iPad Pro iPad Air 2 to 2020 iPad Pro 11 Battery Life and Usability

[Tsepz]

Good day everyone,

Happy Friday!

Anyone here made the move from the iPad Air 2 to the 2020 iPad Pro 11inch?

In terms of battery life how have you found it to be? I always felt the Air 2 fell short of what I had with the iPad 4, does the 11 Pro give better battery life than Air 2 did?

Also in terms of usability, does it feel more comfortable to hold and use? For web browsing and a bit of gaming? Does it heat up a lot?

Thank you I’m advance!

 

[AutomaticApple]

I always felt the Air 2 fell short of what I had with the iPad 4

This image should probably explain why.

 

[Tsepz]

This image should probably explain why.
View attachment 934836

Yep the iPad 4 was a battery beast, and the A6X simply did not heat up as much as the A8X in the Air 2, I guess it’s also due to the fact that the Air 2 is ridiculously thin, so heat dissipation was not as great.

Hence my question with the Pro 11, I am hoping the A12Z is more efficient while the Pros size also gives enough head room in terms of dissipating heat and being user friendly coming from the Air 2.

 

[708692]

Also interested in hearing the comparisons as I'm on an air1 going to 2020 IPP 12"

 

[rui no onna]

I’ve seen threads here mentioning short battery life for the 2018 iPad Pro 11 so I don’t think it’ll be a battery beast similar to the iPad 4. The A12X and A12Z chipsets are more performance oriented rather than power saving.

If you want excellent battery life, then the iPad 10.2 with A10 or the iPad Air 3 with A12 would be a better fit.

That said, I expect battery life of the Pro 11 would be at least comparable to Air 2.

 

[svish]

I upgraded from Air 2 to 2020 Pro 11". Both are cellular models.



I do notice an increase in battery life. My Air 2 was purchased in December 2014. With my new 11" Pro, I get 6.5 hours of screen time with 80% battery. This is when used only on cellular and not on WiFi.



The new Pro is slightly heavier than Air 2. However it is very comfortable to hold. Really like the reduced bezels on the Pro. The iPad Pro does not heat up.

 

[Digitalguy]

I’ve seen threads here mentioning short battery life for the 2018 iPad Pro 11 so I don’t think it’ll be a battery beast similar to the iPad 4. The A12X and A12Z chipsets are more performance oriented rather than power saving.

If you want excellent battery life, then the iPad 10.2 with A10 or the iPad Air 3 with A12 would be a better fit.

That said, I expect battery life of the Pro 11 would be at least comparable to Air 2.

Based on tests I have seen on youtube, the pro 11 lasts more than both the air 3 and the 10.2 ipad. But mind you, only the 2018 model, the 2020 one has a smaller battery...

 

[rui no onna]

Based on tests I have seen on youtube, the pro 11 lasts more than both the air 3 and the 10.2 ipad. But mind you, only the 2018 model, the 2020 one has a smaller battery...

With my typical usage (mostly reading and web browsing on extremely low brightness), I get 16+ hours of screen on time with the Air 3.

 

[BigMcGuire]

My wife and I went from the 10.5 to the 11 Pro 2018. I had the fortune of being able to use the iPad Air 3 for a few months right before we upgraded to the 11 Pro 2018.

The 11 Pro 2018 has noticeably better life than the 10.5 Pro we had before (but they were older). The Air 3 —- I could not dent the battery life in that thing, I could go weeks on a single charge (I’m a light user). Battery life on that thing was insane.

The 11 Pro 2018 has great battery life but I think the Air 3 has several more hours on it, depending on what you’re doing. I like the 11 Pro 2018 better though - the Apple Pencil 2 and the USB C. Everything I have now uses USB C. I’ve read a handful of books and prefer the screen of the 11 Pro too.

 

[rui no onna]

The 11 Pro 2018 has noticeably better life than the 10.5 Pro we had before (but they were older). The Air 3 —- I could not dent the battery life in that thing, I could go weeks on a single charge (I’m a light user). Battery life on that thing was insane.

The 11 Pro 2018 has great battery life but I think the Air 3 has several more hours on it, depending on what you’re doing.

Yeah, the iPad 4 was the same way.

iPads have good battery life in general. It's just that some models happen to have exceptional battery life with certain use cases.

 

[bookspinner]

I made that move few weeks ago (Air 2 to 11" 2020). The 11" Pro has decent battery life - with moderate to high usage everyday, I normally would get at least 30-40% battery life at the end of the day. Your mileage may vary but I think you will be satisfied with the battery life.

I noticed the difference in size between Air 2 to 11" is noticeable especially in the first few days. While it seems to be much bigger at first, I am pretty sure you would adapt to the size eventually. One of the reasons I chose the 11" over 12.9" is that I always use my iPad for web surfing on bed and I just could not imagine holding 12.9 in landscape mode while lying sideways.

 

[Tsepz]

I upgraded from Air 2 to 2020 Pro 11". Both are cellular models.



I do notice an increase in battery life. My Air 2 was purchased in December 2014. With my new 11" Pro, I get 6.5 hours of screen time with 80% battery. This is when used only on cellular and not on WiFi.



The new Pro is slightly heavier than Air 2. However it is very comfortable to hold. Really like the reduced bezels on the Pro. The iPad Pro does not heat up.

Fantastic! Thank you so much!

I have 2020 Pro 11” WiFi coming, so your comment does indeed give my confidence, my Air 2 is a cellular but I hardly used the cellular portion, so figured I would just get a WiFi this time around.

Thanks a lot!

I made that move few weeks ago (Air 2 to 11" 2020). The 11" Pro has decent battery life - with moderate to high usage everyday, I normally would get at least 30-40% battery life at the end of the day. Your mileage may vary but I think you will be satisfied with the battery life.

I noticed the difference in size between Air 2 to 11" is noticeable especially in the first few days. While it seems to be much bigger at first, I am pretty sure you would adapt to the size eventually. One of the reasons I chose the 11" over 12.9" is that I always use my iPad for web surfing on bed and I just could not imagine holding 12.9 in landscape mode while lying sideways.

Had a good laugh at that last line as I thought of the same when deciding between the 11 and 12.9
Awesome! Thanks a lot for these details, I am super happy to read this. Yes I definitely can imagine the size will take some getting used to, and to be honest I have been wanting a slightly bigger display.

I even considered the iPad Air 2019, but I simply could not ignore the beastly A12Z and 6GB RAM in the 2020 Pros. I believe the combination of A12Z chip and 6GB RAM will make these truly “futureproof” much like the original iPad Pro from 2015 rocked up with 4GB RAM and only in 2020 have we seen an increase in RAM since (other than the 1TB Pro 2018 which had 6GB).

I keep my iPads for a long time, I had my iPad 4 from 2012 release up until 2015 and had my Air 2 from 2015 up to now, so it’s great to get something that has taken a leap up in spec. I was glad to see the 2020s with A12Z also contain the U1 chip. Looks like I’ll be buying my next iPad in 2025, if this incoming 2020 Pro serves me well

Thanks a lot guys! Loving all these posts, it’s nice to see that I am not the only one who thinks about these things

 

[Vdovin]

2020 is a huge improvement from iPad Air 2 in every aspect including battery. Simply because the iPad Air 2 is an older machine and the battery would have taken a beating over the last few years.

No matter how you look at it you will definitely enjoy the new 2020 version.

 

[Tsepz]

2020 is a huge improvement from iPad Air 2 in every aspect including battery. Simply because the iPad Air 2 is an older machine and the battery would have taken a beating over the last few years.

No matter how you look at it you will definitely enjoy the new 2020 version.

Thank you so much! 🙂

it took delivery of it today and I am loving it 😄