Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

All iPads Advice Needed: Which iPad is best?

Thank you so much for your replies!

Whichever iPad I buy I'll be using it 95% of the time indoors so is it worth paying extra for the laminated screen on the iPad Air??? Or is the screen on the iPad Air a big improvement even when used indoors?

It seems best for us iPad users to wait for the announcement that's coming soon?
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thank you so much for your replies!

Whichever iPad I buy I'll be using it 95% of the time indoors so is it worth paying extra for the laminated screen on the iPad Air??? Or is the screen on the iPad Air a big improvement even when used indoors?

It seems best for us iPad users to wait for the announcement that's coming soon?
Click to expand...
I have iPads with both laminated and non-laminated displays. Imho, the anti-reflective coating helps even when indoors if you have a bright room.

The non-laminated displays tend to feel hollow and plasticky which for some users makes it feel cheap. Tapping noises are more audible although I find installing a tempered glass mitigates that.

Personally, I mostly use my devices for reading and when I'm going to be outdoors, I'm more likely to use an e-ink reader (e.g. Kindle) than any backlit device.

As for whether the higher cost is worth it, that one's subjective. Personally, I think there's enough going for the Air that I would go for that instead of the base iPad for the relatively low price difference.

Albeit yes, better wait for the announcement. We haven't had a good sale on the Air of late (it was frequently $399 64GB Wi-Fi prior to the pandemic) so even if you don't like the new Air, at least Air 3 would probably go on sale again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BeautifulWoman_1984 and Marlon DLTH :)
Others here have covered all the bases, and I agree that the Air tends to be the "sweet spot" for most people. The new Air is unlikely to have a headphone port, but the current Air is likely to go on sale everywhere when the new one comes out. Accordingly, for your stated needs, I would either purchase the basic iPad (good money-saving option that works beautifully IMO) or wait for new new Air (not necessarily to buy the new Air but because that will force prices down for the excellent current generation models).
 
  • Like
Reactions: BeautifulWoman_1984, AutomaticApple, Marlon DLTH :) and 1 other person
Thank you for all your replies!

Important point for how I use my iPad:
I use my current iPad indoors 95% of the time and whenever I use the iPad it's almost always in a dark room where there are no lights turned on. This is why I want to know if it's worth paying extra for the iPad Air's laminated screen...?

EDIT:
Does anyone know when an announcement will be made about new iPads including the regular iPad and iPad Air???

I read somewhere that the new iPad Air will be released in March 2021 and that's too long for me to wait...
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thank you for all your replies!

Important point for how I use my iPad:
I use my current iPad indoors 95% of the time and whenever I use the iPad it's almost always in a dark room where there are no lights turned on. This is why I want to know if it's worth paying extra for the iPad Air's laminated screen...?

EDIT:
Does anyone know when an announcement will be made about new iPads including the regular iPad and iPad Air???

I read somewhere that the new iPad Air will be released in March 2021 and that's too long for me to wait...
Click to expand...
With your usage, I don’t think it warrants paying extra.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ericwn
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thank you for all your replies!

Important point for how I use my iPad:
I use my current iPad indoors 95% of the time and whenever I use the iPad it's almost always in a dark room where there are no lights turned on. This is why I want to know if it's worth paying extra for the iPad Air's laminated screen...?

EDIT:
Does anyone know when an announcement will be made about new iPads including the regular iPad and iPad Air???

I read somewhere that the new iPad Air will be released in March 2021 and that's too long for me to wait...
Click to expand...
I’d honestly wait until the end of this week to see if there’s an announcement.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marlon DLTH :)
Thank you for your replies!

Can anyone confirm the announcement only being made in March 2021? This is too much time for me to wait...
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thank you for your replies!

Can anyone confirm the announcement only being made in March 2021? This is too much time for me to wait...
Click to expand...
Nobody knows anything for sure. Probably an iPad announcement tomorrow. My guess is that new iPad Pros would be announced in March 2021.
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Does anyone know when an announcement will be made about new iPads including the regular iPad and iPad Air???
Click to expand...
There’s enough evidence that the announcement of those iPads is imminent, we have seen leaked manuals, and ECC fillings. I’d wait until the end of this month.
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thank you for your replies!

Can anyone confirm the announcement only being made in March 2021? This is too much time for me to wait...
Click to expand...

Asking on a rumour forum for a confirmation of a company like Apple for an unreleased product? As said above, only Apple execs know details of the roadmap.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kristalsoldier
  • Like
Reactions: 0128672
rui no onna said:
Yes, it does. Anything that has Apple A9 chipset or newer can handle 4K HEVC playback. That would be iPad Pro 12.9 1st gen, iPad Pro 9.7 and iPad 9.7 5th gen or pretty much any iPad released on/after Nov 2015.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply Rui no onna!

I didn't realise iPads from 2015 had the power to do 4K playback!

I'm trying to choose between the iPad https://www.apple.com/au/ipad-10.2/specs/
and iPad Air:
www.apple.com

iPad Air - Technical Specifications

See full technical specifications for iPad Air — resolution, size, weight, battery life and storage capacity — for Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular models.
www.apple.com

I'm still trying to find out about why the iPad Air doesn't have a headphone jack and which accessory I'd need to buy to be able to use headphones...
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
I'm still trying to find out about why the iPad Air doesn't have a headphone jack and which accessory I'd need to buy to be able to use headphones...
Click to expand...
The accessory you'd want would be Airpods or any wireless headphones. I use Sony MH1000mx3 but they just released the mx4.
www.apple.com

AirPods

AirPods deliver an unparalleled wireless headphone experience, from magical setup to high-quality sound. Available with free engraving.
www.apple.com
 
  • Like
Reactions: cdcastillo
Apple has decided a headphone jack is old tech and has been phasing it out of all iOS and iPadOS products.
www.theverge.com

The iPhone 7 has no headphone jack

Doom is upon us, or wired headphones, or something like that
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
The iPhone 7 intro and interviews with execs from around that time will be your best resource for more on the Why of it. I know one reason given was improved waterproofing, on the iPhone, by dropping the jack.
USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter

store.apple.com

Buy USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter

The USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter lets you connect a standard 3.5mm audio plug to your USB-C devices. Perfect for headphones or speakers.
store.apple.com
1601221829194.png

This is what you would buy to continue using 3.5mm headphones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cdcastillo, bluespark and Marlon DLTH :)
The iPad is best if you have modest needs and low budget.

The iPad Air is best if you want a colored iPad, Touch ID, and better performance with regular tasks.

The iPad Pro is best if you want four speakers, a better screen, a sliiiiiightly larger screen, a wide angle camera, more storage options, Face ID, and faster performance with intensive work.
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Hey guys,

Sorry to be making a thread about this as I don't want to be putting extra burden on this forum, but I really trust the users in the MacRumors community for advice.

I have an iPad Mini 3 from 2015 that needs replacing as the "Home Button" is barely responsive.

My needs for new iPad:
--Bigger screen
--Access to new iPad OS
--I use my iPad 95% of the time indoors where there's no sun reflection
--I don't need much performance as my current iPad Mini 3 is powerful enough except, but I need more RAM as my iPad Mini 3 only has 1GB of RAM.

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...

i LOVE my iPad Pro 11 2020 version. I also loved my 10.5 but it needed an upgrade. From what you describe you might really enjoy a 10.5 pro or even one of the new iPads that just dropped, the 8th generation.
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thank you for all the replies!

Does anyone know if the new iPad has enough power to play 4K video?

This is the iPad model I'm referring to: https://www.apple.com/au/shop/buy-ipad/ipad-10-2

Does anyone know why the new iPad Air doesn't have a headphone jack? The headphone jack is very important for me...
Click to expand...
Why is the headphone jack so important? I ask because there’s a lot of options for wireless headphones but that may not be the reason for you requiring headphone jack.
 
BeautifulWoman_1984 said:
Thank you for your reply Rui no onna!

I didn't realise iPads from 2015 had the power to do 4K playback!

I'm trying to choose between the iPad https://www.apple.com/au/ipad-10.2/specs/
and iPad Air:
www.apple.com

iPad Air - Technical Specifications

See full technical specifications for iPad Air — resolution, size, weight, battery life and storage capacity — for Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular models.
www.apple.com

I'm still trying to find out about why the iPad Air doesn't have a headphone jack and which accessory I'd need to buy to be able to use headphones...
Click to expand...

I’d go all in on the new iPad Air when it’s available to preorder. It definitely seems like the best all around iPad currently available. If I didn’t buy the 2020 Pro this summer, I’d be all over it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back