9th-Generation iPad Reviews: An Even Better Value With More Storage and a Better Front Camera

[MhaelK]

I have an Air2, I only use it for reading websites, the twitter app, reading comics/books, and occasionally streaming video. aside from not having a great battery the air2 still works really well and it has a nice screen. is it worth me looking at the new iPad?

The iPad Air 2 seems to have got an extra lifeline with how well it performs on iPadOS15. However the batterylife is what it is due to its age.

The larger display and the increase in performance makes it a solid upgrade IMO. While the laminated display of the Air 2 is nice to have and the tap-feel is a bit more plastic - neither of those detracts from the pure value-for-money of the iPad 9th gen. Just don’t expect to get 7 years out of it (like with the air 2) due to its limiting 3gb of Ram - although enough for now, it might not be for future iOS updates based on the increasing Ram on all higher end models.

 

[Bluetoot-]

Dealbreaker for me, when I was deciding between the previous iPad and Mini, was the lack of a laminated display. I can’t stand that anymore. I’m happy with my Mini but I wouldn’t mind the larger display.

 

[psxp]

I’ll be upgrading one of the household’s iPad Air 1 to this new iPad. It’s going to be a great update!

 

[svish]

Great value at this price point especially with double the storage capacity now.

 

[deevey]

I currently have an iPad 6th gen and been using it with an Numark iDJ Pro.

The fact that it remains almost the same form factor and retains lightning means yet another 5 years of life for this excellent controller!

Improving the front camera - very nice. Although I had no real complaints about the old one for meets, zoom etc, it was still far better than the Intel air's and mostly better than every other persons webcam for meetings.

At the end of the day it's an entry level tablet and $300 is a bargain for the amount of use mine gets in its lifetime, between meetings, gaming, music, browsing and just keeping meaningless stuff off my desktop.

For me it's a decent update and overall win 😁

Oh and headphone jack retained! ... I know you can use a dongle or lightning, but is not in the ideal spot for gaming purposes.

 

[deevey]

dupe

 

[Ubele]

Pre-ordered this one. I don't have to pay in advance only at pickup, so I will check it out live (I assume it goes to sale on Friday so at least there will be demo units) and if don't like it can still cancel the order.
Will replace the 2017 base iPad, for very basic tasks (browsing the web, reading PDF/epub and occasional streaming video)
I noticed that MR is a particularly Hard-line enthusiast forum, probably there are people here who would insist I should get the biggest iPad Pro with the biggest storage possible for the above mentioned tasks. I simply not care, thankfully I don't sleep worse if I don't get the most expensive gear I can afford unlike some of those "enthusiasts"

I also have a 2017 base iPad. I use it every day for media consumption, checking email, web browsing, etc. It's been great, and I consider it a tremendous value for the money. I have a 2019 27" iMac and a 2015 13" MBP for my serious computer tasks. While I'd love to have an iPad Pro, I can't justify the significant extra cost for my use case. I figure I can get one more year out of my 2017 iPad, as it's getting a bit slow and probably won't be able to be upgraded to iOS 16. At that point, I'll either replace my current iPad and MBP with a 12.9" iPad Pro, Keyboard, and Pencil, or just get a 2022 base model iPad.

 

[joeblow7777]

Exactly, While lots of people buy these because they are the cheapest iPad, I think the real target audience for this is the education Market. That's why it's advertised as $329 and $299 for education - Apple doesn't do that for any other product. And Apple sells these by the thousands to schools. For schools, changing the form factor isn't the positive that it is for consumers: having standardized case options that can be ordered year over year is a good thing.

And the non-laminated display is cheaper to repair, the bezels give something to hold by, and the legacy ports (lightning and headphone jack) are all benefits for these devices in schools. I’m a high school teacher and my department head always comes to me when he wants to know what tech to buy for the department, and I’d never suggest the Air, Pro, or Mini models. We’ve bought dozens of entry level iPads in the last few years, and they’re fantastic for our needs.

We just ordered a few 9th gens. I’m going to use one as my work iPad.

 

[TechFann]

To me I find it pretty hard to justify the $300 price above this for the iPad Air now. Besides having a full screen display, support with 2nd gen pencil and iPad Pro keyboard, one extra gig of RAM, and a better rear camera they are pretty comparable devices now. Better front camera with center stage on the ninth gen, almost the same screen size, just a slightly older processor in the ninth gen, same base storage available, etc. I really wanted an Air but now I think I will wait to see if I get a better bang for my buck with it.

 

[dugbee]

I still have my iPad 3, just collecting dust. It's also holding some old iMessages, since the iOS at the time did not support Messages in iCloud.

I do miss the experience though. Even though I have News+ I rarely use it, because (for me) magazine style reading is not enjoyable on either my iPhone or MBP.

This is cheap enough and would entirely fit my purposes, especially for some late-evening reading.

Replying to my own post - picked it up today. Feels great, now I recall what I’ve missed out on all these years in terms of a comfortable to use device while lazing on the sofa. Although not using an iPad since iOS 9 means I have a bit of exploring to do.

 

[dave070]

Do you really need to replace it? The A10X should still be plenty fast, so doubt you will see much difference in day-to-day basic use. Downsides will be smaller screen and display technology.

Good point. Don't really need a new iPad, was just thinking it's been few years it might be worth it. The old one still does the job though so agree it makes sense to just hang onto it for awhile longer.

 

[Biro]

I went with a 12.9-inch iPad Pro last year and use it a lot. But, at $299, I'm thinking about picking up one of these base 10.1-inch iPads for couch and bed use.

 

[Adelphos33]

I went with a 12.9-inch iPad Pro last year and use it a lot. But, at $299, I'm thinking about picking up one of these base 10.1-inch iPads for couch and bed use.

Exactly my use case. Highly recommend it.

 

[MacBH928]

lamenate the display then ipad > air 4
reasonable screen size and home button with touch id...cant get better.

 

[Gold94]

Its storage is so attractive to me. Struggling with my poor wallet.

 

[Vivian125]

iPad 9 isn't budget. Even my friends older iPad Air 1 has better colors and better display than my colleagues iPad 9 idk why. Both Air 1 and iPad 9 has no laminated display, and for regular iPad? It isn't worth it for its price without laminated display it just ruin overall experience like browsing Safari its visible all time.

I'd rather have iPad 9 with A11 processor with laminated display over A13 without laminated. A11 and above doesn't really feel slow after any major iOS update unlike A4 to A10.

Also drawing on iPad 9 without laminated display feels like you are drawing on an old 2010 dashboard touch screen built inside the car, looks very resistive and even worse with screen protector.