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iPad Help with deciding which iPad to get

M

meder87

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 5, 2010
170
0
Georgia
So I have an iPad 2. I'm going to take advantage of Best Buys trade in. I get the best amount from them. Here is my dilemma. I can afford to get either 64GB LTE iPad Mini 2 or 64GB WiFi iPad Air 2.

After I got my iPad 2 I instantly regretted not getting the cellular model of it. However, I have had the WiFi model for 3.5 years and it really hasn't effected me. There were plenty of times though I wish I had the cellular to use on trips or just out an about. When the mini was announced I knew that I would get one. It would be easier to hold while playing games on it and more. I was convinced I would get a mini when it was time also because it was a little bit cheaper. Last year it was the same price so I was turned away. Now it's cheaper but I can also afford the Air 2.

I also knew if I upgraded I had to get 64GB in size as I could not go smaller. I have used my iPad for playing games (really looking forward to playing BioShock), watching NetFlix, surfing the web, and reading books. I use it the most when laying in bed and during my lunch break at work.

SO, iPad Air 2 has best internals with A8X chip, 2GB Ram, and better camera. I've held it and its super light, lighter than the mini 2 I think.

I'm torn. I like the portability of the mini and LTE, but feel like i'm missing out on an updated iPad. I can't afford to put more money to get the 64GB LTE iPad Air 2. Like I said earlier in the post that I went 3.5 years without cellular, but I know I might regret again. I also worry I may regret not taking the better iPad.

I remember a lot of people saying they got their first iPad as WiFi only and then regretted not getting the cellular. I feel like resale value may not matter as they'll balance out since Air 2 is so new.

Side note. I have a Moto X. Will most likely switch back to iPhone 6S but highly considering the Plus next year. I have unlimited grandfather plan and I don't have the personal hot spot option on my phone.

People who have owned both, what are your thoughts? People who are in my situation or close to it, what did you do?

Sorry for the long post. I really appreciate any help. Whichever I get, I may not upgrade for 2 to 4 years.
 
'I may not upgrade for 2 to 4 years.'

If you are being honest with yourself (a lot of people use this argument to justify a more expensive model, then upgrade the next year regardless) then it makes sense to get the cellular.
The cost of replacing an iPad because you got the wrong configuration exceeds the additional cost of rarely used features such as storage and cellular. At least that has been my experience.
 
dannyyankou said:
This is what I do. It drains the phone's battery a bit, but I carry a charging case that lasts the whole day.
Click to expand...

I don't want to root my phone. I have FoxFi but I can't get it to connect to my iPad 2 with bluetooth. I have a portable battery so if that worked it could sway me.
 
for the first time I got a model with LTE last year, previously I had WIFI only models but I used the T-Mobile offer. I don't like having to pay for an addition data plan so I mainly use it with my iphone hotspot and rarely use the Tmobile data, the free 200mb, which lasts about 10 seconds. So next model will def be wifi only.
 
Two questions to ask yourself:

1). How often will I take it out of the house? ie how often might you need LTE

2). How important is the screen size? Since you plan to pay games do you think you'll be satisfied playing on the smaller screen.

Plus with LTE unless you only plan on the T-Mo 200mb plan (which was posted out doesn't last long) you need to insider the additional cost of data. There are some pretty inexpensive plans out there but it's still an expensive.
 
donnaw said:
Two questions to ask yourself:

1). How often will I take it out of the house? ie how often might you need LTE
I bring it with me everyday to work. If it's a mini I may consider bringing it more places with me outside of work. I don't travel often, but I like the idea of knowing I can have internet on my tablet at my disposal. I am getting married next year and will have to drive to my fiance's home quite a bit next year so that thought has crossed my mind for LTE usage.

2). How important is the screen size? Since you plan to pay games do you think you'll be satisfied playing on the smaller screen.
Part of me thinks it'll be better on the mini playing games since it's lighter and easier to reach around the screen. The thing is the iPad 2 is heavy in comparison, while the Air 2 is really light. Games like BioShock and Ocean Horn may look and perform very well. Incompatibility with apps and games has given me the reason for the switch.

Plus with LTE unless you only plan on the T-Mo 200mb plan (which was posted out doesn't last long) you need to insider the additional cost of data. There are some pretty inexpensive plans out there but it's still an expensive.
Click to expand...

Price of the plan doesn't bother me. I'll pay the $30 to have 3GB of data for a month when I travel.
 
meder87 said:
Price of the plan doesn't bother me. I'll pay the $30 to have 3GB of data for a month when I travel.
Click to expand...

Save up for an additional month or two, and get the cellular model.

If you are keeping it for a few years, an extra month or two shouldn't matter.
 
I have a wifi-only Mini 2. While there have been occasions where I'm waiting around at a coffee shop with no wifi, I usually use that time to consume books/videos on the Mini, or just surf on my phone. Even though I have personal hotspot, the problem isn't even the data consumption, it's the battery drain on my phone, so I rarely tether.

All things being equal, I'd take the Mini for the form factor, but that's a purely personal decision. If you're comfortable with both sizes, and you have wifi at your office for your lunch break, and you have a lot of offline media for outdoors, I'd say go with the Air 2 without LTE.
 
I have always had cellular models of the iPads. However, this year I got the iPhone 6, and the screen is so good on it that for the first time, I considered not getting the cellular model, because the iPhone 6 screen was good enough for on-the-go use. In fact, I've gone from taking the iPad with me almost everywhere to leaving it at home most of the time because of iPhone 6. I ended up getting a cellular Air2 just in case, but haven't activated a data plan yet.
 
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