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I'm looking to get either the iPad Air 4th generation or the iPad 9th generation. Is it worth paying the extra money to get the Air instead of the 9th gen? I'm on a tight budget and want to spend as little money as possible. All I intend to use it for is note-taking for STEM classes and such. I also plan to use an Apple Pencil. Thanks!
iPad Air 4 Wi-Fi
Definitely check out Notability! I SOOOO wish I had this in college. It will sync your notes while it records a lecture. When you go back in the lecture OR in your notes, you can see/hear the other. VERY cool.
It's been around a long time and just seems to keep getting better. Just found out that my niece in high school was even introduced to it by her teacher.
Definitely check out Notability! I SOOOO wish I had this in college. It will sync your notes while it records a lecture. When you go back in the lecture OR in your notes, you can see/hear the other. VERY cool.
It's been around a long time and just seems to keep getting better. Just found out that my niece in high school was even introduced to it by her teacher.
The iPad9 is certainly suitable and adequate for your stated requirement. The iPad Air is, however, considerably more powerful and flexible in its capabilities.
Whichever model of iPad you choose, choose wisely. You would be well advised to purchase as much internal storage as your budget will allow - as internal storage cannot be changed, upgraded or extended. The available internal storage is fixed for the entire life of the device. If you run out of internal storage for your documents, notes, photos and other data, you will forever struggle and the iPad will become a source of frustration. It is far better to have more storage than you need, than to need more storage than you have.
A good rule of thumb is to quantify how much data storage you will need - add a healthy margin - then double it. If you are unable to quantify your data storage needs, it becomes more difficult; whilst I cannot make definitive recommendations, personally I would council against purchase of any iPad with any less than 256GB storage - 512GB or greater offering a greater level of safety.
Within the Apple Support Communities we see regular tales of woe and disappointment when storage requirements are exceeded, necessitating replacement of the device; by contrast, we never see complaint of having too much available storage. It is relatively easy to fill limited internal storage space; perhaps consider higher tiers of storage as providing room for growth as your needs develop or mature - potentially extending the useful usable life of the device.
Consider also the functional differences between WiFi Only and WiFi+Cellular models of iPad. Only WiFi+Cellular models include GPS capabilities - which may impact any Apps or features that require accurate and consistent location data, such as Mapping. Purchase of a WiFi+Cellular model does not commit you to using Cellular connections, but provides this flexibility should it be needed. WiFi Only models of iPad have no Cellular or GPS functions at all.
I hope this information and insight proves to be helpful to you.
Best note-taking iPad for college student on a budget
