All iPads Should I buy a new iPad?

[bodonnell202]

I think I've been caught up in the excitement of Apple releasing new products and I really want to go buy something new and shiny to satisfy my craving. Here's where I'm at:

I currently have both an iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4. I use both for different things and both still are running great for what I'm using them for (but who know's how long until time catches up with them, which is maybe why I currently have the itch).

Option 1 - buy a 2018 iPad to replace my Air 2. My Air 2 is mostly used as a couch internet surfer, but also used for watching videos (Netflix, etc.) internet use and email when I travel. Pencil support might open me up to new use cases (maybe to replace a notebook at work?) There are currently some good sales on the 2018 iPad and I could pick one up for about $80 CAD off of Apple's usual price, which makes this pretty cheap.

Option 2 - buy a Mini 5 to replace my Mini 4. At this point I mostly use the Mini to read in bed and I really wonder if I need something more powerful to do that? I think the temptation is just to get the latest and greatest for future proofing...

Option 3 - buy an Air 3 to replace my Air 2. Definitely more up to date and future proof than the 2018 iPad, but considering what I use it for is it worth spending almost twice as much?

Option 4 - stop being so determined to give my money to Apple - the products I have are just fine considering my use case and will definitely get me through another year at least...

 

[pshufd]

I upgraded from the Mini 2 to the 5. If I had a 4, I wouldn't upgrade to the 5. The performance delta doesn't warrant it. Of course if you need pencil support ...

One thing I really like about the 5 over the 2. Touch ID.

 

[PFox78]

I think I've been caught up in the excitement of Apple releasing new products and I really want to go buy something new and shiny to satisfy my craving. Here's where I'm at:

I currently have both an iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4. I use both for different things and both still are running great for what I'm using them for (but who know's how long until time catches up with them, which is maybe why I currently have the itch).

Option 1 - buy a 2018 iPad to replace my Air 2. My Air 2 is mostly used as a couch internet surfer, but also used for watching videos (Netflix, etc.) internet use and email when I travel. Pencil support might open me up to new use cases (maybe to replace a notebook at work?) There are currently some good sales on the 2018 iPad and I could pick one up for about $80 CAD off of Apple's usual price, which makes this pretty cheap.

Option 2 - buy a Mini 5 to replace my Mini 4. At this point I mostly use the Mini to read in bed and I really wonder if I need something more powerful to do that? I think the temptation is just to get the latest and greatest for future proofing...

Option 3 - buy an Air 3 to replace my Air 2. Definitely more up to date and future proof than the 2018 iPad, but considering what I use it for is it worth spending almost twice as much?

Option 4 - stop being so determined to give my money to Apple - the products I have are just fine considering my use case and will definitely get me through another year at least...

Unless you REALLY need support for note-taking, stick with what you have. Wait a couple of weeks and the urge will go away.

I have the Air 2 and it works beautifully with iOS 12. Slower than my iPhone X to be sure, but still great.

If you REALLY want one, wait for the summer or fall for some really good sales on these. Best Buy, Staples, The Source or Walmart will sometime discount iPads by a fair bit.

 

[tps3443]

Buying fancy new stuff is fun, even though you don’t always need it.

The new iPad Pro is awesome, thin, super powerful, and future proof for a long while. You probably do not necessarily need it, but it would be the most exciting replacement iPad on your list! 120Hz display, FaceID, 5.9mm thin, and a A12X Bionic which is the fastest 7nm mobile cpu in the world in laptops, or tablets.

Other then that, the iPad mini 5 is awesome. And so is the iPad Air 3. Any of these devices would work great for you.

If you want to wow your self, then there’s an iPad for that. I think the tablets you have now are pretty sufficient though. Unless you just want something new and fancy.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Your OP doesn't sound convincing. I think you are happy where you are at the moment.

 

[joeblow7777]

Buying shiny new devices is a fun itch to scratch, but if you're being honest, option 4 is the best.

 

[EugW]

It is kinda pointless to "upgrade" from an iPad Air 2 to an iPad (2018). Screen is a slight downgrade in some ways actually, and RAM is exactly the same at 2 GB. SoC performance increase from A8X to A10 is significant, but nowhere near the performance upgrade provide by the A12 of the iPad Air 10.5", or the A10X of the iPad Pro 10.5". The Air also gets 3 GB RAM, and the Pro gets 4 GB RAM.

The real successor to the iPad Air 2 is the iPad Air (2019). That's a real upgrade. I went from the iPad Air 2 to the iPad Pro 10.5" myself though, since it's even more of an upgrade for less money (since it's been discontinued). If they hadn't released the Air or dropped the price on the Pro, I would have bought nothing and stuck with the Air 2.

BTW, with the Smart Keyboard, the 10.5" Air or Pro become viable as sort of laptop replacements. Good for travel unless you have specific work needs that require macOS. The key spacing on those keyboards is 18 mm "full-size" (although not as full-sized as the Macs) and are much nicer to type on than the reduced size keyboards for the 9.7" models. This, along with the bigger screen, makes messaging, surfing, and email, much more pleasant.

 

[bodonnell202]

I upgraded from the Mini 2 to the 5. If I had a 4, I wouldn't upgrade to the 5. The performance delta doesn't warrant it. Of course if you need pencil support ...

One thing I really like about the 5 over the 2. Touch ID.

I do kind of want the Mini 5 for the A12, True Tone and Touch ID 2. It should make it a good performer for years to come.
[doublepost=1553738013][/doublepost]

Unless you REALLY need support for note-taking, stick with what you have. Wait a couple of weeks and the urge will go away.

I have the Air 2 and it works beautifully with iOS 12. Slower than my iPhone X to be sure, but still great.

If you REALLY want one, wait for the summer or fall for some really good sales on these. Best Buy, Staples, The Source or Walmart will sometime discount iPads by a fair bit.

Currently a pretty good sale on the 6th gen iPad. It’s about as good as the sales get up here in Canada.
[doublepost=1553738174][/doublepost]

Buying fancy new stuff is fun, even though you don’t always need it.

The new iPad Pro is awesome, thin, super powerful, and future proof for a long while. You probably do not necessarily need it, but it would be the most exciting replacement iPad on your list! 120Hz display, FaceID, 5.9mm thin, and a A12X Bionic which is the fastest 7nm mobile cpu in the world in laptops, or tablets.

Other then that, the iPad mini 5 is awesome. And so is the iPad Air 3. Any of these devices would work great for you.

If you want to wow your self, then there’s an iPad for that. I think the tablets you have now are pretty sufficient though. Unless you just want something new and fancy.

Not really interested in the Pros. Yes they look great, but not really worth the cost for me to surf the net on my couch and watch the occasional episode on Netflix on an airplane.
[doublepost=1553738251][/doublepost]

Your OP doesn't sound convincing. I think you are happy where you are at the moment.

Haha. Maybe I was just looking for someone to talk me out of it.
[doublepost=1553738293][/doublepost]

Buying shiny new devices is a fun itch to scratch, but if you're being honest, option 4 is the best.

You may be right.
[doublepost=1553738897][/doublepost]

It is kinda pointless to "upgrade" from an iPad Air 2 to an iPad (2018). Screen is a slight downgrade in some ways actually, and RAM is exactly the same at 2 GB. SoC performance increase from A8X to A10 is significant, but nowhere near the performance upgrade provide by the A12 of the iPad Air 10.5", or the A10X of the iPad Pro 10.5". The Air also gets 3 GB RAM, and the Pro gets 4 GB RAM.

The real successor to the iPad Air 2 is the iPad Air (2019). That's a real upgrade. I went from the iPad Air 2 to the iPad Pro 10.5" myself though, since it's even more of an upgrade for less money (since it's been discontinued). If they hadn't released the Air or dropped the price on the Pro, I would have bought nothing and stuck with the Air 2.

View attachment 828924

BTW, with the Smart Keyboard, the 10.5" Air or Pro become viable as sort of laptop replacements. Good for travel unless you have specific work needs that require macOS. The key spacing on those keyboards is 18 mm "full-size" (although not as full-sized as the Macs) and are much nicer to type on than the reduced size keyboards for the 9.7" models. This, along with the bigger screen, makes messaging, surfing, and email, much more pleasant.

I actually have specific work needs (software needs) that requires Windows, so at least at the moment an iPad isn’t a viable laptop replacement for me. Beyond email there isn’t very much of my job I can do on an iPad.

 

[revyaanshu]

If I were to choose, I would keep my existing mini 4 and upgrade the air 2 to the air 3. With keyboard support it would perform a wider range of functions should you require it in the future.
The form factor is very portable so it could be your only machine for work during a holiday. And ofcourse, with A12 it's future proofed for many years.

 

[MasterControlOp]

Save your money for now. Get the most mileage out of your current devices as you can. Apple will survive.

 

[user_xyz]

I say Save your Money!!
"A Fool and his Money are soon Parted" !!

 

[ssledoux]

I would probably upgrade my Air 2 to either a 2018, or an Air 3. I think you’d likely enjoy the Air 3 because you’d have a slightly bigger iPad, have the pencil support, and have the keyboard option (I absolutely LOVE the ASK). That being said, the 2018 is a great device, and would also give you pencil support. I think pencil support could really expand the ways in which you use your iPad. At least it has for me.

Because of how you use your mini, I think upgrading there makes a little less sense.

 

[plucky duck]

People tend to hold onto their iPad purchases for 2-4 years I would say, as the technology advancement has stabilized and incremental updates between versions are pretty minor, I'd be more inclined to stick to a tic-tac-toe approach and skip every second and third revision to get the most bang for your buck.

I am coming from an iPad 3, and am considering either going big (iPad Pro) or going small (iPad mini 5). The mini 5 cellular model is much cheaper, more practical for me as an everywhere consumption device, and with the money saved from not buying a Pro model, it's much easier to swallow when it comes times to shelling out more money 3-4yrs down the road again. The Pro form factor and display is very appealing, but the price is a big turn off, as I'll be spending close to entry level Apple laptop money for a tablet.

 

[kristalsoldier]

It is kinda pointless to "upgrade" from an iPad Air 2 to an iPad (2018). Screen is a slight downgrade in some ways actually, and RAM is exactly the same at 2 GB. SoC performance increase from A8X to A10 is significant, but nowhere near the performance upgrade provide by the A12 of the iPad Air 10.5", or the A10X of the iPad Pro 10.5". The Air also gets 3 GB RAM, and the Pro gets 4 GB RAM.

The real successor to the iPad Air 2 is the iPad Air (2019). That's a real upgrade. I went from the iPad Air 2 to the iPad Pro 10.5" myself though, since it's even more of an upgrade for less money (since it's been discontinued). If they hadn't released the Air or dropped the price on the Pro, I would have bought nothing and stuck with the Air 2.

View attachment 828924

BTW, with the Smart Keyboard, the 10.5" Air or Pro become viable as sort of laptop replacements. Good for travel unless you have specific work needs that require macOS. The key spacing on those keyboards is 18 mm "full-size" (although not as full-sized as the Macs) and are much nicer to type on than the reduced size keyboards for the 9.7" models. This, along with the bigger screen, makes messaging, surfing, and email, much more pleasant.

Is it worth then to move from the 10.5 to the 11”? I should add that I have the 10.5 since Aug or Sept 2017. I use it for my work, but alongside with my laptop (Thinkpad X1C6).

 

[AutomaticApple]

I do kind of want the Mini 5 for the A12, True Tone and Touch ID 2. It should make it a good performer for years to come.

That’s guaranteed.

 

[retta283]

I would not purchase the 2018 iPad right now. Getting the Air 3 or Mini 5 will be more future-proof. One thing to consider is whether you want the bigger screen of the Air 3, or if you prefer the 9.7 size. An iPad Air 3 with education pricing (if you can get it) is a good deal. The iPad line is the best thing about Apple now, IMO.

But again, the Air 2 is still an excellent tablet, but I expect iOS 13 will ruin it if supported. Perhaps hold out until the summer when people get a rough idea of the speeds. My friend who has been rocking an Air 2 since launch day ordered the Air 3 when it came out. He was going to get the 11" Pro, but he purchased the Air 3 simply because he thought there would never be one...

 

[AutomaticApple]

But again, the Air 2 is still an excellent tablet, but I expect iOS 13 will ruin it if supported.

I imagine that it’ll be like the iPad 2/3 on iOS 9.3.5. Hopefully not!

 

[retta283]

I imagine that it’ll be like the iPad 2/3 on iOS 9.3.5. Hopefully not!

The iPad 3 on iOS 9 was brutal. That thing was slow from the day it came out. The 2nd gen wasn't great, but not nearly as bad. I really hope Apple has learned not to slow down old devices like they did in 2014/15.

 

[EugW]

Is it worth then to move from the 10.5 to the 11”? I should add that I have the 10.5 since Aug or Sept 2017. I use it for my work, but alongside with my laptop (Thinkpad X1C6).

That’s up to you. Do you need the extra power? Plus I’m not the right person to ask as I bought the 10.5” Pro just last week and I use my MacBook more for work.

I got the 10.5” Pro after Apple dramatically dropped the refurb pricing after the iPad Air announcement. I didn’t feel like spending 52% more to get the 11” and its accessories. My iPad Pro already benches faster than my 2017 MacBook too so I’m good with its performance for the time being. However, YMMV.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I really hope Apple has learned not to slow down old devices like they did in 2014/15.

I hope so too.

 

[kristalsoldier]

That’s up to you. Do you need the extra power? Plus I’m not the right person to ask as I bought the 10.5” Pro just last week and I use my MacBook more for work.

I got the 10.5” Pro after Apple dramatically dropped the refurb pricing after the iPad Air announcement. I didn’t feel like spending 52% more to get the 11” and its accessories. My iPad Pro already benches faster than my 2017 MacBook too so I’m good with its performance for the time being. However, YMMV.

Well, I am not sure about this “power” business. My primary use is to write (using the Pencil only and rarely the soft KB) read, use the browser (Edge, Safari and sometimes Chrome), extensive use of OneNote and GoodNotes and read mails. I do most of my core writing on my ThinkPad though. In effect, the 10.5” serves as my digital notebook and I access my extensive library of books/ references with it (through OneDrive). The reason I was thinking about the 11” is because of the form factor. I did spend some time in the Apple store handling the 11” version but it was really too busy and I could not get a feel for it. I also tried to handle the new Mini, but I don’t think it will serve my purposes. It’s too small. One other point is that I don’t use any kind of case with the 10.5” only the ASC and the leather sleeve.
[doublepost=1553994331][/doublepost]

Well, I am not sure about this “power” business. My primary use is to write (using the Pencil only and rarely the soft KB) read, use the browser (Edge, Safari and sometimes Chrome), extensive use of OneNote and GoodNotes and read mails. I do most of my core writing on my ThinkPad though. In effect, the 10.5” serves as my digital notebook and I access my extensive library of books/ references with it (through OneDrive). The reason I was thinking about the 11” is because of the form factor. I did spend some time in the Apple store handling the 11” version but it was really too busy and I could not get a feel for it. I also tried to handle the new Mini, but I don’t think it will serve my purposes. It’s too small. One other point is that I don’t use any kind of case with the 10.5” only the ASC and the leather sleeve.

Edit: I should a.so mention that i move around a lot including international travel so portability and battery life is important for me.

 

[EugW]

Well, I am not sure about this “power” business. My primary use is to write (using the Pencil only and rarely the soft KB) read, use the browser (Edge, Safari and sometimes Chrome), extensive use of OneNote and GoodNotes and read mails. I do most of my core writing on my ThinkPad though. In effect, the 10.5” serves as my digital notebook and I access my extensive library of books/ references with it (through OneDrive). The reason I was thinking about the 11” is because of the form factor. I did spend some time in the Apple store handling the 11” version but it was really too busy and I could not get a feel for it. I also tried to handle the new Mini, but I don’t think it will serve my purposes. It’s too small. One other point is that I don’t use any kind of case with the 10.5” only the ASC and the leather sleeve.

It doesn’t seem like it would be a good way to spend your money then, since you wouldn’t gain much of anything by going with the 11”. About the biggest advantage I can think of by going with the 11” in your situation is just to gain Face ID and a bit of a form factor change. Not worth it.

 

[kristalsoldier]

It doesn’t seem like it would be a good way to spend your money then, since you wouldn’t gain much of anything by going with the 11”. About the biggest advantage I can think of by going with the 11” in your situation is just to gain Face ID and a bit of a form factor change. Not worth it.

Thanks. Yes you are right. I just needed someone else to reaffirm that to me. Maybe later I can look for a refurb unit, but that’s sometime in the indeterminate future! Also, I am not particularly enamoured by FaceID, but it is the future, I guess. Thanks again.

 

[AutomaticApple]

The iPad 3 on iOS 9 was brutal. That thing was slow from the day it came out. The 2nd gen wasn't great, but not nearly as bad. I really hope Apple has learned not to slow down old devices like they did in 2014/15.

Oh, and don’t forget about the iPad Mini 1!