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

iPad iPad 8 vs iPad Air 3 dilemma including storage space

R

Regular_User

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2019
19
15
Hello,

I have decided to buy iPad for main purposes as educational / reading books / making notes so I can exclude games / taking pictures & videos and such. Not planning to install huge amount of apps as well, just the ones concerning the purposes I mentioned (text editors / notes / pdf readers and such / mail apps).

In this case new iPad 8 with pencil sounds like no brainer however this is the pricing dilemma I am facing and asking for advice:

iPad 8 32gb - this storage today seems like insult to customer however the pricing is great - my question is when including new iPadOS14 - exactly how much space will I get out of the box to use when using the newest OS system? (18GB less than that?) Can anyone could confirm the exact amount?

iPad 8 128gb - this is safe storage for sure and easier to sell in the future but +100USD extra and this comes to another dilemma - as the new Air is around the corner at the same price in my country if I wait a bit longer for sell away maybe I could get the iPad Air 3 64gb which seems the best option in my case.
But here comes also the white spots issue with Air 3 screens - does the iPad 7/8 also has risk of facing the white spots problem? I cant find much info concerning this.

However if I dont get the Air 3 at the ipad 8 128gb price most likely I will get the iPad 8 32gb in the end as I just want the device as educational / organizer purposes. I am bit worried here about the storage limit (this comes down again to my first question I asked above).

What are your thoughts in here? Any advice which of the three options seems best in conclusion?

Thanks a mill,
 
Last edited:
I would aim to get a Air 3 as it comes with 64GB. In the UK, you can get a brand new one for around £350-£400 compared to an iPad 8 32GB at £330 from Apple.

You also get added benefits including:
- Laminated display
- True tone
- Thinner design

It’s a no brainier to get the Air 3 for an extra £50 or so
 
Regular_User said:
I have decided to buy iPad for main purposes as educational / reading books / making notes so I can exclude games / taking pictures & videos and such. Not planning to install huge amount of apps as well, just the ones concerning the purposes I mentioned (text editors / notes / pdf readers and such / mail apps).

In this case new iPad 8 with pencil sounds like no brainer however this is the pricing dillema I am facing and asking for advice:

iPad 8 32gb - this storage today seems like insult to customer however the pricing is great - my question is when including new iPadOS14 - exactly how much space will I get out of the box to use when using the newest OS system? (18GB less than that?) Can anyone could confirm the exact amount?
Click to expand...
It probably uses 12-15GB right out of the gate. You can shave a couple of GB by deleting pre-installed apps you don't need. For example, I don't need GarageBand so that's already 1.7GB recovered.

Mind, iOS 14 seems bigger than iOS 13. My System used to be around 5-6GB and it's now 7GB.

I have a 32GB iPad 7 dedicated for office stuff so mostly just Gmail, GoodReader, Dropbox and Notes. No huge files. Mostly just PDFs, notes and a few scanned docs. That one's at 15GB free after deleting all the large pre-installed apps (GarageBand, iMovie, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, etc).

Mind, my personal use iPads have 256-512GB. I'd hate being limited to just 32GB (realistically ~20GB useable).
 
Regular_User said:
Hello,

I have decided to buy iPad for main purposes as educational / reading books / making notes so I can exclude games / taking pictures & videos and such. Not planning to install huge amount of apps as well, just the ones concerning the purposes I mentioned (text editors / notes / pdf readers and such / mail apps).

In this case new iPad 8 with pencil sounds like no brainer however this is the pricing dillema I am facing and asking for advice:

iPad 8 32gb - this storage today seems like insult to customer however the pricing is great - my question is when including new iPadOS14 - exactly how much space will I get out of the box to use when using the newest OS system? (18GB less than that?) Can anyone could confirm the exact amount?

iPad 8 128gb - this is safe storage for sure and easier to sell in the future but +100USD extra and this comes to another dillema - as the new Air is around the corner at the same price in my country if I wait a bit longer for sell away maybe I could get the iPad Air 3 64gb which seems the best option in my case.
But here comes also the white spots issue with Air 3 screens - does the iPad 7/8 also has risk of facing the white spots problem? I cant find much info concerning this.

However if I dont get the Air 3 at the ipad 8 128gb price most likely I will get the iPad 8 32gb in the end as I just want the device as educational / organizer purposes. I am bit worried here about the storage limit (this comes down again to my first question I asked above).

What are your thoughts in here? Any advice which of the three options seems best in conclusion?

Thanks a mill,
Click to expand...

Regarding the white spot problem, it only seems to affect iPad models with 10.5" laminated displays. That's only the 2017 iPad Pro and the 2019 iPad Air 3.

I also wouldn't let fear of that problem be a deal breaker. For one, it probably affects far fewer units then you would be led to believe based on forum posts. And secondly, that's what warranties/Apple Care are for. If you do get a unit with a defect, you get it replaced.
 
I also think in the same direction as the others before me. The Air is nice to have.
Storage wise, I would not go below 128 GB anymore.
 
Thank you for your suggestions, I have the very similiar point of view, but... when I look from this side:
The price tags for new devices at the moment I can get in my area looks something like this (and Im not considering buying used device - just dont want that):

425 USD iPad 8 32gb
560 USD iPad 8 128gb (+135 USD)
640 USD iPad Air 3 64gb (+80 USD) and so +215 USD from 32gb base unit
770 USD iPad Air 4 64gb (+130 USD) and so +345USD from 32gb base unit

When I have in mind I need this mostly for like notepad device which will be 90% of its current use and looking for the above price tags, well actually it makes me tired to make the choice - each time I enter "the next level price tag" it makes me eager to go to the next one:
- iPad 8 32gb, not enough storage, lets get higher
- iPad 8 128GB, well storage is ok, but ... for +80 USD lets see what can we get, lets jump a bit higher,
- iPad Air 3 64GB, well half storage gone now to 64gb but we have better screen, laminated, true tone, better front camera, nicer looks, but.... and here comes the juice because from here only for +135 USD we have,
- brand new latest and greatest iPad Air 4 64gb with all its great features and looks and no bezels and so on, and so on.

So I wanted notepad, now I started considering buying the latest Air 4 - you know how it works right? ;)
So in my conclusion based what I put above - I should either go with the iPad 8 32gb and so switch it earlier to newer model like Air 4 after time, or buy the new product Air 4 for a long time for almost twice the price ;)

My final conclusion is - if I manage get Air 3 at the same price tag as iPad 8 128gb I will buy it without thinking, otherwise I guess the notepad function will be served by the iPad 8 32gb to be replaced by Air 4 maybe someday in the "right" point of the future ;)

Thanks,
 
Last edited:
Regular_User said:
Thank you for your suggestions, I have the very similiar point of view, but... when I look from this side:
The price tags for new devices at the moment I can get in my area looks something like this (and Im not considering buying used device - just dont want that):

425 USD iPad 8 32gb
560 USD iPad 8 128gb (+135 USD)
640 USD iPad Air 3 64gb (+80 USD) and so +215 USD from 32gb base unit
770 USD iPad Air 4 64gb (+130 USD) and so +345USD from 32gb base unit

When I have in mind I need this mostly for like notepad device which will be 90% of its current use and looking for the above price tags, well actually it makes me tired to make the choice - each time I enter "the next level price tag" it makes me eager to go to the next one:
- iPad 8 32gb, not enough storage, lets get higher
- iPad 8 128GB, well storage is ok, but ... for +80 USD lets see what can we get, lets jump a bit higher,
- iPad Air 3 64GB, well half storage gone now to 64gb but we have better screen, laminated, true tone, better front camera, nicer looks, but.... and here comes the juice because from here only for +135 USD we have,
- brand new latest and greatest iPad Air 4 64usd with all its great features and looks and no bezels and so on, and so on.

So I wanted notepad, now I started considering buying the latest Air 4 - you know how it works right? ;)
So in my conclusion based what I put above - I should either go with the iPad 8 32gb and so switch it earlier to newer model like Air 4 after time, or buy the new product Air 4 for a long time for almost twice the price ;)

My final conclusion is - if I manage get Air 3 at the same price tag as iPad 8 128gb I will buy it without thinking, otherwise I guess the notepad function will be served by the iPad 8 32gb to be replaced by Air 4 maybe someday in the "right" point of the future ;)

Thanks,
Click to expand...
Lol, totally understand the "it's only a little bit more" until you end up at ~2-3x the initial budget. 😂
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: Euroamerican and Marlon DLTH :)
kidchop3 said:
I would aim to get a Air 3 as it comes with 64GB. In the UK, you can get a brand new one for around £350-£400 compared to an iPad 8 32GB at £330 from Apple.

You also get added benefits including:
- Laminated display
- True tone
- Thinner design

It’s a no brainier to get the Air 3 for an extra £50 or so
Click to expand...

£350ish would be a tempting price for me. Where have you seen that?
 
iPad Air 3 64 GB.

BTW, my young kids just less than 10 GB on their 64 iPad Air 2s. I suspect they'll grow into the 64 GB as they get older, but then again, my wife usually uses less than 15 GB on her LTE 128 GB iPad 7 too, and sometimes also less than 10 GB.

The only time they use more is when we go on vacation and I download Netflix shows for them. The most my wife has ever used is around 35 GB. The kids have always been well below 30 GB.

For me 64 GB on my 10.5" iPad Pro is usually more than enough. However, it's a bit tight when I did video editing, so my next one will be 128 GB. Luckily the base model iPad Pros now come with 128 GB, so that's perfect.
 
Last edited:
Regular_User said:
Thank you for your suggestions, I have the very similiar point of view, but... when I look from this side:
The price tags for new devices at the moment I can get in my area looks something like this (and Im not considering buying used device - just dont want that):

425 USD iPad 8 32gb
560 USD iPad 8 128gb (+135 USD)
640 USD iPad Air 3 64gb (+80 USD) and so +215 USD from 32gb base unit
770 USD iPad Air 4 64gb (+130 USD) and so +345USD from 32gb base unit

When I have in mind I need this mostly for like notepad device which will be 90% of its current use and looking for the above price tags, well actually it makes me tired to make the choice - each time I enter "the next level price tag" it makes me eager to go to the next one:
- iPad 8 32gb, not enough storage, lets get higher
- iPad 8 128GB, well storage is ok, but ... for +80 USD lets see what can we get, lets jump a bit higher,
- iPad Air 3 64GB, well half storage gone now to 64gb but we have better screen, laminated, true tone, better front camera, nicer looks, but.... and here comes the juice because from here only for +135 USD we have,
- brand new latest and greatest iPad Air 4 64gb with all its great features and looks and no bezels and so on, and so on.

So I wanted notepad, now I started considering buying the latest Air 4 - you know how it works right? ;)
So in my conclusion based what I put above - I should either go with the iPad 8 32gb and so switch it earlier to newer model like Air 4 after time, or buy the new product Air 4 for a long time for almost twice the price ;)

My final conclusion is - if I manage get Air 3 at the same price tag as iPad 8 128gb I will buy it without thinking, otherwise I guess the notepad function will be served by the iPad 8 32gb to be replaced by Air 4 maybe someday in the "right" point of the future ;)

Thanks,
Click to expand...
What’s your budget?

with those prices, I’d get the Air 4

I’m now looking to get a iPad Pro 2018 for £500. You can get them used on local marketplace apps with Apple warranty
 
kidchop3 said:
What’s your budget?

with those prices, I’d get the Air 4

I’m now looking to get a iPad Pro 2018 for £500. You can get them used on local marketplace apps with Apple warranty
Click to expand...

Considering what I need the device for, I guess the wise choice would be just get the base model, however when the ladder "lets jump a bit higher" kicks in, well the Air 3 64gb looks like best choice but I would need to buy it as new for 560USD (ca 470 EUR) - so I guess this is max what I want to pay for the device.
 
I have the iPad 7 with 32GB:
021ACA18-2366-4B5C-A090-DB5DBFFBA353.jpeg


I basically use my iPad as you described. I don’t really store any media, except I have Photos optimized for storage. Mainly, documents and notes, which don’t take much space.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AutomaticApple, Regular_User and ericwn
Regular_User said:
Hello,

I have decided to buy iPad for main purposes as educational / reading books / making notes so I can exclude games / taking pictures & videos and such. Not planning to install huge amount of apps as well, just the ones concerning the purposes I mentioned (text editors / notes / pdf readers and such / mail apps).

In this case new iPad 8 with pencil sounds like no brainer however this is the pricing dillema I am facing and asking for advice:

iPad 8 32gb - this storage today seems like insult to customer however the pricing is great - my question is when including new iPadOS14 - exactly how much space will I get out of the box to use when using the newest OS system? (18GB less than that?) Can anyone could confirm the exact amount?

iPad 8 128gb - this is safe storage for sure and easier to sell in the future but +100USD extra and this comes to another dillema - as the new Air is around the corner at the same price in my country if I wait a bit longer for sell away maybe I could get the iPad Air 3 64gb which seems the best option in my case.
But here comes also the white spots issue with Air 3 screens - does the iPad 7/8 also has risk of facing the white spots problem? I cant find much info concerning this.

However if I dont get the Air 3 at the ipad 8 128gb price most likely I will get the iPad 8 32gb in the end as I just want the device as educational / organizer purposes. I am bit worried here about the storage limit (this comes down again to my first question I asked above).

What are your thoughts in here? Any advice which of the three options seems best in conclusion?

Thanks a mill,
Click to expand...
The thing to consider, IMO, is if you will be purchasing a keyboard an Apple Pencil. If yes, then I highly recommend the 128GB iPad 8. The 1st gen Apple Pencil is a great stylus, and the Apple Smart Keyboard is a great cover option. That combo is the lightest, most portable combo.

Regarding the white spot problem, the Air definitely suffers from that problem, but the iPad 8, because it uses a non-laminated screen most likely won't suffer from it.

Obviously my recommendation is based on my preferences... it is important for you to consider yours. :)
 
I am in the same dilemma as well,
8th gen base costs $370 ish here
Spending 90-100$ will get me unboxed Air 3 with billing of September first week..

I am looking for note taking primarily, one thing which makes me think is the experience of note taking people say all the time that air gap on base variant ruins a the fun of note taking, hence I incline towards Air 3, but I avoid second hand or unboxed, you never know if some part has been replaced in local market
 
Well there is no comparison of 8th gen with either air 4 or pro..

Yeah one can argue with 7th gen or air 3
 
Well the video shows the comparison between devices specs which can be easily found in product descriptions pages that leads to pretty obvious conclusions pointed out also in this video, however I am more interested in real life user experience facts that usually show things that are not stated in direct product specifications comparison - like quality of writing comparing two different displays, user actual feelings that benefits from using true tone tech or things that come up along the way like white spots on air 3 - those are really valuable data :)

I forgot about the air gap in base model screen stated also above in reply, as also the video shows two sides of this - lower quality of taking notes but replacement of this screen will be cheaper than the laminated one. On the other hand when reading feedback from users that already wrote on the laminated screen as they all state - they would never go back to the air gap after using the better solution. I guess this is strong point to take under consideration in my case as I mainly want to write on the device...
I also planned to use the paperlike cover screen folio to benefit from it, I wonder how this item changes things for better or worse in note taking, I guess I need to get deeper into this subject as well.
 
Last edited:
AutomaticApple said:
Doesn't it also have faster Touch ID?
Click to expand...
Yes.
kidchop3 said:
I think both iPads use Touch ID 2 but I could be wrong.

Still an iPad Air 3 would be the better choice if you can find a good deal.
Click to expand...
Only Air 3 has Touch ID gen 2. It is clearly mentioned in the specs if you go to Apple site and compare Air 3 and iPad 8th gen where Touch ID gen 2 is only mentioned for Air 3.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Homme
  • Like
Reactions: kidchop3
Regular_User said:
Well the video shows the comparison between devices specs which can be easily found in product descriptions pages that leads to pretty obvious conclusions pointed out also in this video, however I am more interested in real life user experience facts that usually show things that are not stated in direct product specifications comparison - like quality of writing comparing two different displays, user actual feelings that benefits from using true tone tech or things that come up along the way like white spots on air 3 - those are really valuable data :)

I forgot about the air gap in base model screen stated also above in reply, as also the video shows two sides of this - lower quality of taking notes but replacement of this screen will be cheaper than the laminated one. On the other hand when reading feedback from users that already wrote on the laminated screen as they all state - they would never go back to the air gap after using the better solution. I guess this is strong point to take under consideration in my case as I mainly want to write on the device...
I also planned to use the paperlike cover screen folio to benefit from it, I wonder how this item changes things for better or worse in note taking, I guess I need to get deeper into this subject as well.
Click to expand...
Have you checked the Apple certified refurbished products? I know you won’t buy used but you could get potentially an Air 3 cheaper?

Apple replaces the screen and the battery and they look new with 12 months warranty.


The air gaps on the iPad 8 would be frustrating for me to see everyday, I know I would return that after a few days.
 
I looked at offers you mentioned, however in my area now only iPad minis are offered but its a good tip, I will monitor those as well. Thanks for that.

I have another question that comes up to my head along research according true tone - if I read and understand this correctly - true tone mech is as put it into simple words -> "automated screen calibration via adjusting the brightness level to the current light level surroundings" so to make the screen looks more "natural", right?

So just curious - is the same effect possible to acquire by just manual adjusting the brightness level on the base model or is it something more to it that cannot be done without actual true tone applied?
I know that adjusting it manually all the time makes no sense as the light surroundings may constantly change but I was wondering if it comes down only to regulate the brightness level or is there something more to 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