Ipad Air 2 still half decent?

Martynt74 · 3 Apr 2019 at 16:00

I've currently got an Ipad 4. It's only 16gb which is annoying sometimes and is no longer supported for updates. Whilst performance isn't awful it isn't brilliant compared to my phone.

I don't really use it much, but would like to start using it more around the house/for home automation.

I've been thinking for a while about upgrading it and with the Ebay 20% off deal at the moment, the Ipad Air 2 is only £170 for the 32gb model which should be fine for me.

Is it worth doing that or just spending the extra £130 to get the current Ipad 2018? Obviously i'll get some future proofing in there and it's not particularly much extra.

No-One · 3 Apr 2019 at 16:47

I have an air 2 and find it pefectly usable for general use. I did read somewhere a while back that it was rumoured to not be in line to get iOS 13 though. Keeping in mind it will be 5 years old this year though so it wouldn't surprise me. Hopefully we'll find out around WWDC

KraniX · 5 Apr 2019 at 06:51

My wife has an air 2, has been going strong for years, battery life still good, is used by the kids a lot and had held up very well.

The screen is better than many versions which came later, excluding the pro obviously.

The_Abyss · 5 Apr 2019 at 17:05

Still using one just fine here. It doesn't seem to load intensive apps as quickly as it once did, but it copes with everything thrown at it.

I keep considering an upgrade but there's just nothing worth going to without spending £500+

malachi · 7 Apr 2019 at 00:31

I would pay the extra and go for the iPad Air 2019 if you want abit of extra future proofing.

Bluecube · 7 Apr 2019 at 08:09

I’d pay the extra and go for the latest bog standard iPad. More up to date tech, supports Apple Pencil if that floats your boat and will be supported with iOS updates for a good few years yet. It’ll be an extra £130 well spent.

aoaaron · 7 Apr 2019 at 12:56

its all dependant on what you use it for.
i use mine for netflix and nplayer (1080p anime normally).
therefore i think any ipad will do, and my ipad pro is certainly a little underutilised.

I prefer to buy for a use-case scenario rather than trying to future proof with an ipad as I've found every ipad I've owned (3 of them) all get relegated to a very niche use within a month or two.

Martynt74 · 11 Apr 2019 at 10:26

aoaaron said:
its all dependant on what you use it for.
i use mine for netflix and nplayer (1080p anime normally).
therefore i think any ipad will do, and my ipad pro is certainly a little underutilised.

I prefer to buy for a use-case scenario rather than trying to future proof with an ipad as I've found every ipad I've owned (3 of them) all get relegated to a very niche use within a month or two.

Cheers, to be honest my Ipad 4 still functions for most of what i want to use it for. I think i just have upgraditis!

OverDrive · 18 Apr 2019 at 11:35

I’ve had an Air 2 for the past 4.5 years. It’s been brilliant and still works perfectly. However, there are rumours that it may not be supported by the upcoming iOS 13, by which time the model will be 5 years old.

If you are going to upgrade, I really would consider a more recent model. The 2018 9.7in iPad is great value and will be supported for a good few years/iOS releases to come, it’s very slightly thicker than the Air 2, not by much though.

If you are considering the recently released 10.5in Air (often referred to as the Air 3), it may also be worth looking at a used 10.5in iPad Pro. The 10.5in Pro is a 2017 model that was discontinued with the launch of the Air 3. While it has an earlier generation processor, it’s more advanced in other areas, notably; screen, speakers and camera.

OverDrive · 3 Jun 2019 at 20:52

It’s been confirmed that the Air 2 will indeed get the iOS 13 update later this year.

Daaaavvveee · 3 Jun 2019 at 21:20

I got a new iPad (2018) for £224 with the eBay code, may be worth doing that?

Minstadave · 3 Jun 2019 at 21:57

Bluecube said:
I’d pay the extra and go for the latest bog standard iPad. More up to date tech, supports Apple Pencil if that floats your boat and will be supported with iOS updates for a good few years yet. It’ll be an extra £130 well spent.

I picked up one of these last week, £220 off Ebay. Wife seems chuffed with it.

Considerably faster than the iPad Air 2.

Martynt74 · 4 Jun 2019 at 11:10

Cheers guys

Yeah i ended up using an ebay code last week to get one for £220 although mine was refurbished rather than brand new. Very happy with it though. The smaller bezel makes it feel nicer and hopefully i can start to use it more.