which ipad should i buy

[A Benzene]

Guys i want to buy an ipad please suggest which one should i get with what specs as i don't know anything about apple products , this one is going to be my first apple product.

can it run 4K Videos.

USE - As a college student

budget - it's flexible in the range of what a college student can afford .  

should i get magic keyboard too or can do without

do one have to use screen protector or can do without

 

[Electronics Wizardy]

What do you mean by run 4k videos? Play them?

 

The screen on the ipad isn't 4k, so there isn't a point in playing 4k vidoes on it, but yea it will decode 4k videos

 

For most college tasks, Id get a laptop, much better compatibility, and simmilar price or cheaper.

 

Id get a keyboard, typing on screen for papers isn't gonna be great.

[da na]

Yeah, an ipad can play back 4k videos comfortably. 

For college tasks, I would definitely recommend a laptop. Or you could get an ipad and buy a small bluetooth keyboard, but I'd still recommend the laptop.

If you need a cheap, gets-the-job-done laptop, here you go:

Amazon.com: Acer Aspire 1 A115-31-C2Y3, 15.6" Full HD Display, Intel Celeron N4020, 4GB DDR4, 64GB eMMC, 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5, Up to 10-Hours of Battery Life, Microsoft 365 Personal, Windows 10 in S mode, Black: Computers & Accessories

 

and if you need a keyboard case for ipad, stuff like this can be found:

Amazon.com: iPad Keyboard Case for 10.2-inch iPad 8th Generation (2020), 7th Gen, Air 3, Pro 10.5 in 11 Colors - 10 Color Backlight, 7 Modes, 360° Rotatable, Slim Protective Cover, Apple Pencil Holder (Black): Electronics

[A Benzene]

• Replying to - Electronics Wizardy and wat3rmelon_man2 

• @wat3rmelon_man2
• i want to use ipad for taking notes using apple pencil and other stuff you can do using apple pencil 
• so i am thinking to have both ipad and a decent windows laptop ( for stuff ipad can't do )
• i can also go for 2 in 1 laptop but do they deliver the same level of experience as you get with the ipad using apple pencil 

[WhitetailAni]

9 minutes ago, A Benzene said:

• Replying to - Electronics Wizardy and wat3rmelon_man2

They won't get notifications unless you do one of two things:
A. Quote them, using this button:

B. Tag them, like this:
@Electronics Wizardy

@wat3rmelon_man2

To get a tag, type an @ sign and then type their username. You'll know it works when you get this (tagging myself as an example):
@FakeKGB

 

As for your questions, I've never used an Apple Pencil, so I can't say. However, no iPad has been made with a 4K screen, so even if you do playback YouTube in 4K you won't see it at 4K and you'll be eating at your network cap for no benefit. You can connect an external 4K display though.

 

[Electronics Wizardy]

13 minutes ago, A Benzene said:

• Replying to - Electronics Wizardy and wat3rmelon_man2

• i want to use ipad for taking notes using apple pencil and other stuff you can do using apple pencil 
• so i am thinking to have both ipad and a decent windows laptop ( for stuff ipad can't do )
• i can also go for 2 in 1 laptop but do they deliver the same level of experience as you get with the ipad using apple pencil 

Yea it will work fine for notes, since you already have a laptop for it if that works for you. Im more of a paper for notes person though.

 

I don't see how this is related to 4k video, but yea that works fine.

[A Benzene]

21 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

They won't get notifications unless you do one of two things:
A. Quote them, using this button:

B. Tag them, like this:
@Electronics Wizardy

@wat3rmelon_man2

To get a tag, type an @ sign and then type their username. You'll know it works when you get this (tagging myself as an example):
@FakeKGB

 

As for your questions, I've never used an Apple Pencil, so I can't say. However, no iPad has been made with a 4K screen, so even if you do playback YouTube in 4K you won't see it at 4K and you'll be eating at your network cap for no benefit. You can connect an external 4K display though.

 

thanks for the instructions regarding notification

[A Benzene]

35 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Yea it will work fine for notes, since you already have a laptop for it if that works for you. Im more of a paper for notes person though.

 

I don't see how this is related to 4k video, but yea that works fine.

yeah i mentioned the subject 4k video and then when about buying ipad sorry about that ,so now i have changed the subject of the post 

 

do you have experience with apple pencil can it be an practical alternative for notes on paper ( for someone else , as you prefer paper ) 

 

  "Yea it will work fine for notes, since you already have a laptop for it if that works for you" - i am confused with the meaning of this sentence .

Do you mean i should go for both ipad and a laptop ( if yes then please suggest which ipad to go for )

or should i get a 2 in 1 laptop only

[da na]

59 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

 

As for your questions, I've never used an Apple Pencil, so I can't say. However, no iPad has been made with a 4K screen, so even if you do playback YouTube in 4K you won't see it at 4K and you'll be eating at your network cap for no benefit. You can connect an external 4K display though.

 

Apple pencil is really overrated. It's just an expensive stylus you have to charge.

 

OP, just get a 2-in-1 Windows laptop/tablet.

[Arika]

Entirely depending on your use case. what do you want it for? you say "as a college student" but this is vague. what will you actually be doing on it?

[A Benzene]

12 minutes ago, Arika S said:

Entirely depending on your use case. what do you want it for? you say "as a college student" but this is vague. what will you actually be doing on it?

I am about to enter medical college so to be specific i need it for taking lecture notes ( as a 5.5 years degree in my country, paper notes will really pile up over the years which will make them difficult to manage and navigate or search a particular section ) and for diagrams as i need to draw a lot of them to get my medical degree ( become a doctor ) it is way more efficient to use a digital platform ( stylus in my case )  compared to pen and paper 

[Arika]

1 minute ago, A Benzene said:

I am about to enter medical college so to be specific i need it for taking lecture notes ( as a 5.5 years degree in my country, paper notes will really pile up over the years which will make them difficult to manage and navigate or search a particular section ) and for diagrams as i need to draw a lot of them to get my medical degree ( become a doctor ) it is way more efficient to use a digital platform ( stylus in my case )  compared to pen and paper 

you will 100% need a keyboard.

 

in that case i would recommend a 2-in-1 laptop with stylus over an ipad. if you absolutely must go an ipad dont get a keyboard cover from apple due to the high price (especially for the floating pro ones) just get a folding stand and normal bluetooth keyboard.

 

The ipad air is probably you best bet, you really dont need a pro.

[A Benzene]

18 minutes ago, Arika S said:

you will 100% need a keyboard.

 

in that case i would recommend a 2-in-1 laptop with stylus over an ipad. if you absolutely must go an ipad dont get a keyboard cover from apple due to the high price (especially for the floating pro ones) just get a folding stand and normal bluetooth keyboard.

 

The ipad air is probably you best bet, you really dont need a pro.

thanks for the suggestion,

one last question if i go for ipad air with bluetooth keyboard will i still be needing an laptop as i heard ipad os has its limitations so will it be practical to have both an ipad air and a laptop or this is just going to be a waste of money .

 

My only reason to go for ipad is the quality of experience it delivers with apple pencil ( stylus )  is it true 2-in-1 laptop stylus experience is not good when compared to ipad with apple pencil , if its equal then i'll go for 2-in-1 ( as i'll be using stylus majority of time so experience with stylus is my deciding factor )  

[ToetheGreat]

2 hours ago, A Benzene said:

thanks for the suggestion,

one last question if i go for ipad air with bluetooth keyboard will i still be needing an laptop as i heard ipad os has its limitations so will it be practical to have both an ipad air and a laptop or this is just going to be a waste of money .

 

My only reason to go for ipad is the quality of experience it delivers with apple pencil ( stylus )  is it true 2-in-1 laptop stylus experience is not good when compared to ipad with apple pencil , if its equal then i'll go for 2-in-1 ( as i'll be using stylus majority of time so experience with stylus is my deciding factor )  

Hi, 

 

I recently finished my degree. I’ve had an iPad Pro 10.5 inch with Apple Pencil  for 4 of the 5 years of my engineering degree. 
 

My experience with the iPad and note taking was wonderful. It’s super easy to draw diagrams, import PDFs to draw over, etc. The Apple Pencil is good, but not so good compared to others (I’ve tested the surface pen or whatever it’s called a bit) that you should base your decision on it. 
 

When doing things other than hand note taking like making spreadsheets, recording the screen, etc you are very limited due to the OS. 

 

I ended up using my iPad as a lightweight dedicated notepad/YouTube machine at the university to save space in my backpack and then had a laptop/desktop where I would do the real work like coding, researching, playing games, making spreadsheets, writing reports, etc. 
 

With all this in mind, I would recommend a 2 in 1 unless money is not a factor. Some people in my class had surfaces or dell 2-1 that would work for more tasks but still provided a good note taking experience. 
 

If you have any more questions on my ~4 year experience with the iPad at university let me know. 
 

Cheers

[A Benzene]

5 hours ago, ToetheGreat said:

Hi, 

 

I recently finished my degree. I’ve had an iPad Pro 10.5 inch with Apple Pencil  for 4 of the 5 years of my engineering degree. 
 

My experience with the iPad and note taking was wonderful. It’s super easy to draw diagrams, import PDFs to draw over, etc. The Apple Pencil is good, but not so good compared to others (I’ve tested the surface pen or whatever it’s called a bit) that you should base your decision on it. 
 

When doing things other than hand note taking like making spreadsheets, recording the screen, etc you are very limited due to the OS. 

 

I ended up using my iPad as a lightweight dedicated notepad/YouTube machine at the university to save space in my backpack and then had a laptop/desktop where I would do the real work like coding, researching, playing games, making spreadsheets, writing reports, etc. 
 

With all this in mind, I would recommend a 2 in 1 unless money is not a factor. Some people in my class had surfaces or dell 2-1 that would work for more tasks but still provided a good note taking experience. 
 

If you have any more questions on my ~4 year experience with the iPad at university let me know. 
 

Cheers

Thanks for the information its exactly what i needed to clear my doubts and an specific experience based suggestion and extending further help. 

 

so lets say i choose to have an ipad for note taking and a laptop to overcome os limitations and to do other stuff like u used .

is ipad air right choice , if yes then help me by your experience with the following -

 

1. which storage capacity should i get  - 64 GB or  256 GB

2. only wifi or wifi+cellular

3. since i will have a laptop so can i avoid getting a keyboard for ipad

4.  i will get a windows laptop so will i face problems exchanging files ( related to academic stuff ) between windows and ipados 

5. i have zero experience with apple stuff this will be my first apple product so is there something i need to know that you wanna add.

 

[Commodus]

3 hours ago, A Benzene said:

Thanks for the information its exactly what i needed to clear my doubts and an specific experience based suggestion and extending further help. 

 

so lets say i choose to have an ipad for note taking and a laptop to overcome os limitations and to do other stuff like u used .

is ipad air right choice , if yes then help me by your experience with the following -

 

1. which storage capacity should i get  - 64 GB or  256 GB

2. only wifi or wifi+cellular

3. since i will have a laptop so can i avoid getting a keyboard for ipad

4.  i will get a windows laptop so will i face problems exchanging files ( related to academic stuff ) between windows and ipados 

5. i have zero experience with apple stuff this will be my first apple product so is there something i need to know that you wanna add.

 

1. If you're only taking notes and streaming videos, 64GB is fine. You'll want more mainly if you tend to download media or install large apps like games.

 

2. WiFi-only is fine unless you really, truly see yourself needing an internet connection away from hotspots.

 

3. This depends on how you'll handle note-taking. You can certainly type with the on-screen keyboard well enough, but if you need to be quick, a keyboard is good. On the other hand, if you'll mainly be drawing or sketching, an Apple Pencil is better than a keyboard.

 

4. If you use cloud services, no. You could likely even shuttle files using a USB-C flash or hard drive and the Files app. It just might not be what you're used to.

 

5. Apple has lots of tutorials, including on the Apple Support YouTube channel. And be patient — it's a different interface than you're used to, so any frustrations (hopefully there are few) may be short-lived.

[A Benzene]

12 hours ago, huilun02 said:

I'm guessing you are already set on getting an iPad, even if you could get an Ultrabook that can also function as an writing/drawing tablet?

i am more inclined towards the ipad and a separate laptop option as unfortunately the 2-in-1 don't have dedicated graphics they only come with integrated graphics but i am still gathering information related to 2-in-1 laptops as they are really value for money , thanks for the samsung  suggestion  can you suggest some more good options in the 2-in-1 laptop category.

[A Benzene]

8 hours ago, Commodus said:

1. If you're only taking notes and streaming videos, 64GB is fine. You'll want more mainly if you tend to download media or install large apps like games.

 

2. WiFi-only is fine unless you really, truly see yourself needing an internet connection away from hotspots.

 

3. This depends on how you'll handle note-taking. You can certainly type with the on-screen keyboard well enough, but if you need to be quick, a keyboard is good. On the other hand, if you'll mainly be drawing or sketching, an Apple Pencil is better than a keyboard.

 

4. If you use cloud services, no. You could likely even shuttle files using a USB-C flash or hard drive and the Files app. It just might not be what you're used to.

 

5. Apple has lots of tutorials, including on the Apple Support YouTube channel. And be patient — it's a different interface than you're used to, so any frustrations (hopefully there are few) may be short-lived.

thanks for the information.

[A Benzene]

On 6/2/2021 at 7:26 AM, huilun02 said:

You intend to play games on the laptop?

yes i will do decent 1080p gaming ( not hardcore ) .

[rikitikitavi]

Student experience of 4+y with iPads mostly for math and econ.

'17 iPad Pro 10.5" with pencil and Notability App - that's pretty much how I used it probably 4/5 times.

 

On 6/1/2021 at 3:50 AM, A Benzene said:

1. which storage capacity should i get  - 64 GB or  256 GB

2. only wifi or wifi+cellular

3. since i will have a laptop so can i avoid getting a keyboard for ipad

4.  i will get a windows laptop so will i face problems exchanging files ( related to academic stuff ) between windows and ipados 

5. i have zero experience with apple stuff this will be my first apple product so is there something i need to know that you wanna add.

1. Unless you are a media hoarder, 64GB is sufficient (~50GB is available).

2. Cellular is convenient, but you can always hotspot from your phone.

3. I didn't bring my laptop unless I had to - if that's your case, then a regular/desktop Apple Magic keyboard or whatever you like (wireless or not) should work well - keep it in your bag until you need it. iPad specific keyboards are questionable in my experience.

4. Cloud storage of your choosing would be your first choice. Flash drive - be careful, as far as I remember, some previous iPads needed to have power connected (dongle USB and power) for some drives. Not sure, but I believe you can install iTunes on your Win10 and transfer app content via wifi.

5. You don't need to backup your iPad to iCloud (on by default), it is much better to set only needed apps and services to backup automatically.

 

For a better hand writing experience - get an anti-glare screen protector (like iCarez). Writing on a glass is a weird feeling.

For the best pencil experience - Pro.

Otherwise Air is the best bet.

[A Benzene]

20 hours ago, rikitikitavi said:

Student experience of 4+y with iPads mostly for math and econ.

'17 iPad Pro 10.5" with pencil and Notability App - that's pretty much how I used it probably 4/5 times.

 

1. Unless you are a media hoarder, 64GB is sufficient (~50GB is available).

2. Cellular is convenient, but you can always hotspot from your phone.

3. I didn't bring my laptop unless I had to - if that's your case, then a regular/desktop Apple Magic keyboard or whatever you like (wireless or not) should work well - keep it in your bag until you need it. iPad specific keyboards are questionable in my experience.

4. Cloud storage of your choosing would be your first choice. Flash drive - be careful, as far as I remember, some previous iPads needed to have power connected (dongle USB and power) for some drives. Not sure, but I believe you can install iTunes on your Win10 and transfer app content via wifi.

5. You don't need to backup your iPad to iCloud (on by default), it is much better to set only needed apps and services to backup automatically.

 

For a better hand writing experience - get an anti-glare screen protector (like iCarez). Writing on a glass is a weird feeling.

For the best pencil experience - Pro.

Otherwise Air is the best bet.

thanks for the information man , Really helpful .

[A Benzene]

On 6/2/2021 at 7:26 AM, huilun02 said:

You intend to play games on the laptop?

what happened you are not replying .  

[A Benzene]

On 6/6/2021 at 6:57 PM, huilun02 said:

2-in-1 laptops are built to be portable and lightweight. As a result they almost always rely on integrated graphics.

That said the 11th gen Itel Iris Xe with the Samsung Book pro360 is pretty capable. It will run games like CSGO with no problem. You can Google to see if its good enough for you in other games.

 

If you want substantially better graphics performance, there is no way the addition of discrete graphics can result in something light enough to be a 2-in-1 of comparable weight

 

As for the iPad, I am not knowledgeable about them. If you go iPad + laptop, then you will end up spending much more, having to carry 2 devices, and having to deal with the trouble of transferring documents between them.

 

Your call, good luck!

thanks for the information.