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iPad I have a 2017 10.5 iPad Pro and want to upgrade….

M

MisterBigMack

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 23, 2012
162
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Hello, so I have a 2017 10.5 Pro and looking to upgrade,

So I’m ignoring the 2 new iPads that have just been announced and I’m looking at either the new iPad Air from this year, or last years iPad Pro 11 inch model

Looking at the spec comparisons it looks pretty similar in terms of internals with the M1 and the cameras etc

If I’m honest I can’t see an obvious advantage in getting the Air over the Pro from last year except that it’s a year newer and that might be a factor in updates in years to come?

Does anyone have any thoughts?
 
120Hz refresh rate on the Pro. I also recommend to browse this board, the issue comes up rather often.
 
I expect both M1 Pro 11 and Air 5 to get dropped from iOS updates around the same time.

If 64GB storage isn’t enough but 256GB is unnecessary, that’s another point on the 128GB M1 Pro 11’s favor.
 
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rui no onna said:
I expect both M1 Pro 11 and Air 5 to get dropped from iOS updates around the same time.

If 64GB storage isn’t enough but 256GB is unnecessary, that’s another point on the 128GB M1 Pro 11’s favor.
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Personally I would bet on M1 being supported till 2030. That would make 8 years for the air, 9 for the pro and 10 for the Mac (as I have been saying since 2020...)
 
Perfectly happy with the air from my 10.5 (battery was bad) as only needed 64 gig but since the extortionate price increase of the air (in UK) I would suggest the pro if your budget allows. AC is more expensive though for the pro.
 
I'm in same situation. Trying do decide between Air and 2021 Pro M1 version. Don't use it that much (an iPad) so thinking the Air might be better. They really have too many models at this point in the line.
 
rui no onna said:
I expect both M1 Pro 11 and Air 5 to get dropped from iOS updates around the same time.

If 64GB storage isn’t enough but 256GB is unnecessary, that’s another point on the 128GB M1 Pro 11’s favor.
Click to expand...
I disagree. I would never get a 128GB iPad, but if all you need is base storage 128GB is better than 64Gb because you need minimum 128GB for the Stage Manage multitasking.
 
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rui no onna said:
That's why the sentence started with "If" so case by case depending on an individual's needs. Personally, even 256GB is insufficient for my desired use so I have 1TB (~65% used).
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I agree. My next iPad is likely to be 512GB, but you need at least 128GB for Stage Manager multitasking so the base Pro is appealing in that sense.
 
MisterBigMack said:
Hello, so I have a 2017 10.5 Pro and looking to upgrade,

So I’m ignoring the 2 new iPads that have just been announced and I’m looking at either the new iPad Air from this year, or last years iPad Pro 11 inch model

Looking at the spec comparisons it looks pretty similar in terms of internals with the M1 and the cameras etc

If I’m honest I can’t see an obvious advantage in getting the Air over the Pro from last year except that it’s a year newer and that might be a factor in updates in years to come?

Does anyone have any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Personally I’d definitely go with the pro. I also have the 2017 10.5 and have no plans to upgrade because it’s still a great device IMO, but if I was to trade up it would have to be to another model with pro-motion and great speakers, which means another ipad pro basically.

For me though the ipad I’ve got is pretty much unbeatable value wise. I originally had the 64gb model but for very little money traded that up to a refurb 256gb version last year, I also picked up the smart keyboard and pencil cheaply (neither of which would be compatible with any replacement), the A10X chip and 4gb of memory still do a great job with anything I want to do, the pro-motion screen is fantastic, the speakers are great, the whole package is pretty much perfect. Upgrading to the same storage on any later pro model and replacing both pencil and keyboard would be expensive, and really I’m hard pressed to see what I‘d gain on a practical level other than being able to say I had the latest design (until they change it again).
 
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ericwn said:
You are stating the obvious. But the OP is also considering the Air. My position wasn’t directed at one specific iOS or iPadOS product line.
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Don't get me wrong, I think it would be great for everyone if 128GB were base on all iPads. I would still be upgrading to 512GB so its kind of irrelevant to me.
 
To echo others, I would personally go with the Pro - the Air cuts back on things that I think matter quite a lot on a content consumption device: high refresh screen and quad speakers.

FaceID is also nice to have although YMMV compared to TouchID.

I will say that I went from a 10.5inch Pro (the screen suffered from the dreaded white dot and the touch was failing) to a 2018 11 inch and I still miss the 10.5 Pro.

The older iPad has nice smooth edges that subjectively make it feel smaller and lighter than the 2018 even though objectively it is not. The 2018 Magic Keyboard is great to use, but super heavy and expensive compared to the OEM or Apple equivalents for the 10.5. Overall the 2018 is a very good iPad, but I have never warmed to it like I did with the 10.5.
 
darngooddesign said:
I agree. My next iPad is likely to be 512GB, but you need at least 128GB for Stage Manager multitasking so the base Pro is appealing in that sense.
Click to expand...
It’s funny my iPad is actually the smallest storage device I own. My MacBook is 1tb, my phone is 512gb and my iPad is 256gb. But my iPad is mainly for streaming and a few games these days.
 
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1BadManVan said:
It’s funny my iPad is actually the smallest storage device I own. My MacBook is 1tb, my phone is 512gb and my iPad is 256gb. But my iPad is mainly for streaming and a few games these days.
Click to expand...

My iPhone has the smallest storage (128GB). I don't take a lot of pictures/videos so although I've set my iPhone to Download and Keep Originals, 128GB remains more than sufficient.

The iPad, I use for comic reading and watching downloaded videos (long car/airplane rides, power/internet outage, etc) plus I now have some big games on there (Genshin Impact) so that has 1TB.

My M1 MBA only has 512GB. I would've preferred 16GB/1TB but they were like 1 month delayed while the 8/512 config was available for same day delivery. I had to quarantine in my bedroom so I wanted a silent, fanless, cool running laptop that I can just plop on a pillow asap.
 
darngooddesign said:
I agree. My next iPad is likely to be 512GB, but you need at least 128GB for Stage Manager multitasking so the base Pro is appealing in that sense.
Click to expand...

Iirc, the 128GB requirement is only for swap. Stage Manager works even on the 64GB Air 5.

It now works on 4-6GB RAM 2018 and 2020 iPP anyway so I reckon M1+8GB poses less of a problem.
 
rui no onna said:
My iPhone has the smallest storage (128GB). I don't take a lot of pictures/videos so although I've set my iPhone to Download and Keep Originals, 128GB remains more than sufficient.

The iPad, I use for comic reading and watching downloaded videos (long car/airplane rides, power/internet outage, etc) plus I now have some big games on there (Genshin Impact) so that has 1TB.

My M1 MBA only has 512GB. I would've preferred 16GB/1TB but they were like 1 month delayed while the 8/512 config was available for same day delivery. I had to quarantine in my bedroom so I wanted a silent, fanless, cool running laptop that I can just plop on a pillow asap.
Click to expand...
Yea I waited a month or so for my MacBook but I intent to keep this as long as possible so went for better safe then sorry approach lol. I do take lots of pictures and videos and now with this 48mp raw, I intent to use that a lot
 
playtech1 said:
… I still miss the 10.5 Pro.

The older iPad has nice smooth edges that subjectively make it feel smaller and lighter than the 2018 even though objectively it is not.
Click to expand...


I’m going to miss my saddle brown Smart Cover. 😢
 
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Apple emailed yesterday after receiving my 10.5" to change my trade-in offer to $0 ("screen bleeding"), so I was able to cancel and they are sending it back to me.
 
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