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All iPads Is the difference really noticeable

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chevyboy60013

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 18, 2021
459
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I recently got a really good deal at the pawn shop on an iPad Air 3 and a MacBook Air m1 from 2020. Found out the iPad somehow still had a month of Applecare and it was renewing monthly, my apple store helped me change the pay method on it so I’ll still have it which is awesome.

the question I have is the performance difference really that noticeable between the iPad Air 3 and the iPad Air 5 for normal use that isn’t really extremely extensive?
I use my MacBook for the actual video editing of the company’s drone fligh.
 
Depends on your usage and tolerance.

I mostly use iPads for reading and web browsing. The A12 is still fast but reloads occur too often on 3GB (well 4GB or less really) when switching tabs.
 
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chevyboy60013 said:
what about if went to the air 5
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Speed difference, not much. M1 just feels a bit snappier.

RAM is where it makes a big difference to me. I barely get any reloads. Granted, that’s with the iPad Pro with 16GB RAM.

I expect 8GB to do just as well though since I often see free RAM at 4-8GB while on <=4GB RAM iPads, free RAM is usually at 20-100MB. Especially so with swapfile support on M1 iPads with 128GB+ storage.
 
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Really depends on your uses.

My iPhones XS has the A12 CPU (same as iPad Air 3). I also have an iPad Mini 6th gen with the A15 CPU. Even though the iPad is much faster. For my uses. I hardly ever notice the difference. Even with an M1 in the latest iPad Air. It still wouldn't matter. Because what I do isn't enough to tax an A12 let alone an A15, A16, M1 or M2.

Anyways, you've got the iPad Air 3. It works, you got a good deal. If it feels fast enough. Then it is fast enough. Don't go looking for greener pastures. You'll just waste money on something you don't need.
 
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You would spend more on an Air 5 alone then the deal you got on both from the pawn shop, I remember your previous post lol. Is there anything the air 3 isn't doing thats up to your standards? Basically the Air 5 will be the same specs as your m1 MacBook.
 
Yeah, depends on your usage. For heavy web browsing, it might make a difference (I definitely notice a difference between my 2GB 9.7-inch iPad Pro and my 8GB iPad Air 5, especially considering the Pro has been forcibly updated to iOS 12 (probably the OS has more active processes than iOS 9), but for other light uses, the performance difference is negligible. The screen is cool, though.
 
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1BadManVan said:
You would spend more on an Air 5 alone then the deal you got on both from the pawn shop, I remember your previous post lol. Is there anything the air 3 isn't doing thats up to your standards? Basically the Air 5 will be the same specs as your m1 MacBook.
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no. They both work perfectly. However the guy I am basically having to work with who I cannot stand has a 2019 MacBook Pro and a m1 iPad Pro and kinda want to irritate him since I cannot stand him
 
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Of course sheer consumerism is always a good way to irritate people, but consider one day swapping out the tools only when they don’t do the jobs they were designed to do anymore.
 
FeliApple said:
Yeah, depends on your usage. For heavy web browsing, it might make a difference (I definitely notice a difference between my 2GB 9.7-inch iPad Pro and my 8GB iPad Air 5, especially considering the Pro has been focibky updated to iOS 12 (probably the OS has more active processes than iOS 9), but for other light uses, the performance difference is negligible. The screen is cool, though.
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Not counting RAM I would say there is more speed difference between A9X and A12 than between A12 and M1 in normal usage
 
chevyboy60013 said:
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no. They both work perfectly. However the guy I am basically having to work with who I cannot stand has a 2019 MacBook Pro and a m1 iPad Pro and kinda want to irritate him since I cannot stand him
Click to expand...
That’s a lot to spend to irritate someone lol. If the air 3 fits your needs, I would enjoy it. Just tell him you got 2 units for probably 1/4 of what he spent on his 2019 pro and your m1 is probably faster in most instances too lol
 
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