iPad Air Why did you get the iPad Air 2025?

[Superman041]

For those who bout the 2025 iPad Air - why did you get this over the base iPad and the Pro? I'm curious on what requirements of yours made you opt for this version.

The base version seems to be mainly for basic media consumption and in schools. The Pros for 'professionals' who work in creative fields. I'm curious

 

[doogm]

I haven't bought one yet, but will in a month or so. When I travel, my iPad is my travel computer - I never bring a laptop - so I occasionally need features that the iPad Air and Pro can do. But while faceID would be nice, I don't need it, I definitely don't need the upgraded camera system, I don't care about 120 Hz refresh, and - the biggest reason - I can save $350 getting an Air instead.

 

[StoneJack]

I did not

 

[rui no onna]

I haven’t bought one because my M1 iPad Pro still serves me very well. If I were in the market for an iPad right now though, the Air will probably be my choice.

The main reason I got the Pro was for the 1TB storage. Now that’s available on the Air as well for $500 cheaper. Also, OLED gives me migraines so I’d rather stick to LCD. Only bummer is no FaceID. That’s the only Pro feature I really wish would trickle down.

 

[BriceApp]

I had the iPad Air 4, which was approaching five years old. The battery had been steadily declining over the past year, and I was also running low on storage, making OTA firmware installs between beta and public releases problematic (only 12GB of free space).

I decided that the additional $400 for the Pro wasn’t worth it, and I was happy with the Air I already had. I also didn’t want the lower-end iPad because I believe the M3 chip and 8GB of RAM will last longer. I think the battery on this M3 Air will fail before the hardware becomes outdated.

 

[FeliApple]

I didn’t get the iPad Air 7, but I have the iPad Air 5. I was upgrading from my 9.7-inch iPad Pro. At the time, the base iPad was the 9th-gen, and I had been wanting a full-screen iPad for ages. Regardless of specs, price, and anything else, the screen was what I wanted. My 9.7-inch iPad Pro had been forced from iOS 9 into iOS 12, and battery life wasn’t as good. I wanted battery life, too, but the main reason was the full-screen.

I don’t update iOS because updates destroy devices, so I kept that Air 5 on iPadOS 15. Since I can’t upgrade whenever I want, I had the opportunity to future-proof myself a bit more; as a companion to the Air 5, I got the 11th-gen iPad on iPadOS 18.

I don’t feel the loss of the laminated display, honestly, and unlike the 9th-gen iPad, this 11th-gen actually has a full-screen display. So it’s perfect for my usage pattern. A more current iOS version, amazing battery life and performance, and a great price. I think it was the perfect decision. Oh, I also got a little storage upgrade from the 64GB on the Air 5 to this 128GB.

 

[SactoGuy18]

I finally just ordered an iPad Air M3 13" 512 GB. I actually thought about getting an iPad Pro M4 13" 512 GB but the nosebleed price was out of the question. My iPad Pro 10.5" from 2017 was starting to get up there in years and I wanted somethine else that could run iPadOS 18.x and newer versions.

(Personally, I ordered it now because who knows how much Apple may add to the price of a new iPad now the potential 104% tariff on goods imported from China.)

 

[Superman041]

Seems like most replies on here are ex Ipad Pro users downgrading as opposed to base Ipad owners upgrading. Interesting

 

[SactoGuy18]

Seems like most replies on here are ex Ipad Pro users downgrading as opposed to base Ipad owners upgrading. Interesting

The iPad Pro 10.5" I got in 2017 is slow in many cases compared to the iPad Air M3. I mean, my old iPad uses an A10X Fusion chip, for gosh sakes!

 

[rui no onna]

Seems like most replies on here are ex Ipad Pro users downgrading as opposed to base Ipad owners upgrading. Interesting

To me, that makes sense. The regular iPad is a really good tablet in its own right and is a great value as far as iOS devices go. It even has the latest design language as well as storage options up to 512GB.

The reason one might want to upgrade to the Air are: laminated display, 13” size, 1TB storage option and maybe AI. Frankly, I’m guessing plenty of users would prefer to save the $250 or so rather than get the laminated display or AI.

As for “downgrading” Pro to Air, features such as 13” size, 8+GB RAM and 512GB-1TB storage that used to be limited to the Pro are now available on the Air. Unless one must absolutely have OLED, ProMotion, FaceID, quad speakers, nano-texture, etc., the Air’s more cost effective.

The Air can pretty much do 99% of what the Pro does at a lower price. The Pro just provides a more luxury experience.

 

[techmuscle]

Just got the 13" 256 blue model delivered with the Magic Keyboard. Old iPad was 12.9" 2020 Pro 256. The folio keyboard was destroyed (edges peeling and flaky sometimes not working). I wanted to buy now before any tariff related price hikes. Didn't go pro this time. Face ID will be missed but IMHO not worth the extra money. Why didn't I get the entry level iPad? Wanted the bigger screen and the longevity of the M3 chip compared to the same A16 as in my iPhone 14 Pro. Took about 30 minutes for the transfer from the old iPad to the new (mostly photos and music). The two devices are very similar. One thing I just noticed is that the volume buttons reverse when in landscape mode. I'm sure there's a setting for that.

 

[Adelphos33]

Seems like most replies on here are ex Ipad Pro users downgrading as opposed to base Ipad owners upgrading. Interesting

Very easy to explain, especially for the 13 inch models.

The 13 inch iPad Pros have been some of the most technically advanced devices Apple has made for the past several years. Groundbreaking screens, good audio, new pencil and keyboard technologies, etc.

However, for most iPad use cases, iPad and iPad Air are just as effective (though not as nice).

If you want a larger screen - and may do - you can save significant amount of money by going iPad Air. You get keyboard, laminated screen, 8GB of RAM, and the ability to do all your tasks for several years. iPad Pro would be nicer, especially with the quality of the screen - but it may cost $1,000 more.

 

[Oneironaut]

I bought the new iPad Air 11" 128GB for drawing/sketching and so of course also got the pencil pro. I am not a professional artist, so I am using it just for fun. And also to have a smaller device to bring with me when I am travelling to watch netflix. I am also having an Macbook Air M1 13" but in some situations the keyboard annoys because it's not that comfortabel.

 

[prospervic]

If you want a larger screen - and may do - you can save significant amount of money by going iPad Air. You get keyboard, laminated screen, 8GB of RAM, and the ability to do all your tasks for several years. iPad Pro would be nicer, especially with the quality of the screen - but it may cost $1,000 more.

$1000 more for a similarly equipped 13 inch iPad Pro? Where are you getting that figure from? Do you perhaps live in Australia?

 

[GMShadow]

The two devices are very similar. One thing I just noticed is that the volume buttons reverse when in landscape mode. I'm sure there's a setting for that.

There isn't - that started with the M1 iPad Pros which did have a toggle, but iPads introduced since change the volume buttons based on orientation with no option to turn that off.

 

[prospervic]

There isn't - that started with the M1 iPad Pros which did have a toggle, but iPads introduced since change the volume buttons based on orientation with no option to turn that off.

Are you sure about that?

How to flip your iPad's volume buttons to match landscape and portrait modes

Thanks to iOS 15.4, your iPad’s volume controls will finally make sense in portrait and landscape modes.

www.inverse.com

 

[rui no onna]

Are you sure about that?

How to flip your iPad's volume buttons to match landscape and portrait modes

Thanks to iOS 15.4, your iPad’s volume controls will finally make sense in portrait and landscape modes.

www.inverse.com

He’s right. See the comment in that article regarding the iPad mini 6. From the mini 6 onwards, the volume buttons are dynamic based on orientation.

It’s only on M1 iPad Pro and older where you still have an option to set fixed positions.

Basically, Apple added dynamic volume button positioning to older iPads with 15.4 but still allowed users to go back to the old configuration if they want. However, there’s no such choice for newer iPads.

 

[FeliApple]

He’s right. See the comment in that article regarding the iPad mini 6. From the mini 6 onwards, the volume buttons are dynamic based on orientation.

It’s only on M1 iPad Pro and older where you still have an option to set fixed positions.

Basically, Apple added dynamic volume button positioning to older iPads with 15.4 but still allowed users to go back to the old configuration if they want. However, there’s no such choice for newer iPads.

I can’t remember and I don’t have it with me. My Air 5 runs iPadOS 15.6. The first version for that model is iPadOS 15.4. That means I can’t revert it, right?

 

[rui no onna]

I can’t remember and I don’t have it with me. My Air 5 runs iPadOS 15.6. The first version for that model is iPadOS 15.4. That means I can’t revert it, right?

My Air 5 is running 18.4 and it doesn’t have the option for fixed volume button position. I expect the same is true for 15.4.

 

[FeliApple]

To me, that makes sense. The regular iPad is a really good tablet in its own right and is a great value as far as iOS devices go. It even has the latest design language as well as storage options up to 512GB.

The reason one might want to upgrade to the Air are: laminated display, 13” size, 1TB storage option and maybe AI. Frankly, I’m guessing plenty of users would prefer to save the $250 or so rather than get the laminated display or AI.

As for “downgrading” Pro to Air, features such as 13” size, 8+GB RAM and 512GB-1TB storage that used to be limited to the Pro are now available on the Air. Unless one must absolutely have OLED, ProMotion, FaceID, quad speakers, nano-texture, etc., the Air’s more cost effective.

The Air can pretty much do 99% of what the Pro does at a lower price. The Pro just provides a more luxury experience.

This, and also, it’s not the same if you upgrade from a 5th-gen iPad Pro (M1) with the same capabilities to an iPad Air 7 (M3), than if you upgrade from a 1st-gen iPad Pro with the A9X. The software version and the capabilities are entirely different.

Compare a high enough delta between generations, and the capabilities are unmatched. What does my 9.7-inch iPad Pro running iOS 12 have over my 11th-gen iPad running iPadOS 18? The quad speakers and the laminated display (and some other small features, like the P3 colour stuff). So a few hardware differences, which pale in comparison to the full-screen design of my 11th-gen iPad, even if the screen isn’t laminated and colours are sRGB (which I don’t even notice, but I’m just giving an example).

So there comes a point in which nobody would recommend keeping a Pro over even a base iPad model (i.e., it would be considered an upgrade), so Apple’s moniker and feature differentiation will eventually be insufficient.