iPad Major benefits of iPad 11" Pro or Air 5 over iPad 9 for light use?

[jm31828]

I just picked up a 9th gen iPad a couple of weeks ago on sale for $249 and have been testing it out before deciding to keep it or return and pick up a different model.

I am pretty impressed with how fast and smooth it is- browsing the web, using apps such as Facebook or Reddit, or even creating movies in iMovie (5-10 minute movies at the most) is a super smooth process with no lag, and no stutter.

What I mentioned above is really my only use case for the iPad.
But, being a bit of a tech nerd I can't help but think about specs- how nice it would be to have the M1 or M2 chip, and more RAM for an even faster experience (if that's even possible in my use case) and more importantly- to be future proof.

So, today I was at Costco looking at other iPads, and I see that the Air 5 is on sale for $499, and the 11" m2 Pro is on sale for $699.

So my question to those of you with experience with the 9th gen or maybe even these others is, in my use case as not being a heavy user- is there any real benefit to moving up to the Air 5 or the Pro? Sure they are nicer devices, but how much of a concern- again with my rather light use case- is the A13 chip and the 3GB RAM on the 9th gen? When doing web browsing, using Reddit or Facebook, or creating videos in iMovie (with no multitasking), would the 3GB Ram on the 9th gen likely be just fine and performance would seem the same as it is today for years to come? Are the specs on this device really only a problem if I were to be playing higher end games, or doing much multitasking?

As noted, part of me thinks it would be nice to at least bump up to the Air, but even on sale, it is literally double the cost that I paid for the 9th gen. Sure I can afford the Air or even the Pro, but I'm also rather cheap and would not want to upgrade and spend that much more unless it was really worthwhile.

Any thoughts from anyone else who has considered the same device comparison?

 

[El_Capitan]

IMO, for your specific use case upgrading wouldn’t be worth it. Pro and Air would have a better screen, better speakers.

So, with web browsing and social media apps 9th gen would be fine.

Regarding iMovie, the main issue is the local storage. Even for smaller projects, I’d get 128GB of internal storage just to be more comfortable although it is doable to edit videos on a 64GB model as well. I wouldn’t recommend going below this as it will put major restrictions on the project size, media stored on the machine and even apps.

Hope this helps.

 

[jm31828]

IMO, for your specific use case upgrading wouldn’t be worth it. Pro and Air would have a better screen, better speakers.

So, with web browsing and social media apps 9th gen would be fine.

Regarding iMovie, the main issue is the local storage. Even for smaller projects, I’d get 128GB of internal storage just to be more comfortable although it is doable to edit videos on a 64GB model as well. I wouldn’t recommend going below this as it will put major restrictions on the project size, media stored on the machine and even apps.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the response!
What I've done so far is I airdrop video clips from my phone to the iPad, I make my movie and export it. Once it's done I put it on Youtube from the iPad, then I airdrop the final product from the iPad to my iMac for backup- and I then delete the clips and the final movie from the iPad, as I have no need for any of them on the device afterwards.

I sit at around 30GB free so far, and I think I'll be fine in this use case- if I do keep the 9th gen 64gb model that I have.

 

[rui no onna]

The A13 is less of a problem than the 3GB RAM.

I find 3GB RAM insufficient even for my web browsing use. Granted, right now I have 26 tabs open in Safari and that's already on the lighter side.

 

[jm31828]

The A13 is less of a problem than the 3GB RAM.

I find 3GB RAM insufficient even for my web browsing use. Granted, right now I have 26 tabs open in Safari and that's already on the lighter side.

I'm a weirdo in that even on a desktop machine with a lot of RAM, I generally never have more than 2 tabs open at any given time, and that's where I've been on my iPad.

I did some testing with 4 or 5 tabs open while also opening another app or two, and didn't seem to notice any stutter or lag, and my tabs weren't reloading.
I totally get it though on the 3gb being a limitation- and I guess that is my concern about future-proofing, and how important that might be in my specific use-case.

 

[sracer]

I just picked up a 9th gen iPad a couple of weeks ago on sale for $249 and have been testing it out before deciding to keep it or return and pick up a different model.

I am pretty impressed with how fast and smooth it is- browsing the web, using apps such as Facebook or Reddit, or even creating movies in iMovie (5-10 minute movies at the most) is a super smooth process with no lag, and no stutter.

What I mentioned above is really my only use case for the iPad.
But, being a bit of a tech nerd I can't help but think about specs- how nice it would be to have the M1 or M2 chip, and more RAM for an even faster experience (if that's even possible in my use case) and more importantly- to be future proof.

So, today I was at Costco looking at other iPads, and I see that the Air 5 is on sale for $499, and the 11" m2 Pro is on sale for $699.

So my question to those of you with experience with the 9th gen or maybe even these others is, in my use case as not being a heavy user- is there any real benefit to moving up to the Air 5 or the Pro? Sure they are nicer devices, but how much of a concern- again with my rather light use case- is the A13 chip and the 3GB RAM on the 9th gen? When doing web browsing, using Reddit or Facebook, or creating videos in iMovie (with no multitasking), would the 3GB Ram on the 9th gen likely be just fine and performance would seem the same as it is today for years to come? Are the specs on this device really only a problem if I were to be playing higher end games, or doing much multitasking?

As noted, part of me thinks it would be nice to at least bump up to the Air, but even on sale, it is literally double the cost that I paid for the 9th gen. Sure I can afford the Air or even the Pro, but I'm also rather cheap and would not want to upgrade and spend that much more unless it was really worthwhile.

Any thoughts from anyone else who has considered the same device comparison?

I heavily use my 9th gen iPad and I'm not concerned at all about "future-proofing" (as if that exists) or the limitations of the RAM or storage. I too can buy any iPad I want, but I chose the 9th gen and have been delighted with it.

Coupled with the Apple Smart Keyboard, and mouse, (or the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Case) it has replaced my chromebooks for the tasks that I use those chromebooks for. (and can do far more than those chromebooks can do)

I picked up a little lightning-to-microSD dongle and can access my microSD cards for video files for those times when I want local access to more files than can fit on the iPad's internal storage.

 

[Rafterman]

$250 for any iPad is a good deal. The 11 gives you a 120hz screen and 8GB of RAM. If you don't care about those things (if it's just a case of browsing and streaming stuff), you can't go wrong with $250. But, I too am a tech nerd and the 11 would keep calling to me

 

[jm31828]

$250 for any iPad is a good deal. The 11 gives you a 120hz screen and 8GB of RAM. If you don't care about those things (if it's just a case of browsing and streaming stuff), you can't go wrong with $250. But, I too am a tech nerd and the 11 would keep calling to me

Man, I'm right there- I am cheap and like a good deal, something that does what I want while being cheap- but I can't help but think the Air or even Pro would be cool to have, for future functionality that may come to the M1 and M2 iPads, and to be future-proofed a bit more.

I have until end of January to return the 9th gen I had just bought- I may pick up the Pro that's on sale at Costco right now for $699 and try it out.

 

[rui no onna]

$250 for any iPad is a good deal. The 11 gives you a 120hz screen and 8GB of RAM. If you don't care about those things (if it's just a case of browsing and streaming stuff), you can't go wrong with $250. But, I too am a tech nerd and the 11 would keep calling to me

Lol, the lack of 512GB-1TB options on lower end iPads makes the iPad Pro the easy choice for me.

I did get a $250 iPad 9 to play with (for iPadOS betas). However, low RAM, low storage and features like More Space zoom mode, Stage Manager, etc. being limited to iPad Pro/M-series has meant it's less useful for testing than I'd like.

No cellular is also a major disadvantage as that's a feature I use a lot.

Also, iPadOS is getting bloated so I can see 64GB being cramped as time goes by. I have a 32GB iPad 7 and that one, I have to offload all the apps installed (mostly streaming services) just so I can do OTA updates.

 

[Rafterman]

Lol, the lack of 512GB-1TB options on lower end iPads makes the iPad Pro the easy choice for me.

I did get a $250 iPad 9 to play with (for iPadOS betas). However, low RAM, low storage and features like More Space zoom mode, Stage Manager, etc. being limited to iPad Pro/M-series has meant it's less useful for testing than I'd like.

No cellular is also a major disadvantage as that's a feature I use a lot.

Also, iPadOS is getting bloated so I can see 64GB being cramped as time goes by. I have a 32GB iPad 7 and that one, I have to offload all the apps installed (mostly streaming services) just so I can do OTA updates.

That's what irritates me about the non-Pro iPads. 256GB top tier is too low for today's 4k video and hi-rez photos world. I'm not saying offer them with 2TB, like the Pros. But at least 512GB should be the new top tier for any new iPads coming out. And get rid of 64GB entirely.

I'm hoping the Mini 7 offers 512GB.

 

[1BadManVan]

I would keep the 9th gen for your use case, as nice as the pro is, it's not worth it for your use case besides to say you have one lol. I have an 11" M1 Pro iPad thats never used for anything more than content consumption when travelling lol. Way overkill for me but I was expecting iPadOS to be a bit more versatile by now, so now I have a MacBook instead lol

 

[jm31828]

I would keep the 9th gen for your use case, as nice as the pro is, it's not worth it for your use case besides to say you have one lol. I have an 11" M1 Pro iPad thats never used for anything more than content consumption when travelling lol. Way overkill for me but I was expecting iPadOS to be a bit more versatile by now, so now I have a MacBook instead lol

Thanks for the advice!

Realistically, then, it sounds like for single app use at a time (not much multitasking), the 3GB RAM on the 9th gen will probably be just fine for years to come, and the 8GB that you get on the Pro (and Air) is really only necessary for people that do heavy multitasking, or very intensive tasks such as editing very large 4K videos, that kind of thing?

 

[1BadManVan]

Thanks for the advice!

Realistically, then, it sounds like for single app use at a time (not much multitasking), the 3GB RAM on the 9th gen will probably be just fine for years to come, and the 8GB that you get on the Pro (and Air) is really only necessary for people that do heavy multitasking, or very intensive tasks such as editing very large 4K videos, that kind of thing?

Correct, plus the higher refresh screen, speakers etc. They are awesome devices but not necessary for most people. My mom uses her 9th gen as her main computer lol

 

[jm31828]

Correct, plus the higher refresh screen, speakers etc. They are awesome devices but not necessary for most people. My mom uses her 9th gen as her main computer lol

haha wow, thanks for the response!

 

[Digitalguy]

Thanks for the advice!

Realistically, then, it sounds like for single app use at a time (not much multitasking), the 3GB RAM on the 9th gen will probably be just fine for years to come, and the 8GB that you get on the Pro (and Air) is really only necessary for people that do heavy multitasking, or very intensive tasks such as editing very large 4K videos, that kind of thing?

Don't agree. As someone who has iPads with 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8GB RAM I don't agree that 3GB is "fine" and even less that 8GB is only necessary for what you mentioned.
The way iOS and iPadOS work you can technically do everything even with 2GB RAM. It will just reload things all the time, but it will work and at worst crash every now and then.
I have 5-6 tabs open on my 3GB iPads at all time and it's very easy to have them reload just by switching bewtween tabs. Some people are not bothered by this, so for them 3GB are fine. Others others, for instance if one of these tabs is a video and you lose the point where you had paused the video. Also not all tabs take the same amount of RAM. Heavier web pages, like those optimized for desktop browsers, take more RAM and trigger reloads faster (e.g. desktop gmail, desktop youtube, etc.) so depending on what tabs you have you'll more or less reloads. This is zero multitasking, just using Safari with several (some heavier) tabs open.
Again if with your usage you are not bothered by reloads, 3GB will not slow you down.
As for video editing, I haven't had issues with Lumafusion with 4GB devices. DaVinci instead takes more RAM and some of the more advanced features make 4GB devices crash even with 1080p videos. 6GB work fine.

 

[jm31828]

Don't agree. As someone who has iPads with 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8GB RAM I don't agree that 3GB is "fine" and even less that 8GB is only necessary for what you mentioned.
The way iOS and iPadOS work you can technically do everything even with 2GB RAM. It will just reload things all the time, but it will work and at worst crash every now and then.
I have 5-6 tabs open on my 3GB iPads at all time and it's very easy to have them reload just by switching bewtween tabs. Some people are not bothered by this, so for them 3GB are fine. Others others, for instance if one of these tabs is a video and you lose the point where you had paused the video. Also not all tabs take the same amount of RAM. Heavier web pages, like those optimized for desktop browsers, take more RAM and trigger reloads faster (e.g. desktop gmail, desktop youtube, etc.) so depending on what tabs you have you'll more or less reloads. This is zero multitasking, just using Safari with several (some heavier) tabs open.
Again if with your usage you are not bothered by reloads, 3GB will not slow you down.
As for video editing, I haven't had issues with Lumafusion with 4GB devices. DaVinci instead takes more RAM and some of the more advanced features make 4GB devices crash even with 1080p videos. 6GB work fine.

Thanks! Definitely some good points to consider.
I have until end of January to return the 9th gen iPad I had just picked up on sale, and at the other end of the spectrum, was looking at the 11" M2 Pro that is on sale at Costco for $699, as well as the Air 5 that is on sale for $499.
I might consider picking one of those up to test out and try to decide if I want to go cheap and stick with the 9th gen, or if I would prefer to keep the Air or Pro.

As noted, I rarely multitask- when browsing the web I have 1, maybe 2 tabs open at most- and otherwise just use one app at a time- really just using the device for Facebook, Reddit, Youtube, or creating videos on iMovie. All of that seems OK in the limited testing I've done on the 9th gen, but I haven't pushed it that hard or watched closely enough to see if anything has reloaded when flipping from one tab to another, or one app to another.

 

[Joplin]

Honestly the 9th gen seems absolutely fine for your use case. I am using one myself after having upgraded from a 6th gen (A10/2GB to A13/3GB) and truth be told I could have managed perfectly with the 6th gen to this day. For browsing, reading newspapers, streaming audio and video you just don’t need more power. I only keep a few tabs open and it’s totally fine for me.

I get it, though, these higher end devices are very attractive. But in the end I figure I’d do the exact same stuff on them.

 

[jm31828]

Honestly the 9th gen seems absolutely fine for your use case. I am using one myself after having upgraded from a 6th gen (A10/2GB to A13/3GB) and truth be told I could have managed perfectly with the 6th gen to this day. For browsing, reading newspapers, streaming audio and video you just don’t need more power. I only keep a few tabs open and it’s totally fine for me.

I get it, though, these higher end devices are very attractive. But in the end I figure I’d do the exact same stuff on them.

Yeah, it's definitely dangerous how you can start looking at specs and have FOMO. Even the sale price for the Air 5 at this point, it's literally twice what I paid for my 9th gen- I can afford it no problem, and as a bit of a tech nerd I might enjoy having it- but I am also a realist and don't like to waste money, and I am struggling to see what I might do with the Air that I couldn't do on the 9th gen- especially given that I am not much of a power user.

As noted, the heaviest thing I do on it is creating 5-6 minute videos on iMovie- and it is so smooth exporting those in my limited testing so far.
Just to see what I could do on this device with "heavier" apps- I did download DaVinci Resolve because I read that it is compatible with the 9th gen- though I do wonder if RAM would be an issue on it.
I haven't used it much- just poked around a bit, and it seems to function, opens fast, menu options open fast- but I have yet to try to put something together and export, as I don't quite know how to yet on that app.

 

[mandopicker101]

I have an iPad 9 from work as a mobility device (replacing a crappy Android phone) but also because I need a not-locked-down Bluetooth connection to stream Teams calls to my hearing aids.

With a Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard, I now use the iPad for most tasks at work over the office issue HP Elitebook (which is nice but massively locked down for security). As we’ve embraced MS365 at work, I have access to files and the majority of core apps we use at my workplace. Only limitation I find is the screen mirroring - I can hook the iPad 9 up to a larger monitor but of course you have the black side bands… this is ok but not as polished as the higher end iPads.

My own device is an iPad 8, which I find great on iPadOS 17. I’m tempted by an Air or used M1 Pro, largely for future proofing and…who doesn’t like features???

 

[JustAnExpat]

I have an 8th generation iPad myself. It's perfect for surfing the internet, mocking up/ editing documents (with Apple Pencil), reading books, using it as a second display with Sidecar. it doesn't feel slow at all to my needs.

 

[teohyc]

They have different feature sets.

Ultimately it depends on how much you want to spend. That's why Apple has iPads are so many different price points. For people who want to spend more, there are more expensive iPads.

Generally speaking, the cheaper tablets provide more value for money simply because they are cheaper, and they do the same thing as the expensive models. E.g software experience is the same, but other features are different, e.g. laminated display, no of speakers, refresh rate, Apple Pencil support.

 

[Abazigal]

I have no experience with the latest iPad Pro models, and I am someone who finds the 2018 iPad Pro sufficient for my needs. The main benefits would be stage manager, and maybe a few more extra years of software support down the road.

When my 2018 iPad Pro was at my local repair shop for a battery replacement, I "borrowed" my mom's 9th gen iPad to use at work, and it ran pretty well. Some apps take maybe just a split second longer to load or multitask if you squint hard enough, but otherwise, performance was fine. Notability, slay the spire, safari, everything ran great. Battery life was also surprisingly good as well. I would honestly be fine using the 9th gen iPad as a permanent replacement.

It does seem that for the moment at least, you really aren't missing out on much.

 

[darngooddesign]

I think the iPad 9 is a very good iPad if…
1. You primarily stick with full screen single apps, but if you split-screen it is with less demanding apps.
2. Just accept that safari will sometimes reload, especially if you have many tabs open.

I think you will be frustrated if you try to use it like an iPad Pro.

 

[floral]

I don't really like the base iPads, I see them as more of, like, an education or children's tablet.

I think the mini/air/Pro are much more worth it and give you the true experience... the main benefit is the extra RAM, which lets you multitask with Stage Manager or take on heavy creative work. The M-processor is also very nice but it isn't really like you'd need much power.

I think 8GB is perfect for my everyday uses but some people prefer more, so if you want 16GB ram, you need to get an iPad Pro with at least 1TB storage. It definitely puts a dent in a wallet, though

Anyways, yeah, I'd say stay away from the entry iPad, but also don't buy the Pro unless you have money to spare. I'd recommend the Air, but that's basically a stepladder to the Pro since the only really "good" storage option (256GB vs 64GB) is just $50 less than a base Pro.

So the only no-doubt bestest ever option here is the Mini, if you can handle the size difference

 

[Shanghaichica]

I'm a weirdo in that even on a desktop machine with a lot of RAM, I generally never have more than 2 tabs open at any given time, and that's where I've been on my iPad.

I did some testing with 4 or 5 tabs open while also opening another app or two, and didn't seem to notice any stutter or lag, and my tabs weren't reloading.
I totally get it though on the 3gb being a limitation- and I guess that is my concern about future-proofing, and how important that might be in my specific use-case.

I am exactly the same as this. It irritates me to have more than two open at a time but usually it's just one at a time.