M2 iPad Air Storage 128 vs 246

Silentollie wrote:

I decided to get my grandson 11 a new iPad Air 13” for Christmas. He’s using his mom’s 2nd gen 512 and battery health is at 65% so a cord is necessary at all time.

For just some gaming with his friends and doing homework on Kumon is 128 enough?

I would recommend against getting an iPad with only 128 GB of storage. It is very likely that with 128 GB of space, storage will get tight, especially if he

• Takes a lot of photos or videos,
• Stores a lot of music, movies, or TV shows on the iPad, or
• Plays a lot of games (some game apps can use several GB of storage)

Also the family got 2T iCloud so is that mean you may get less iPad storage please explain to grandpa 👴 I’m still using my 2nd gen pro 64 on banking seems fine. Thank you!

iCloud storage (on Apple's servers) is not the same thing as device storage (on the iPad) – and in general is not a substitute that will allow you to get away with "less iPad storage."

iOS and apps need to be stored locally. So does anything that you need to be able to use when the iPad does not have an Internet connection. Often, when you synchronize data to iCloud, the system stores copies both in iCloud (on Apple's servers) and on each device that is synchronized to iCloud.

There is one exception: If you are using iCloud Photos, and turn on "Optimize iPad Storage", that tells the iPad that it can store lower-quality, space-saving local versions of some photos and videos. The iPad make the substitutions automatically, at times and under conditions of its choosing. The idea is that if it ever needs the full-size copies, it will be able to download those, on demand, from the collection of full-sized photos and videos stored in iCloud.

Whichever iPad model you choose, you would be well advised to purchase as much internal storage as your budget might reasonably allow - as internal storage (and other hardware) 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, photos and other data, you will forever struggle and 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 and others cannot make definitive recommendations for your personal needs, objectively I would council against purchase of any iPad with any less than 256GB storage, 512GB and higher having a greater margin for growth.

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. 

Also consider the functional differences between WiFi Only and WiFi+Cellular models of iPad. Aside from the obvious Cellular functionality, only WiFi+Cellular models include GNSS/GPS location capabilities - which may impact any Apps or features that require accurate and consistent location data, such as Mapping. 

Purchase of a WiFi+Cellular model provides access to precise location services, but does not commit you to using Cellular connections. WiFi Only models of iPad have no Cellular or GNSS/GPS functions at all.