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As with most Apple stuff, if you intend on keeping it for a while, go for the newest one you can afford.
They’ll eventually stop supporting the older stuff so the newer you go, the longer you’ll have until that’s a problem.
So I wanted to pick up something for sofa surfing, some Netflix on the commute, emailing on a beanbag rather than at my desk etc. I was looking to pick up a 2nd hand iPad, probably the 12.9 version. Scrolling through eBay and CEX the price differences between the 3rd gen 2018 A12X and the 5th Gen 2021 M1 seem to be in the 200 range, now going from a 500 iPad to a 700 iPad for the M1 and 3 years less-old is arguably money well spent (perhaps!) but the brand new ones at over 1k are too much for what I want to do really.
I was doing a fairly detailed comparison on GsM arena between all the versions https://m.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?...&idPhone2=9387
But apart from the CPU and the LCD to Liquid Retina change there’s not much in it, it seems.
I’m never going to be encoding iMovie films with this, so is there any real reason to not go for the cheaper older one?
Ive been trying to find functional differences which have changed over the generations, like a changelog, but no real success! Anyone know of one? I don’t want to get the older one and find out that it doesn’t support an external display, or some other widget that I end up yearning for!!
As with most Apple stuff, if you intend on keeping it for a while, go for the newest one you can afford.
They’ll eventually stop supporting the older stuff so the newer you go, the longer you’ll have until that’s a problem.
So long as it has Face ID it will be modern enough.
There are new iPads due in May apparently so I would consider waiting a few weeks if you want a new one from a shop
My wife has the 12.9 pro and I have the 11 pro. We both seem to only really at them breakfast bar while cooking/eating or on a plane if ever going on holiday. Don’t think we’ve ever used them on the sofa but my mum is glued to hers on the sofa all day long.
If you can hold off for a couple of weeks there is a refresh of the iPad Air and iPad Pro lines coming. There is going to be a larger iPad Air, OLED iPad Pro models and a new Magic keyboard. Whilst you may not want the latest and greatest, it will mean the current models will be reduced.
My A1670 - iPad 12.9 2nd gen - is still going strong. That model was apparently brought out in 2017. I can’t remember but may have got from the Apple refurbed section of their site. I don’t make huge demands but it handles all the streaming apps amd browsing without any drama.
As others have suggested, the newer models will become obsolete later than newer ones so buying a newish just superseded model might give best long-term value.
There’s some comparison functionality here:
https://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/
Last edited by David_D; 18th April 2024 at 22:28.
I'd go with the cheapest option and see how it goes. I'd actually go for the smaller one if using for commuting, but my trains rammed of a morning.
Paid £150 for a gen 6 9.7.last year and it's does everything you need. If I lose it, drop it, etc not a huge deal
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There are two routes here: Buy the cheapest you can find to prove you actually use and benefit from it, or push the budget for longevity.
If you can find an M1 processor iPad that would be my recommendation. The M-series chips are likely to be supported for many years yet, so the extra outlay will pay you back in the long run. The M1 chips also unlocked some capabilities, like better external display support, but these tend to be edge-cases. Again though, it's worth considering so you buy once and trust it'll last you many years.
The 12.9" iPad is a big bugger though, so get hands on before you go down that route. It's a fantastic thing no doubt, but the size of it is a blessing in some situations and an absolute curse in others. I personally found the 11" version the universal sweet spot for most things, and it should be cheaper too.
My iPad is what’s known as “vintage” and eight years old.
Just getting a new battery in it as it isn’t lasting very long. Other than that it’s great for movies on the plane, surfing and photo editing.
I have the 9"? screen gen6. Was going to buy the 10, but didn't due to the $170 jump in price over the 9
Neighbor bought the 9 and as did my niece for the twins. Not much difference vs. the 10 to justify the increase.
I'm waiting on the 11th gen. to see what's what. Not worth it. Will wait for the 12th gen.
Didn't discount the 9th to sell off like they did with earlier versions and most likely won't discount the 10th (might 9th by then) when the next model comes out
Canadian prices
I upgraded to a 10 th Gen about three months ago. All the reviews said go for the 9 th gen as other than “ liquid retina “ display all other specs are equal. At the time it was about £150 more for the 10.
When it came to buy, I googled Argos / John Lewis the 10th gen was the same price as the 9 th!! Go figure. I came from a 7 th gen ex Apple refurb. Ok the 10 is a lot quicker but I cant perceive any major difference with the display.
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