iPad Go Pro or stick with the Air

[aunick0308]

I currently have a 3rd gen IPad Air that I bought when it first came out in 2019. After a long contemplation I have decided that it is time to upgrade.
What I can’t decide on is whether or not to stick with the Air line or go all in and get a Pro.

On my current iPad I mainly use it to read on via the Kindle App, internet/social media browsing, and I also use it to stream movies/tv shows as well as listen to music while I am working late.
When I am trying to watch something or listen to music I have to either turn the volume way up or utilize earbuds to easily hear what I am streaming. Due to this, I was thinking it would be better to get an IPad Pro instead of another Air.

For those of you who want to watch things on the iPad without using earbuds or Bluetooth speakers, did you get an IPad Pro for the better speakers?

 

[PandaPunch]

I will admit, I do wish the iPad Air did have all four speakers. But with that said, I don't use it for videos all that much.

I use my iPad Air for;

1. Reading books, graphic novels, text novels, manuals
2. Notetaking and organizing my documents
3. Controlling my smart home
4. Writing and drawing for therapeutic reasons

I think the Air is just fine.

 

[aunick0308]

I will admit, I do wish the iPad Air did have all four speakers. But with that said, I don't use it for videos all that much.

I use my iPad Air for;

1. Reading books, graphic novels, text novels, manuals
2. Notetaking and organizing my documents
3. Controlling my smart home
4. Writing and drawing for therapeutic reasons

I think the Air is just fine.

Considering there are more times that I will be needing to utilize earbuds anyways when watching or listening to stuff on the iPad due to being around others instead of being by myself, I have thought about sticking with the Air and investing in an excellent and comfortable set of earbuds.

 

[jz0309]

I currently have a 3rd gen IPad Air that I bought when it first came out in 2019. After a long contemplation I have decided that it is time to upgrade.
What I can’t decide on is whether or not to stick with the Air line or go all in and get a Pro.

On my current iPad I mainly use it to read on via the Kindle App, internet/social media browsing, and I also use it to stream movies/tv shows as well as listen to music while I am working late.
When I am trying to watch something or listen to music I have to either turn the volume way up or utilize earbuds to easily hear what I am streaming. Due to this, I was thinking it would be better to get an IPad Pro instead of another Air.

For those of you who want to watch things on the iPad without using earbuds or Bluetooth speakers, did you get an IPad Pro for the better speakers?

for the delta in price of Air vs Pro, I'd get some AirPods Pro with an iPad Air

 

[aunick0308]

for the delta in price of Air vs Pro, I'd get some AirPods Pro with an iPad Air

I don’t know if I would be able to get air pods due to my ear sensitivity. My ear starts hurting after a short amount of time with most in ear earbuds. I have been able to wear the ones with the over the ear support loop longer. Is there other brands you would recommend I look into if I go that route?

 

[bapegg]

I have to agree with everyone. Save some money by getting the Air and then get a good set of ear buds.

I say this since I own a 2018 iPad Pro and a M3 iPad Air. I do like having Face ID and the four speakers are nice. But I decided to save the $400 by getting the Air.

My uses for an iPad are similar to how @PandaPunch uses an iPad.

In the end, it is your decision to make, go with what suits you best.

 

[aunick0308]

I have to agree with everyone. Save some money by getting the Air and then get a good set of ear buds.

I say this since I own a 2018 iPad Pro and a M3 iPad Air. I do like having Face ID and the four speakers are nice. But I decided to save the $400 by getting the Air.

My uses for an iPad are similar to how @PandaPunch uses an iPad.

In the end, it is your decision to make, go with what suits you best.

Have you noticed any major visual differences between the Pro and Air those times you have watched something on them?

 

[jz0309]

I don’t know if I would be able to get air pods due to my ear sensitivity. My ear starts hurting after a short amount of time with most in ear earbuds. I have been able to wear the ones with the over the ear support loop longer. Is there other brands you would recommend I look into if I go that route?

for one you could try the APPs, if bought from Apple (full price) you can return after 14 days.
I have Bose QC35 that I had for like almost 20 years, I like them very much, still though I don't use them very often anymore.
But, over-the-ear headphones cane be very different comfort-wise too, do you need noise cancellation? Can't tell from your post. you could probably pick up some decent headphones w/out noise cancellation for $150 or less

 

[bapegg]

Have you noticed any major visual differences between the Pro and Air those times you have watched something on them?

I have not noticed much if any difference at all. And there is not enough difference in the sound quality to complain about between the two. I'm not expecting either to sound as good as a TV or quality external speakers.

 

[aunick0308]

for one you could try the APPs, if bought from Apple (full price) you can return after 14 days.
I have Bose QC35 that I had for like almost 20 years, I like them very much, still though I don't use them very often anymore.
But, over-the-ear headphones cane be very different comfort-wise too, do you need noise cancellation? Can't tell from your post. you could probably pick up some decent headphones w/out noise cancellation for $150 or less

Honestly, as much as I like noise cancelling there are a lot of times i need to hear what is going on around me so the feature impedes more than helps. I have been buying the $30-$50 generic earbuds and have a set of over the ear loop in ear earbuds and a set of over the ear open earbuds and have found I can wear the open ear the longest.

 

[aunick0308]

I have not noticed much if any difference at all. And there is not enough difference in the sound quality to complain about between the two. I'm not expecting either to sound as good as a TV or quality external speakers.

Thank you! Your input is what I was looking for.

 

[bapegg]

You're welcome

I am going to suggest going to a store and comparing a new Air side by side with a Pro if you can. You may or may not notice a big enough difference to justify the increased cost of the Pro.

My comparison is between a 2018 Pro with the A12x chip to a 2025 Air with the M3 chip.

 

[aunick0308]

You're welcome

I am going to suggest going to a store and comparing a new Air side by side with a Pro if you can. You may or may not notice a big enough difference to justify the increased cost of the Pro.

My comparison is between a 2018 Pro with the A12x chip to a 2025 Air with the M3 chip.

I have actually done some comparisons with an Air and a Pro. However, it has been very limited due to not being able to them being secured and not being able to try it out how I would like to due to being in a crowded store. You are also unable to pull up the streaming apps or the music you listen to.

I also find getting input from others, especially ones that have/had both an Air and a Pro can be very helpful as well.

 

[bapegg]

I'm glad that I could help with useful information.

 

[rui no onna]

I have the 11" M4 iPad Pro (Nano OLED), M1 iPad Pro (LCD 120Hz) and M1 Air (LCD 60Hz).

I only use the built-in speakers when I'm in a quiet room so I haven't really noticed any difference among the three as I tend to keep the volume down.

No noticeable difference for me display-wise between the M1 iPP and Air either. Then again, I think the much maligned iPad mini 6/7 displays look fine so I'm probably not the best reference for that. The nano-texture on the M4 obviously looks quite different in bright rooms. I like the matte, jury's out on OLED.

Note, I got the M4 iPP 1TB Nano deeply discounted from Costco otherwise, I wouldn't have tried it. I'm still trying to acclimatize to OLED. I'm within the 90-day return period if I decide not to keep it.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I’m just going to say exactly what snazzy labs said in his most recent video.
If You’re fine enough with the compromises of the iPad Air, might as well just drop all the way and get the base iPad.
$249 vs $599 or even $499 (basically double the price whichever way you look at it) is not worth it for what upgrades you get (M chip you will barely notice and laminated display Glass). Other than that, the base iPad and iPad Air are basically identical in every other way, in fact the base iPad actually has a physically bigger battery. But same speakers, same display quality, same 60 Hz, pretty similar camera systems, same 128 GB of base storage.
Meanwhile, if you’re already spending over half a grand, might as well go Pro. There are more upgrades going from the air to the pro then from the base to the air.
Double the speakers from 2 to 4, double the microphones from 2 to 4, OLED display, 120 Hz, double the starting storage, faster charging, the biggest physical battery you can get in an iPad, significantly thinner, lighter than a pound, lidar, HDR video, compatibility with the aluminum Magic Keyboard if you ever choose to purchase that at a later date, plus (as someone who returned an air for a Pro) you would just be shocked at how much nicer the thing just feels to use.

TLDR: the real value is in the base iPad, which is basically 95% of an iPad Air. And the iPad Air really only exists to get you to go up to the pro, really should only be considered under very specific circumstances.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Also, not sure if this matters to you, but in almost every iPad battery test, the air performs the worst. Even worse than the mini. It has the smallest battery out of all of the 11 inch models and yet a significantly more power-hungry LCD display than the Pro and a more power-hungry chip than the base.

 

[aunick0308]

Also, not sure if this matters to you, but in almost every iPad battery test, the air performs the worst. Even worse than the mini. It has the smallest battery out of all of the 11 inch models and yet a significantly more power-hungry LCD display than the Pro and a more power-hungry chip than the base.

Thanks for the input. After messing with my daughter’s 13” IPad Air M2, I have determined I want the 13” size so, that pretty much eliminates the base model.

 

[Tripps9000]

I don’t know if I would be able to get air pods due to my ear sensitivity. My ear starts hurting after a short amount of time with most in ear earbuds. I have been able to wear the ones with the over the ear support loop longer. Is there other brands you would recommend I look into if I go that route?

I would recommend trying apple’s beats brand earbuds they are very comfortable in my ears and connect right with my tablet and iPhone

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Thanks for the input. After messing with my daughter’s 13” IPad Air M2, I have determined I want the 13” size so, that pretty much eliminates the base model.

In that case, I even more would not recommend the Air.
$800+ tax and accessories for only 128 GB of storage is truly horrible value whichever way you look at it.
Unless you are in the US and willing to look at refurbished, there are some M2 13 inch iPad Airs on there for $539 which isn’t too bad. But I would not purchase new.

 

[aunick0308]

In that case, I even more would not recommend the Air.
$800+ tax and accessories for only 128 GB of storage is truly horrible value whichever way you look at it.
Unless you are in the US and willing to look at refurbished, there are some M2 13 inch iPad Airs on there for $539 which isn’t too bad. But I would not purchase new.

256GB storage is the minimum storage size I am considering. I should also add that I will be getting one with cellular capabilities.
I also do plan on buying new as I plan on using it long term like I have with my 3rd gen Air.

 

[Harddrive]

I have noticed since owning a iPad Pro M1 it has lasted longer than my wife's base models in both software updates without slowing it down and battery life and still using it today with no intention of upgrading till it slows down or battery trouble.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

256GB storage is the minimum storage size I am considering. I should also add that I will be getting one with cellular capabilities.
I also do plan on buying new as I plan on using it long term like I have with my 3rd gen Air.

In that case, I would not even consider the iPad Air.

the 13” iPad Pro is even thinner than the 11 inch iPad Pro, and both are thinner than the 13 inch iPad Air.
So basically what I’m saying is, I would just go ahead and pay the extra for the pro if possible.
I’ve seen it several hundred dollars off at places like Costco and Best Buy if you are willing to go that route.
I know people, especially those on a budget, never like the advice of “just go pro” but in this case, you are already paying pretty much $1200 with tax out the door for a 256 GB 13 inch iPad Air with cellular data… and compromising on quite a bit over the Pro. Side-by-side the differences might not seem that dramatic but trust me, especially when you’re paying way over $1000 they are going to add up.
Get the Pro and you are literally purchasing the best display Apple makes, in the thinnest design Apple makes, with the biggest battery in an iPad and tons of other little things like a significantly better sound system, FaceID, etc.
Spend $1000+ on the Air and you are basically getting a slightly better budget iPad, with an LCD from 2015, a design from 2018, pretty mediocre speakers and biometrics.

Again, if you were purchasing the base model 11 inch iPad Air this would be a completely different conversation, I would be telling you to go ahead and just get the standard iPad 11 for $249 and call it a day.
But going up to the well over $1000 mark with doubling the storage and the 13 inch screen and cellular data completely changes the conversation in my opinion.
Edit: also, I would like to add that seeing as it mainly seems that the sound system is what your decision is coming down to, when I tested out the iPad Air a couple years ago, I found the speakers to be barely above mediocre. Meanwhile my iPad Pro speakers are fantastic, almost as good as my MacBook Pro speakers, and I use it as my primary television watching device every single night with absolutely no complaints. And I have the 11 inch, the 13 inch sounds even better. Trust me, for the money you are paying, please don’t get the Air. I would literally advise you to completely forget about the 13 inch screen and just get a cellular basic iPad before getting that overpriced mediocre iPad Air. It is truly the most baffling, confusing, unfortunate device in the current Apple lineup. Not that it’s a bad device, it will do whatever you throw at it, it’s just… a horrible value. The MacPro is a smarter purchase. Not really, I’m just exaggerating, but it really is a bad bad value compared to the base and the pro.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

PS: you really should have put in your original post that you were looking at a $1100+ cellular data 256 GB 13 inch version of the iPad Air, guarantee you a lot of your replies would be singing a very different tune.
I can say with pretty high certainty that the majority of people here, including myself, were just going off of the assumption that you were looking at the base models of everything.
Obviously, when you’re looking in the $500 range There are tons of different iPad avenues You can go down, but once you’re in the $1000+ iPads there really is only one logical option.

 

[bapegg]

Going with the 13" M4 Air with 256 GB and WIFI/Cellular is $1049. The 13" M5 Pro with 256 GB and WIFI/Cellular is $1499. So there is still a $450 difference.

And to be honest, unless you are using apps that really push the system you won't tell the difference between the M3, M4 or M5.

If you plan on using ear buds or head phone primarily then the difference between 2 or 4 speakers is a mute point.

I forgot to mention earlier that my 2018 Pro has 512 GB and my M3 Air has 256 GB. I went with 256 GB on the Air since I never came close to using close to that with the Pro.

Unless you are saving a bunch of music and videos to the iPad then 256 GB will be fine. I don't have a bunch of music or videos saved but do have a lot of photos and e-books.

It is easy to go into analysis paralysis when trying to decide which one to go with. I know I did when upgrading from the Pro to the Air.

The Pro does have a better camera, a better screen (you might not notice the difference), and 4 speakers. Otherwise the specs are pretty much the same for the Pro and Air.

If you do notice the difference in screens and want the better one and/or need a camera with TrueDepth then go with the Pro. If not then the Air will work well and save you $450.

Hopefully the information we gave you helps.