iPad New iPad vs. iPad Air 2

[Mr West]

As I mentioned in a previous post, I bought an iPad Air 2 last week, and have still 3 weeks left to return it.

Now I'm wondering if I should switch to the new iPad...

I mostly care about portability and the device being future-proof. Battery life is less important.

I think it would be best to stick to the Air 2, but I'm still not sure if it will be able to keep up with iOS updates as long as the (faster?) new iPad.

Another issue, I need the iPad in two weeks.

Any advice from you guys would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[gobikerider]

As I mentioned in a previous post, I bought an iPad Air 2 last week, and have still 3 weeks left to return it.

Now I'm wondering if I should switch to the new iPad...

I mostly care about portability and the device being future-proof. Battery life is less important.

I think it would be best to stick to the Air 2, but I'm still not sure if it will be able to keep up with iOS updates as long as the (faster?) new iPad.

Another issue, I need the iPad in two weeks.

Any advice from you guys would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

If you don't game on your iPad and don't care about having a antiglare display that's laminated. If you don't mind losing that then go ahead upgrade for that extra longevity. Also don't forget your Air 2 is thinner and lighter. The new iPad would have better battery probably

 

[v1597psh]

I think the new iPad will be a downgrade for you in every way. A9 is actually performs about the same as A8X and everything else of this new iPad is worse that iPad Air 2

 

[uwdude]

This is odd that they decided to go with a cheap iPad that's not as good as what it's replacing. That tells me they think there are two customers- people wanting the best/latest, and people wanting cheapest to get into the ecosystem.

 

[sracer]

If the new iPad Air doesn't suffer from speaker vibration and the non-anti-glare screen doesn't show fingerprints as much as the Air 2 then I think it is worth returning and exchanging.

 

[QCassidy352]

New iPad: slightly faster (single core), better battery (we assume)

iPad Air 2: thinner, lighter, laminated anti-glare screen

For my uses, the air 2's advantages are more important than the new one's adavtanges, but whichever way you come down, they are extremely similar, and you probably wouldn't notice much of any difference is real world use.

 

[Mr West]

Thanks a lot for all the advice.
Since portability is important to me, I think I will stick to the Air 2.
It also saves me the hassle of returning the iPad (and the cover which comes from another shop).

I will also be reimbursed for any price drops that may occur in the coming 3 weeks.

 

[gigaguy]

Nothing odd about it, of course they are going to further differentiate the iPad from the Pro, makes total sense. I'd keep the Air 2, a marvel of engineering imo.. just got one for my mom at pawn shop for $200.

 

[44267547]

This is odd that they decided to go with a cheap iPad that's not as good as what it's replacing. That tells me they think there are two customers- people wanting the best/latest, and people wanting cheapest to get into the ecosystem.

Aside from the declining iPad market, I commend Apple for bringing in a base iPad with similaraities to the Air 2. Not everyone needs/wants the Pro features to accomplish what they want with the iPad. The price point is affordable with a few sacrifices, but I feel it will do really well.

 

[Badrottie]

I think Air 2 would last 2 more years until iOS update is done with Air 2 so it is not enough if you want it longer than 2 years the new iPad is your best option.

 

[yimitz]

Thanks a lot for all the advice.
Since portability is important to me, I think I will stick to the Air 2.
It also saves me the hassle of returning the iPad (and the cover which comes from another shop).

I will also be reimbursed for any price drops that may occur in the coming 3 weeks.

I'm in the exact same position. Picked up my new Air 2 last week. Its primary use will be to run an app that controls a sound mixing console remotely. I've decided to keep the Air 2 after the news today. I really like the thinness of the thing, and I suspect that the difference in battery life won't be all that significant. This is my first Apple device of any kind, and I'm really liking it so far.

 

[zorinlynx]

Anyone know if the new iPad will have a rotation lock switch, since it uses the iPad Air chassis?

 

[MultiFinder17]

Anyone know if the new iPad will have a rotation lock switch, since it uses the iPad Air chassis?

Given the pictures on Apple's site, nope.

 

[bodonnell202]

Personally I think the Air 2 is a better device than the new iPad in most areas. The new iPad appears to be an Air 1 with an A9 chip, Touch ID and the camera from the Air 2.

The only advantages to the new iPad are that it will be slightly faster (but only slightly, the A9 isn't really a big upgrade vs the A8X), probably somewhat better battery life and probably an extra year of the iOS updates.

 

[chrisforpm]

I sold my iPad mini 4 a few months ago. I missed having an iPad so I decided to go ahead and get an Air 2 this past weekend (my carrier had them for $100 off). No regrets, I feel like the Air 2 is a better buy, especially when it comes to portability.

 

[iop]

Also, there is no 64 GB model anymore.

 

[rui no onna]

This is odd that they decided to go with a cheap iPad that's not as good as what it's replacing. That tells me they think there are two customers- people wanting the best/latest, and people wanting cheapest to get into the ecosystem.

Cheap is the key word here. Retailers may have run frequent sales on the iPad Air 2 but bear in mind its retail price is still $399.

The 2017 iPad is lowering that entry level to $329 which should be more appealing to the general public. Given I know people who buy Jimmy Choos and drive a Lexus but balk at spending $400+ for mobile electronics and couldn't care less if the display or retina or not, I think it's a smart decision. This is targeting buyers of mid-level Android tablets who would've preferred to buy an iPad but couldn't justify spending $400+ on one. This isn't for the techies and Apple faithful who wouldn't bat an eyelash on spending $600-1000 on iPads.

 

[Zaft]

Best buy has the iPad air 2, 32gb for $299. IMO thats the better buy because of the screen.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I would keep the air 2. I had the air 1 before I got the air 2 and the screen, speakers and and thinner design were significant upgrades.

 

[rui no onna]

Best buy has the iPad air 2, 32gb for $299. IMO thats the better buy because of the screen.

Alas, those have been out of stock in my area for a while now and I expect supply on brand new clearance will dry up eventually. Still, the Air 2's a pretty great buy at $100 off retail if you can find one. Between Air 2 and new iPad at similar price, I'd definitely opt for the Air 2.

 

[perezr10]

I would keep the air 2. I had the air 1 before I got the air 2 and the screen, speakers and and thinner design were significant upgrades.

The laminated screen on the Air 2 alone is worth choosing it over the new $329 iPad. It's a pretty big step up in quality for persnickety people. But I know some who think the non-retina iPad is just fine.

 

[infinitejest]

How much better is the A9 chip compared to the A8X chip?
Multi core scores are basically the same, only the single core score of the A9 is 600 over the A8X. Which one is more important?

 

[BeatCrazy]

I think Air 2 would last 2 more years until iOS update is done with Air 2 so it is not enough if you want it longer than 2 years the new iPad is your best option.

I think the Air 2 will have a lot of iOS updates left, just like the original 2 held on so long.

 

[rui no onna]

How much better is the A9 chip compared to the A8X chip?
Multi core scores are basically the same, only the single core score of the A9 is 600 over the A8X. Which one is more important?

If multi-core performance is the same, then the one with faster single core performance is always better.

Rough estimate based on Apple's comparison charts, A9 CPU is 1.45x and GPU is 1.15x of A8X.