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iPad 2 VS iPad 3 on iOS 7?
- Thread starter 53kyle
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iPad 3 has the same 30 pin connector as the iPad 2, but the iPad 4 has the smaller one that is on the iPhone 5 and iPad mini.
I have upgraded from an iPad 2 to an iPad 3 on iOS 7. Its definitely laggy, but not so laggy that you can't use it.
For example, opening Safari is quick, but the keyboard comes up a bit slow, key entry lags (very little, but its still there), web pages load really fast, and theres zero lag in scrolling. Opening the multitask is another area where theres significant lag.
IMO, the biggest thing you will gain by taking the iPad 3 is the retina display, but lose out on the smoothness of the OS. But it's completely worth it.
A few things missing in the iPad 3 though: no blur effects in transparency, no air drop
For example, opening Safari is quick, but the keyboard comes up a bit slow, key entry lags (very little, but its still there), web pages load really fast, and theres zero lag in scrolling. Opening the multitask is another area where theres significant lag.
IMO, the biggest thing you will gain by taking the iPad 3 is the retina display, but lose out on the smoothness of the OS. But it's completely worth it.
A few things missing in the iPad 3 though: no blur effects in transparency, no air drop
Generally I find the iPad 3 ever so slightly less laggy at the tasks you mention (mutiltask has less delay, but is choppier). However not so much so that I would use performance as deciding factor between the two. They both run iOS at the same performance tier. Subjectivly they both feel like they are the same class of device. I would not "upgrade" from a 2 to a 3.
Battery life is similar on the two, but the 2 charges almost twice as fast. I didn't find iOS7 to be much different on battery life compared to iOS6.
I have two iPad 3's: a JB'n 6.1.2 one and a 7.0.3 one. I don't really have problems with teh latter, apart from some stuttering now and then. However, nothing serious. That is, you won't really have problems either, I think.
The overall performance of the iPad 3 should be similar to the iPad 2, they do have the same processor family (A5). The (X) in the iPad 3 is meant for the GPU -- to handle the retina display.
I laugh when I hear people say that the iPad 3 runs iOS 6/7 slower than iPad 2, unless you are talking about a graphics intensive game that serves fancy Retina graphics for the 3 and low-res graphics for the 2, then yea the GPU becomes the bottleneck in this case.
As for battery life, I didn't notice a difference. I charge my iPad once a week and still do. The only change is that they seem to have gotten rid of the 'plugged' icon in iOS 7; so when it reaches 100%, you don't know if it's still doing that final charge or done.
I have a few apps that bomb on me, but I can't hardly look at my hubby's iPad2 as I've got used to the retina display on the 3.
I can't provide hard facts but both are purchased close to launch, so the 3 is a year younger than the 2 but the 2 still gets a day out of a general charge, and mine is good for that or more too.
I have no compunction yet to upgrade mine...
I can't provide hard facts but both are purchased close to launch, so the 3 is a year younger than the 2 but the 2 still gets a day out of a general charge, and mine is good for that or more too.
I have no compunction yet to upgrade mine...
OK, I have one more question. Are the speakers ANY different from the iPad 2 to iPad 3? Sound is very important to me for my normal usage.
Mine is noticably laggy since iOS7. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and buy one of the newer ipads. iOS7 did not have any negative impact on my iPhone 5's performance.
The question isn't if the iPad 3 is laggy, it's whether it is more laggy then the iPad 2. I just did a flyover of NYC on my two iPads, and neither is great. The 2 may be slightly smoother, but the retina display really looks much better on maps. I would trade the slight perfomance difference for the retina display any day. As for games, yeah it can be an issue, but the game you showed allows you select lower res and have play with all effects on at a higher framerate then the iPad 2, so it's really a non-issue.
If your buying a used iPad, the 3 is a better overall experience then the 2, but if you want a completely smooth experience neither will do.
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No, that is not normal. Go to setting->general->reset and do a "reset all settings". This will clear the system files, but leave your data. I find this helps after any upgrade.
Different strokes I guess.
I find a lot of content can't truly take advantage of the retina display. And things that can like games are dumb down.
One of my biggest regret purchases was the iPad 3. Now I'm not saying it's a bad experience by any stretch but I wish I would have saved some money and got the 2 or waited for the 4.
Hi again. Does iOS 7.0.4 improve performance on the iPad 3 at all? Or, does it stay the same, or even worse, decrease in speed?
Can anyone with iPad 3 running iOS 7.1 beta 1 say if the performance has improved enough to catch up with the iPad 2? Or at all?
I got my iPad 3 
It is a 64 GB Wifi+4G model. First I restored it to iOS 7.0.4. Next, I restored from my backup but my internet is really slow so apps are still downloading. Here are my thoughts on it so far:
- The UI is very slightly more laggy than the iPad 2, but again slightly
- Web browsing, watching 1080p video, and playing games like angry birds, fruit ninja, and infinity blade which are my most common tasks, work as smooth as ever
- I may be a lucky owner of an iPad that doesn't heat up or it could be the case I have on it, but it has run so far as cool, maybe slightly warmer than my iPad 2. I have been stress testing it with games, HD video, and lots of tabs in web browsing (I did see that I can have more tabs without refreshing.)
- I LOVE the retina display. It is so much more clear than my iPad 2, and although I wasn't expecting to see that improvement, I really do. Siri and the better camera are nice too.
I can't say much about the battery but it seems to last longer than my iPad 2 and I don't really notice the 2x charge time if it really does take that much time because I only charge this over night.
I am assuming that iOS 7.1 will make it even less laggy so I am installing it tomorrow, I will update this post when I test it some.
EDIT: This post used to say that the iPad 3 was laggy, then I finally did a reboot and...WOW!
It is a 64 GB Wifi+4G model. First I restored it to iOS 7.0.4. Next, I restored from my backup but my internet is really slow so apps are still downloading. Here are my thoughts on it so far:- The UI is very slightly more laggy than the iPad 2, but again slightly
- Web browsing, watching 1080p video, and playing games like angry birds, fruit ninja, and infinity blade which are my most common tasks, work as smooth as ever
- I may be a lucky owner of an iPad that doesn't heat up or it could be the case I have on it, but it has run so far as cool, maybe slightly warmer than my iPad 2. I have been stress testing it with games, HD video, and lots of tabs in web browsing (I did see that I can have more tabs without refreshing.)
- I LOVE the retina display. It is so much more clear than my iPad 2, and although I wasn't expecting to see that improvement, I really do. Siri and the better camera are nice too.
I can't say much about the battery but it seems to last longer than my iPad 2 and I don't really notice the 2x charge time if it really does take that much time because I only charge this over night.
I am assuming that iOS 7.1 will make it even less laggy so I am installing it tomorrow, I will update this post when I test it some.
EDIT: This post used to say that the iPad 3 was laggy, then I finally did a reboot and...WOW!
Last edited:
Another update:
My iPad 3 now has iOS 7.1 on it and performs like butter. Thanks for all of the help guys, I am really happy with this device! I hope I never install 7.1 on my iPad 2 so that this feels laggy, because I am sure that will be even better, lag wise. Also, the battery on the iPad 3 has lasted me about 3-5 hours of really using it today (not really sure how much, but somewhere in that range) and I still have 65% left, so that is way better than the iPad 2
My iPad 3 now has iOS 7.1 on it and performs like butter. Thanks for all of the help guys, I am really happy with this device! I hope I never install 7.1 on my iPad 2 so that this feels laggy, because I am sure that will be even better, lag wise. Also, the battery on the iPad 3 has lasted me about 3-5 hours of really using it today (not really sure how much, but somewhere in that range) and I still have 65% left, so that is way better than the iPad 2
Another update:
My iPad 3 now has iOS 7.1 on it and performs like butter. Thanks for all of the help guys, I am really happy with this device! I hope I never install 7.1 on my iPad 2 so that this feels laggy, because I am sure that will be even better, lag wise. Also, the battery on the iPad 3 has lasted me about 3-5 hours of really using it today (not really sure how much, but somewhere in that range) and I still have 65% left, so that is way better than the iPad 2
Thanks for the update. In my region, used iPad 2's are 160-200 on the low end and used iPad 3's are 275-300 on the low end. For the price, I guess a 3 at around 275 wouldn't be too bad.
I too have 7.1 on my iPad 3. Battery life seems to have no difference than on previous iOS versions. However, unlike on my iPhones, I had to disable 'Reduce Motion' on the iPad 3 as enabling it would cause the animations (especially when going to an app from multi tasking) a lot of stutter. I personally much prefer the fade in effects to the zooming in ones.