processor is.

There are secondary costs associated with the 10th gen vs the 9th gen that come into consideration if the OP is going to add accessories.

The 9th gen has smart covers available, the 10th gen does not. The smart keyboard cover for the 9th gen is significantly less than the price for the 10th gen keyboard folio. The Apple Pencil 1 for the 9th gen is nearly half the price of the Apple Pencil 2 supported by the 10th gen.

These aren't a factor if a person isn't interested in those items, but if they are... then it is worth considering the additional cost.

 

[retta283]

The Apple Pencil 1 for the 9th gen is nearly half the price of the Apple Pencil 2 supported by the 10th gen.

The 10th gen still uses the 1st gen Pencil, as whacky as that sounds. You need to buy an adapter to even pair the thing. No clue why they didn't support the 2nd gen Pencil.

 

[darngooddesign]

The 10th gen still uses the 1st gen Pencil, as whacky as that sounds. You need to buy an adapter to even pair the thing. No clue why they didn't support the 2nd gen Pencil.

They did not support Pencil 2 because of the landscape camera which is where the Pencil's magnet charger would be. I think the Pencil 3 will have two smaller magnets on either side of the camera.

 

[MacMan2013]

I have a 9th gen IPad and I'm very happy with it. $269 seems a pretty good price to me.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

The countdown timer of when Apple will stop supporting a device begins when Apple stops selling it... not when it started.

Apple Watch Series 3: hold my beer
iPod touch seventh generation: me too!
iPad 2: let me join the party.
Apple has shown that they have no problem cutting off support for a device the minute it's discontinued if it’s outdated enough.
For the most recent example, check out how quickly Apple has been dropping 2015-18 Macs, even if they were being sold not too long ago.

 

[Digitalguy]

The countdown timer of when Apple will stop supporting a device begins when Apple stops selling it... not when it started. The 9th gen is still being sold so we can expect more years of support regardless of how old the processor is.

That's only true for hardware support (e.g. battery service), not for software support.