Locator: 49563IPADS.
iPad recommendation.
First decision / choice: small or big? 11-inch or 13-inch.
Five-year-old hands, 11-inch. No question.
Adult hands: 13-inch. But some adults prefer 11-inch, not because of hand-size, but how and where they will be using it.
The 11-inch is like a giant iPhone. Really giant.
The 13-inch is like a .... well, a giant iPad.
But if you don't know size you want, you need to physically hold each to know what you want.
Me? I would only take the 13-inch for myself.
For five-year-old grandsons, I got them the 11-inch which they love.
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13-inch
iPad Pro (new) or iPad Air
Go to this link and scroll down, comparing each model line-by-line: https://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/?modelList=ipad-pro-13-m5,ipad-air-13-m3.
Only three major differences that I would think about:
- chip: M3 vs M5.
- both do the very same thing; the M5 might be faster but unless you do a lot of gaming, etc, you won't notice.
- you don’t need the M5 chip. The M3 is practically brand new and is optimized for AI, as is the entire “M” line of chips.
- price difference. Significant.
- the Pro starts at $1,299. The Air starts at $799
- [The smaller 11-inch Air starts at $600. At Amazon, an incredible, $499. Can't be beat if one wants a smaller iPad.]
- Touch ID and Face ID.
- the less expensive Air doesn’t have Face ID; it has Touch ID.
Amazon:
- At Amazon, the 13-inch iPad Air, 128GB is selling for $649.
- At Amazon, the 13-inch iPad Air, 256 GB is an overall pick and is selling for $749.
- At Amazon, the 13-inch iPad Pro is ALSO an overall pick and is selling for $1,099.
I prefer Face ID but for $450 less, I can go with Touch ID.
So, with the iPad Air, one gets a "better bang for the dollar,” but if money is no object, iPad Pro might be the way to go, but even if money is no object, I still can't get past getting the iPad AIR. Although that's a close call. But the 256GB for the Pro is very, very enticing vs 128GB for the Air in the starting (least expensive) configuration.
Don’t get cellular. You can connect on wi-fi almost anywhere these days, and you can always use your iPhone as a hotspot.
Bottom line:
- for your needs, assuming you are price conscious, I would recommend the iPad Air, basic configuration, 128GB. If you don't like it, I will buy it from you and you can upgrade to the iPad Pro.
- for a bit more money, $100 extra at Amazon, the 256GB iPad, M3, 13-inch is the better buy if you are willing to jump from an incredible $649 to a still-pretty-good $749 price.
- if price is no object, then the 13-inch iPad Pro which starts with the 256GB so you don't need to add more.
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Family Member Replies
I want it for international travel/tourism, more than just my iPhone but less than a computer.
My reply:
That’s a tough one. For travels, you might prefer the 11-inch — but then get the 256BG version ($549) at Amazon. That is also an overall pick per Amazon.
Then, I changed that to:
Actually, that’s not a tough one. For travels, I would get myself the 13-inch because I’m used to carrying a bigger iPad / computer in my backpack, but you would probably prefer the 11-inch for travels. It will be way, way better than the iPhone. Just the photos and video would be amazing.
11-inch iPad Air but size up to 256BG.
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