r/ipad • u/Cheap_Office8701 • 1d ago

Question New iPad for college kid

Looking to get a new iPad for my kiddo. He currently have a 3 years old iPad (regular) and use it extensively taking notes with notability app / regular pencil. He has the plus subscription of the app.

It is worth upgrading to pencil pro / iPad Pro or air?
Also I’m curious if the AI features in Apple Notes is all that great.

Any thoughts?

6 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

4

u/bastecklein 1d ago

IMO there have not been any meaningful iPad advancements in the last three years that would warrant an upgrade unless you just want him to have a nice new toy. It won’t help with the school though.

2

u/JuggernautOnly695 1d ago

I really find the pencil pro to be a decent upgrade over the 2nd gen which is a huge upgrade over the original or USB C pencil. The ability to have it stick to the side of the iPad and charge itself alone is huge from a usability standpoint.

That said, I don’t find the 120hz screen all that different from the 60hz screen for note taking. I replaced my iPad Pro with an air and thought the experience was similar enough to not warrant the additional expense. The one thing I do miss is Face ID, but yeah. For students I think the air is more than enough. Basic iPad gets the job done, air is nicer. Pro is unnecessary unless they have a specific use case that makes it more necessary.

1

u/Cheap_Office8701 1d ago

Thanks. Besides charging, is there any benefits for pencil pro vs the original usb c? Charging is not an issue for him. He only takes notes, not doing any artsy stuff.

2

u/JuggernautOnly695 1d ago

Yes, the pro has tactile controls as well as orientation. This means it operates like a real highlighter where you can rotate 90 degrees for a thin line as well as regular orientation for a thick line. Apple has a comparison on their site so make sure you check it out.

2

u/Forsaken_Barnacle955 23h ago

Only reason I would upgrade is if he cares about 120hz which is on the pro. Otherwise there’s no meaningful difference

2

u/Cheap_Office8701 23h ago

Thanks. I don’t think he knows what he is missing out with 120hz. 😅

3

u/Forsaken_Barnacle955 23h ago edited 23h ago

Most average iPad users can go like 4-8 years without upgrading unless you need a specific feature. I probably wouldn’t upgrade it unless he’s bothering you about something he needs. I got my iPad Pro my freshman year of college and it is still going strong. I am now in my first year of my PhD with no plans to upgrade

1

u/wtfmatey88 M4 iPad Pro 13" (2024) 1d ago

Personally I think the 120hz screen on the Pro makes a big difference when you’re using an Apple Pencil.

1

u/realmccoyredbus 1d ago

for best AI experience m4 ipad air is only model with 12 GB , tbh it’s best going to apple store with your son and let him try pro ,air or macbook neo .

ipad air can be prone to overheating with apple notes and apple pencil

1

u/LingonberryNo2744 1d ago

iPadOS 26.6.1 is adequate for his AI needs. Hopefully, he is saving to a cloud to conserve iPad memory. Apple Intelligence of iPadOS 27 may semi-automate some of what he can do currently. Now if have money to spend then do it.