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iPad Thoughts on the iPad 7

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defjam

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 15, 2019
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Micro Center has the entry level model for $240 which seems like a pretty good price. My current, latest iPad is a 1st generation iPad Air. I'm pleased with it but with Apple dropping OS support for it I think maybe a $240 price on the current iPad 7 might be something worth considering. I've compared the specs of each and, despite using "older" technology, the iPad 7 is a nice upgrade to the iPad Air. I don't do much with the iPad Air, primarily content consumption so the pencil and Smart Connector are not big selling points for me.

Any thoughts or things to consider about a move to the iPad 7? I've also considered a used 9.7" iPad Pro but it doesn't appear to be that much better than the iPad 7. I've read that the iPad 7 lacks a antireflective coating nor is it laminated. What is the impact of not having either of those? I assume my current iPad Air lacks them, is this assumption correct?
 
For 240$ it's a great device and a well-worth upgrade over the 1st gen Air.

The iPad Air 2 from 2014 had the laminated display, but the 1st gen Air from 2013 didn't. I say go for it.
 
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The screen on the ipad 7 is exactly like the one you have on the air 1... (I had the air 1). The air 2 (I had it 2), was less reflective and the pro 9.7 is (much) less reflective than even the air 2. But an antiglare screen protector could solve the issue.... The main advantage of the ipad pro 9.7 over the 7 are the quad speakers. For me this alone makes it worth it (I sold my air 2 because of that). Currently the only non quad speakers ipads that I have are the minis... Also the pro 9.7 is slightly lighter and thinner than your air and and the 10.2 is the same thinkness and slightly heavier but with more screen. I'd say this is not a big deal. If speakers are not very important for you go with the ipad 10.2. I will receive at least one more IpadOS update because of the additional 1GB of RAM.
 
Digitalguy said:
The screen on the ipad 7 is exactly like the one you have on the air 1... (I had the air 1). The air 2 (I had it 2), was less reflective and the pro 9.7 is (much) less reflective than even the air 2. But an antiglare screen protector could solve the issue.... The main advantage of the ipad pro 9.7 over the 7 are the quad speakers. For me this alone makes it worth it (I sold my air 2 because of that). Currently the only non quad speakers ipads that I have are the minis... Also the pro 9.7 is slightly lighter and thinner than your air and and the 10.2 is the same thinkness and slightly heavier but with more screen. I'd say this is not a big deal. If speakers are not very important for you go with the ipad 10.2. I will receive at least one more IpadOS update because of the additional 1GB of RAM.
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Are you referring to the 1st generation iPad Pro 9.7"?
 
It’s a very good upgrade if you have Air 1. However the fact that they put same A10 in it as in the previous generation was a major bummer. It’ll run fine for now, but there are doubts if the performance will be as good in 2-3 years. Also, that extra 0.5” screen vs last generation doesn’t bring much to the table, all the while removing the free MS Office (screen has to be 10.1 or smaller). So overall a pretty disappointing release in my opinion.
 
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defjam said:
Are you referring to the 1st generation iPad Pro 9.7"?
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There is only one ipad pro 9.7, the second gen moved to 10.5 (I have both generations by the way)
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Burebista said:
It’s a very good upgrade if you have Air 1. However the fact that they put same A10 in it as in the previous generation was a major bummer. It’ll run fine for now, but there are doubts if the performance will be as good in 2-3 years. Also, that extra 0.5” screen vs last generation doesn’t bring much to the table, all the while removing the free MS Office (screen has to be 10.1 or smaller). So overall a pretty disappointing release in my opinion.
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The office thing is disappointing indeed, and one of the reasons my sister went with the cheaper ipad 6, instead of 7... as she didn‘t want to subscribe to office 365 but one of the main reason for purchasing the ipad was office....
 
At $240, it is a ridiculously good deal. I would not worry too much about the A10 chip. The iPad 7 was new fall of last year, so Apple will support it with software updates for at least 3 years. Also, in my opinion, the processor is not the limiting factor, since the iPad processors have outdistanced the software for years. The main issue is RAM, and the iPad 7 got a bump to 3GB, which is the same as the current iPad Air. I believe your old Air 1 had only 1GB of memory, so you will definitely notice the difference.

BTW - I have an iPad 7, and it has been great. I paid $250 during the holidays, and it is my most used device. Great value.
 
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Mainsail said:
At $240, it is a ridiculously good deal. I would not worry too much about the A10 chip. The iPad 7 was new fall of last year, so Apple will support it with software updates for at least 3 years. Also, in my opinion, the processor is not the limiting factor, since the iPad processors have outdistanced the software for years. The main issue is RAM, and the iPad 7 got a bump to 3GB, which is the same as the current iPad Air. I believe your old Air 1 had only 1GB of memory, so you will definitely notice the difference.

BTW - I have an iPad 7, and it has been great. I paid $250 during the holidays, and it is my most used device. Great value.
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I'm not too concerned about the processor performance. It's several generations newer than my iPad Air. I also, regularly, use an iPad 2 (to watch Youtube videos) and an iPad 4 (to watch movies while traveling).

What I'm now trying to decide is if I should buy a used 1st iPad Pro 9.7" (which I can buy for a similar price off of Ebay) or this new iPad 7. I was intrigued by the four speaker configuration of the iPad Pro but it is slightly older technology and used. Four speakers isn't overly important but it might be a nice to have.
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AutomaticApple said:
That's the best price I've seen so far. $9 cheaper than what it usually sells for.
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I'm fortunate to live next to a Micro Center. They can have some pretty good deals. I've picked up "refurbished" items from them for ridiculous prices. Unfortunately they don't seem to have those awesome deals any longer.
 
defjam said:
I'm not too concerned about the processor performance. It's several generations newer than my iPad Air. I also, regularly, use an iPad 2 (to watch Youtube videos) and an iPad 4 (to watch movies while traveling).

What I'm now trying to decide is if I should buy a used 1st iPad Pro 9.7" (which I can buy for a similar price off of Ebay) or this new iPad 7. I was intrigued by the four speaker configuration of the iPad Pro but it is slightly older technology and used. Four speakers isn't overly important but it might be a nice to have.
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I'm fortunate to live next to a Micro Center. They can have some pretty good deals. I've picked up "refurbished" items from them for ridiculous prices. Unfortunately they don't seem to have those awesome deals any longer.
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You should try to know about battery health of the 9.7 pro. I bought 2 used ones and they both had excellent batteries, especially the last one, was like new and the battery lasts forever. For me the speakers and antireflective screen are a big advantage and the RAM is not a big issue as for heavy multitasking I mainly use my 10.5 or even the 12.9... Also, I like the lighter and thinner body of the pro, but this is quite secondary. And office free if that's relevant. Speedwise they will be very similar. In terms of upgrades the ipad 7 will be supported for longer so if you intend to use it for more than 5 years get the ipad 10.2. The 9.7 pro will get ios 14 (the mini 4 and air 2 should not) and probably 15 too like the 2018 ipad (the 2017 ipad should not), but unlikely to get more, but apps will support ios 15 for another 3 years, based on Apple policy. The 10.2 will probably get ios 16 or even 17.
 
I’ve been itching to get a replacement for my iPad 2. When I saw this at $270 at Best Buy I thought it was a deal. For $240 it’s a steal. As noted above there are compromises for the $240, but I can live with them.
 
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I've decided to go with the iPad 7. While the 9.7" iPad Pro has some small benefits none of them will really benefit me the way I use my iPads. The fact the iPad 7 is brand new and a current model has more benefit to me than a used 9.7" iPad Pro.

Thanks everyone for your feedback.
 
Digitalguy said:
You should try to know about battery health of the 9.7 pro. I bought 2 used ones and they both had excellent batteries, especially the last one, was like new and the battery lasts forever.
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I've owned a Pro 9.7 since release and battery life on that wasn't great to begin with (compared to iPad 4) and has deteriorated noticeably after a year of heavy use.

0-20% brightness, mostly reading and web browsing
iPad 4: ~16+ hours onscreen
iPad Air: ~12 hours onscreen
iPad Pro 9.7: ~10 hours onscreen brand new, ~7-8 hours after a year

I find the non-X iPads tend to have similar battery life to the iPad 4.
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defjam said:
I've decided to go with the iPad 7. While the 9.7" iPad Pro has some small benefits none of them will really benefit me the way I use my iPads. The fact the iPad 7 is brand new and a current model has more benefit to me than a used 9.7" iPad Pro.

Thanks everyone for your feedback.
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Enjoy your new iPad! 👍
 
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When you can get one for under 250 it’s an awesome deal! I got one for 229 on cyber Monday! It’s a great device!
 
Gotcha! I'm hoping to pick up a new iPad this weekend myself. Just not sure if I'm going to get this or even the mini 5. I have the mini 2 and really like that size, my son has this new iPad and I like this size too. First world problems, I guess...
 
I just bought this iPad for my mom. She has a Samsung Tab S4 (I believe? I bought it for her a while ago, but I don’t remember if it’s the 3 or the 4) - and has a crack on the screen and plus it lags (the crack, to this day, we don’t know how it happened as my mom went to use it and saw it was cracked, so that’s just a mystery). I figured she’d like a change as she’s always wanted an iPad but the funds were never there to get her one. She mostly uses her tablet for Facebook use and gaming (like candy crush, etc) so she doesn’t really need an overly powerful iPad. Besides, I’m pretty sure she’s going to make good use of it. It should be coming in the mail tomorrow and I can’t wait to give it to her.
 
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