tldr; M1 chip solid but 60Hz display questioned vs Galaxy Tab S11's 120Hz. OnePlus Pad 3 offers better value.
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Best praise vs top criticism for Apple iPad Air (5th generation)
“**Apple iPad 10th Gen** $280 \- Much easier to use within the Apple Ecosystem \- A14 Bionic \~= Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 \- 4GB RAM \- 5-7 years of support \- 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS LCD **Samsung Galaxy Tab S9** $578 after student discount \- More versatility within the Android OS \- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 \~= A14 Bionic \- 12GB RAM \- 3 years of software updates, 4 years of security updates \- 11" Dynamic AMOLED 120Hz (Personally, it gets better colors and contrast) \- Easier to write on for most due to laminated screen that iPad 10th Gen lacks \- Free S-pen **Apple iPad Air 5th Gen** $360-400 Open-Box, Certified Refurbished, or Excellent Refurbished \- Same benefits as Apple iPad 10th gen \- 8GB RAM \- M1 Chip > Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 \- Laminated screen (good to write with pen and might feel better) \- 2nd gen Apple Pen (a lil extra).”
“As an Android phone user. Almost 3 years ago I went from using a Samsung tablet to an iPad Air M1 with 5g internet. My Samsung tablet stopped getting security updates, so an upgrade was necessary. Personally, I've felt Android tablets just haven't been well supported. A lot of apps do not have a tablet version and many that do seem to be just a glorified web browser, complete with issues you encounter viewing the website on a mobile browser. Another issue was that the Android tablets I was looking at were overpriced for what they are. I refused to look at any of the cheaper no name ones. Some have good specs and reviews, but I had concerns with security of them and how long they may get updates. I've been happy with using an iPad. The apps are a lot better and I use it when I travel, instead of taking my laptop. I can use it to edit photos from my camera and back them up to an external SSD. The performance with the M chip is excellent, although I hear the bionic chip on the regular iPad also does well. I do keep a Amazon Fire 11 tablet with the play store side loaded, so I do still have a cheap Android tablet around. I may upgrade my iPad soon, but the only reason being to get one with more storage, since the newer Air models have more than 256gb. I'm still keeping my Samsung S25 Ultra phone though. I have an iPhone for my work phone and prefer Android for that use.”
72 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 2/24/2026