ipad air vs ipad 4?

[desura]

Anyone with experience with both care to chime in?

 

[poofyhairguy]

I personally vote for the iPad 4. It is simply the best iPad value ever, or maybe second best to the iPad 2.

You get the nice SoC, lightening port, and Retina screen of an Air. But you also end up with more effective RAM than the Air thanks to the Air's 64bit software.

Honestly if it was my money I would wait and see if they actually put 2GB in this year's Air. That would make IT the best iPad value ever.

An air is much better in the hand, but reloading tabs in Safari sucks.

 

[desura]

I personally vote for the iPad 4. It is simply the best iPad value ever, or maybe second best to the iPad 2.

You get the nice SoC, lightening port, and Retina screen of an Air. But you also end up with more effective RAM than the Air thanks to the Air's 64bit software.

Honestly if it was my money I would wait and see if they actually put 2GB in this year's Air. That would make IT the best iPad value ever.

An air is much better in the hand, but reloading tabs in Safari sucks.

I've been thinking the same thing, but still the A7 is twice as fast as the A6, and as Anandtech has demonstrated over and over, web-surfing is dependent on processor speed.

 

[poofyhairguy]

web-surfing is dependent on processor speed.

Sure, for actually loading the tab from scratch. But pulling a loaded tab from memory is always going to be faster than reloading it from scratch.

Its not just the Safari thing- I don't see any way all these 1GB iOS device are not obsoleted pretty quickly when that barrier is broken. App developers will run to use that capacity, and then eventually iOS itself will probably take advantage of the extra RAM.

So I think if you are a flipper(you are going to flip the thing in a year anyway) its a close race. If you are a hoarder (keep mobile device for years and years) I would wait for the 2014 model in hopes for more RAM.

 

[desura]

Sure, for actually loading the tab from scratch. But pulling a loaded tab from memory is always going to be faster than reloading it from scratch.

Its not just the Safari thing- I don't see any way all these 1GB iOS device are not obsoleted pretty quickly when that barrier is broken. App developers will run to use that capacity, and then eventually iOS itself will probably take advantage of the extra RAM.

So I think if you are a flipper(you are going to flip the thing in a year anyway) its a close race. If you are a hoarder (keep mobile device for years and years) I would wait for the 2014 model in hopes for more RAM.

So you're saying that at some point Safari will go 64bit (if not already) and when it does the iPad air will be really squeezed for RAM? Seeing how 64bit apps take 20-30% more RAM. While the 4 will stay with 32bit.

I've thought similar...

has anyone done a tab test between the two...

 

[Mopetar]

I'm still using an iPad 3 which is fine for typical use. Depending on what the next iPad looks like I may upgrade if there's enough reason to (2 GB RAM, 128 GB storage, etc.) but it's nowhere near mandatory since I don't run many games, or demanding apps.

If nothing else, wait a week until the new ones are announced. Even if you don't intend to buy the newest iPad, it should cause a price drop on previous models as people flood the market with them as they upgrade.

 

[poofyhairguy]

So you're saying that at some point Safari will go 64bit (if not already) and when it does the iPad air will be really squeezed for RAM? Seeing how 64bit apps take 20-30% more RAM. While the 4 will stay with 32bit.

I've thought similar...

has anyone done a tab test between the two...

First thing I did when I got my hands on an Air was to open up a bunch of tabs because Anand pointed out this issue last year. I think pretty much every Apple-provided app is 64 bit now and sure enough Safari was reloading tabs like crazy (compared to my wife's iPhone 5).

I think this is the iPhone 4 all over again: ie The iPhone 4 will run iOS7, but it does it with half the features turned off. I think one day these 64 bit iPhones/iPads with 1GB will still be able to RUN the OS longer than the iPad 4 will (some future iOS will guaranteed be all 64 bit). But how well will it run it?

I think use case matter too. My friend who owned the Air didn't mind when I pointed out his new toy's obvious deficiency because in his words "I never have more than 3 tabs open." I just looked and my Chrome on my phone has 68 tabs right now, so I am at the other end of the spectrum.

 

[Super56K]

I notice tabs reloading at about the same rate on my N7 2013 as when I had an iPad 3. Often, even opening a private browsing session is enough to need to reload tabs, and I rarely have more than 6 tabs at any time. 2gb of memory didn't do a thing to 'improve' the situation, but I've never really considered it a problem either.

As for iPad 4 vs Air. . .don't make a decision until after next week's Apple event. I have a feeling that a 3rd gen iPad mini would be a better buy than either of those for $400, but if only picking between the aforementioned two tablets, I'd try to pick up a used/refurb Air for ~$300 while everyone is going ga-ga over the latest generation hardware. And I would suggest an Air primarily for it's light weight and smaller size. That's not to be underestimated in a 10" tablet. A6 is getting long in the tooth too.

 

[Eug]

iPad Air 2 of course.

Between the 4 and Air, definitely the Air. Way, WAY lighter. Plus the Air is much faster.

Unfortunately both the 4 and Air are light on RAM. Hopefully the Air 2 addresses this.

 

[Ravynmagi]

The iPad 4 is a freaking brick. It's heavy and it has those annoying narrow edges, it's overall a pretty uncomfortable tablet to hold for long. The iPad Air is definitely worth paying a bit more to get something that is considerably lighter and has the more rounded edges.

 

[Oyeve]

Ipad 4 is better as it is cheaper. Yeah the air has more oomph but until something actually utilizes it we'll be on Ipad 6

 

[Eug]

Ipad 4 is better as it is cheaper. Yeah the air has more oomph but until something actually utilizes it we'll be on Ipad 6

The primary concern for me now between the two is not even the speed. It is the weight. The iPad 4 is just too heavy for my tastes.

However, that's between the two. As I said before, I personally would go for the iPad Air 2, if it got 2 GB of RAM. All iPads right now are short on RAM.

 

[Mopetar]

The primary concern for me now between the two is not even the speed. It is the weight. The iPad 4 is just too heavy for my tastes.

Is is really that much of a difference? I guess I've never actually picked up an Air so I wouldn't know, but perhaps it's a matter of once you've used something lighter you can't go back. However the iPad 3 I have have was lighter than the first generation model it replaced so perhaps its all a matter of perspective.

 

[Oyeve]

Is is really that much of a difference? I guess I've never actually picked up an Air so I wouldn't know, but perhaps it's a matter of once you've used something lighter you can't go back. However the iPad 3 I have have was lighter than the first generation model it replaced so perhaps its all a matter of perspective.

The Ipad 4 is a little lighter than the 3 but not as light as the air.

 

[Eug]

The iPad 4 weighs 40% more than the Air. 652 g vs 469 g. It is an enormous difference.

 

[lopri]

I have to agree with the weight concern. Previous iPads are really heavy. The new one and the mini are much more portable.

 

[Commodus]

I went from the 3rd-gen iPad (same weight and dimensions as the 4th-gen) to the iPad Air... spring for the Air if you can, or wait for the Air's sequel to be announced next week. My Air is so much thinner and lighter that I can't imagine ever going back.

 

[Red Storm]

The bezels alone are enough for me to recommend the Air. The iPad 4 with its thick bezels is an ugly aged looking slab.

 

[Eug]

I'm not as concerned about the bezels myself.

BTW, one site has published pix of parts from the iPad Air 2 and if legit there could be an A8X and 2 GB RAM.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=36798103#post36798103

 

[poofyhairguy]

I'm not as concerned about the bezels myself.

BTW, one site has published pix of parts from the iPad Air 2 and if legit there could be an A8X and 2 GB RAM.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=36798103#post36798103

Thank freaking God, the 1GB RAM nightmare might be over.

 

[Mopetar]

The iPad 4 weighs 40% more than the Air. 652 g vs 469 g. It is an enormous difference.

I never realized it was that much of a difference. I wonder if the newer one is going to be even lighter.

 

[gmaster456]

The reason why I didn't buy the iPad air, retina mini or iPhone 6 is because of the 1gb of ram and I will continue to refuse buying anymore iOS devices until this is addressed. It's getting pretty ridiculous at this point. Especially for tablets.

 

[poofyhairguy]

If they put 2GB in a $500 tablet but can't put 2GB of RAM in a $800 phone than this year's versions of the iPhones will be the biggest Apple screwjob in years.

 

[Mopetar]

If they put 2GB in a $500 tablet but can't put 2GB of RAM in a $800 phone than this year's versions of the iPhones will be the biggest Apple screwjob in years.

It might not be a clear-cut case of Apple being cheap. Consider that they only release one (well, two now, but the internals are the same) models per year and that they could be supply constrained.

Also, having additional RAM requires additional power, so if they can get away with not including more, they get better battery life as well so there are other design considerations.

That said, they probably should have gone with 2 GB. I don't think it's strictly necessary, but it does help future-proof the device to some degree. However, given that there aren't that many apps that need that much and it's uncertain if any killer apps will require that much, I'm not sure how big of a deal it will be, but then again web-page bloat will probably be enough to make 1 GB rather painful by the end of two years.

 

[poofyhairguy]

It might not be a clear-cut case of Apple being cheap. Consider that they only release one (well, two now, but the internals are the same) models per year and that they could be supply constrained.

Maybe, but at least the phablet model could have 2GB.

Also, having additional RAM requires additional power, so if they can get away with not including more, they get better battery life as well so there are other design considerations.

I will take the RAM over a 5% battery savings anyday. Ok, I made up 5% but whatever one RAM chip uses is minor.

That said, they probably should have gone with 2 GB. I don't think it's strictly necessary, but it does help future-proof the device to some degree.

Hey, they have to give us a reason to buy that 6S right?