iPads have never been more affordable, but there’s a catch

Edited 14/9/15: An earlier version of this post said that the new iPad mini 4 had the same processing power as the iPad Air 2, which is incorrect. The iPad mini 4 comes with an A8 processor, while the iPad Air 2 uses a more powerful A8X chip. The iPad Air 2 has 2GB of RAM, and it’s speculated that the iPad mini 4 will have the same.

With today’s announcement of the new iPad Pro and iPad mini 4, prices for the existing iPad Air and iPad mini 2 have been slashed. The result? It’s never been more affordable to get a new iPad.



To recap:

iPad mini updates

• Last year’s iPad mini 3 has been replaced by the new iPad mini 4, which comes with the processing power of the iPad Air 2 an A8 processor (which first appeared on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the iPad Air 2 has a more powerful A8X chip).
• The iPad mini 2 is now the most affordable, entry-level iPad.
• The iPad mini 2 comes with a Retina display, and the processing power of the iPad Air. But it is no longer available with 64GB or 128GB of storage. It didn’t launch with a fingerprint sensor.
• The iPad mini 2 16GB Wi-Fi version is now S$150 less compared to its launch price, while the 32GB Wi-Fi is S$220 less.
• The iPad mini 2 16GB Wi-Fi + cellular version is now S$150 less compared to its launch price, while the 32GB Wi-Fi + cellular version is S$222 less.
• This is the most affordable iPad mini ever sold from Apple, beating the time they slashed the original iPad mini to S$408 (16GB, Wi-Fi) and S$588 (16GB, Wi-Fi + cellular) when the iPad mini 2 first launched.

iPad Air updates

• There is no new iPad Air 3 this year. The flagship model is now the iPad Pro.
• The iPad Air is no longer available with 64GB of storage or 128GB of storage. It didn’t launch with a fingerprint sensor.
• The iPad Air 16GB Wi-Fi version is now S$140 less compared to its launch price, while the 32GB Wi-Fi is S$210 less.
• The iPad Air 16GB Wi-Fi + cellular version is now S$142 less compared to its launch price, while the 32GB Wi-Fi + cellular version is S$210 less.
• The iPad Air 16GB Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + cellular models are priced exactly the same as the iPad mini 4 16GB Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + cellular models.
• Unlike the iPad mini, this is not the lowest Apple has sold their iPads. When the iPad Air first launched, they slashed the iPad 2’s price to S$528 (16GB, Wi-Fi) and S$698 (16GB, Wi-Fi + cellular).

Here’s a quick comparison between the various iPads, their key specs and prices:

There is one catch if you’re looking to score an older generation iPad/iPad mini at lower prices: they don’t come in gold anymore. Likewise with the older iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the only colors available now are Space Gray and Silver. Looks like colors are the new premium when it comes to specs.

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