iPad Undecided between iPad Air 5th gen and iPad 9th gen

[mps80]

I have a similar use case for iPad (web browsing and media consumption). I have an 8th gen 32GB iPad and was looking at upgrading for more storage. During a recent sales tax holiday I spent some time comparing the 5th gen iPad Air and the 9th gen iPad and my current 8th gen.

My takeaway is that there are nice-to-haves on upgrading, but the differences are much smaller than I was expecting. In testing how fast they loaded various web pages, they all loaded within a split second of each other. I thought the M1 Air would be completely lag-free, but when I tested several map apps I got the same stutter/choppiness on it when dragging/scaling maps (probably a software thing). I feel like the real difference would be a ProMotion display, which I had on my previous 10.5 iPad Pro that cost me $450, but which Apple now wants $750 for.

I seriously doubt the 10th gen iPad will add any killer feature that’s not in the current models. I feel like the front-facing fisheye lens camera on the new iPads are actually a huge step back optically from the older rectilinear lens on my 8th gen iPad in terms of smearing facial details.

So basically I am sticking with my 8th gen for now. If I were buying new, I’d probably just go with the cheapest option. Maybe pick up a 9th gen for $280 on Amazon and use the gift card for a keyboard/pencil/other accessories.

 

[fermer]

I have a similar use case for iPad (web browsing and media consumption). I have an 8th gen 32GB iPad and was looking at upgrading for more storage. During a recent sales tax holiday I spent some time comparing the 5th gen iPad Air and the 9th gen iPad and my current 8th gen.

My takeaway is that there are nice-to-haves on upgrading, but the differences are much smaller than I was expecting. In testing how fast they loaded various web pages, they all loaded within a split second of each other. I thought the M1 Air would be completely lag-free, but when I tested several map apps I got the same stutter/choppiness on it when dragging/scaling maps (probably a software thing). I feel like the real difference would be a ProMotion display, which I had on my previous 10.5 iPad Pro that cost me $450, but which Apple now wants $750 for.

I seriously doubt the 10th gen iPad will add any killer feature that’s not in the current models. I feel like the front-facing fisheye lens camera on the new iPads are actually a huge step back optically from the older rectilinear lens on my 8th gen iPad in terms of smearing facial details.

So basically I am sticking with my 8th gen for now. If I were buying new, I’d probably just go with the cheapest option. Maybe pick up a 9th gen for $280 on Amazon and use the gift card for a keyboard/pencil/other accessories.

Thank you, reply was spot on.
I, along with many other buyers are really disappointed by Apple's latest release of the iPad 10th generation.
Don't get me wrong, I like to have nice slim bezel display like in the iPad Air or Pro.
However, the increase in price of $170 is unjustified. I'm glad many reviewers also reached a similar consensus and are sharing their mixed reviews for the latest 10th generation iPad , which is rare to see, while most releases generally garner much praise.
As for me, I am most likely to purchase the 9th generation iPad and use the balance on my gift card for a future Apple store purchase. I tested it in store and find it pretty capable for my basic needs. Yes, an iPad Air with its Liquid Retina Display screen can be a bit better for Youtube/Netflix streaming. However, I do not find it warrants an extra $200-$300.

 

[madeirabhoy]

I had a similar dilemma and was all for going for the air when it was a difference between €450 for 9th gen and €800 for air but then I saw a shop still selling the 9th gen for €350 and I couldn’t justify spending over twice as much basically for future proofing. Like most people my iPad is for reading newspapers and internet and the odd game and I’m happy that it’s an improvement on my air 2 which was still decent and will be passed down the family.