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iPad iPad 3 to iPad Pro 9,7

M

Mannaerts

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 2, 2010
110
53
Belgium, Antwerp
Hi,

I was thinking about upgrading my iPad 3 to the newer iPad Pro but i can't really compare it face to face since there aren't any apple stores in my region.

I've been using this iPad 3 for netflix, chrome browsing and hearthstone which all works fine btw except it takes longer to open and my bank management app takes ages.
So i was wondering if i buy the new Pro 9,7 where will i see the improvement?
My iPad has an retina also so no improvement there i think, or is the screen noticable better?
Will it just open apps faster?

Oh and one more question, my iPad 3 can't seem to open some VLC movies as it stutters on some, is this a RAM issue and will it be resolved on the Pro?

Thx for reading
 
Mannaerts said:
Hi,

I was thinking about upgrading my iPad 3 to the newer iPad Pro but i can't really compare it face to face since there aren't any apple stores in my region.
Click to expand...

From what ever that I have played around with the 9.7" iPad Pro the difference between it and your iPad 3 will be day and night starting with the weight just look at the weight difference, then the thin bezels, then the extra RAM that the iPP has. Then Split View, Multitasking etc...etc...

Mannaerts said:
I've been using this iPad 3 for netflix, chrome browsing and hearthstone which all works fine btw except it takes longer to open and my bank management app takes ages.
So i was wondering if i buy the new Pro 9,7 where will i see the improvement?
Click to expand...

with extra RAM obviously APPs load faster

Mannaerts said:
My iPad has an retina also so no improvement there i think, or is the screen noticable better?
Click to expand...

Screen is a notch better, not hugely, but a shade better.

Mannaerts said:
Will it just open apps faster?
Click to expand...

Yes

Mannaerts said:
Oh and one more question, my iPad 3 can't seem to open some VLC movies as it stutters on some, is this a RAM issue and will it be resolved on the Pro?

Thx for reading
Click to expand...

Check if it is iPad Compatible File Format try and convert it in another format and see if the problem is the same doesnt sound like too much of a RAM issue because my brother's iPad 3 plays all movies well mostly in the MP4 format. Hope this helps.
 
iPad Pro is a beast.
(1) The sound system is crazily good. You can literally have a cinema at home with it
(2) RAM - I downloaded over 5,000 songs via Apple Music and over 100GB documents/movies/files at once. You can even play games while its doing downloading in the background. It did not even once crash but I tried that with MBP, it crashes all the time.
(3) Screen of course better. True Tone display is super good.

The Bad
(1) Touch ID is 1st gen here
(2) I don't like Apple Pencil, it's very difficult to hold.

No complains. The best tablet in the market
 
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I've done the exact upgrade you're contemplating. Whilst I love my 3 (and still use it at the gym), it was one of the worst designed iPads. The retina display required more battery, and is heavier than others. The 9.7 pro is noticeably light and slimmer. Seems smaller. Response is massively noticeable. Screen is gorgeous, and no more typing in security password. Touch id.

The "killer app" of the 9.7 pro: Stereo sound.

Given the choice again? I'd do it in a heartbeat.
 
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That's like asking if Mustang GT350 is an upgrade over a Mustang II. Upgrade and don't look back.
 
i went from iPad 3 to the pro 9.7.

you will definitely see an improvement. everything is relatively quick and responsive. netflix just updated with picture in picture support so can now watch a stream while browsing the internet. my bank app is still trash, but i think that has more to do with the app than the device. ;)

some people seem more impressed with the screen improvements than others. i'm satisfied but not blown away, but thats mostly because i never felt the display itself in the 3 was particularly lacking to begin with.

i'd say the biggest drawback at this point is the higher entry price when the also-good air 2 is still being sold at a discount. so it comes down to whether there's any pro 9.7 features that you really want.
 
Just about everything about the iPad Pro 9.7 is a huge improvement over the iPad 3. I upgraded from the iPad 3 myself and I went from a dysfunctional stuttering mess to a very smooth and quick experience. In my opinion, True Tone makes a big difference. It's not something you think is a big deal at first until you turn it off.
 
Mannaerts said:
So i was wondering if i buy the new Pro 9,7 where will i see the improvement?
Click to expand...

I've done that (there was a trade-in deal at the time that gave the final push - sure I could have got more by eBaying the iPad 3 but this was zero effort)

+ Lighter and nicer to hold
+ Screen colours a tad better
+ Definitely nippier,
+ Touch ID convenient
+ Sound is impressive for such a small device
+ Can use pencil

~ Its still just an iPad - no revolution.
~ Camera is better - but something I rarely use on an iPad
~ If your main purpose is to use the Pencil for art (or use Astropad) then the 12" would be better
~ The sound is very impressive for the size - and you can leave your micro BlueTooth speakers at home - but some of the fanboys here would have you believe its some miraculous throw-away-your-home-cinema thing, it isn't.

- Expensive
- Throw away all your 30-pin stuff and replace with Lightning
- (for me) No UK-layout smart keyboard? Seriously?

(Then there's the Apple Pencil design brainfart: c'mon Apple, you released the Smart Connector and the Pencil at the same time - so why doesn't the Pencil snap to the Smart Connector to store & recharge? Why is the male-to-female Lightning adaptor a separate part to get lost and not built into the cap? Why do none of the Apple cases have storage for the Pencil?

Honestly: love to know how they made that design decision: do we (a) Give it inductive charging via a holder/case that can attach to the smart connector while you charge the iPad (& optional version of Smart Keyboard with integrated holder) or (b) stick a male lightning plug on the end so that it sticks out of the iPad just asking to be broken and stops you re-charging the iPad at the same time (oh, throw in a cap to cover the plug and a separate male-to-female adapter that could have been integral to the cap and give zero thought to where you store them).
 
Mannaerts said:
Hi,

I was thinking about upgrading my iPad 3 to the newer iPad Pro but i can't really compare it face to face since there aren't any apple stores in my region.

I've been using this iPad 3 for netflix, chrome browsing and hearthstone which all works fine btw except it takes longer to open and my bank management app takes ages.
So i was wondering if i buy the new Pro 9,7 where will i see the improvement?
My iPad has an retina also so no improvement there i think, or is the screen noticable better?
Will it just open apps faster?

Oh and one more question, my iPad 3 can't seem to open some VLC movies as it stutters on some, is this a RAM issue and will it be resolved on the Pro?

Thx for reading
Click to expand...
You will see a massive difference in performance, screen quality, sound, etc. I think it will be worth the upgrade seeing as iPad 3s are usually painfully slow in certain tasks when compared with newer iPads. The only issue I have with it is the camera bump which changes the way I use it compared with prior iPads and constantly bugs me (but that might just be me). If you are not too bothered about the new specs then you could go for an Air 2 as it doesn't have the camera bump.
 
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I know this isn't something you asked, but you will see almost all of the above mentioned improvements on the iPad Air 2.
I did the iPad3 to Air2 transition, and it has been a great upgrade.

On Air2, apps load much faster, especially hearthstone and HBO go. In fact, Hearthstone is a much smoother experience between the two iPads. It's playable on iPad3, but it lags on input and animations sometimes. Playing HS on the Air2 is much more enjoyable. Your input is much smoother and responsive. It's not something I noticed until I got an Air2. Not only starting the game app is faster and getting to the menu, but also loading the matches is faster and navigating the "my collection", searching for cards (where typing in the search bar was a pain in the butt) and editing decks is faster. I have both iPads still, but will always pull up the Air2 if its available.

Air 2 also supports the picture-in-picture and split screen features of iOS for Netflix, and Youtube.
On the other hand, Air2 does not support the new keyboard or apple pen, and has worse speakers than the 9.7. The Air2's speakers are actually worse than the iPad3, but nothing you can't get used to.

In any case, wanted to give you that insight into how much better Hearthstone is on the Air2 compared to the iPad3. The one thing that remains consistent, however, is that when you leave it alone for a bit, HS will make you log back in again. The additional ram in the Air2 has avoided restarting HS like once, which makes me think HS is just a huge RAM suck.

And the one thing I'm surprised noone has mentioned is the 2 gigs of ram makes surfing much better. Tabs don't refresh nearly as often as they do on the iPad3, (which will refresh basically every time you do something else and come back to Safari.) On the Air2/9.7, you'll be able to go to Netflix and come back to Safari and not have to refresh most of your tabs.
 
Yeah just stop debating and do it. You will be blown away. The iPad 3 was the worst iPad and its now over 4 years old.

DO IT!
 
I just went from an iPad 3 to an iPad Air 2 and it's an even better upgrade than I thought it would be. Everything is instant now. No little half-second lag when I tap the address bar in Safari. No waiting for the keyboard to catch up with me when I'm typing at full speed. And the multitasking features like the split views and picture-in-picture are just fantastic. Plus it's so much lighter and thinner. Much nicer to hold up when necessary.

There's no doubt you'll see a dramatic difference going to a Pro. Night and day.
 
If you have the money, just do it. I sold my 3 and bought the Air 2 and it was a huge improvement of my tablet experience. Then I sold my Air 2 and bought the 9.7" Pro and again totally changed my tablet experience. I can only imagine how I’d feel skipping the Air 2 and go straight from 3 to 9.7" Pro.

iPad 3 is a clunker, an exception in terms of how slow it is.

Yes, your apps will launch faster. The screen is way better (laminated screen + True Tone is awesome).

As for stuttering movies, like others said, could be the file itself is not playable on the iPad (H265 files, for example).
 
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waitandwait said:
The Bad
(1) Touch ID is 1st gen here
(2) I don't like Apple Pencil, it's very difficult to hold.
Click to expand...
If that is the extent of "the bad" then I think you're in pretty good shape. ;)

ilman92 said:
If you have the money, just do it. I sold my 3 and bought the Air 2 and it was a huge improvement of my tablet experience. Then I sold my Air 2 and bought the 9.7" Pro and again totally changed my tablet experience. I can only imagine how I’d feel skipping the Air 2 and go straight from 3 to 9.7" Pro.

iPad 3 is a clunker, an exception in terms of how slow it is.

Yes, your apps will launch faster. The screen is way better (laminated screen + True Tone is awesome).

As for stuttering movies, like others said, could be the file itself is not playable on the iPad (H265 files, for example).
Click to expand...
I also went from the third gen iPad to an iPad Air 2 about a year and a half ago. I'm still not over how thin it is. The third gen iPad lagged so bad that I couldn't stand using it anymore. The iPad Air 2 is still performing well after all this time.
 
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Channan said:
If that is the extent of "the bad" then I think you're in pretty good shape. ;)


I also went from the third gen iPad to an iPad Air 2 about a year and a half ago. I'm still not over how thin it is. The third gen iPad lagged so bad that I couldn't stand using it anymore. The iPad Air 2 is still performing well after all this time.
Click to expand...

Yes! I kept using the Air 2 without cover everytime I had the chance, admiring the thinness when I first bought it at launch, up until now when I’m using the Pro. Its thinness was out of this world when I first bought it, and is still spectacular. I’m in love :p

Also: I think the design of the Apple Pencil is very minimal and nice; it allows for more 3rd party customizations to suit different needs. I for one use a rubber grip from one of my Pilot pens. It’s much nicer to hold right now.

Edit: grammar
 
In terms of performance, even going from iPad 3 to 4 is a noticeable jump. Last weekend, I tried using iBooks on an iPad 3 running iOS 9.3.2 and I can't believe the delay in rendering. Flipping pages on a paperback would've been much quicker.

The screen on the Pro also has noticeably less glare which is pretty nice in brightly lit rooms. I tend to avoid using it in direct sunlight. I like my air conditioning when it's 80+F outside, thank you very much.

Bar the occasional non-mobile optimized website, web surfing is a joy. Still not quite as fast as a high end PC/Mac with SSD when it comes to webpage rendering but close. The 2GB RAM is a much appreciated upgrade.
 
dogslobber said:
I use it via a router that does hostile ad blocking. It's not so bad then. iOS 10 is meh, just like 7, 8, and 9.
Click to expand...
I agree about iOS being a pretty minor update as far as features go, but it has some pretty nice APIs that developers can start using, which will cause new apps to not work on your iPad. That's the biggest issue with not getting updates.
 
I have the ipad 3 and while upgrading to a new machine is tempting the $ isnt. I use it for basic surfing, youtube, facebook etc... Gonna keep it going as far as I can.
 
Ih8reno said:
I have the ipad 3 and while upgrading to a new machine is tempting the $ isnt. I use it for basic surfing, youtube, facebook etc... Gonna keep it going as far as I can.
Click to expand...

Agree. I use it for Safari browsing and the most annoying Safari issue is lack of native ad-blocking, hence the router doing hosts file blocking. It certainly speeds up web page loading. FWIW, I only really use the Facebook app and no others. My FB app is v5 which still allows IM interaction so I don't require the Messenger voyeur app as well.
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Channan said:
I agree about iOS being a pretty minor update as far as features go, but it has some pretty nice APIs that developers can start using, which will cause new apps to not work on your iPad. That's the biggest issue with not getting updates.
Click to expand...

It depends. I don't update apps as I don't use many nor care for the app update roundabout.
 
I left mine on 8.3....Figures it wasnt going to get any better before it got worse!
 
So guys someone on iPad-3 should he update to iOS 10 or not ? With iOS 9 the performance and the speed of operating had already taken a hit so with iOS 10 will it be further bad ?
 
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