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iPad Why the iPad Air 3 is the iPad you should buy
- Thread starter AutomaticApple
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Every model in the lineup has a pretty clear place, but the Air 3 is the one that is the best *value* for the majority of people.
Depends. Some prefer the smaller form factor of the Mini, which has a higher pixel density, and cheaper price to boot. Coming from an iPhone 8/8 Plus where the home button isn't really a button, it's a bit of a backwards move going to the Mini and Air where it still uses a push home button. A minor difference that doesn't affect usability, but somehow it affects me more than it should, and just because of that is making me think about jumping to the iPad Pro where there is no home button to deal with.
The iPad Pro 10.5 is a value buy as well, with ProMotion, 4 speakers, and more powerful GPU, but as a 2017 device it's kind of hard to throw money down for one. $640Cdn gets you one at Costco, $650 for the Air 3, or $1k for the iPad Pro 11". The Mini 5 costs me $500Cdn out the door, so that's the most sensible solution for me. The irresponsible me wants to go all out and get the 11" cellular model, but again, paying laptop price for a cutting edge tablet is an irresponsible thing to do. I can, but should I is the question.
The iPad Pro 10.5 is a value buy as well, with ProMotion, 4 speakers, and more powerful GPU, but as a 2017 device it's kind of hard to throw money down for one. $640Cdn gets you one at Costco, $650 for the Air 3, or $1k for the iPad Pro 11". The Mini 5 costs me $500Cdn out the door, so that's the most sensible solution for me. The irresponsible me wants to go all out and get the 11" cellular model, but again, paying laptop price for a cutting edge tablet is an irresponsible thing to do. I can, but should I is the question.
No.
In the UK, the base Mini is £399 and the base Air is £479. £80 extra for a larger screen coming with the compromise of losing free MS Office, and the ability to use a Smart Keyboard.
For the majority of people, the 9.7” is probably fine, whether they have currently gone smaller or larger because A10/2GB doesn’t seem like a good buy in 2019. I’d say that’s the tablet for most, if only it had received a processor/RAM bump.
In the UK, the base Mini is £399 and the base Air is £479. £80 extra for a larger screen coming with the compromise of losing free MS Office, and the ability to use a Smart Keyboard.
For the majority of people, the 9.7” is probably fine, whether they have currently gone smaller or larger because A10/2GB doesn’t seem like a good buy in 2019. I’d say that’s the tablet for most, if only it had received a processor/RAM bump.
It is for me.
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Nothing wrong with the pricing.
[doublepost=1556351213][/doublepost]I am lucky enough to have both the Mini 5 and the Air 3. They are both lovely iPads. I use the Air during the day and the mini at night in bed. I didn’t want the 2017 Pro 10.5 due to the display issues and the older processer and I certainly didn’t want the Pro 11. I’ve just started using Touch ID, the last thing I want is Face ID. I’m very happy with the Air, and the Mini. Both will last me for the next 4/5 years.
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I tried the 9.7 before getting the Air. It wasn’t just the processor/ram that put me off but the non laminated screen. The Air is a much better device.
I also haven’t lost free MS Office. There is a loophole that allows you to open existing word and excel documents from a cloud source, I use Dropbox. They can then be can be edited and resaved back to the Cloud. I have used this function almost daily since I got my Air. I have actually created a folder in Dropbox and populated it with a few blank documents ready for when I need a new one.
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I can see that the non-laminated display would put some people off. It did me, but it wouldn’t have been a deal breaker if the price was right. It will be interesting to see if the 9.7” goes laminated if it gets an update. Even at a slightly higher base price, such a 9.7” would likely be a contender for most, but perhaps Apple would be concerned at it eating into the Air’s sales.
Thanks for the Office info - interesting to know.
No. It’s not. Pro 10.5 beats it in every way possible. A12 makes no difference in real life. But ProMotion does. Everything is faster/smoother on ProMotion enabled devices while non Promotion devices are a laggy mess in comparison. This won’t change no matter what CPU you put.
Laggy mess? What a joke.
Only in YOUR opinion. Those who purchase an Air won't be comparing it to a ProMotion screen all day so who cares? I highly doubt normal people would consider anything powered by an A12 chip to be a 'laggy mess'. That's insane
It doesn’t matter if it has an A13 / A15 whatever.
If you’re used to 120 Hz, the 60 Hz is like it’s stuttering.
That’s not my opinion. That’s reality.
You probably haven’t extensively used a 10.5 Pro yet.
And the Air 3 regardless has no advantage (A12 makes no difference) over Pro 10.5. Pro 10.5 is better in many ways. It makes more sense to just buy that instead. Unless it’s unavailable where you live.
What is wrong with you? You seem to have a very hard time comprehending the reality that normal people (not you), are not even aware of ProMotion and are not going to think the Air is a laggy mess. To say that this is for 'no one' is idiotic but I see this pattern in your posts anyway. Good day.
Do the Airs not have the screen response issues that many are reporting with the Pros? I have the 9.7 Pro from 2016 and was considering upgrading to the new 10.5 or 11 Pro. However, my device is working perfectly fine and I wouldn’t want to buy a new one and end up in the screen responsiveness thread.
You don’t speak for the rest of the world though.
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Do you think the average person would even care? We’re techie know-it-alls.
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I’ve gone from ProMotion to non-ProMotion. I didn’t even care. Laggy mess? Really?
You don’t get it do you? Why not buy the Pro 10.5 if it costs the same. What advantage does the Air 3 have? None. 10.5 has many advantages and costs the same.
No, that’s certainly opinion. I have a different one. I use 144hz screens from time to time and while I appreciate them, I have no real issue going back to 60hz whenever needed.
That said, price being equal I’d go for pro 2017 partly due to pro motion and very much for the quad speakers. CPU as you say doesn’t really matter between the two and the 2017 has more RAM in it so it might become the most future proof model as well.
God, where do I begin?
Again, I’m used to 120Hz. Going from a 120Hz screen to a 60Hz screen was easy. No stutters.
How is it reality in any way possible? That's an opinion!
I’ve extensively used a 2nd gen 12.9 Pro for almost two years. You can’t tell me that isn’t extensive.
The A12 does make a difference. At least in CPU it does. The iPad Air 3 does in fact have its advantages.
Sheesh...
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Are you thinking this through by any chance?
Advantages of the Air: Not known to suffer from bright spot defect, processor 2 generations newer so likely to receive 1/2 more iOS updates than the Pro.
Granted these are the only advantages I can see, bar slight CPU gain but they can be pretty significant depending on use case, appetite to risk and how long one plans to keep the device for.
I have wondered lately whether the 2 speaker setup would be better if one were on the top and one on the bottom, while retaining the 4 speakers for the Pro line. Given the choice of an Air or a Pro I’d probably go Pro (I love the Rose Gold and was slightly disappointed with the camera) but I am risk averse and like smaller screens and keeping my devices a long time so I am happy to have saved some money with a Mini.
Granted these are the only advantages I can see, bar slight CPU gain but they can be pretty significant depending on use case, appetite to risk and how long one plans to keep the device for.
I have wondered lately whether the 2 speaker setup would be better if one were on the top and one on the bottom, while retaining the 4 speakers for the Pro line. Given the choice of an Air or a Pro I’d probably go Pro (I love the Rose Gold and was slightly disappointed with the camera) but I am risk averse and like smaller screens and keeping my devices a long time so I am happy to have saved some money with a Mini.
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Hyperbole at its finest. No, not even in comparison are non-ProMotion iPads a laggy mess. Apple has done a great job of convincing people to make mountains out of the molehills of marketing gimmicks... like ProMotion, bezel size, and rounding the corners of the screen.
I bought the Pro 10.5. I had both that and the Air 3 in my possession for over two days, I used them side by side. I couldn’t even see any difference with ProMotion at all.
Tbh i’m getting a bit fed up with all the fuss about ProMotion, it’s not useful for everyone, or even needed.
I understand your point, and there are definitely people that would prefer the 10.5 Pro to the Air at the same price. Here is the thing. Apple no longer sells the 10.5 Pro. So yes, there are some retailers clearing out inventory of the older Pro models at sale prices, and those offerings might be pretty good deals. However, in the long run, these sales will end.
If the question is what is the choice for most consumers from Apple’s current lineup of offerings? Then, I think there is a strong argument that can be made for the new iPad Air. I bought one BTW. It is a great device. I played around with Pro models, and honestly I don’t even notice the Pro motion for the type of stuff I do on my iPad. Perhaps if I played more games or something. Bottom-line: I am very happy with my new Air.
I used to have a 2017 iPad, but stupidly traded it in when I updated my phone. Then, I really missed having an iPad. So, I picked up the Air when it was released. If I hadn’t traded in the 2017 model, I would have just kept it until the holidays, and then there will be amazing deals on the Air......probably $100-$150 off. That’s the way tech works. As models age, there are always more deals to clear out inventory and make room for newer gadgets.
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Spot on. People really need to look at these features to determine how much difference they will make in daily usage. Pro motion is a great example of something that just might not make that much difference to most users. Laminated vs non laminated display is another example. I prefer the laminated display, but it really doesn’t make that much difference to me going from the 2017 iPad to the 2019 Air. It’s nice....not a huge deal. Quad speakers aren’t that important to me because I almost always listen to my iPad with ear phones.
It really depends on the individual.