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What is the oldest iPad that runs on current iOS and does so well?

AlphaVictor87

AlphaVictor87

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 7, 2011
797
27
Saint Louis, MO
So we tried getting an Amazon Kindle Fire kids edition for my son and it was just way too slow and didn't have anything like guided access on iOS. So we returned it and want to get an iPad for him but nothing current. Way too expensive for an almost 20 month old.

So I saw an iPad 2 for around $150 on Amazon but wasn't sure if it still has the current iOS version and if its standing the test of time speed wise.

Anyone know of any good deals that I can go for? Trying to stay sub $200
 
For a 20 month old, get either a mini 2 or a mini 4. Our 5yo and 8yo have mini 2's and we payed $179 new. They've had them since Christmas 2015 and seem to handle the latest update ok. Our 14 month old chews on them, plays with them, talks to Siri, and they seem to be enduring pretty well.
 
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Jnesbitt82 said:
For a 20 month old, get either a mini 2 or a mini 4. Our 5yo and 8yo have mini 2's and we payed $179 new. They've had them since Christmas 2015 and seem to handle the latest update ok. Our 14 month old chews on them, plays with them, talks to Siri, and they seem to be enduring pretty well.
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Thanks for the tip! Where did you buy them?
 
d5aqoëp said:
Oldest iPad to run iOS flawlessly has to be iPad Air 2. It has some serious CPU + GPU power under the hood. All other iPads before it were lame attempts. iPad 4 may come close 2nd.
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I would agree with this. The iPad Air 2 amazes me still how fast it is.
 
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My iPad Air 2 still flies and probably will still on iOS 11 so if you go with the 16 gb wifi only you should be good to go.
 
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As others have said, the oldest iPad that still runs the latest version of iOS well is the iPad Air 2, but good luck getting one for under $200. Maybe used.
 
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Since this is for a 20 month old kid, a iPad 2 or iPad mini 1 with iOS 9.3.5 is perfectly servicable. If it really has to be iOS 10 (don´t see why, though), the mini 2.
 
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It really depends on what your definition of "runs well" is.

If, like others here, "runs well" means "flawless", then sure - iPad Air 2 or Mini 4.
If, however, "runs well" means "may not be flawless, but is no slouch either" then you have a LOT more options: iPad Mini 3, 2 or iPad Air 1, iPad 4.

Personally, I still own a couple legacy devices (Air 1, Mini 2) all with the latest OS and I think they run perfectly well. In fact, I think they run better under iOS 10 than they did under 9.
 
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We're talking about an iPad for a 20 month old baby, right? Does it really have to run the latest OS flawlessly? Is the kid going to complain about GPU performance or RAM limitations, or even if it's not running the latest OS version at all?
 
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i just bought an air 2 wifi and cellular 16GB for £250...doubt you will find anything lower than that here at least
 
joeblow7777 said:
We're talking about an iPad for a 20 month old baby, right? Does it really have to run the latest OS flawlessly? Is the kid going to complain about GPU performance or RAM limitations, or even if it's not running the latest OS version at all?
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No this was mainly so I knew it had all updates related to guided access. I haven't had an apple device in years so I'm really out of the loop
 
My fiancé has an iPad 4 and it still does very well. It has the occasional hiccup, which is probably due to the fact that it has 1GB of RAM and an A6X, but everything works fine after giving it a second to load. I feel like the 4 was the last iPad that fit Apple's original bill for a consumption device that essentially allowed you to enjoy iPhone content on a larger screen, ya'know, before it was decided to turn it into a computer in its own right.
 
AlphaVictor87 said:
No this was mainly so I knew it had all updates related to guided access. I haven't had an apple device in years so I'm really out of the loop
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So really, I think anything that will run iOS 10 at all will be sufficient, and that's any iPad except the original, iPad 2, or iPad mini 1. Many people are suggesting the Air 2, but that's probably overkill for such a young child. I know plenty of adults who are satisfied with less current iPads.
 
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I know the iPad 3 will run IOS 10, but it is pretty slow. I believe the iPad 2 will as well, but is probably even worse. Last year I traded my iPad 3 in for an iPad 4 so I could finally ditch the 30 pin and go all lightning on my devices. The iPad 4 runs IOS 10 better than the iPad 3, but it is still pretty slow with some apps like Facebook and Safari on larger websites. It would probably be good enough for a kid that age.

I'm actually still using an iPad 1 for my 3 year old daughter, but it is hard finding apps that still work on it. It pretty much is just used for movies and music, which it still works fine for. Everything else is pretty bad. Eventually I will give her my iPad 4 when I upgrade to a 12.9" Pro (waiting for the 2 gen).

If you are just looking to use it for movies/music then I would say get an iPad 1. They can be found real cheap and won't hurt too much if the kid ruins it. If she is advanced enough to want to play games, color, etc. with different apps then I would try to stay with iPad 4, or iPad Mini 2 as the oldest models.
 
Intell said:
The iPad 2 and 3 cannot run iOS 10. The last supported version is iOS 9.3.5.
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I could have sworn I updated my iPad 3 to IOS 10 before I traded it in, but I will take your word on it. Either way it was running pretty slow and I wouldn't really recommend anyone buy an iPad 2 or 3 anymore. Like I said I would get an original iPad if he just wants movies/music, or go with a the iPad 4/Mini 2 or newer if he wants to run other apps.
 
iPad Air (1st gen) can do it. Just be sure to leave about 1.5gb of storage headroom on a 16gb version. The Air can be grouchy when nearly full. Prices are really low and there are plenty on the market. I regularly see $130-185 USD in my area. I got my toddler grandchildren secondhand iPad Airs, just recently, and they work great. Avoid the iPad 2 like the plague.

The iPad Air 2 is even better, but, I'd only get one if it is an absolute screaming bargain.
 
joeblow7777 said:
So really, I think anything that will run iOS 10 at all will be sufficient, and that's any iPad except the original, iPad 2, or iPad mini 1. Many people are suggesting the Air 2, but that's probably overkill for such a young child. I know plenty of adults who are satisfied with less current iPads.
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Awesome thanks that's good to know since I was actually looking at an iPad 2. I'll stay away from it
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Digger148 said:
iPad Air (1st gen) can do it. Just be sure to leave about 1.5gb of storage headroom on a 16gb version. The Air can be grouchy when nearly full. Prices are really low and there are plenty on the market. I regularly see $130-185 USD in my area. I got my toddler grandchildren secondhand iPad Airs, just recently, and they work great. Avoid the iPad 2 like the plague.

The iPad Air 2 is even better, but, I'd only get one if it is an absolute screaming bargain.
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Where can you find those? Any iPad Air (first gen) I find is almost $300
 
Future proof if you can at a good price.

My 4 year old kidnapped my Air 2 2 years ago and I havent used that thing since.

It will be a good device for him for another 2-4 years I am thinking.
 
There is great advice on this thread.

Do not attempt to use an iPad 2. I have one that I thought Id use for games but it does not run OS10, frequently crashes and lags.
 
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