iPad Pro IPad Pro 10.5.. best upgrade route?

[heyyitssusan]

Deciding on if the hefty price tag for the 2018 11” is worth it. Beautiful device, but I don’t use my iPad for anything more than media consumption, gaming or web browsing. Don’t think I’d want the entry level even though it’s so cheap. I‘ve contemplated the 10.5” air, but not sure which route to go. Have had this device going on two years already, just shopping around and seeing what’s out there for upgrades.

 

[Tekguy0]

Deciding on if the hefty price tag for the 2018 11” is worth it. Beautiful device, but I don’t use my iPad for anything more than media consumption, gaming or web browsing. Don’t think I’d want the entry level even though it’s so cheap. I‘ve contemplated the 10.5” air, but not sure which route to go. Have had this device going on two years already, just shopping around and seeing what’s out there for upgrades.

Why do you need to upgrade? The 10.5 Pro should be great for your tasks.

 

[chrfr]

Deciding on if the hefty price tag for the 2018 11” is worth it. Beautiful device, but I don’t use my iPad for anything more than media consumption, gaming or web browsing. Don’t think I’d want the entry level even though it’s so cheap. I‘ve contemplated the 10.5” air, but not sure which route to go. Have had this device going on two years already, just shopping around and seeing what’s out there for upgrades.

The 10.5” Pro is still a great device. The 10.5” Air is really not an upgrade, and the entry level models are slower and have an inferior screen and inferior speakers as compared to the 10.5” Pro.
Is there a particular shortcoming you find with your 10.5” Pro?

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Deciding on if the hefty price tag for the 2018 11” is worth it. Beautiful device, but I don’t use my iPad for anything more than media consumption, gaming or web browsing. Don’t think I’d want the entry level even though it’s so cheap. I‘ve contemplated the 10.5” air, but not sure which route to go. Have had this device going on two years already, just shopping around and seeing what’s out there for upgrades.

Unless you want a larger screen or compatibility with Apple Pencil 2, I would just hold on to it for now. The newer iPad Pros don't offer much reason to upgrade outside of the newer design imo. The iPad Air would be a downgrade, since it lacks the high refresh display, has less RAM and similar performing processor, and 2 speakers instead of 4.

 

[cambookpro]

The 11” Pro is the most logical, but unless you have a defective device, I would just hang onto your current 10.5”. The ProMotion screen on my 10.5” has spoiled me so much that using any iPad without it seems very odd.

The Air 3 is a very sideways move. The CPU is faster, and you get Bluetooth 5 and simultaneous dual-band WiFi. However, the A10X’s GPU is better, plus you lose quad speakers, the 12MP camera with flash, 4K video recording, the 600 nit brightness on the 10.5” Pro vs 500 on the Air 3, and ProMotion.

The 10.5” Pro will definitely get iPadOS 14, probably iPadOS 15 and possibly iPadOS 16, so it will still be supported for a little while yet. No real reason to upgrade.

Personally, I’m waiting to see what WWDC brings. If Xcode comes to the iPad, I might replace my 10.5” Pro with a new 11” or even 12.9” and use it when travelling for work rather than bringing my MacBook as well.

 

[EugW]

IMO, the 10.5” iPad Air 3 is a significant downgrade from the 10.5” iPad Pro.

I have the 10.5” iPad Pro too. I am waiting for the iPad Pro 11” with mini-LED, 5G, and A14X.

 

[heyyitssusan]

The 10.5” Pro is still a great device. The 10.5” Air is really not an upgrade, and the entry level models are slower and have an inferior screen and inferior speakers as compared to the 10.5” Pro.
Is there a particular shortcoming you find with your 10.5” Pro?

My mom likes my pro, so I was thinking of passing it on to her if I could find a happy medium for myself.
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The 10.5” Pro is still a great device. The 10.5” Air is really not an upgrade, and the entry level models are slower and have an inferior screen and inferior speakers as compared to the 10.5” Pro.
Is there a particular shortcoming you find with your 10.5” Pro?

want to pass on this iPad to my mom eventually, if I can find a comparable upgrade

 

[chrfr]

My mom likes my pro, so I was thinking of passing it on to her if I could find a happy medium for myself.
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want to pass on this iPad to my mom eventually, if I can find a comparable upgrade

The only upgrade Apple sells right now is the iPad Pro.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Deciding on if the hefty price tag for the 2018 11” is worth it. Beautiful device, but I don’t use my iPad for anything more than media consumption, gaming or web browsing. Don’t think I’d want the entry level even though it’s so cheap. I‘ve contemplated the 10.5” air, but not sure which route to go. Have had this device going on two years already, just shopping around and seeing what’s out there for upgrades.

I highly recommend just keeping the 10.5" iPad Pro.

 

[DiCaprioAngel]

I went from an iPad Pro 10.5” to the 2018 11” iPad Pro and I’ve never been happier! I passed my 10.5” to my sister and she loves it. I use my iPad for media consumption (YouTube, Netflix, Hulu), writing on Word, listening to music, gaming, etc. I also love the design compared to the 10.5”, more screen real estate! I’d recommend watching YouTube videos comparing whatever iPad you are deciding to upgrade to in comparison to the one you have to help you make a decision since you really can’t go to a store and check one out yourself at this moment. That’s what helped me decide on the 11” iPad Pro!

 

[minik]

After I bought the iPad Pro 10.5" on launch day, I gave the original iPad Pro 12.9" to my friend. The hardware was great and portable. Last month, I ordered myself the 2020 iPad Pro 12.9". The extra screen estate is something I really missed along with the updated internal guts. It's my primary Zoom device as I didn't want to install the Zoom client on a Mac and/or I can use Zoom at anyway in the house. If you get the 11" iPad Pro, it has slightly more pixels than the 10.5" and may be better for having two apps side-by-side.

I bought the 2nd gen Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard, they sure added to the total cost but my experience was so far positive. Of course there will be much more powerful iPad Pro down the road, I really prefer the FaceID as it doesn't put the screen to sleep when I didn't physically interact with the app.

 

[Christopher Kim]

I went from an iPad Pro 10.5” to the 2018 11” iPad Pro and I’ve never been happier! I passed my 10.5” to my sister and she loves it.

I just did this a few weeks ago also. Before this quarantine period, my kindergartener had an old hand-me-down iPad Air (which she'd use very occasionally for watching videos, etc.) Quarantine time has brought a lot of e-learning the last 6 weeks, and as my wife has told me, the iPad Air was horrendously slow (would take 20secs+ to load apps, videos, etc.) So they started using my 10.5" iPP a lot, which was fine, but not ideal as I'd often need for work, etc.

Thought about getting a cheaper entry-level iPad for the kid, but in the end, chose to get a BNIB 2018 iPP 256gb for a great price on secondary market (25% cheaper than a new 2020 iPP from Apple would cost, plus no tax). Thinking about getting the Magic Keyboard as well, though still not sure...

 

[EugW]

I just did this a few weeks ago also. Before this quarantine period, my kindergartener had an old hand-me-down iPad Air (which she'd use very occasionally for watching videos, etc.) Quarantine time has brought a lot of e-learning the last 6 weeks, and as my wife has told me, the iPad Air was horrendously slow (would take 20secs+ to load apps, videos, etc.) So they started using my 10.5" iPP a lot, which was fine, but not ideal as I'd often need for work, etc.

The 1 GB RAM is precisely the reason I refrained from buying the iPad Air. Waited a year and got the iPad Air 2 with 2 GB RAM. Got another one a year later for the wife.

My two young kids both have them now as hand-me-downs. Not the fastest but they work pretty well nonetheless in 2020 for the kids’ online classes, esp. now that I have gotten them Zagg Bluetooth keyboard folios. The extra RAM makes all the difference.

Thought about getting a cheaper entry-level iPad for the kid, but in the end, chose to get a BNIB 2018 iPP 256gb for a great price on secondary market (25% cheaper than a new 2020 iPP from Apple would cost, plus no tax). Thinking about getting the Magic Keyboard as well, though still not sure...

I ended up buying the wife an iPad 7 after the kids’ took her iPad Air 2. It’s a very decent machine, esp. with the Apple Smart Keyboard. Here I have the iPad 7 next to my iPad Pro 10.5, both with Apple Smart Keyboards:

iPad 7 10.2" + iPad Pro 10.5" with Apple Smart Keyboards side by side (Pic!)

Can you tell which is which? You can tell just from the pic, but even side-by-side they look awfully similar. One is an iPad 10.2" LTE model with 128 GB, and the other is an iPad Pro 10.5" WiFi model with 64 GB. Weight and size: I don't know if the actually notice a weight difference, but the...

forums.macrumors.com

For the OP, it depends on your mom’s needs and preferences, but an iPad 7 is a great option for a lot of people looking at the iPad Pro/Air 10.5” but wanting to save a few bucks. The iPad 7 has 3 GB RAM, which will go a long way in terms of longevity vs. the 2 GB models. In fact, it’s the same amount of RAM as in the much more expensive iPad Air 10.5.

 

[Christopher Kim]

The 1 GB RAM is precisely the reason I refrained from buying the iPad Air. Waited a year and got the iPad Air 2 with 2 GB RAM. Got another one a year later for the wife.

My two young kids both have them now as hand-me-downs. Not the fastest but they work pretty well nonetheless in 2020 for the kids’ online classes, esp. now that I have gotten them Zagg Bluetooth keyboard folios. The extra RAM makes all the difference.

I ended up buying the wife an iPad 7 after the kids’ took her iPad Air 2. It’s a very decent machine, esp. with the Apple Smart Keyboard. Here I have the iPad 7 next to my iPad Pro 10.5, both with Apple Smart Keyboards:

This makes a lot of sense that it's the 1GB Ram in the OG iPad Air that's really making it feel slow / laggy. When I was thinking about buying either 2018 or 2020 iPP, I didn't really care so much about the dual-camera or LIDAR (I've never taken a pic with my iPad before and unlikely ever to), but the bump from 4GB -> 6GB RAM was definitely a consideration. In the end, the big cost savings of getting the 2018 version (BNIB so minimize risk of buying used) which still works with new Magic Keyboard made enough of a difference, but the 50% bump in RAM made me think about it...

 

[rui no onna]

Deciding on if the hefty price tag for the 2018 11” is worth it. Beautiful device, but I don’t use my iPad for anything more than media consumption, gaming or web browsing. Don’t think I’d want the entry level even though it’s so cheap. I‘ve contemplated the 10.5” air, but not sure which route to go. Have had this device going on two years already, just shopping around and seeing what’s out there for upgrades.

Where are you located? In the US, there are some pretty nice deals on Apple certified refurb 2018 iPP if you catch them in stock ($549 64GB wifi, $679 256GB wifi).

 

[ACG12]

Anything except a new iPad Pro is a downgrade. I have an Air 3 and my wife has the 10.5 Pro...there are times where I seriously want to sell it and get a 10.5 Pro.

 

[EugW]

Anything except a new iPad Pro is a downgrade. I have an Air 3 and my wife has the 10.5 Pro...there are times where I seriously want to sell it and get a 10.5 Pro.

I'm curious, why specifically?

I have the iPad Pro 10.5" and think it is a superior device to the iPad Air 3, but I think I'd be happy with an iPad Air 3 too overall.

I wouldn't get an iPad 7 10.2" for myself though, even though it's fine for the majority of the population. I now notice the non-laminated screen and it's actually noticeably thicker. (Even though it's only 1.4 mm thicker, it definitely feels thicker.)

 

[cambookpro]

I'm curious, why specifically?

I have the iPad Pro 10.5" and think it is a superior device to the iPad Air 3, but I think I'd be happy with an iPad Air 3 too overall.

I wouldn't get an iPad 7 10.2" for myself though, even though it's fine for the majority of the population. I now notice the non-laminated screen and it's actually noticeably thicker. (Even though it's only 1.4 mm thicker, it definitely feels thicker.)

I personally think no ProMotion, less bright screen, no quad speakers, lower GPU performance, worse camera, and no camera flash means the Air 3 is an overall downgrade from the 10.5" Pro. It's not night and day, but certainly the Pro is generally nicer to use (the biggest upgrade bring ProMotion).

 

[throAU]

Deciding on if the hefty price tag for the 2018 11” is worth it. Beautiful device, but I don’t use my iPad for anything more than media consumption, gaming or web browsing. Don’t think I’d want the entry level even though it’s so cheap. I‘ve contemplated the 10.5” air, but not sure which route to go. Have had this device going on two years already, just shopping around and seeing what’s out there for upgrades.

GF has a base model (first one with the pencil support).

it's pretty darn close to my 2017 10.5" pro. If all you're doing is media and games I'd go that route, honestly. Its so much less money and runs those things just fine.

 

[heyyitssusan]

GF has a base model (first one with the pencil support).

it's pretty darn close to my 2017 10.5" pro. If all you're doing is media and games I'd go that route, honestly. Its so much less money and runs those things just fine.

Which model? The regular iPad going for $299?
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I'm curious, why specifically?

I have the iPad Pro 10.5" and think it is a superior device to the iPad Air 3, but I think I'd be happy with an iPad Air 3 too overall.

I wouldn't get an iPad 7 10.2" for myself though, even though it's fine for the majority of the population. I now notice the non-laminated screen and it's actually noticeably thicker. (Even though it's only 1.4 mm thicker, it definitely feels thicker.)

Mom wants my iPad and doesn’t want a new one, but I’m thinking about getting her the $299 model if I can’t find a comparable solution to replace this model.

 

[chrfr]

Which model? The regular iPad going for $299?
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Mom wants my iPad and doesn’t want a new one, but I’m thinking about getting her the $299 model if I can’t find a comparable solution to replace this model.

The base iPad is great for what your mom wants to do, although I'd consider upgrading storage if it seems like the 32GB is at all tight.

 

[EugW]

For storage, my young kids use less than 10 GB on their 64 GB iPad Air 2s. However, they don't play big games, and generally have very little stored media on their iPads. Their school work is all stored in the cloud. The only time they use more is when we go on vacation, and download shows to their iPads.

I got a 128 GB iPad 7 iPad for the wife, and she uses less than 20 GB, and that's only because my kids recorded a bunch of uninteresting videos on it. (They had a habit of recording videos of generic household items sitting on countertops, etc., and I haven't bothered to delete the stuff yet.) Again, the time she uses more is when we go on vacation, and she downloads shows to the iPad. However, I figure we'll keep the iPad 7 a long time so by the time it gets handed down to one of our kids, they may need more than 32 GB.

For me, most of the time 64 GB is sufficient, but when I want to edit family videos, it becomes really tight. 128 GB is the sweet spot for me, so my next tablet will likely be a base model 5th generation 128 GB iPad Pro.

 

[heyyitssusan]

Update: my iPad Pro 10.5 has a bunch of dancing lines across the screen this morning. Had to hard reset and once I did, I saw them. Could it be crapping out? I think if it keeps up, I may use AC+ on it. Had this thing for two years.. do they tend to crap out this soon?

 

[Wackery]

Update: my iPad Pro 10.5 has a bunch of dancing lines across the screen this morning. Had to hard reset and once I did, I saw them. Could it be crapping out? I think if it keeps up, I may use AC+ on it. Had this thing for two years.. do they tend to crap out this soon?

Those are ‘pro’ lines, to increase productivity.

yeah, use your AC+

 

[scupking]

Only upgrade path for you is the pro 11. As others have said the air is a downgrade. The new air coming out in the fall might be a good upgrade if the rumors hold true.