iPad Upgrade Air 3 to new Air or new ipad 10?

[boogiedout]

Hi folks,
my iPad Air is my only computer at home, been that way since the air 2. The air 3 does everything i need a computer to do at home - Photos, web, music, videos, emails, video editing….
I’m upgrading though now, so im looking some advice. Air 5 or new ipad 10?
I do a lot of FaceTiming, so im tempted with the 10 for the camera placement…but i dont want to be holding myself back. The air 3 i have now is 64gb and i still have 20 odd spare, i use iCloud storage for everything. I would like to have the option of stage manager, for the future, but it seems to be a bit of a gimmick that no one really uses. Can the 64 gb Air do stage manager? I cant find a clear answer to this. The new ipad 10 seems good enough if stage manager is a nonsense, and the new camera placement seems nice. I dont use a real Apple Pencil, cheap one from amazon has been perfect for me.
anyone fancy chipping in on this decision?
Thanks!

 

[floral]

The iPad base model is more for people that use iPads as a secondary device, but because this is your main computer, I'd suggest the Air for that big performance increase. However, if you have a little more money to spare, the last-gen Pro may be a better choice, since it comes with Face ID (faster unlocks and purchases) a ProMotion 120hz display, and the same M1 chip. The 11-inch is about the same size as the Air, but there is also a 12.9 inch if you want that. I would suggest looking through Apple Refurbished or a really trusted tech store like Best Buy if you plan to get a last gen Pro.

Also, Stage Manager isn't a gimmick, it's a useful feature for multitasking that many use, but some big name youtubers beat on it for views and call it "Useless" since they think that is all they are going to get for multitasking, which is wrong - it's likely that Stage Manager will be improved upon and made much more fluid and consistent in the future, but for now it's just "good".

 

[boogiedout]

The iPad base model is more for people that use iPads as a secondary device, but because this is your main computer, I'd suggest the Air for that big performance increase. However, if you have a little more money to spare, the last-gen Pro may be a better choice, since it comes with Face ID (faster unlocks and purchases) a ProMotion 120hz display, and the same M1 chip. The 11-inch is about the same size as the Air, but there is also a 12.9 inch if you want that. I would suggest looking through Apple Refurbished or a really trusted tech store like Best Buy if you plan to get a last gen Pro.

Also, Stage Manager isn't a gimmick, it's a useful feature for multitasking that many use, but some big name youtubers beat on it for views and call it "Useless" since they think that is all they are going to get for multitasking, which is wrong - it's likely that Stage Manager will be improved upon and made much more fluid and consistent in the future, but for now it's just "good".

Thanks for that👊🏻 I’ve always been a fan of the airs. I’ve been iPad only for years now at home, I have a work PC for work! I don’t work from home. Do you know if the 64gb air runs stage manager?

 

[floral]

Thanks for that👊🏻 I’ve always been a fan of the airs. I’ve been iPad only for years now at home, I have a work PC for work! I don’t work from home. Do you know if the 64gb air runs stage manager?

Yup! Any M-something iPad runs stage manager. Even the A12X and A12Z iPad Pros run it... but not any other A series chips for some reason.

 

[JamesMay82]

I'd keep an eye out for deals with your cellular provider as well as apple refurb as they can sometimes offer decent deals.. or they seem to in the UK from time to time.

 

[Ctrlos]

If you can afford it, get it. The iPad 10 is a weird product that's fine for the price but does nothing the iPad 9 doesn't do except come in a range of garish Fisher Price colours.

If I had £600 to spend on a new computer I would buy the M1 Air.

 

[rui no onna]

Another vote here for Air 5 (or a refurb M1 iPad Pro 11).

The iPad 10 (A14/4GB) isn't that big of an upgrade from your Air 3 (A12/3GB) in terms of performance. Not sure how you feel about laminated vs non-laminated displays but that's a possible downgrade coming from Air 3 to iPad 10.

Also, for me, I get a much better user experience with 8-16GB RAM than with 4GB (mini 6). Far fewer reloads and so far, no out of memory app crashes.

Mind, one thing I really like about Stage Manager is being able to use any app in any orientation I want (landscape, upside down, etc). No more forced portrait mode in certain apps.

 

[darngooddesign]

I enjoy using Stage Manager more than the old Split screen window system. I have no problem with the way windows resize and to a lesser degree I like how it looks. The 64GB M1 Air can do Stage manager, but you need at least a 128GB iPad Pro or 256Gb iPad Air to have access to the more advanced multitasking like swap memory and running 4 apps simultaneously. Since you are iPad only at home, only have 20GB free, and keep them for a long time I suggest you splurge and treat yourself to more storage. Get one of the refurbished 128GB 11” M1 iPad Pros currently on Apple refurbished. Better screen, better speakers, and better USB-C than the 11” Air.

 

[FeliApple]

For longevity’s sake, basically agree with @rui no onna, I’d get either the Air 5 or the 5th-gen 11-inch iPad Pro. Both run Stage Manager, and either of those will have far better longevity than the 10th-gen iPad. Laminated displays are far better, especially considering you are used to them in the Air.

If possible, I see little reason to compromise with the regular, 10th-gen iPad.

 

[darngooddesign]

And if the Air/Pro camera location really bothers you, find a case that lets you use it in portrait.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Agree with everything here.
Air5 or 11 M1 Pro.
I wouldn’t really recommend the 10th GEN iPad to… well anyone, unless you can find it for like $50-$100 off and you just absolutely need USB-C.
The screens worse, the processors worse, and the pencil………..
The ninth GEN iPad is a great deal if you just need something, anything. Especially since you can find it for like $250 now.

 

[jkochar]

I had the same question for my son's iPad Air 3, I went with Ipad Air 5. The USB-C port is much faster (10G) vs the std USB 2.0 that the Ipad 10 has. Plus he loves the M1 performance and it pretty much guarantees future upgrades for many years. The price difference is about $150 for the models I considered, Wifi+5G, 256G for either, and for that price getting the M1 over A14 made it an easy choice for us.

 

[ACG12]

As someone who used an Air 3 64gb for several years until a few months ago, I highly recommend an M1 iPad Pro.

128gb storage is the sweet spot, I still have 80gb of storage. And the biggest reason I upgraded was RAM, 3 and 4gb just isn’t enough anymore.

 

[mikedude86]

I tried the 10, ended up exchanging for an Air. non laminated, non anti reflective screen killed it for me, and I do like stage manager, especially when plugged into my usb c monitor. Feels about as close to a laptop as an iPad will get.

 

[boogiedout]

I tried the 10, ended up exchanging for an Air. non laminated, non anti reflective screen killed it for me, and I do like stage manager, especially when plugged into my usb c monitor. Feels about as close to a laptop as an iPad will get.

Cheers🍻 what storage did you get?

 

[mikedude86]

Cheers🍻 what storage did you get?

I still go with base model 64gb, I have yet to fill it up, mostly just stream and read articles.

 

[boogiedout]

I still go with base model 64gb, I have yet to fill it up, mostly just stream and read articles.

Same as…have you tried connecting it to an external monitor?

 

[AJB1971]

If you’re prepared to go down the used route, and a lot of people prefer new or certified refurbished models, I noticed that there wasn’t much difference in used prices between base specification 5th generation Airs and 3rd generation 11-inch Pros. That might be specific to the UK and other countries that have seen recent price increases. It might also be because one is a current model and the other is perceived as being old, but the base model Pro has 128GB of storage and is a better deal.

Age doesn't seem to be that big of a factor. I managed to pick up a three-month-old 256GB Pro for less than the cost of a new 10th generation iPad.

 

[Isamilis]

Hi folks,
my iPad Air is my only computer at home, been that way since the air 2. The air 3 does everything i need a computer to do at home - Photos, web, music, videos, emails, video editing….
I’m upgrading though now, so im looking some advice. Air 5 or new ipad 10?
I do a lot of FaceTiming, so im tempted with the 10 for the camera placement…but i dont want to be holding myself back. The air 3 i have now is 64gb and i still have 20 odd spare, i use iCloud storage for everything. I would like to have the option of stage manager, for the future, but it seems to be a bit of a gimmick that no one really uses. Can the 64 gb Air do stage manager? I cant find a clear answer to this. The new ipad 10 seems good enough if stage manager is a nonsense, and the new camera placement seems nice. I dont use a real Apple Pencil, cheap one from amazon has been perfect for me.
anyone fancy chipping in on this decision?
Thanks!

Do you already have or plan to use keyboard with iPad (given iPad is the only computer)? If so, stage manager maybe worthy to consider. Also, the screen on regular iPad is spec down from air which you may notice and uncomfortable.
You also can figure out, storage size that you need by comparing to how big is your current storage usage and it’s for how long.

 

[boogiedout]

Do you already have or plan to use keyboard with iPad (given iPad is the only computer)? If so, stage manager maybe worthy to consider. Also, the screen on regular iPad is spec down from air which you may notice and uncomfortable.
You also can figure out, storage size that you need by comparing to how big is your current storage usage and it’s for how long.

I use the keyboard folio from apple with my iPad Air 3, I love the convenience and the size of it.

 

[mikedude86]

Same as…have you tried connecting it to an external monitor?

Yeah I have a usb c monitor and love that it goes full screen now, and I don’t hate stage manager even on the base model