Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Resolved Looking to buy 2020 Air or 2020 Pro

A

alexbzzz

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 17, 2020
26
34
Munich
I am sorry to ask such a simple question but I must admit it is entirely confusing to me although I’m an Apple user for 10 years now.
What else do you get with the Pro over the Air except the 120hz motion?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crow_Servo and max2
alexbzzz said:
I am sorry to ask such a simple question but I must admit it is entirely confusing to me although I’m an Apple user for 10 years now.
What else do you get with the Pro over the Air except the 120hz motion?
Click to expand...
I think you would need to go to apple.com and read the specifications and features of each model and compare them. Then you can make an informed decision as to which model best suits your needs if you are trying to make a purchasing decision.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: ParaShot, gautampw, Deliro and 3 others
alexbzzz said:
I am sorry to ask such a simple question but I must admit it is entirely confusing to me although I’m an Apple user for 10 years now.
What else do you get with the Pro over the Air except the 120hz motion?
Click to expand...
Adding on to the other post, check out other threads to get an idea. I dont think you should be going with what an internet user tells you, but use it to come to a decision.
 
alexbzzz said:
I am sorry to ask such a simple question but I must admit it is entirely confusing to me although I’m an Apple user for 10 years now.
What else do you get with the Pro over the Air except the 120hz motion?
Click to expand...

What do you plan to use it for?

I am also trying to decide between the two but decided to wait for some reviews before making a decision.

On paper, the Pro’s ProMotion is all that I suspect would possibly make a difference for my usage. The Pro has quad speakers and the Air 4 has two, but about the only time I used the speakers on my 10.5” iPad Pro was to show others how good they were. I almost always use a headphone.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: AutomaticApple, alexbzzz and max2
There are so few people that have a real use for the Pro iPad, but it's the best, and it's marketed as premium. It's a work or creativity tool for a select few professions. Otherwise I just don't get it. Coworkers buy these for their teenagers for Christmas for why?

Rule of thumb: By the middle range of a product. The cheapest and the most expensive should be avoided most of the time. I think the Air is a slam dunk for Apple and represents a better value.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Norre8, Broadus and one more
Broadus said:
What do you plan to use it for?

I am also trying to decide between the two but decided to wait for some reviews before making a decision.

On paper, the Pro’s ProMotion is all that I suspect would possibly make a difference for my usage. The Pro has quad speakers and the Air 4 gas two, but about the only time I used the speakers on my 10.5” iPad Pro was to show others how good they were. I almost always use a headphone.
Click to expand...
This has been also my impression. I’ll use it for Safari, Youtube and Netflix on the couch and in bed. I’ll add that I don’t care at all about cameras or AR on a tablet.

Thanks a lot!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Broadus
kjvmartin said:
There are so few people that have a real use for the Pro iPad, but it's the best, and it's marketed as premium. It's a work or creativity tool for a select few professions. Otherwise I just don't get it. Coworkers buy these for their teenagers for Christmas for why?

Rule of thumb: By the middle range of a product. The cheapest and the most expensive should be avoided most of the time. I think the Air is a slam dunk for Apple and represents a better value.
Click to expand...
What features does the Pro have and are not supported on the Air, which are relevant to creative professionals?
 
Last edited:
The iPad Air launches with 64gb. If you're okay with that, get the Air. It's the better deal.

But if you think you need more space, and you bump up the storage, you suddenly find yourself not that far below Pro prices. And then you get a ProMotion display (which is a luxury, but to me it's the nicest luxury in an Apple product), the thinner bezels, FaceID, and slightly better speakers.

Also - I'm not sure how much memory is in the Air, but the 2020 Pro has 6GB. This isn't important now, but if rumors are to be believed, it'll be important next year when FCP and Logic might launch for the iPad.

So depending on your use case, I hope this info helps.
 
  • Like
Reactions: alexbzzz and Crow_Servo
Mookeh said:
The iPad Air launches with 64gb. If you're okay with that, get the Air. It's the better deal.

But if you think you need more space, and you bump up the storage, you suddenly find yourself not that far below Pro prices. And then you get a ProMotion display (which is a luxury, but to me it's the nicest luxury in an Apple product), the thinner bezels, FaceID, and slightly better speakers.

Also - I'm not sure how much memory is in the Air, but the 2020 Pro has 6GB. This isn't important now, but if rumors are to be believed, it'll be important next year when FCP and Logic might launch for the iPad.

So depending on your use case, I hope this info helps.
Click to expand...
Crow_Servo said:
Maybe just the 6GB RAM compared to what we assume will be 4GB RAM on the Air. More RAM equals more multitasking.
Click to expand...
ayuchan said:
I am also in the same position just a week ago, pondering over Air 4 or Pro 11" 2020. These are my deciding points:

1) 120hz -> Pro
2) 128gb base storage -> Pro
3) 4 speaker audio -> Pro
4) Free airpod under back to school promo -> Pro
5) 6GB Ram -> Pro
6) Face ID -> Pro
Click to expand...

Thank you all for the helpful advice! I’ve been to the Apple Store to see it first hand and indeed the 120hz display is very nice but for me personally not a dealbreaker. I will go with the Air :D

I’ll point out one thing not mentioned so far: Apple said that the A14 processor in the Air should be a bit faster the A12Z in the Pro.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Caliber26 and Broadus
I’ll point out one thing not mentioned so far: Apple said that the A14 processor in the Air should be a bit faster the A12Z in the Pro.
Click to expand...

In single core performance, yes. But not in multi-core and graphics. I know, it's all getting a bit complicated.

That being said, I'm sure you've made the right choice for your use case! Enjoy!
 
  • Like
Reactions: AutomaticApple, alexbzzz and Broadus
alexbzzz said:
I’ll point out one thing not mentioned so far: Apple said that the A14 processor in the Air should be a bit faster the A12Z in the Pro.
Click to expand...

Maybe I’m missing this one out, but what I can recall is Apple mentioned that the A14 is 40% faster than the previous generation (which many assumed is the iPad Air 3, that uses A12 chip).

And as @Mookeh said, the A12Z on the Pro is still better at multicore performance and way batter at graphics.

But as I said earlier, you’ll be totally fine with Air 4 which I personally will choose if I’m in the market for a new iPad right now :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: AutomaticApple, alexbzzz and Broadus
alexbzzz said:
Thank you all for the helpful advice! I’ve been to the Apple Store to see it first hand and indeed the 120hz display is very nice but for me personally not a dealbreaker. I will go with the Air :D

I’ll point out one thing not mentioned so far: Apple said that the A14 processor in the Air should be a bit faster the A12Z in the Pro.
Click to expand...

It’s kind of funny, but when I line up the pro’s of the Pro 2020 against the Air 4, my reaction is that it’s worth the extra money. It’s not really that much more in the grand scheme of things.

And then I look at my own use and realize those Pro advantages are things that I’ll never see or notice the difference as I use an iPad.

Honestly, if the regular iPad had a laminated screen, I could probably be perfectly satisfied with it. Most of my work is on a MBP.
 
  • Like
Reactions: alexbzzz
Mookeh said:
In single core performance, yes. But not in multi-core and graphics. I know, it's all getting a bit complicated.

That being said, I'm sure you've made the right choice for your use case! Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Ah, yes, did not think of that one!
Broadus said:
It’s kind of funny, but when I line up the pro’s of the Pro 2020 against the Air 4, my reaction is that it’s worth the extra money. It’s not really that much more in the grand scheme of things.

And then I look at my own use and realize those Pro advantages are things that I’ll never see or notice the difference as I use an iPad.

Honestly, if the regular iPad had a laminated screen, I could probably be perfectly satisfied with it. Most of my work is on a MBP.
Click to expand...
The regular one would have been nice at that price point but I will not spend money on a 2020 product which is not laminated...
 
  • Like
Reactions: AutomaticApple, Mookeh and Broadus
Bildschirmfoto 2020-09-29 um 16.51.16.png


This price is insane!
 
The air is worse in pretty much every way except the chip, which will be marginally better at single core and worse in multi-core.

With the pro your getting:

Better Speakers
Face ID
Promotion Display
Better Cameras
Double The Storage on base model
Slightly Slimmer Bezels

On top of this you won’t have to wait as long for one 👍 go with the pro, I would, just got myself the 12.9” and I love it
 
I went with the 11 pro, I had the 10.5 and figured that was more of an upgrade than going with the air.
 
alexbzzz said:
Thank you all for the helpful advice! I’ve been to the Apple Store to see it first hand and indeed the 120hz display is very nice but for me personally not a dealbreaker. I will go with the Air :D

I’ll point out one thing not mentioned so far: Apple said that the A14 processor in the Air should be a bit faster the A12Z in the Pro.
Click to expand...
I just bought the Pro today, will use it for 10 days, hopefully the Air comes out by then and I'll get that one too. Basically, buy both and see which one you like the most.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back