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Is iPad Air 2 still fast enough for games, web and all?

Sensamic

Sensamic

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Mar 26, 2010
3,116
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Hey everyone.

There's a deal right now for the Air 2 128GB for 459€ brand new. First, do you guys think that's a good deal? The iPad is 2 years old, right?

I want it for playing games, web surfing (but it needs to be as fast as possible loading websites), reading books and watching videos on the bed mainly.

Pretty simple stuff, but I do want it to be fast. I don't want to pay that kind of money if the tablet can't keep up with iOS 10 and future iOS 11, or if the experience wont be good enough for the next 3/4 years.

I don't need the newest and most powerful iPad, but I don't want it to struggle with games also. I wouldn't be playing heavy games. I'll use it for nice simple games. The most powerful game I would play I guess is Asphalt 8.

Also worth mentioning I have a MacBook Air 13' 2015 for use in the couch, so that's why I don't want to spend too much on a new tablet. Just mainly for games, watching movies on the bed and reading and web surfing.

Is the A8 good enough for todays standards (like games)? Should I wait for the next A10 iPad? I'm in no hurry. I can live without a tablet for the next months, but I don't want to spend 700/800€ on the next 128GB iPad. This one, the Air 2, is only 459€ right now, but it's also 2 years old.

Thanks!
 
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Yeah, at least it has 2GB RAM, like the new Pro 9.7. That's great, but I'm sure next gen will have 3GB RAM.

A8 is good now, but in a year or two?
 
It's great right now. Won't be this way forever though. If it was me I would probably be happier scoring a great deal on an Air 2 today but knowing I would want to upgrade in a year or two. Versus buying an iPad pro today and hoping it lasts me a long time.
 
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I use my Air 2 for probably 85% of my web browsing, 0% for gaming as I have a dedicated PC, and 95% of productivity and school work. As for web browsing it is fast still on iOS 10, the split screen is flawless, the only lag I have is on a webpage with a resource hogging ad(usually animated). Gaming, I do know is fine for most games although the newer games are slightly slowing down on the Air 2, Asphalt 8 would run fine though. As for my productivity, the only place I see noticeable stutter is when I have a google Slide with a lot of slides with pics and content, the sidebar will stutter a bunch when scrolling through the slides. With iOS 10, the Air 2 has yet to show any sign of aging as it still runs smoothly and does not lag in any aspect, now for iOS 11 who knows, if history is a sign it should be smooth still but you really never know. You mentioned you do not mind waiting, and that would honestly be your best bet. Wait till Spring hopefully they will unveil a Air 3 with A10X. As of now the Air 2 is going on 2 years and I would not expect it to stay smooth past iOS 11, ideally it will be smooth with iOS 12 still, we will have to see how the hardware holds up over time. If you got a Air 2 do not expect more than 2 years of smooth operation tops. My guess is I'll get a solid 4 years out of mine having owned it since 2014 debut, which would work for me as I will be graduating and would upgrade for college anyway. The Air 2 is by no doubts a great tablet but about halfway through its "golden years" you would be better off with the next model and a fresh start with the A10X.
 
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Sensamic said:
Hey everyone.

There's a deal right now for the Air 2 128GB for 459€ brand new. First, do you guys think that's a good deal? The iPad is 2 years old, right?

I want it for playing games, web surfing (but it needs to be as fast as possible loading websites), reading books and watching videos on the bed mainly.

Pretty simple stuff, but I do want it to be fast. I don't want to pay that kind of money if the tablet can't keep up with iOS 10 and future iOS 11, or if the experience wont be good enough for the next 3/4 years.

I don't need the newest and most powerful iPad, but I don't want it to struggle with games also. I wouldn't be playing heavy games. I'll use it for nice simple games. The most powerful game I would play I guess is Asphalt 8.

Also worth mentioning I have a MacBook Air 13' 2015 for use in the couch, so that's why I don't want to spend too much on a new tablet. Just mainly for games, watching movies on the bed and reading and web surfing.

Is the A8 good enough for todays standards (like games)? Should I wait for the next A10 iPad? I'm in no hurry. I can live without a tablet for the next months, but I don't want to spend 700/800€ on the next 128GB iPad. This one, the Air 2, is only 459€ right now, but it's also 2 years old.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hell yes it is fast enough for me.
 
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In my opinion that's a good deal. I have the Air 2 for a while and am pretty satisfied with it, also in iOS 10. For surfing and the occasional game it's more than adequate.
 
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gobikerider said:
I use my Air 2 for probably 85% of my web browsing, 0% for gaming as I have a dedicated PC, and 95% of productivity and school work. As for web browsing it is fast still on iOS 10, the split screen is flawless, the only lag I have is on a webpage with a resource hogging ad(usually animated). Gaming, I do know is fine for most games although the newer games are slightly slowing down on the Air 2, Asphalt 8 would run fine though. As for my productivity, the only place I see noticeable stutter is when I have a google Slide with a lot of slides with pics and content, the sidebar will stutter a bunch when scrolling through the slides. With iOS 10, the Air 2 has yet to show any sign of aging as it still runs smoothly and does not lag in any aspect, now for iOS 11 who knows, if history is a sign it should be smooth still but you really never know. You mentioned you do not mind waiting, and that would honestly be your best bet. Wait till Spring hopefully they will unveil a Air 3 with A10X. As of now the Air 2 is going on 2 years and I would not expect it to stay smooth past iOS 11, ideally it will be smooth with iOS 12 still, we will have to see how the hardware holds up over time. If you got a Air 2 do not expect more than 2 years of smooth operation tops. My guess is I'll get a solid 4 years out of mine having owned it since 2014 debut, which would work for me as I will be graduating and would upgrade for college anyway. The Air 2 is by no doubts a great tablet but about halfway through its "golden years" you would be better off with the next model and a fresh start with the A10X.
Click to expand...

Also have iPad Air 2 on iOS 10 and agree with everything gobikerider said
 
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gobikerider said:
I use my Air 2 for probably 85% of my web browsing, 0% for gaming as I have a dedicated PC, and 95% of productivity and school work. As for web browsing it is fast still on iOS 10, the split screen is flawless, the only lag I have is on a webpage with a resource hogging ad(usually animated). Gaming, I do know is fine for most games although the newer games are slightly slowing down on the Air 2, Asphalt 8 would run fine though. As for my productivity, the only place I see noticeable stutter is when I have a google Slide with a lot of slides with pics and content, the sidebar will stutter a bunch when scrolling through the slides. With iOS 10, the Air 2 has yet to show any sign of aging as it still runs smoothly and does not lag in any aspect, now for iOS 11 who knows, if history is a sign it should be smooth still but you really never know. You mentioned you do not mind waiting, and that would honestly be your best bet. Wait till Spring hopefully they will unveil a Air 3 with A10X. As of now the Air 2 is going on 2 years and I would not expect it to stay smooth past iOS 11, ideally it will be smooth with iOS 12 still, we will have to see how the hardware holds up over time. If you got a Air 2 do not expect more than 2 years of smooth operation tops. My guess is I'll get a solid 4 years out of mine having owned it since 2014 debut, which would work for me as I will be graduating and would upgrade for college anyway. The Air 2 is by no doubts a great tablet but about halfway through its "golden years" you would be better off with the next model and a fresh start with the A10X.
Click to expand...
I think in IOS 13 the Air 2 will start to showing age. May be a little slow ,but usuable like IPad 4 , but it is expected ! Don't forget that 2GB of RAM and tri core processor may help in performance in future iOS . Now, I am wondering how the original IPad Air will hold next year on IOS 11 ,and IOS 12.

Oh , IPad Air 1 will be so slow , or maybe not
 
Sensamic said:
Hey everyone.

There's a deal right now for the Air 2 128GB for 459€ brand new. First, do you guys think that's a good deal? The iPad is 2 years old, right?

I want it for playing games, web surfing (but it needs to be as fast as possible loading websites), reading books and watching videos on the bed mainly.

Pretty simple stuff, but I do want it to be fast. I don't want to pay that kind of money if the tablet can't keep up with iOS 10 and future iOS 11, or if the experience wont be good enough for the next 3/4 years.

I don't need the newest and most powerful iPad, but I don't want it to struggle with games also. I wouldn't be playing heavy games. I'll use it for nice simple games. The most powerful game I would play I guess is Asphalt 8.

Also worth mentioning I have a MacBook Air 13' 2015 for use in the couch, so that's why I don't want to spend too much on a new tablet. Just mainly for games, watching movies on the bed and reading and web surfing.

Is the A8 good enough for todays standards (like games)? Should I wait for the next A10 iPad? I'm in no hurry. I can live without a tablet for the next months, but I don't want to spend 700/800€ on the next 128GB iPad. This one, the Air 2, is only 459€ right now, but it's also 2 years old.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


If all you are doing is Asphalt 8 the problem is Asphalt 9 is around the corner. Then you are stuck with a Tri-Core CPU which is the Only of its kind and that No Apps optimize for and Graphics Core from 4 years ago. That's gonna hurt fast.

More importantly web browsing the most important thing is a Good display and the Pro 9.7 has True Tone and a much more accurate display. If you have a 9.7 Pro and trying using a Air 2 there just no going back. You really notice how blue the display is on the Air 2 is.
 
No idea what Asphalt 8 is but I've played Supercell games without issues - Clash Royal, Hay Day. Fallout Shelter also runs well though that game is a real resource hog (no surprise, most Bethesda games are). I'd say the Air 2 is fine for gaming unless you're looking for the 3D style first person games where every ounce of performance will count. I wouldn't buy the current Pros though - definitely wait for a Pro 2 if that's the route you decide on.
 
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neteng101 said:
No idea what Asphalt 8 is but I've played Supercell games without issues - Clash Royal, Hay Day. Fallout Shelter also runs well though that game is a real resource hog (no surprise, most Bethesda games are). I'd say the Air 2 is fine for gaming unless you're looking for the 3D style first person games where every ounce of performance will count. I wouldn't buy the current Pros though - definitely wait for a Pro 2 if that's the route you decide on.
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Yah those games are a cake walk for the Air 2, but I agree you should wait for the Pro 2.
 
The Air 2 is fine. You have to realize that the large majority of iPad users are still using models older than the Air 2, and app/game developers know that. They don't want to put out software that is going to suck for most of their market outside of an elite few. That's one of the advantages of iOS over Android; much less fragmentation and low-end hardware.
 
joeblow7777 said:
The Air 2 is fine. You have to realize that the large majority of iPad users are still using models older than the Air 2, and app/game developers know that. They don't want to put out software that is going to suck for most of their market outside of an elite few. That's one of the advantages of iOS over Android; much less fragmentation and low-end hardware.
Click to expand...
"Cough cough BatMan TellTale Series"
 
I won't upgrade to an 9.7 inch IPad , nor 10.5 inch IPad . I can't find a reason to upgrade to an 9.7 IPad . As I own an Air 2. I am really satisfied with it!. It's a great iPad .
 
gobikerider said:
It's a disaster even on iPhone 7 they seemed to have fixed a good amount of issues but still, that game is pushing some impressive visuals. The Air 2 is the bare minimum required iPad to run it.
Click to expand...

Sounds like poor coding rather than hardware limitations if even the iPhone 7 struggles.
 
I've found absolutely no reason to upgrade my Air 2, save for the Apple Pencil. I said this when it launched: "This is the long-haul iPad to get!" Obviously it has some mileage now, but not bad at all, and the decision is made easy by the fact that Apple hasn't upgraded the iPad at all this autumn.
 
i see no difference between my iPad Air 2 and a friends Pro tbh. However this should come as no surprise as both are running the same "iPod Touch OS" and Apps that are meant to run on even older devices
 
I came to the forum just now to see if anyone is complaining about air 2 slowing down recently. I was very tempted to get pro 9" but just remembered it still only has 2gb ram. The iPad Air 2 cannot cope with cpu intensive websites e.g. Lots of animation.
 
MyAppleWorld said:
I came to the forum just now to see if anyone is complaining about air 2 slowing down recently. I was very tempted to get pro 9" but just remembered it still only has 2gb ram. The iPad Air 2 cannot cope with cpu intensive websites e.g. Lots of animation.
Click to expand...
Example? I use Adblock and animated sites are fine
 
I don't need the pencil & am still delighted with the Air 2 I got a few months ago. I use it for work tasks, news, web surfing, Netflix & games. Very happy with the device! My husband uses my iPad Air for web surfing, Facebook & Netflix he is also very happy with it.
 
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