Ipad for University

I am looking at getting an iPad to supplement my computer at uni. I have been looking at the iPad 10th generation, but have read some reviews saying the 4th gen air would be better, and you can get cheaper because it is referbished.
How bad is the non-laminated display on the 10th generation, as I will primarily be using the iPad for notes. Some reviews have also said that its very reflective?
Also how long will the 4th Gen Air last with regards to updates etc. Will it last for a 6 years Medicine degree starting in September?
Other than price (which is quite a big jump) how different is the 5th Gen Air compared with the 4th Gen and would it be worth the extra money?
Thanks

Reply 1

mds0306

Hey, thought I could be of some help by leaving you a little review of my own iPad… I have the iPad Pro 12.9-inch 6th gen.
I personally love the size and the fact that it doesn’t have a home button. Makes it very slick and provides maximum amount of screen. Regarding the screen being too reflective… I would say so, I have a regular shiny tempered glass screen protector and it isn’t annoyingly reflective - however if you find that it bothers you, you can always get a cheap “paper-like” or “matte” screen protector from amazon. I use ‘GoodNotes’ to take notes, I find that it’s the nicest format and layout (at least for me), so I do use an apple pen which I believe is 2nd gen as 1st gen isn’t compatible with my iPad. I know people who use an apple pen dupe from amazon which is much much cheaper and works just fine, i would still recommend the original as it has all the functions (e.g. tap on the side of the pen to switch between eraser and pen) as well as automatically connects to your iPad rather than taking up bluetooth - however the dupe is much cheaper. Another accessory for note taking which i have is the magic keyboard… i wouldn’t recommend getting the original as it’s super expensive and in my opinion from my own experience quite breakable. I’ve had my iPad, pen and keyboard/case for a little over a year now and the magic keyboard has already got some damage to it. The corner of the ‘S’ key has slightly chipped - nothing major just a bit annoying to look at when the keyboard lights up as it stands out, sometimes the ‘C’ key plays up - doesn’t click properly and sometimes doesn’t work when i press it - even though i’ve never spilt anything on the keyboard. I find that even with having the grey version of the magic keyboard it still shows any fingerprints, or lines from when you slide it in your bag, these obviously come off when wiped off with a wet towel but they can be irritating for such an expensive product. Additionally, the magic keyboard doesn’t have a place for the apple pen to be stored so you have to put it in your pencil case or somewhere separate because there’s no guarantee that it won’t fall off from the magnet on your iPad when you’re carrying it or literally when it’s in your bag. I also feel like the magic keyboard drains your ipad’s battery a lot because it charges itself from it so that you can use it. If you are to get a case for your ipad PLEASE don’t get the magic keyboard it is NOT worth it. Get a dupe, or a regular folio type case or even a regular case with a regular keyboard from amazon.
I went off on a bit of a tangent there but in general I would highly recommend getting a new ipad with slightly more storage (I have 256GB which is plenty for me) and then a regular keyboard/folio case (from amazon or anywhere else but apple because it’s so overpriced), screen protector (to your preference glossy/matte/paper like) and if you can an apple pen, preferably not a dupe but if you don’t want to splurge too much a dupe works well too! I’d also suggest popping into a nearby Curry’s or Apple shop to view the different iPads in person, see which ones you like more, size wise especially because you need it to be a comfortable size to be able to write notes on. I liked the 12.9” because it was the closest to an A4 piece of paper which felt right and comfortable to me - it might not be the case for you so again i’d definitely suggest viewing them in person in a shop or if any of your friends/family have one which you can try out. For further accessories / reviews / app suggestions I’d suggest having a look on literally any social media or google. Tiktok has good short clip reviews, same as instagram, youtube has more in depth reviews and tutorials, etc etc.
Hopefully this helped you a little bit, I know it didnt answer the questions you asked however it’s my personal experience with an ipad, so another review and some recommendations basically 😭
Let me know if you have any questions regarding what i said, i’ll be more than happy to answer!