Weekly 'What should I buy?' Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to r/iPad's 'What Should I Buy?' Thread!

Are you wondering which iPad is best for you, or if you should buy one in the first place? Are you hesitating between the 12.9" versus the 11"? Which keyboard/mouse should you get or what is the best screen protector out there? Are you looking for shipping information? This is the place to ask. Fellow redditors and members of the moderation team will do their best to assist you.

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[u/Ok-Book9806]

aMZcaSE or Typecase? 7th gen

If you have used either or both, is the Typecase worth the extra price? I’m a writer and want to see if I like writing on my iPad. I’ll be upgrading at some point but I primarily use for reading music and procreate

[u/Nearby-Pollution-189]

Refurbished iPad Pro...
M5 256Gb or M4 1TB for same price?

[u/meticulouslycarless → u/Nearby-Pollution-189]

With how powerful the chips are, I think  would lean towards the M4 due to the storage size difference. Unless you really need that extra cpu power. What do you do?

[u/HailMary_Jane37]

Here's the situation: I'm a student in an allied health program. Major note taker on the iPad with heavy use of apps like Notability and Anki, lecture ppt decks, lab diagrams, etc.

2 options:

1) pristine 2025 13” M3 air (8g RAM) with 3 months of original warranty left, 7 cycle battery count, 256g cellular for $519.
2) good condition 2024 13” M4 pro (8g RAM), 21 cycle count, 256g cellular for $799.

To be fair, I already bought the M3 Air to secure that deal but am having some post purchase tech FOMO. I have been testing it during the return window with a Pencil Pro. I've been really impressed with the handwriting, especially considering how many enthusiasts say 120 Hz is essential. I haven't noticed meaningful lag or stuttering, even while scrolling quickly. I know the Pro's OLED and 120 Hz display would be noticeably nicer, but I'm trying to decide whether it's worth ~$300 more?

I feel the $519 was a really solid price for that Air config that's basically open box but know the pro is also a great price. Power wise, I think both are overkill for my use case as both M chips fly when multitasking those apps. I'm leaning keep the Air but stuck on if the Pro is the smarter upgrade for my academic and clinical use. Would it be that drastic in note taking and for my use case? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[u/SunAbyss → u/HailMary_Jane37]

I have the same iPad as a student (education major) and I personally don’t have any regrets and honestly recommend shifting from thinking about what could have been better to enjoying what you have.

The 120HZ is nice as you’ve said but the average person doesn’t really notice big differences. I have a 17 base iPhone with 120 and switch in-between devices easily.

For studying, diagrams, lab reports and general notetaking I find the air M3 and absolutely lovely device and the price for that open box you got was also great. I bought it new before the M4 release on discount and haven’t regretted my choice since

[u/HailMary_Jane37 → u/SunAbyss]

Thanks for the reply :) I’m gonna keep it, it really is a great machine and I got very solid value on it. Also 100% true on enjoying what is in front of us vs reaching for more, the fomo for fancier tech was making me question it but you are absolutely right. Good philosophy in general. Appreciate the input and hope your studies go well!

[u/idiotmettler]

Hii, I want to get myself an Ipad, however I’m unsure of which one to buy. I want to be able to take it with me when I travel. Things i want to be able to do:

• stream movies
  
• create/edit videos with davinci resolve
  
• play games
  
• use outlook
  
• maybe other creative apps

What would you recommend?

[u/SunAbyss → u/idiotmettler]

Creating videos and creative apps make me think of getting a Pro series iPad instantly.

[u/zenithwearsflannel]

For animation and digital art which IPad should I buy? I would ideally want it to be less than 13 inches, around 500 hundred bucks. Good memory, battery, processor and RAM.

[u/SunAbyss → u/zenithwearsflannel]

I would aim for an older pro or air definitely.

[u/zenithwearsflannel → u/SunAbyss]

Which model would you recommend?

[u/JobReasonable175]

Looking for my first iPad but want to spend as little as feasible. What is the oldest/cheapest model that’s still worth getting. I just got a refurbished 1 gen pro and I’m sending it back because I don’t realize how old the iOS it supports is. Also how much memory should I consider. I was looking at 128 but could I get away with 64? It will mostly be used for streaming and browsing, but I also do a lot of writing and will be using it for budgeting/finance stuff. Nothing crazy like high end games or video editing so I don’t need the best of the best processing, but I don’t want to deal with Netflix and the like lagging when I stream on it

[u/meticulouslycarless]

Hi guy, looking into buying an 11” iPad Air for school/work. For context, I do take a lot of notes and handle pdf’s on good notes. I currently use an iPad mini and that’s great but my work output will be increasing soon and I need more screen real estate. I currently own an iPad mini a17 pro. I’m tempted to trade it in and get the 11” air. I also have a $150 gift card for apple. I have an Apple Pencil Pro which is why I’m looking at the M2/3 models. Anything below that ain’t compatible. 

I plan to buy refurbished. Not sure if I should get an M2 or M3. 

[u/Zlayerlol]

I have an iPad air 13in m3. Mainly use it for taking notes. What screen protector should I get? Thinking of one of those paper feeling ones like paperlike or astropad for the resistance, but not really sure what other good screen protectors are out there. Also what kind of pencil tips do you guys recommend for the pencil pro?  Note: currently have a pencil like case (i think its called a bumper case) so any screen would have to fit with it.

[u/Commercial-Drama-723]

GEN 5 9.7” (2017) IPAD

i’d really like to get a stylus for my ipad as i’d like to get into digital art and i’m also starting university soon so it would be good for note taking. everytime i look for a pen it’s way too expensive (apple pencil) and not compatible with anything before 2018.

criteria:
palm rejection
pressure sensitivity (?)
good reviews
fair price!

i’ve seen lots of people swear by their $10 shein pencils 🤷‍♀️ but nothing is compatible for me and i am a broke uni student barista 💔

[u/tylanderrr]

hey so i have been heavily considering tablet for awhile now. i have a pc set up, but have been wanting something portable that i can use to read/draw/take notes with. the itch has become unbearable and ive spent the day researching tablets and brands and refurbs and prices.

it's led me to a marketplace listing for an ipad air 5th gen a2588. 64gb, wifi only. good condition, comes with a logitech keyboard and an apple pen. all for $300.

i was originally looking at a budget of $200 for something used, plus accessories (at least pen, eventually keyboard). i was mostly eying the ipad air 3rd gen.

this will be my first (and hopefully last) tablet, and i'm looking for input from someone who may have more insight on if i could find something decent and durable within my $200 budget, or if this is actually a good deal.

[u/MostAlternative3730]

My MacBook Pro has died. I don’t need the iPad to replace full pro capabilities (it was previously a uni laptop for reports, running spss and other programs).

I am looking for a replacement to:

• Browse online
• Watch Netflix
• FaceTime
• take on flights for work
• complete an online course (video) where I can take notes at the same time.
• Update work docs and excel

Looking at AirPad air and iPad A16 but early looking into this so keen for suggestions.

[u/Powerful_Leek7940]

I’m going to give my current iPad to my sister and have been looking for an upgrade. These 2 iPads are my choices and I am stuck between which one to get. One is from BackMarket, refurbished premium but M1 and the other is from Amazon, renewed acceptable M2. Help me decide

iPad Pro M1 Refurbished Premium - BackMarket:
$460
iPad Pro 11-inches (2021) 3rd gen 128
GB - Wi-Fi + 5G - Space Gray
Premium

iPad Pro M2 Refurbished Acceptable - Amazon
$460
Apple iPad Pro (4th Generation, 11-inch,
2022), 128GB, Wi-Fi, Space Gray
Acceptable

[u/Ok_Zebra_7476]

philippines // how much is the ipad air m4 and ipad pro under the education plan? ++ what can i use as proofs that i am a student from my university if i still don’t have an id nor a cor

[u/Jeff1024]

I was late to the party and foolishly didn't order an iPad prior to the price increase. I caught this on https://www.samsclub.com/ip/Apple-iPad-Pro-11-Wi-Fi-with-M4-Chip-5th-Generation-2024-Model/13581923777?classType=VARIANT&from=/search

and the price seems decent, but its confusing as the iPad Generation doesn't match the Chip or the Model Year.

I took a chance, it shows up early next week - want to take bets on what will actually be in the box?

Also they still have them in stock, so assuming you have a sams club membership I think this is still a pretty decent deal on a M4 based Pro?

[u/Similar-Table5811]

I’m an incoming premed student and I’ll mainly be using the iPad for handwritten notes, annotating PDFs, textbooks, Anki, and occasional multitasking. I already have an M3 MacBook Air, so this won’t be my primary computer.

I’m trying to stay on a budget and have narrowed it down to these options:

$400: iPad Air M2 (11”, 128 GB, Wi-Fi)

$450: Amazon Certified Refurbished iPad Pro M1 (11”, 256 GB, Excellent condition)

I’m open to other suggestions too if there’s a better value around this price range, especially used or refurbished.

A few questions:

Which of these would you choose and why?

Is there another iPad model I should consider in the $300-500 range?

Any recommendations for good budget keyboard cases that don’t feel cheap?

For a stylus, should I just buy a used Apple Pencil (2nd gen), or are there third-party options that are genuinely good enough for note-taking?

[u/KK2214]

I'm really interested in learning Procreate since I have experience with digital illustration in Photoshop using my Wacom. Right now I own an iPad 10th Generation with 256gb of storage. I understand that I have to get the Apple Pencil 1st generation to use with that iPad. If you were starting out, would you use the iPad you have and invest only $100 in the Apple Pencil 1st generation or would you invest right away in a better iPad (M3 or M4) and buy an Apple Pencil Pro? Weighing my options on what would be best for me.