Any iPad Air owners upgrade to the Air 2? Thoughts please...

[s2mikey]

Even though I'm completely happy with my Air, Best Buy has a pretty generous trade in deal going right now and it's tempting me to make the switch. So, I'd like to hear from Air owners that upgraded to the Air 2 and want to know if it's truly that much of a jump in performance and the user experience. I'm not much into photos and Touch ID doesn't matter to me. So, I'm interested strictly in the performance, feel, and overall experience.

Most reviews I've read from fairly trusted sources have claimed that people who own an Air don't need to rush out and upgrade and that's my feeling too at this point. But, as I said, Best Buy is throwing the bait out there so I have to get more feedback.

Thanks all!

 

[The OB]

Upgraded from my iPad3 64 gig to an Air2 128gig cellular a few days ago and I'm totally rapt. Just a new experience and worth waiting nearly three years before upgrading. For me speed is one thing to marvel at. That blue line up top really zips along compared to the v3. And the incredible lightness of the thing! With a nifty bright red leather "Smart Cover" it's still lighter than my old iPad with no cover. And beautifully thin too.
You mentioned speed. Here are some comparisons between models that may be of interest.

The point that I could make though is that I think I would be just as happy moving from my iPad3 to the Air v1. Going from Air to Air2 is unlikely to have been as impressive for me.
Andrew

 

[s2mikey]

Thanks for the reply. I did see those charts and data points but lots of times those higher numbers won't be seen it everyday use or if the software isn't taking advantage of it. Same thing happened when the Air came out and on paper it blew away the iPad 4 but in real world use the speed upgrade was hard to feel all the time.

Great though, I appreciate the info!

 

[n4uau]

I did to go from a 16G iPad Air 1 to 64 G Air 2. Not a big difference. You lose the effect of thinner when you put it in a case, the non glare is okay I guess but never really had a glare issue. Might be a bit faster but didn't have an issue with that either. But as these devices get more and more sophisticated, the programs will get bigger and more processor intense so decided to get the extra memory I needed in the 2 instead of the 1.

Need to amend. I have and do use Poetic cases as they are minimal. I was using the Air 1 case but just got the case for the Air 2. It does feel a bit thinner and lighter. FWIW.

 

[j4quattro]

Before you trade-in, try to sell on Amazon. I sold my Ipad-Air (128gbwifi) for $675 compared to $749 purchase a year earlier. And it sold so fast I almost felt I did not price it high enough. Love the speed/performance boost. Also has wireless ac which is compatible with my new net gear router. Could not resist upgrading considering.

 

[s2mikey]

I was actually at Best Buy last night and was playing around with the Air 2 a little bit. Honestly, the only thing that stood out was the screen looking a little better due to everything being closer to the glass surface. I did like that. Performance, usability and the general behavior didn't seem to be any better than what I have.

The iPad was tethered to a security rope and anchor so I couldn't get an idea of the weight and size difference but I expect those to be trivial since the numbers are so close anyways. I did notice too that with a little pressure on the backside of the device that you'd see those "pools" on the screen, like when you press on an LCD with your finger. My Air does NOT do this at all. The extra thinness obviously comes at a cost. Several forums have threads about this screen pressure or distortion issue. It doesn't affect everyone but it is a possibility.

I'm staying with what I have though. Just not compelling enough to upgrade. Maybe next time.

 

[jwt873]

I dropped by the local Apple store when the Air 2 became available.

I hefted one and checked out the display. I just didn't see enough there to justify dropping another $800 to upgrade my current Air that I've only had for 11 months.

 

[Scottysize]

I went from the Air to the Air 2. There is no noticeable difference between the two for me. (Other forum members, please note that I said, for me and don't bash me.) If I had the chance to do it again, I would hold off and not get the Air 2. There just wasn't enough of an upgrade to cover the additional cost of replacing a 1 year old device.

Reasons why I did go ahead and upgrade:
1. A coworker needed a good used iPad and I was able to sell her mine for a good price for both of us.
2. I really wanted the new Air 2 because of the anti-glare. It's not that big of a difference, though.
3. Apple making the price $100 less that last year's pricing put me over the edge. That was a huge deal to me.

I do miss the mute switch. I wish they hadn't done away with it. They didn't have to. They could have used the iPhone switch, if the iPad switch wouldn't fit.

Any way, if you are not having any issues with your Air, and don't need a new iPad, I would not upgrade. My 2 cents.

 

[StreetCrawler]

I'm new here and honestly you probably won't see me post much, if at all. But....I did notice this topic and did just get an Air 2 after running over my Air 1 a week ago with a car (Long story).

Touch ID is kinda nice but other than that I don't think it would normally be worth the money to upgrade from an Air to an Air 2. I've had every generation of iPad except the 4.

Stepping up from anything but an Air and it would be a decent upgrade.

FWIW, I just got $450 on eBay for my totally smashed Air 1 128GB Verizon.

 

[adrna]

I had an iPad Mini (16gb) first gen, I was very happy with it, but the capacity and sometimes the size turned short for me, so I went to Sams club yesterday and I saw the iPad Air 2 (16gb) at the same price of an iPad Air 1 (32gb) ... So I've spent one hour testing both, and finally... I bought the iPad Air first gen with 32gb for 520dlls with tax included (in my country).

The differences doesn't worth the price, and I am really happy with the purchase.

I use a lot of design apps, and I think they must be supported for a long time in this model, because they were allowed perfectly on my iPad mini


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk

 

[twerppoet]

For just a moment I thought you were going to say you bought the 16 GB iPad Air 2, and I was going to reach through the screen and smack you upside the head. For the 16 GB, not the iPad Air 2.

But the original 32 GB iPad Air is a pretty good choice. Me, I'm on my first 64GB devices (iPad and iPhone), and will never go back. The more memory you have, the more uses you find for it.