#AskGadgetMatch: Should I buy an old iPad or wait for new one?

MANILA, Philippines - Helping people find the right devices to match their needs is a challenge my team and I have chosen to take on. We’re passionate about technology and believers in its ability to make life better. Through the videos we produce, and the stories we tell, we hope to help non-techies navigate this oftentimes intimidating techie world. Behind the scenes, we answer a lot of questions from our viewers and readers, we put a lot of love into these custom replies, so we thought it would be a great idea of sharing them with you in case you had similar questions. 

This first edition of #AskGadgetMatch is from a private exchange on our Facebook page, a question we get asked a lot – should I buy a cheaper older model or wait for the new one to come out?  

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Bernice: Hi, Do you recommend buying the iPad Mini 2 now, or should I just wait for the iPad Mini 4 on September? I read online that the expected upgrades won’t be significant. I’ll just be using my iPad Mini to read my e-books, and magazine subscriptions, aside from the usual email and surf the web. What do you think?

GadgetMatch: That’s a very good question. Do you have an iPad now at all? What do you currently use to read your e-books and magazines? Why are you not considering the iPad Mini 3?

Bernice: No, I don’t have an iPad yet. I have a shelf full of real books, and magazines, so I want to declutter and start using ebooks. It’s more cost-efficient to do e-books, and I’ll get it on the spot. I thought of just buying a Kindle, for half the price, but I want to do other things on my tablet aside from reading, like watching videos. 

I checked the comparison of iPad 2 and 3, and the only difference that I saw is the touch ID. I don’t think it’s worth paying extra for. 

I guess to make my question simpler, do you think the iPad 4 mini would have a significant upgrade that would make waiting for two months, and shelling out $150 worth it, if I’ll just be using it mainly for reading, and video streaming?

GadgetMatch: I think you’ve made an awesome decision to pick the iPad Mini. I have one, and I love it. When you get it, I recommend that you purchase books from the Amazon Kindle store and use the Kindle app on the iPad, instead of iBooks. That way, your library will be available on a Kindle (if one day if you decide to buy one), and on iOS and Android smartphones via the Kindle app. 

Having said that, I still prefer to read books on my Kindle vs my iPad Mini. The e-ink screen is kinder on the eyes for long reads. 

But back to buying the iPad Mini 2 (which is what I have) – that model should be fine. My only worry is that by the time v4 is announced this September – the iPad Mini two will be three years old. I assume you’ll want to keep using your iPad for two-three years. It would be pretty old and outdated by then and upgrades, while supported, may just slow your tablet down.

BUT if really all you wanna do is read and watch videos, the iPad Mini 2 will be just fine. 

Here’s another suggestion: wait for the iPad Mini 4 – prices on older models should drop further when it is announced.

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Need help picking out a new device? Or have any other tech question you’d like to ask us? Send an email to [email protected], leave a comment on our YouTube or Facebook page, or send us a message on Twitter using the hashtag #AskGadgetMatch.