Air Pad 5th gen (2021) or iPad Pro 3rd gen (2022)?

[elibetta27]

Hello members,
I'm going to buy my new iPad. Since I find good offers I'm very undecided which model to choose.
iPad Pro 3rd gen (2021) or iPad Air 5th gen(2022).
It seems that the first one has better characteristics....but I'm afraid that is older than the iPad Air 5th gen...

The price difference is very slow so you can compare the two models for 256gb.

Thanks,

Elisabetta

 

[jdcaples]

Generally, newest is the best choice.

Buy the newer model for the longest usage.

The newer one will receive iOS updates for a longer time than the older choice, so I would always recommend the newer, most recent iPad, regardless of speed, size or capacity.

jon

 

[twerppoet]

I usually give the same advice as jon, but in the case it just doesn't matter.

The 2021 iPad Pro is still more powerful and feature full than the 2022 iPad Air. As long as they are both purchased new, is no advantage hardware wise that will cause the iPad Air to be supported longer than the iPad Pro, or viceversa, since they use the same processor.

There are several good YouTube comparisons. To sum them up, unless you are a power user that needs the extra features of the iPad Pro, the Air is a great device for a couple hundred less.

As for myself, I'm waiting to see what the next generation iPad Pro looks like. While my current iPad, a 2018 iPad Pro is a bit slow for a few tasks I've tried, it's good enough that I'm willing to see what's next. If I needed or wanted a new iPad right now, I would not hesitate to by either of the above models. I do tend toward getting the most powerful device I can afford (when it's time), so I'd probably get the iPad Pro, even though I know perfecly well the iPad Air would do everything I need and more.