iPad Air Upgrade iPad Air 2 which correct iPad is best?

[baxlobs]

We need to upgrade my wife’s iPad, it is limited to iOS 15.3 and since I went to iOS 16 can no longer receive Airdrops from my phone. There are no doubt other issues.
Choices seem to be the latest iPad Air - very expensive - or either the 9th or 10th Gen iPad. She doesn’t want anything noticeably bigger of heavier, alth’o all are slightly bigger.
What do folks suggest? Thanks.

 

[AJB1971]

The refurbished store prices offer good value for money in the UK because the discounts are based on the old retail prices. Here are a few examples -
Air 4th gen A14 64GB Wi-Fi 4GB RAM - £439 release date 23/10/20
Pro 11 2nd gen A12Z 128GB Wi-Fi 6GB RAM - £469 release date 25/3/20
Pro 11 3rd gen M1 128GB Wi-Fi 8GB RAM - £639 release date 21/5/21

Refurbished iPad Deals - Apple (UK)

Save up to 15% on a refurbished iPad at Apple Online Store with free delivery. All models are Apple-certified with a 1-year warranty.

www.apple.com

You can also get some cash back through TopCashback - 1.7% on the net price, but it all helps.

The Air 2 was the top-spec iPad when it was first released. It has a laminated display, which neither the 9th or 10th gen iPads have. The 10th gen iPad does have the repositioned front camera.

Value for money wise, I think the 2nd gen iPad Pro stands out at £469, but some would be concerned about its age (for context, the Air 2 was released in October 14). The 6GB of RAM is better than the 3GB and 4GB in the 9th and 10th gen iPads, and it also has 128GB of storage.

I'd go for a refurbished 3rd gen Pro over a new 5th gen Air because it's cheaper, has double the storage, etc.

 

[Yebubbleman]

We need to upgrade my wife’s iPad, it is limited to iOS 15.3 and since I went to iOS 16 can no longer receive Airdrops from my phone. There are no doubt other issues.
Choices seem to be the latest iPad Air - very expensive - or either the 9th or 10th Gen iPad. She doesn’t want anything noticeably bigger of heavier, alth’o all are slightly bigger.
What do folks suggest? Thanks.

I would only go with the 9th Generation iPad if the home button, headphone jack, and lightning connector are must-have's. Otherwise, it's not going to have the same longevity as your other options.

The latest iPad Air is going to be fantastic for longevity and will give you the full range of iPadOS 16 features (as there are quite a few that only work on iPads with M-series Apple chips). That'd probably be what I'd recommend ideally. But otherwise, the 10th Generation iPad will function fine. The screen isn't laminated like it is on both your wife's Air 2 and the current Air. You might see that as a downgrade. I don't know.

 

[baxlobs]

Thanks both, what is the particular advantage of the laminated screen? Is it just tougher and less likely to break or is there something else?

 

[AJB1971]

This is a good video that explains the difference -

 

[PlayUltimate]

I agree on the "Pro 11 2nd gen A12Z". The chip is still fast enough. And the RAM and price are attractive. And there are advantages for the Pro vs the Air (4 speakers et al)

 

[FeliApple]

I just wanted to say that it should be able to receive AirDrop, they don’t need to be on the same version of iOS.

 

[ian87w]

We need to upgrade my wife’s iPad, it is limited to iOS 15.3 and since I went to iOS 16 can no longer receive Airdrops from my phone. There are no doubt other issues.
Choices seem to be the latest iPad Air - very expensive - or either the 9th or 10th Gen iPad. She doesn’t want anything noticeably bigger of heavier, alth’o all are slightly bigger.
What do folks suggest? Thanks.

iPad Air 2 was $500 for 16GB wifi. The current M1 iPad Air is $600 for 64GB. I think that's worth the upgrade and not "very expensive" considering what you get.

If you're in the US, you can check the refurbished store and get the A14 iPad Air 64GB wifi for $470. That's a very good deal.

 

[Rychiar]

I have an air 2 as well that I’ve had since launch and the battery is shot and it’s slow and glitchy so i just bought an iPad Pro M1 12.9” on eBay for $650. Said it was only used for a week. I’m hoping it’s good. They just also had a sale on brand new M1 iPad 11” for $599 on expercom but they’ve sold out now