12.9” vs 10.5” My Opinion FWIW

[IPadNParadise]

I got the 12.9 in June and initially it took a few days to get used to its size compared to the 9.7 that I had been used to. I am a small female. Enjoyed it otherwise. In the last few weeks, for some reason, the size has been bothering me. I am older and it’s winter, so maybe arthritis, idk. But, anyway, my granddaughter, 18, has been drooling over my big iPad. So, this week, I bought a 10.5”. I bought 64gb vs the 256gb I had on the 12.9, since June I show 14gb usage on it so that 256gb was obviously overkill.
Here are my thoughts:
Don’t see what all the rave is about Space Gray, I only see a slight difference than the Silver on my 12.9, no biggie since I put it in a case
Speaking of Case, I have always been an Apple snob re cases. They are very nice, but the Apple one I bought for my past 9.7 iPP, was outrageously priced for its value. I used the 12.9 naked on the back, didn’t like so I bought a Speck at Walmart for $29.95, very happy with it.
I did really like the top row numbers on the 12.9 and miss it on the 10.5, maybe that will be an upgrade in the future
I did not see an improvement in the size readability on the 12.9, my eyes are fine but just sayin. So no issue going down to the 10.5. Love the ease in handling of the 10.5.
I am finding the touch screen more responsive on my 10.5. Many times I had to tap the 12.9 several times for response and typing on the 12.9 always reminded me of typing on my iPhone i.e. typos. Typing/touch screen taps are great on the 10.5.
No screen color issues on my 12.9 and none on my 10.5 either but I do notice this on the 10.5-when I am scrolling down on like a thread on this forum, during scrolling there is a warm slightly pink cast, when I lift my hand/stop scrolling, the screen gets a bluer/more normal cast to it. BTW, I do have True Tone Display turned on. Not enough of an issue to return it, just never noticed that issue before.
All in all, I can say I prefer this smaller size, I think I will stick with it in the future, I tend to keep up with the latest releases since I enjoy gifting my replaced iPads to one of my grandchildren (I’ve got some good ones).
I do use a photo editing app, Affinity Photo, thought that’s why I needed the big iPad for but I am enjoying editing on my 10.5 just as well! Hope this review helps someone still wondering which size iPad Pro they should get!

 

[Sunshoopa]

I’m not looking to buy one or anything as I’ve already got a 10.5”, but thanks for your review on it! I’m sure it’ll help people!

I’ve used a Surface Pro 4 (I know, a lot different in terms of weight other stuff), but it’s a very similar sized screen to the 12.9, and I can see it’d be too big for what I use it for. I’m sure it’d be somewhat on the heavier side as well.

 

[rui no onna]

Don’t see what all the rave is about Space Gray, I only see a slight difference than the Silver on my 12.9, no biggie since I put it in a case

I doubt people who get Space Grey care about the back. It's the only color with a black front bezel. Personally, I'd actually enjoy a Rose Gold or Champagne Gold chassis paired with black bezels just to mix things up a little. Alas, not an option.

 

[nightlong]

I have the luxury of having both, they have different roles and are perfect together for my purposes. If I could only have one it would be the 10.5, for mobility mostly.

 

[strawberryshortcake]

I got the 12.9 in June and initially it took a few days to get used to its size compared to the 9.7 that I had been used to. I am a small female. Enjoyed it otherwise. In the last few weeks, for some reason, the size has been bothering me. I am older and it’s winter, so maybe arthritis, idk. But, anyway, my granddaughter, 18, has been drooling over my big iPad. So, this week, I bought a 10.5”. I bought 64gb vs the 256gb I had on the 12.9, since June I show 14gb usage on it so that 256gb was obviously overkill.
Here are my thoughts:
Don’t see what all the rave is about Space Gray, I only see a slight difference than the Silver on my 12.9, no biggie since I put it in a case
Speaking of Case, I have always been an Apple snob re cases. They are very nice, but the Apple one I bought for my past 9.7 iPP, was outrageously priced for its value. I used the 12.9 naked on the back, didn’t like so I bought a Speck at Walmart for $29.95, very happy with it.
I did really like the top row numbers on the 12.9 and miss it on the 10.5, maybe that will be an upgrade in the future
I did not see an improvement in the size readability on the 12.9, my eyes are fine but just sayin. So no issue going down to the 10.5. Love the ease in handling of the 10.5.
I am finding the touch screen more responsive on my 10.5. Many times I had to tap the 12.9 several times for response and typing on the 12.9 always reminded me of typing on my iPhone i.e. typos. Typing/touch screen taps are great on the 10.5.
No screen color issues on my 12.9 and none on my 10.5 either but I do notice this on the 10.5-when I am scrolling down on like a thread on this forum, during scrolling there is a warm slightly pink cast, when I lift my hand/stop scrolling, the screen gets a bluer/more normal cast to it. BTW, I do have True Tone Display turned on. Not enough of an issue to return it, just never noticed that issue before.
All in all, I can say I prefer this smaller size, I think I will stick with it in the future, I tend to keep up with the latest releases since I enjoy gifting my replaced iPads to one of my grandchildren (I’ve got some good ones).
I do use a photo editing app, Affinity Photo, thought that’s why I needed the big iPad for but I am enjoying editing on my 10.5 just as well! Hope this review helps someone still wondering which size iPad Pro they should get!

For anyone that absolutely loves multitasking with split screen, the larger screen real estate, the better.

Personally, the 12.9 hands down. On top that, the larger the storage space, the better. I’ve got the 512 gb version and will likely be left with less than 75gb after I have loaded all my tv sitcoms (Friends, Seinfeld, Will & Grace, The Big Bang Theory, Frasier). I still have plenty of other movies and videos including animations that I would like but need to be very selective seeing as how space will be getting low. I like using the picture in picture function to watch or listen to my favorite sitcoms while I work on the ipad. It’s comforting.

Split screen web browsing with youtube running on one side while I websurf on the adjacent window. For drawing purposes, I can fire up procreate ($10 dollar art app), load up a reference photo in split screen mode, and have my sitcom running in picture in picture mode.

My very first entry into the world of apple is the ipad 4 retina, which I still have but no longer use after giving the 12.9 a test run. The ipad 4 has nearly the same physical dimension as the 10.5, and as such, it’s simply too small (for me) for split screen multitasking. Was able to test the 10.5 down at Best Buy. No way could I comfortably use it as a drawing tablet nor do multitask split screens while having my sitcoms running in picture in pocture mode. The 10.5 is simply too small for my purposes. My minimum size for productivity is curently apple’s 12.9

 

[DNichter]

I just prefer a black front panel. I love my 10.5 though, made me go iOS only for my computing needs.

 

[IPadNParadise]

I’m just glad I used the 12.9 for a while to know for sure that I like the smaller size better. I tried the split screen usage but never had much use for it, so don’t need the 12.9 for that.
A couple of other things I have noticed in the few days of using the 10.5, the battery usage is better. For my usage, I had to recharge the 12.9 every other night and the 10.5 went 3 days before having to recharge. Also, I never could figure out if the 12.9 had a backup problem or not but sometimes it backed up during a recharge, sometimes it didn’t, and sometimes it would say Last a Backup Unable to Complete. Wifi was on, ipad was locked. When too long between backups occurred, I manually did it and it would take a couple of hours. And this is with less than 15gb storage used. This 10.5 backed up quickly first time very quickly as all my older iPads have always done.

 

[sracer]

I doubt people who get Space Grey care about the back. It's the only color with a black front bezel. Personally, I'd actually enjoy a Rose Gold or Champagne Gold chassis paired with black bezels just to mix things up a little. Alas, not an option.

Same here... black bezels are a must for me. I have an iPad and iPod Touch with white bezels (all other iOS devices have black bezels) and not only does the white appear to wash out the colors on the screen but there is a black border between the bezel and the active part of the screen that is not appealing and very noticeable when viewing content with a white (or light) background such as web pages.

My Lenovo Yoga Book is champagne gold with black bezels and it looks swanky. I'm sure it would look just as sharp on the iPad.

 

[nburwell]

Coming from the Mini 4, the 12.9” Pro was overkill for me. The 10.5” was just right. White bezels don’t bother me, but I am partial to space gray.

 

[Eric5273]

I agree that the big comparison between the two sizes has to do with multitasking. With only a single app open, you don't really see a big improvement going to the larger size, especially in Safari where most websites on the 12.9 will have big white borders on the left and right instead of filling up the screen.

If you use multitasking often, the 12.9 will give a better experience. If not, then you may prefer the more portable size of the 10.5. For me, I found that I don't use multitasking much, so I sold my first gen 12.9 and got the 10.5 and am very happy with it. But there are certain rare times when I do miss having the larger screen, but in general I much prefer the smaller size and portability of the 10.5.

 

[varunsanthanam]

The 10.5” is one of the best Apple products I’ve ever owned. In just a month, it’s become my primary computing device. My MacBook Pro is used only for my job as a software engineer. For me, the 10.5 is the perfect balance of size, performance, and form factor.

 

[nightlong]

The 12.9 is the first iPad I’ve had with black bezels. I knew I would use it for movies, and it is good for that, I also use the 12.9 for working with multitasking and photo editing. I love the 10.5, I really notice the extra screen size and the promotion, it is still light and thin and goes almost everywhere with me, being LTE, the 12.9 is wifi only and mostly for home use. I prefer white bezels on the 10.5, as I don’t watch movies on it and most of the screens I use, like macrumours for example, are white, and so the bezels blend, whereas black borders on a small iPad seem to dominate and fence it in.

 

[smoline]

I got the 12.9 in June and initially it took a few days to get used to its size compared to the 9.7 that I had been used to. I am a small female. Enjoyed it otherwise. In the last few weeks, for some reason, the size has been bothering me. I am older and it’s winter, so maybe arthritis, idk. But, anyway, my granddaughter, 18, has been drooling over my big iPad. So, this week, I bought a 10.5”. I bought 64gb vs the 256gb I had on the 12.9, since June I show 14gb usage on it so that 256gb was obviously overkill.
Here are my thoughts:
Don’t see what all the rave is about Space Gray, I only see a slight difference than the Silver on my 12.9, no biggie since I put it in a case
Speaking of Case, I have always been an Apple snob re cases. They are very nice, but the Apple one I bought for my past 9.7 iPP, was outrageously priced for its value. I used the 12.9 naked on the back, didn’t like so I bought a Speck at Walmart for $29.95, very happy with it.
I did really like the top row numbers on the 12.9 and miss it on the 10.5, maybe that will be an upgrade in the future
I did not see an improvement in the size readability on the 12.9, my eyes are fine but just sayin. So no issue going down to the 10.5. Love the ease in handling of the 10.5.
I am finding the touch screen more responsive on my 10.5. Many times I had to tap the 12.9 several times for response and typing on the 12.9 always reminded me of typing on my iPhone i.e. typos. Typing/touch screen taps are great on the 10.5.
No screen color issues on my 12.9 and none on my 10.5 either but I do notice this on the 10.5-when I am scrolling down on like a thread on this forum, during scrolling there is a warm slightly pink cast, when I lift my hand/stop scrolling, the screen gets a bluer/more normal cast to it. BTW, I do have True Tone Display turned on. Not enough of an issue to return it, just never noticed that issue before.
All in all, I can say I prefer this smaller size, I think I will stick with it in the future, I tend to keep up with the latest releases since I enjoy gifting my replaced iPads to one of my grandchildren (I’ve got some good ones).
I do use a photo editing app, Affinity Photo, thought that’s why I needed the big iPad for but I am enjoying editing on my 10.5 just as well! Hope this review helps someone still wondering which size iPad Pro they should get!

Good overview and follow-on comments from others. I also have both and find the 12.9 to be the most "replacement desktop/laptop comparable," while the 10.5 is best for mobility. I thought I would end up using one or the other and selling the one I no longer used, but I find myself frequently using both for different reasons. I really wish Apple would create a single multipurpose operating system instead of having to use OS X on my laptop and iOS of my iPads.

 

[JCapps]

I swapped the 10.5 for the 12.9, 10.5 is definitely very nice and the best ipad at that size they have ever made. But after having 4 iPads I was ready for the bigger size and love it, I have large hands though so it doesn’t effect regular iPad functions negatively.

If they stay at 12.9, remove the bezels and are able to make it much lighter I can’t see a reason why anyone wouldn’t want the bigger size.

 

[subjonas]

The way I look at it, 12.9 is good for productivity (eg. split screen), 7.9 is good for casual consumption (eg. ebook), and 10.5/9.7 is good as a middle ground. Personally I prefer having two, more specialized devices (the 12.9 and the 7.9).

 

[AxiomaticRubric]

I really wish Apple would create a single multipurpose operating system instead of having to use OS X on my laptop and iOS of my iPads.

I have it on good authority that they are currently working towards this.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

Good overview and follow-on comments from others. I also have both and find the 12.9 to be the most "replacement desktop/laptop comparable," while the 10.5 is best for mobility. I thought I would end up using one or the other and selling the one I no longer used, but I find myself frequently using both for different reasons. I really wish Apple would create a single multipurpose operating system instead of having to use OS X on my laptop and iOS of my iPads.

I love hearing the opinions from those of you who have both. I have the 12.9, which I got as a laptop replacement, and I love, love, love it. I kept my Air 2, and I use the two in tandem while working— working on the big screen and reading books/PDFs on the little screen. I’m really coveting the 10.5, but the Air 2 still works so well that it seems frivolous. So I’m at least holding out until they announce something super cool maybe this year as an update to the 10.5.
[doublepost=1515894433][/doublepost]To add— when I got the 12.9, the idea was for it to be a single replacement for my MBP and my Air 2– a cool dual purpose tablet/computer. But right away, I found that I was using both iPads together— and never touching my MBP.

 

[Scarpad]

I’m just glad I used the 12.9 for a while to know for sure that I like the smaller size better. I tried the split screen usage but never had much use for it, so don’t need the 12.9 for that.
A couple of other things I have noticed in the few days of using the 10.5, the battery usage is better. For my usage, I had to recharge the 12.9 every other night and the 10.5 went 3 days before having to recharge. Also, I never could figure out if the 12.9 had a backup problem or not but sometimes it backed up during a recharge, sometimes it didn’t, and sometimes it would say Last a Backup Unable to Complete. Wifi was on, ipad was locked. When too long between backups occurred, I manually did it and it would take a couple of hours. And this is with less than 15gb storage used. This 10.5 backed up quickly first time very quickly as all my older iPads have always done.

Ive tried both a 1st Gen and 2nd gen Pro and both times I've returned them, just too lrge for me, I have a 2017 Ipad and want a pro but i'm going to wait till the fall, but then i know i will be getting the 10.5

 

[nburwell]

The 10.5” is one of the best Apple products I’ve ever owned. In just a month, it’s become my primary computing device. My MacBook Pro is used only for my job as a software engineer. For me, the 10.5 is the perfect balance of size, performance, and form factor.

I couldn’t agree more. Especially after upgrading from the Mini 4, I almost use my 10.5” Pro almost exclusively when I’m at home. My X usually stays on the coffee table since I can accomplish most tasks on my Pro (sans WhatsApp chats).

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

I couldn’t agree more. Especially after upgrading from the Mini 4, I almost use my 10.5” Pro almost exclusively when I’m at home. My X usually stays on the coffee table since I can accomplish most tasks on my Pro (sans WhatsApp chats).

Even that you can do, with third party apps. They’re not great for getting notifications, but if you’re in the middle of a chat and want to use a keyboard, they’re good.

 

[Clix Pix]

I have the luxury of having both, they have different roles and are perfect together for my purposes. If I could only have one it would be the 10.5, for mobility mostly.

Ditto!! I have different (sometimes overlapping) uses for my two iPad Pros, and they each perform beautifully in their respective roles..... The 10.5" is the one which leaves the house with me at times when I'm going around town, and it also goes on trips away from home, and has LTE activated. The 12.9" (second generation) stays at home but it is kept busy nonetheless. In warm weather it is the one which is out on my deck with me, propped on a stand and with an Apple BT keyboard at hand for ease of typing. Although the first-gen 12.9" was the cellular model, this time I knew that I really did not need that on a device which spends all of its time within easy reach of WiFi. Both are Space Grey and I have always preferred the black bezels on my iOS devices. Just as their predecessors (back to the very first generation of iPads) did, these two wear only an Apple Smart Cover for protection of the screen when needed. IMHO putting them into a full-fledged case makes the whole unit too bulky. I have several three-wire stands that I use around the house so that they are never lying flat, are usually either in my hands or on a stand.

An advantage of having two iPads is that if one is on the charger, it's easy to grab the other one and use it..... Either one works just fine for me if late at night I suddenly have an urge to look up something online or to check to see if anything has happened in my forums during a time when I was not online.... I get out of bed, snag an iPad and do my thing....

I rarely have a need for the split-screen thing or some of the other functions so that for me, whichever iPad is in my hands at the time is the one which will do what I want and need.

Yes, if for some reason I could have only one iPad Pro, I would choose the 10.5, as it is so light and thin with dimensions which make it easy to carry around in various bags and sleeves either around home or when traveling.

 

[rui no onna]

Ditto!! I have different (sometimes overlapping) uses for my two iPad Pros, and they each perform beautifully in their respective roles..... The 10.5" is the one which leaves the house with me at times when I'm going around town, and it also goes on trips away from home, and has LTE activated. The 12.9" (second generation) stays at home but it is kept busy nonetheless. In warm weather it is the one which is out on my deck with me, propped on a stand and with an Apple BT keyboard at hand for ease of typing. Although the first-gen 12.9" was the cellular model, this time I knew that I really did not need that on a device which spends all of its time within easy reach of WiFi. Both are Space Grey and I have always preferred the black bezels on my iOS devices. Just as their predecessors (back to the very first generation of iPads) did, these two wear only an Apple Smart Cover for protection of the screen when needed. IMHO putting them into a full-fledged case makes the whole unit too bulky. I have several three-wire stands that I use around the house so that they are never lying flat, are usually either in my hands or on a stand.

An advantage of having two iPads is that if one is on the charger, it's easy to grab the other one and use it..... Either one works just fine for me if late at night I suddenly have an urge to look up something online or to check to see if anything has happened in my forums during a time when I was not online.... I get out of bed, snag an iPad and do my thing....

I rarely have a need for the split-screen thing or some of the other functions so that for me, whichever iPad is in my hands at the time is the one which will do what I want and need.

Yes, if for some reason I could have only one iPad Pro, I would choose the 10.5, as it is so light and thin with dimensions which make it easy to carry around in various bags and sleeves either around home or when traveling.

Same although I haven't replaced my Pro 9.7 with a Pro 10.5 yet. Even prior to getting the Pro 12.9, I've always kept at least one of my older iPads to use as a backup.

The 9.7 is what I bring with me everywhere. It's small enough to fit in my purses and I always carry it around. My iPhone is pretty much only used for super phone calls, messages and really quick look ups. Anytime, I'm sitting around for some time, e.g. doctor's office, etc, I use the 9.7 iPad for passing the time.

I do bring the 12.9 to the office daily. The 9.7/10.5 iPads looks tiny during meetings when side by side with letter-size documents and legal pads and I always have to zoom in to show stuff to other people. Excel is also much more comfy on the 12.9. At home, I use it for comic reading.

Granted, if I had to choose only one, I'd opt for the 9.7/10.5. The 12.9 is just too big and heavy to carry in my purse all the time.

 

[6803390]

I prefer the 12.9 due to the screen size, and now it’s my primary pc. I only go back to the MacBook Air for few bits and bobs 5-10%. I mentioned in another thread if Apple include MacOS/Desktop features then I do not see any reason why I would go back to Mac.

Btw, I read somewhere that the only difference between the two screen sizes is that you need to apply tad a bit of pressure whilst using the Apple Pencil on the 10.5 compared to the 12.9. Having said that, it boils down on the user, as both in terms of internal hardware are the same.

Honestly, the best purchase I made - including the Airpods.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

I prefer the 12.9 due to the screen size, and now it’s my primary pc. I only go back to the MacBook Air for few bits and bobs 5-10%. I mentioned in another thread if Apple include MacOS/Desktop features then I do not see any reason why I would go back to Mac.

Btw, I read somewhere that the only difference between the two screen sizes is that you need to apply tad a bit of pressure whilst using the Apple Pencil on the 10.5 compared to the 12.9. Having said that, it boils down on the user, as both in terms of internal hardware are the same.

Honestly, the best purchase I made - including the Airpods.

If I had to choose, I’d pick 12.9, too, because it has replaced my laptop— and I am self-employed, so no separate work computer, and also has basically all of the benefits of the smaller ipad except a small amount of portability (still super amazingly better than a laptop for travel— but doesn’t fit in my purse for around town stuff).

 

[Clix Pix]

Even though I'm retired and at home and have no responsibilities in the workplace any more, I still cannot and will not use my iPads as computer replacements, because IMHO they just are not -- or at least, not in the way that I need. I love my iPads dearly but they are adjuncts to the Macs in this household, and when I travel, although the 10.5 is along on the journey, my 12" MacBook also is as well (in earlier days, a 13" MBP handled those responsibilities). There are just some things which I prefer to do with a "real" computer, using the iPad for other things. On a trip, for instance, I might come back to the hotel room after a busy day/busy evening and get on the computer for a while to handle any downloading/uploading that might be needed, but then when it's time to relax, get into bed, the iPad in hand, to browse forums.....