iPad Air Need to replace my Air 2. Can’t choose, advice welcome

[nph]

I just bought the mini 6 for my wife for her birthday. In her case she loves the mini and her old one is also dreadfully slow using the same processor as my air 2 processor wise.
However in my case I am not sure what to chose…

To me the mini has too small of a screen so that is out of the equation.

Here is what I am looking to use it for:
Some Office app usage but primarily email, reading and streaming.
Use garage band to add more voices and display sheet music for my digital piano.
Using software for the iPad to modify the piano settings.

Streaming movies. run playgrounds for swift
No plans to use it for video editing.

The options I am considering:

ipad 9th gen, great price but processor is A13 that will make it 3 years this year given A16 is bound to come into iPhone 14. Ram is 3gig afaik. Great battery life! From tests I have seen it hits 12 hours while most other models are lucky to surpass 10 hours.

iPad Air 5, nice colors and fast. Future proof given it has M1 and 8gig RAM. Question is how important is RAM for future versions of iPad OS? Expensive, although on sale right now with 5% discount. I have seen conflicting reports about battery life some say worse and some better that Air 4.

iPad Air 4, great price currently, $499. Use A14 which is great but not fantastic given A16 is coming out this year but on the other hand M1 is built on A14 from what I understand. Ram is 4gig. Plus this opportunity is going to pass soon so I need to make a quick decision.

the old iPad Air 2 is probably the longest I have held on to an apple device but it also means that maybe I don’t need the M1 but on the other hand I haven’t used it for GarageBand in conjunction with a digital piano so I don’t know what that will require processor or RAM wise. I have only used my old Air for reading and some streaming due to the slow speed (not to mention horrible battery life, it drops without any use) the last few years.
I have an iphone 13 pro max (hence an iPad mini doesn’t make sense) and MBP 2020 which I use for heavy lifting and I absolutely love the battery life it is giving me. Hands dow the best Apple laptop I have ever had and I have used Apple laptops since 1998! 😂 ok I just gave away my age there…

I really appreciate any advice or insight you can provide me.

 

[Fishels]

I just bought the mini 6 for my wife for her birthday. In her chase she loves the mini and her old one is also dreadfully slow using the same processor as my air 2 processor wise.
However in my case I am not sure what to chose…

To me the mini has too small of a screen so that is out of the equation.

Here is what I am looking to use it for:
Some Office app usage but primarily email, reading and streaming.
Use garage band to add more voices and display sheet music for my digital piano.
Using software for the iPad to modify the piano settings.

Streaming movies. run playgrounds for swift
No plans to use it for video editing.

The options I am considering:

ipad 9th gen, great price but processor is A13 that will make it 3 years this year given A16 is bound to come into iPhone 14. Ram is 3gig afaik. Great battery life! From tests I have seen it hits 12 hours while most other models are lucky to surpass 10 hours.

iPad Air 5, nice colors and fast. Future proof given it has M1 and 8gig RAM. Question is how important is RAM for future versions of iPad OS? Expensive, although on sale right now with 5% discount. I have seen conflicting reports about battery life some say worse and some better that Air 4.

iPad Air 4, great price currently, $499. Use A14 which is great but not fantastic given A16 is coming out this year but on the other hand M1 is built on A14 from what I understand. Ram is 4gig. Plus this opportunity is going to pass soon so I need to make a quick decision.

the old iPad Air 2 is probably the longest I have held on to an apple device but it also means that maybe I don’t need the M1 but on the other hand I haven’t used it for GarageBand in conjunction with a digital piano so I don’t know what that will require processor or RAM wise. I have only used my old Air for reading and some streaming due to the slow speed (not to mention horrible battery life, it drops without any use) the last few years.
I have an iphone 13 pro max (hence an iPad mini doesn’t make sense) and MBP 2020 which I use for heavy lifting and I absolutely love the battery life it is giving me. Hands dow the best Apple laptop I have ever had and I have used Apple laptops since 1998! 😂 ok I just gave away my age there…

I really appreciate any advice or insight you can provide me.

Hey!!!! I am not the most experienced but I’m throwing my hat in the ring because I also had an Air 2 and it was my first IPad. And guess what? I also had an excruciating time just like yourself worrying about what to replace it with. The fact you’re still using your Air 2 shows it is one hell of a device and I’m no Apple fanboy. But they made a masterpiece of a tablet.

Personally man I think you gotta go with either Gen 4 or 5 air. Yes it is more expensive but the new look of these iPads is so cool and I’m of the opinion that if something wise you a little happier even just to look at, it’s worth an extra 200-300 hundred. I went with the Gen 3 air because I was worried about headphone jack at the time and although I love my device and dont regret it I look forward to upgrading.

In terms of Ram I simply don’t have the Apple IQ to give you the answer but I’d say cross off the regular 9th gen iPad. I don’t mean to be offensive but it really also depends on your income which is none of my business. But if a extra hundred is really “not that much” to you then I’d spring for the 5th gen.

But please definitely wait for other comments. Because your Ram question is important it seems for you.

Good luck bud

 

[rui no onna]

the old iPad Air 2 is probably the longest I have held on to an apple device but it also means that maybe I don’t need the M1 but on the other hand I haven’t used it for GarageBand in conjunction with a digital piano so I don’t know what that will require processor or RAM wise. I have only used my old Air for reading and some streaming due to the slow speed (not to mention horrible battery life, it drops without any use) the last few years.

Do consider that the Air 2 was top of the line when it was released. It was also the first iPad to get 2GB RAM which is why it lasted this long. The first 4GB RAM iPad was released in 2015 and became standard in the 2017 Pros.

With the Air 5 getting M1+8GB, I kinda get the feeling iPadOS will start to get more bloated. I wouldn’t expect the 9th gen to last as long as your Air 2 did although it’ll probably be good for 3-4 years. The 9th gen is nice and speedy but even on 15, it already reloads a lot.

 

[Username-already-in-use]

An Air 4 or base iPad should feel fine for 2-4 years. If you want an iPad for longer term usage (5-7 years) then an Air 5 or Pro 2021 would be better options. The amount of RAM you have will determine a lot, so having 8GB RAM will mean more in 4 years than having 3/4GB RAM.

 

[bodonnell202]

I'd suggest going for the Air 4 at least, or if you want it to be future proof and last close to as long as your Air 2 go for the Air 5, as I'm sure the M1 + 8GB will be speedy for years to come.

 

[Devvy]

I replaced my Air2 with the iPad 9 in September last year (directly after the iPad 9 came out).
I used Garageband a lot with the Air2, also in combination with my digital piano. The iPad 9 is a lot faster, and the good thing is I can still use the lightning -> usb adapter. I can tell you it will run absolutely fine; even the old iPad 2 functioned fine with Garageband and the likes at the time.
(Other music apps I use are Nanostudio 2, SunVox, Perforator and Mozaic)

Personally, I think the difference between the (older) Air 4 and the iPad 9 is minimal. The difference between the Air 5 and the iPad 9 on the other hand is huge, but then - consider that the price is almost 300 dollars/euros more. Not far off from double the price. That means that even if the iPad 9 only survives half the number of years compared to the Air5, it is still a pretty good deal. Especially since the base storage on both is 64 GB.

I agree that the 3GB RAM is the worst property of the iPad 9. However, since the Air4 and the Mini 6 just have 4GB too I do not expect this to be an immediate problem. It might limit the multitasking a little.

You know - you do not necessarily have to keep the same iPad for years on end. They have decent resale value (my Air2 sold quickly, after 5.5 years of HEAVY usage). I didn't buy the iPad 9 because it looked so great, but because it exactly does what I want at this moment. In fact, I bought a BT keyboard and mouse and use it often as a small laptop. Works great (for me).

 

[Digitalguy]

The RAM difference of the Air 5 will make all the difference over the long term. For a $100 difference I would definitely pick the Air 5 over the 4. 3/4GB devices already reload quite a bit and 3GB are next to become sluggish in a couple of years (just like 2GB become with iPadOS 14 and 15). 4GB devices will not become sluggish before a couple of years more, but will reload more and more with updates. M1 will age much better

PS If you want to add piano voices to your digital piano, there are piano apps that sound much better than Garageband instruments. They are not free, but not very expensive either. Some of these apps are the main reason I bought an iPad air 1 9 years ago...

 

[nph]

Great points, I was actually thinking last night, do I really need the extra horse power of the Air? The answer is no, so maybe better to make a minimal investment and then upgrade when next gen comes out. Started to trade in my iPhone more often and it actually holds its value quite well, especially standard storage modell. I think I might save the $300+ and go with the base (9 gen) model. The extra battery life is really attractive as well and any heavy lifting (beyond garageband) I will use my MBP. My piano has great piano voices built in but I was thinking more if I want to add other instruments. I have a Kawai CA49 which has a great keyboard but few instruments built in. To Digitalguy's point you can always add better instrument voices.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I'm in the same boat as you and I'm going to replace my current Air2 with an M1 iPad Pro 128gb. I refuse to buy a 64gb Air5 and the 256gb version is $50 less (or right now the exact same price from Costco) so I'd rather have the added features and value the Pro offers. If the Air 5 base storage would of been 128gb for the base price I'd say it would be a much better deal

 

[960design]

iPad 9th gen for just about everyone.
iPad Pro 11 for people that make money with their iPad and want portability
iPad Pro 12.9 for people that make money with their iPad and need more screen realestate

Or if you have money to burn, get the iPad Pro 11.

 

[Digitalguy]

Great points, I was actually thinking last night, do I really need the extra horse power of the Air? The answer is no, so maybe better to make a minimal investment and then upgrade when next gen comes out. Started to trade in my iPhone more often and it actually holds its value quite well, especially standard storage modell. I think I might save the $300+ and go with the base (9 gen) model. The extra battery life is really attractive as well and any heavy lifting (beyond garageband) I will use my MBP. My piano has great piano voices built in but I was thinking more if I want to add other instruments. I have a Kawai CA49 which has a great keyboard but few instruments built in. To Digitalguy's point you can always add better instrument voices.

Good choice, $500 for the air 4 is not worth it, you better get the 9 at 300 and the upgrade later, when maybe the air gets 128GB storage.
You don't need extra power for IOS virtual pianos, they run on anything including the air 2... In my opinion the best pianos on the app store are Pure Piano (in terms of value for money), and Ivory (this is more expensive as you need to buy the Korg Module and one of the 2 Ivory in-app purchases, but in terms of sound it's the best piano available on IOS and one of the best even on desktop, and it's on sale at half price several times a year, the American Steinway D is my favorite both on IOS and on Mac/PC and has completely replaced the Supernatural piano engine of my Roland DP)

 

[boltjames]

I just moved from my Air 2 to the Air 4 while having the no-cost option of taking the Air 5 instead.

And I decided to go Air 4.

Battery life is paramount to me, and every time Apple gives a significant horsepower boost to the iPad the battery life goes down. I think the reason Apple crippled the M1 on the Air 5 is because battery life would get destroyed, and as far as future-proofing goes that means that Apple likely won't change a thing to make the 5 a better long-term choice on the basis of features. And if they choose to do something to respond to the criticism eventually that would make the 5 a compromised battery experience and that's a no-go for me.

 

[tsupersonic]

I have the same conundrum, but with the OG iPad Air. It's not supported anymore OS update wise, and it's very slow.

 

[Zdigital2015]

I just bought the mini 6 for my wife for her birthday. In her case she loves the mini and her old one is also dreadfully slow using the same processor as my air 2 processor wise.
However in my case I am not sure what to chose…

To me the mini has too small of a screen so that is out of the equation.

Here is what I am looking to use it for:
Some Office app usage but primarily email, reading and streaming.
Use garage band to add more voices and display sheet music for my digital piano.
Using software for the iPad to modify the piano settings.

Streaming movies. run playgrounds for swift
No plans to use it for video editing.

The options I am considering:

ipad 9th gen, great price but processor is A13 that will make it 3 years this year given A16 is bound to come into iPhone 14. Ram is 3gig afaik. Great battery life! From tests I have seen it hits 12 hours while most other models are lucky to surpass 10 hours.

iPad Air 5, nice colors and fast. Future proof given it has M1 and 8gig RAM. Question is how important is RAM for future versions of iPad OS? Expensive, although on sale right now with 5% discount. I have seen conflicting reports about battery life some say worse and some better that Air 4.

iPad Air 4, great price currently, $499. Use A14 which is great but not fantastic given A16 is coming out this year but on the other hand M1 is built on A14 from what I understand. Ram is 4gig. Plus this opportunity is going to pass soon so I need to make a quick decision.

the old iPad Air 2 is probably the longest I have held on to an apple device but it also means that maybe I don’t need the M1 but on the other hand I haven’t used it for GarageBand in conjunction with a digital piano so I don’t know what that will require processor or RAM wise. I have only used my old Air for reading and some streaming due to the slow speed (not to mention horrible battery life, it drops without any use) the last few years.
I have an iphone 13 pro max (hence an iPad mini doesn’t make sense) and MBP 2020 which I use for heavy lifting and I absolutely love the battery life it is giving me. Hands dow the best Apple laptop I have ever had and I have used Apple laptops since 1998! 😂 ok I just gave away my age there…

I really appreciate any advice or insight you can provide me.

The base 64GB iPad at $299 (on sale) is cheap enough that it should last the same amount of time as your iPad Air 2 (7-1/2 years old now)-that equates to about $40 a year cost of ownership, which is excellent.

You won’t have the iPad Air longer than 7-1/2 years either, but the base model is twice the price, so $80 a year. The A13 is more than capable and will be fine at year 7. Just look how long the A8x lasted and it anemic compared to the A13. Your usage doesn’t warrant more than a base iPad unless you really want to treat yourself.

The only caveat would be to wait until June and WWDC 2022 to see if Apple significantly updated iPadOS 16 to a point where the M1 actually makes sense. Then you should get the Air 5 if it really helps your workflow.

Also, wait to see if Apple sorts out these build quality complaints with the Air 5, or if they are really an issue or not. If iPadOS 16 doesn’t see a significant uptick in features and needs an M1 and more DRAM, then snap up a cheap iPad 9 and don’t look back. Just my 2¢.

 

[rui no onna]

The base 64GB iPad at $299 (on sale) is cheap enough that it should last the same amount of time as your iPad Air 2 (7-1/2 years old now)-that equates to about $40 a year cost of ownership, which is excellent.

You won’t have the iPad Air longer than 7-1/2 years either, but the base model is twice the price, so $80 a year. The A13 is more than capable and will be fine at year 7. Just look how long the A8x lasted and it anemic compared to the A13. Your usage doesn’t warrant more than a base iPad unless you really want to treat yourself.

The only caveat would be to wait until June and WWDC 2022 to see if Apple significantly updated iPadOS 16 to a point where the M1 actually makes sense. Then you should get the Air 5 if it really helps your workflow.

Also, wait to see if Apple sorts out these build quality complaints with the Air 5, or if they are really an issue or not. If iPadOS 16 doesn’t see a significant uptick in features and needs an M1 and more DRAM, then snap up a cheap iPad 9 and don’t look back. Just my 2¢.

Honestly, for me it's more the RAM than the chipset that determine useful life at this point in time. I already dislike the experience with 3-4GB on iOS 15 (reloads galore). I doubt I'd be happier with it 2-3 years from now much less in 7+ years.

Getting the iPad 9 now that Air/Pro have M1/8GB would probably feel like buying the OG Air after the Air 2 was released. A decent performer short term (2-3 years) but severely hampered by RAM limitations after a while.

That said, I stopped using the Air 2 by iOS 12. I'm probably far less patient than the OP.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Honestly, for me it's more the RAM than the chipset that determine useful life at this point in time. I already dislike the experience with 3-4GB on iOS 15 (reloads galore). I doubt I'd be happier with it 2-3 years from now much less in 7+ years.

Getting the iPad 9 now that Air/Pro have M1/8GB would probably feel like buying the OG Air after the Air 2 was released. A decent performer short term (2-3 years) but severely hampered by RAM limitations after a while.

That said, I stopped using the Air 2 by iOS 12. I'm probably far less patient than the OP.

That’s one way to look at it. I cannot speak for the OP, only they know if their needs warrant the iPad Air 5. It’s a great tablet, but twice the price of the iPad would make me think long and hard before purchasing. The beauty of the base iPad 9 is that after a year, if you find it doesn’t do the job, you can easily sell it for $250-$260 and recoup the majority of your investment and then move on to an Air 5 and know that your needs won’t be met by the base iPad anymore. The OP is still using an Air2, so my gut tells me the usage needs aren’t really demanding enough to warrant the iPad Air 5. I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am. I’m trying to put myself in OP’s shoes and make a logical decision, but I can’t read minds, so I could be all wet.

 

[1BadManVan]

To answer your one question about the importance of ram for iPadOS updates, ram plays a bigger roll than the processor. If you like the keep your iPads for as long as you can, I feel the air is worth the price.

If you think 64gb is a bit limited and would consider the 256gb, then I would look at the 11” pro with 128gb storage as it’s very close to the airs price. But you get a brighter and 120hz screen, quad speakers, Face ID and better rear cameras.

 

[1BadManVan]

I just moved from my Air 2 to the Air 4 while having the no-cost option of taking the Air 5 instead.

And I decided to go Air 4.

Battery life is paramount to me, and every time Apple gives a significant horsepower boost to the iPad the battery life goes down. I think the reason Apple crippled the M1 on the Air 5 is because battery life would get destroyed, and as far as future-proofing goes that means that Apple likely won't change a thing to make the 5 a better long-term choice on the basis of features. And if they choose to do something to respond to the criticism eventually that would make the 5 a compromised battery experience and that's a no-go for me.

Crippled the M1 how?

 

[Phil77354]

If you are still thinking about this and considering your options, then I'll add a few thoughts to the points made earlier.

Depending on how important price is to you, I suggest getting the best model you can comfortably afford since it sounds like you will use it for a variety of applications, and you've kept the Air 2 for quite a long time and presumably will keep the new iPad for a similar period. There are enough significant differences in a new Air that I think you will appreciate making that investment. And I mean the Air 5, current model.

I went through a similar thought process a year and a half ago and ended up buying an iPad Pro 11". About 8 months later I purchased another 11" Pro for my wife (she has the M1 version and I have the A12Z). At the time, the 11" Pro was enough better in my opinion than the Air that it was worth the additional cost. We both have 256GB.

The newest Air now has a few further improvements, so the argument favoring the Pro may not be as easy to make. But the Pro still has a better display, considerably better cameras, a flash with the camera (none of the other full-sized* iPads have this). I've been completely satisfied with our Pro iPads and not sorry at all that we made that choice.

It is a step beyond what you are currently considering but there are advantages to the Pro, and for someone who does make real use of the features and will be using it for a few years (and can afford the extra cost), it is worth seriously considering.

Note: edited to update statement above regarding iPads with flash (mini does include, per following post from @rui no onna)

 

[rui no onna]

Depending on how important price is to you, I suggest getting the best model you can comfortably afford since it sounds like you will use it for a variety of applications, and you've kept the Air 2 for quite a long time and presumably will keep the new iPad for a similar period. There are enough significant differences in a new Air that I think you will appreciate making that investment. And I mean the Air 5, current model.

I went through a similar thought process a year and a half ago and ended up buying an iPad Pro 11". About 8 months later I purchased another 11" Pro for my wife (she has the M1 version and I have the A12Z). At the time, the 11" Pro was enough better in my opinion than the Air that it was worth the additional cost. We both have 256GB.

The newest Air now has a few further improvements, so the argument favoring the Pro may not be as easy to make. But the Pro still has a better display, considerably better cameras, a flash with the camera (none of the other iPads have this). I've been completely satisfied with our Pro iPads and not sorry at all that we made that choice.

Yeah, the Air 5 has enough compelling features over the base iPad to be worth considering.

Back in 2014, the Air 2 was $499/16GB, $599/64GB and $699/128GB so Air 5 pricing isn't all that high in comparison. It's just that the iPad 9th gen offers quite excellent value at $329.

Note, the mini 6 does have flash.

 

[Phil77354]

Note, the mini 6 does have flash.

I did not know that, thanks.

 

[mebehere]

Refurbished 11-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi 128GB - Space Gray (2nd Generation)

The edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display is not only gorgeous and immersive, but also features incredibly advanced technologies. Like ProMotion, True Tone, and industry‑leading color accuracy, which make everything feel responsive and look stunning. Quite simply, this combination of features make...

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[boltjames]

Crippled the M1 how?

iOS, hardware, and Apple decisions don’t take full advantage of M1’s capabilities. The M1 isn’t crippled per se, but the whole Air 5 is from that perspective.

 

[nph]

I picked up a base iPad silver and broke the plastic right before I saw Amazon discounted the Air 4 by another $30. But in all honesty for what I will use it for base is enough and anything “taxing” I will do on my fantastic M1 MBP. Rather have extra battery life than slightly higher speed.
The color is what I will miss from Air4/5😅

 

[Devvy]

Congrats! I can tell you the battery life is excellent, and it also charges pretty quick.