iPad From iPad 9 to Pro 11 M1

[Devvy]

I used a second-hand iPad 9 64gb wifi model intensively for more than one year as a main device for paper writing (latex), annotation (with the pencil 1), reading, internet browsing for my academic courses. I used it together with a logitech K480 bluetooth keyboard and the M350 pebble mouse.

It basically has been my main computer, and it served me quite well. In fact I used it a lot more than my mac mini M1. And it was cheap, wrapped in a sturdy case I could put it in my backpack without feeling anxious about it.

While the storage of 64gb generally was fine, it wasn’t inviting me to really store anything I liked on the device. And the multitasking was limited too. So I kept an eye on any nice offer for an upgrade. Finally I bought a second-hand 11” pro 3rd gen model with 256gb storage; for more than twice the price I paid for the base iPad 9. Was it worth it? What is better - two base iPads or one 11”?

Actually, I owned two iPad 9’s. And sometimes I used them both, since you can copy something on the one and paste it on the other - just like you do with a phone. It’s a pity mouse and keyboard do not work across two iPads (the way it does work with the mac and an iPad).
But normally I would work with one iPad at a time, and I don’t want to carry two iPads with me all the time!
So, I sold the iPad 9 I used for my study.

First, I had to buy another pencil. I opted for a cheaper “brand”, the Hommie pencil, which does not offer pressure sensivity but has the advantage of being compatible with both the pro and the other iPad 9. Not to mention it is 3rd of the price of the regular Apple pencil.
The pencil works great, with hindsight I would have bought this one instead of the Apple one in the beginning. No pairing, USB-C charging, that’s nice. (I would definitely recommend this one for the iPad 10 users).

In use, the pro is a joy. And this is mainly because of the RAM, which means “everything” stays in RAM unlike on the iPad 9 - and it feels much more like a real laptop or computer. I’ve used Stage Manager as well, it is useful for instance to keep a YouTube app in the background running without having it occupy 3rd of the screen.

Davinci Resolve was one of the apps I am using on the Mac and would like to use on the iPad. It is almost scary to see how well the iPad performs… thin, no fans, and still working quickly. The pencil is a convenient tool here, and in Resolve it doesn’t matter at all whether you have an official Apple one or not.

Face ID is great; while I never really had any issue with the Touch ID on the 9, this is a real improvement.

Because I am a bit concerned about writing on the naked glass, I added a protector which unfortunately brings the reflection levels at least on par with the iPad 9. But I feel much more comfortable this way. The more general issue here is that I suddenly have to care about a 600-euro device instead of something cheap. A serious drawback.

The 120hz refresh rate is nice and smooth, but I wouldn’t pay extra for it.

After a couple of days of heavy use, my conclusion is that the pro 11 is a completely different device compared to the iPad 9 - while most of the software behaves the same, it is the performance and flexibility that sets it apart. Very happy so far with the “step up”.

 

[jm31828]

I used a second-hand iPad 9 64gb wifi model intensively for more than one year as a main device for paper writing (latex), annotation (with the pencil 1), reading, internet browsing for my academic courses. I used it together with a logitech K480 bluetooth keyboard and the M350 pebble mouse.

It basically has been my main computer, and it served me quite well. In fact I used it a lot more than my mac mini M1. And it was cheap, wrapped in a sturdy case I could put it in my backpack without feeling anxious about it.

While the storage of 64gb generally was fine, it wasn’t inviting me to really store anything I liked on the device. And the multitasking was limited too. So I kept an eye on any nice offer for an upgrade. Finally I bought a second-hand 11” pro 3rd gen model with 256gb storage; for more than twice the price I paid for the base iPad 9. Was it worth it? What is better - two base iPads or one 11”?

Actually, I owned two iPad 9’s. And sometimes I used them both, since you can copy something on the one and paste it on the other - just like you do with a phone. It’s a pity mouse and keyboard do not work across two iPads (the way it does work with the mac and an iPad).
But normally I would work with one iPad at a time, and I don’t want to carry two iPads with me all the time!
So, I sold the iPad 9 I used for my study.

First, I had to buy another pencil. I opted for a cheaper “brand”, the Hommie pencil, which does not offer pressure sensivity but has the advantage of being compatible with both the pro and the other iPad 9. Not to mention it is 3rd of the price of the regular Apple pencil.
The pencil works great, with hindsight I would have bought this one instead of the Apple one in the beginning. No pairing, USB-C charging, that’s nice. (I would definitely recommend this one for the iPad 10 users).

In use, the pro is a joy. And this is mainly because of the RAM, which means “everything” stays in RAM unlike on the iPad 9 - and it feels much more like a real laptop or computer. I’ve used Stage Manager as well, it is useful for instance to keep a YouTube app in the background running without having it occupy 3rd of the screen.

Davinci Resolve was one of the apps I am using on the Mac and would like to use on the iPad. It is almost scary to see how well the iPad performs… thin, no fans, and still working quickly. The pencil is a convenient tool here, and in Resolve it doesn’t matter at all whether you have an official Apple one or not.

Face ID is great; while I never really had any issue with the Touch ID on the 9, this is a real improvement.

Because I am a bit concerned about writing on the naked glass, I added a protector which unfortunately brings the reflection levels at least on par with the iPad 9. But I feel much more comfortable this way. The more general issue here is that I suddenly have to care about a 600-euro device instead of something cheap. A serious drawback.

The 120hz refresh rate is nice and smooth, but I wouldn’t pay extra for it.

After a couple of days of heavy use, my conclusion is that the pro 11 is a completely different device compared to the iPad 9 - while most of the software behaves the same, it is the performance and flexibility that sets it apart. Very happy so far with the “step up”.

I see DaVinci Resolve will run on an iPad 9- did you ever try putting it on yours? If so, how was it compared to your Pro?

 

[Devvy]

I see DaVinci Resolve will run on an iPad 9- did you ever try putting it on yours? If so, how was it compared to your Pro?

Yes, I did. And it does run, but it won't allow you to export 4K for instance. Something I generally want. Unless you are fine with 1080p, I think LumaFusion would be a better option on the base iPad.
Another issue here is that my 9 didn't have a lot of storage, and it's not easy to add an external drive while the files you work with are huge.

 

[Digitalguy]

The issue with DaVinci is also RAM. Any device with 4GB or less will crush as you try to use any of the advanced function (some are paid only, but in my case I have the full DaVinci). DaVinci needs at least 6GB RAM to work reliably (on my A12X iPad pro with 6GB RAM it's as stable as on my M1, although M1 has more features).

 

[RaphaZ]

I used a second-hand iPad 9 64gb wifi model intensively for more than one year as a main device for paper writing (latex), annotation (with the pencil 1), reading, internet browsing for my academic courses. I used it together with a logitech K480 bluetooth keyboard and the M350 pebble mouse.

It basically has been my main computer, and it served me quite well. In fact I used it a lot more than my mac mini M1. And it was cheap, wrapped in a sturdy case I could put it in my backpack without feeling anxious about it.

While the storage of 64gb generally was fine, it wasn’t inviting me to really store anything I liked on the device. And the multitasking was limited too. So I kept an eye on any nice offer for an upgrade. Finally I bought a second-hand 11” pro 3rd gen model with 256gb storage; for more than twice the price I paid for the base iPad 9. Was it worth it? What is better - two base iPads or one 11”?

Actually, I owned two iPad 9’s. And sometimes I used them both, since you can copy something on the one and paste it on the other - just like you do with a phone. It’s a pity mouse and keyboard do not work across two iPads (the way it does work with the mac and an iPad).
But normally I would work with one iPad at a time, and I don’t want to carry two iPads with me all the time!
So, I sold the iPad 9 I used for my study.

First, I had to buy another pencil. I opted for a cheaper “brand”, the Hommie pencil, which does not offer pressure sensivity but has the advantage of being compatible with both the pro and the other iPad 9. Not to mention it is 3rd of the price of the regular Apple pencil.
The pencil works great, with hindsight I would have bought this one instead of the Apple one in the beginning. No pairing, USB-C charging, that’s nice. (I would definitely recommend this one for the iPad 10 users).

In use, the pro is a joy. And this is mainly because of the RAM, which means “everything” stays in RAM unlike on the iPad 9 - and it feels much more like a real laptop or computer. I’ve used Stage Manager as well, it is useful for instance to keep a YouTube app in the background running without having it occupy 3rd of the screen.

Davinci Resolve was one of the apps I am using on the Mac and would like to use on the iPad. It is almost scary to see how well the iPad performs… thin, no fans, and still working quickly. The pencil is a convenient tool here, and in Resolve it doesn’t matter at all whether you have an official Apple one or not.

Face ID is great; while I never really had any issue with the Touch ID on the 9, this is a real improvement.

Because I am a bit concerned about writing on the naked glass, I added a protector which unfortunately brings the reflection levels at least on par with the iPad 9. But I feel much more comfortable this way. The more general issue here is that I suddenly have to care about a 600-euro device instead of something cheap. A serious drawback.

The 120hz refresh rate is nice and smooth, but I wouldn’t pay extra for it.

After a couple of days of heavy use, my conclusion is that the pro 11 is a completely different device compared to the iPad 9 - while most of the software behaves the same, it is the performance and flexibility that sets it apart. Very happy so far with the “step up”.

Its interesting because I've thought in the past in that change. I still have my iPad 9.
The only reason I do not upgrade is because I end using more efficiently the MacBook Air m1, a fantastic machine.
If I had money, I would have buy a better iPad (being the RAM the more noticeable feature).

 

[Isamilis]

I used a second-hand iPad 9 64gb wifi model intensively for more than one year as a main device for paper writing (latex), annotation (with the pencil 1), reading, internet browsing for my academic courses. I used it together with a logitech K480 bluetooth keyboard and the M350 pebble mouse.

It basically has been my main computer, and it served me quite well. In fact I used it a lot more than my mac mini M1. And it was cheap, wrapped in a sturdy case I could put it in my backpack without feeling anxious about it.

While the storage of 64gb generally was fine, it wasn’t inviting me to really store anything I liked on the device. And the multitasking was limited too. So I kept an eye on any nice offer for an upgrade. Finally I bought a second-hand 11” pro 3rd gen model with 256gb storage; for more than twice the price I paid for the base iPad 9. Was it worth it? What is better - two base iPads or one 11”?

Actually, I owned two iPad 9’s. And sometimes I used them both, since you can copy something on the one and paste it on the other - just like you do with a phone. It’s a pity mouse and keyboard do not work across two iPads (the way it does work with the mac and an iPad).
But normally I would work with one iPad at a time, and I don’t want to carry two iPads with me all the time!
So, I sold the iPad 9 I used for my study.

First, I had to buy another pencil. I opted for a cheaper “brand”, the Hommie pencil, which does not offer pressure sensivity but has the advantage of being compatible with both the pro and the other iPad 9. Not to mention it is 3rd of the price of the regular Apple pencil.
The pencil works great, with hindsight I would have bought this one instead of the Apple one in the beginning. No pairing, USB-C charging, that’s nice. (I would definitely recommend this one for the iPad 10 users).

In use, the pro is a joy. And this is mainly because of the RAM, which means “everything” stays in RAM unlike on the iPad 9 - and it feels much more like a real laptop or computer. I’ve used Stage Manager as well, it is useful for instance to keep a YouTube app in the background running without having it occupy 3rd of the screen.

Davinci Resolve was one of the apps I am using on the Mac and would like to use on the iPad. It is almost scary to see how well the iPad performs… thin, no fans, and still working quickly. The pencil is a convenient tool here, and in Resolve it doesn’t matter at all whether you have an official Apple one or not.

Face ID is great; while I never really had any issue with the Touch ID on the 9, this is a real improvement.

Because I am a bit concerned about writing on the naked glass, I added a protector which unfortunately brings the reflection levels at least on par with the iPad 9. But I feel much more comfortable this way. The more general issue here is that I suddenly have to care about a 600-euro device instead of something cheap. A serious drawback.

The 120hz refresh rate is nice and smooth, but I wouldn’t pay extra for it.

After a couple of days of heavy use, my conclusion is that the pro 11 is a completely different device compared to the iPad 9 - while most of the software behaves the same, it is the performance and flexibility that sets it apart. Very happy so far with the “step up”.

Just curious, what apps do you use for writing latex in iPad?

 

[Devvy]

I use Texifier, but a-Shell also offers Latex support.

 

[Devvy]

Its interesting because I've thought in the past in that change. I still have my iPad 9.
The only reason I do not upgrade is because I end using more efficiently the MacBook Air m1, a fantastic machine.
If I had money, I would have buy a better iPad (being the RAM the more noticeable feature).

The Air also was a tempting option. But the combination of the mac Mini (with a large monitor, keyboard, mouse, LAN, external drive connected) and the iPad works very well for me. I would need a relatively expensive dock for the Air to cover all these connections.
I would still keep the iPad because it is in fact the most used device. Macbook Air + iPad didn't make as much sense for me as mac Mini + iPad; and since the mini is cheaper than the macbook I had some money to spice up the iPad.

Why the macbook Air was tempting for me was because it runs Mac OS, which is quite a bit more flexible. One has to make some decisions at some point though...