People often try to justify an expensive purchase by saying I'll use it for 10 years etc. The reality is often that while maybe 10 years later they still have the device, it's not their main device anymore and it has not been for years, because the battery is worn and it lasts too little, or simply some new iPad offers something they want that makes them want to update after 4-5 years (or even earlier) and keep their 10 year device as a backup they'll hardly ever use... (and if you try to sell it after 6-7 years you'll get 1/10 of the price you paid... try selling a maxed out iPad pro 2018 1TB cellular now, you'll get at best $200 out of the $2000 you spend at the end of 2018).
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iPad Pro M4 IPad Pro - 8 GB RAM vs 16 GB RAM
- Thread starter Adelphos33
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There’s a clear difference between the 8GB and 16 GB of ram models and people saying otherwise is simply not using their iPads enough. With 16GB, apps will never reloads in the backgrounds as well as safari tabs. I can have tons of app open, including game running in RetroArch, tons of safari tabs open and nothing will reload until a reboot. With 8GB of ram, safari tabs will reload quite frequently. Apps themselves will stay open long enough in the backgrounds but you’ll have some reloads from time to time.
So IMO if you want to buy the pro model, why not being future proof and get the clearly better model that will be way more reliable and stable for your workflow. Of course if you only use your iPad to watch YouTube and Netflix and some light web browsing you won’t see any differences.
So IMO if you want to buy the pro model, why not being future proof and get the clearly better model that will be way more reliable and stable for your workflow. Of course if you only use your iPad to watch YouTube and Netflix and some light web browsing you won’t see any differences.
In all seriousness though, no idea how you manage this. Safari always reloads all my tabs no matter how little I'm multitasking if I dare to switch away from it. This is on the 1TB+16GB model.
I have the M1 iPad Pro 1TB and stuff still reloads. Just not as often and usually not in a single session.
I regularly have 50+ Safari tabs open and I don't notice a difference in reload frequency between the 1TB M1 iPad Pro and M1 iPad Air.
As a general rule, buy only slightly more than you need and replace every 2-3 years is probably the best financially efficient way for apple products. That being said, I generally disobey this rule as I prefer to hold on to products for an extremely long time.
Just to add another point into the consideration. There’s also such thing as timing. For example, now in may 2025, the 8GB RAM on iPad Pro is no longer premium. In fact, when iPhone 17 releases in about four months, it will be below average the RAM as those iPhones are rumored to have 12-16. So it would be a bad timing to buy m4 iPad Pro right now.
1. Either wait for iPad Pro m5
2. Wait for that to release and get a very good deal on the m4
3. Or just don’t buy at all and use what you have.
- if you are shelling out for a brand new iPad Pro, it better be very good, or a very very good deal.
Just to add another point into the consideration. There’s also such thing as timing. For example, now in may 2025, the 8GB RAM on iPad Pro is no longer premium. In fact, when iPhone 17 releases in about four months, it will be below average the RAM as those iPhones are rumored to have 12-16. So it would be a bad timing to buy m4 iPad Pro right now.
1. Either wait for iPad Pro m5
2. Wait for that to release and get a very good deal on the m4
3. Or just don’t buy at all and use what you have.
- if you are shelling out for a brand new iPad Pro, it better be very good, or a very very good deal.
I have an M2 iPad Pro with 1TB and, consequently, 16GB of RAM. Previously I’ve had other iPad Pro with just 8 GB of RAM. Do I notice the difference? So far, no.
Mind you, I still haven’t installed an Apple Intelligence iOS version, which enabled AI for EU customers starting at 18.4, so maybe it comes in handy then, But I won’t have an 8GB model to compare, so… kinda hard to tell.
I purchased the 1TB version because they were in liquidation at half the price, or less than half, so I grabbed a 1TB Cellular model, and I’m really happy with it despite the fact I don’t use the cellular, but at least I have a GPS built in.
I think 1TB of storage may come in handy, as well as the 16GB of RAM, if you can afford it.
Mind you, I still haven’t installed an Apple Intelligence iOS version, which enabled AI for EU customers starting at 18.4, so maybe it comes in handy then, But I won’t have an 8GB model to compare, so… kinda hard to tell.
I purchased the 1TB version because they were in liquidation at half the price, or less than half, so I grabbed a 1TB Cellular model, and I’m really happy with it despite the fact I don’t use the cellular, but at least I have a GPS built in.
I think 1TB of storage may come in handy, as well as the 16GB of RAM, if you can afford it.
I don’t think having more than 8GB in an iPad will really provide any noticeable benefit for most people for the next couple of years.
That being said, I did decide to go with the 1TB iPad Pro last year for the extra RAM and slightly better CPU considering I was upgrading from a 2018 iPad Pro. If that thing lasted me as long as it did, I feel an M4 with 16GB of RAM should easily last last me even longer than that. Actually, the only reason I upgraded was for the OLED display. I could have held out for another year or two otherwise.
That being said, I did decide to go with the 1TB iPad Pro last year for the extra RAM and slightly better CPU considering I was upgrading from a 2018 iPad Pro. If that thing lasted me as long as it did, I feel an M4 with 16GB of RAM should easily last last me even longer than that. Actually, the only reason I upgraded was for the OLED display. I could have held out for another year or two otherwise.
That's simply not true. I have an M1 11" with 16GB, M1 12.9 with 8 and M4 with 8. The Safari tab reload difference is not true. Actually tabs reload at the same time in these iPads. The 16GB RAM iPads gives no advantage in terms of Safari reloads. To the point that I suspect that Safari has some internal triggers for reloads. And reloads are far from frequent as you mention in the 8GB RAM models. So totally different experience, to the point that I wonder if you really have a 8GB RAM iPad or you are just remembering a device you no longer have.
M5 iPad pro will probably come with 12 or 16GB RAM standard, which may somewhat tank the value of used iPad pros with 8GB and even 16GB RAM. Just like the M4 somewhat tanked the value of used non OLED iPads.
The 16GB models can live better through updates over the years (less reloads) but historically Apple has treated iPads with different RAM configurations exactly the same. So they may give new features (AI or not) only to newer models, which have more RAM, and exclude older iPad pros with 16GB RAM...
PS having said that, even if the M5 comes with 16GB in the base (instead of 12 in the base and 16 in 1TB and up) like the Mac and possibly iPhone pro, it won't have the 1-2TB storage that current iPads pro with 16GB have.... so for those who like the comfort of that much storage, there is that...
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All my iPhones have had 1TB of storage since that was an option. Currently about 700GB on my 16 Pro Max.
Ended up needing a separate device from my 16" MBP M2 MAX and bought the bare bones 11" M4 Pro w 256GB from Costco thinking I would return it. (as I did with previous M series iPad Pros to Apple because the screen was TERRIBLE. I could not stand to use the thing at night. The blooming of the old display made me want to pull my eyeballs out of my head).
The tandem OLED is FANTASTIC and I love the M4 iPad more than I thought I would. It's already full and I find myself wanting to return the 256GB and get the 1TB with cellular as I travel a lot and it would be nice to not have to hotspot all the time.
The 16GB RAM alongside the extra storage seems like it might perform better with iPadOS 19 and the rumors of bringing more MacOS like features to iPadOS. I know currently, a lot of benchmarks, etc. don't show a huge difference between the 2 models with extra cores and RAM... but if more multi-tasking and Mac features come to iPadOS, I feel the extra processing power and RAM would come into play. I don't wan't to wait until the end of the year or later for an M5 and frankly the money isn't an issue.
So I think I will upgrade before WWDC on the off chance that they say the bigger iPad is better and the discounts for the 1TB dry up... I may not open it and just return it if I am wrong... gonna play the odds I think.
Ended up needing a separate device from my 16" MBP M2 MAX and bought the bare bones 11" M4 Pro w 256GB from Costco thinking I would return it. (as I did with previous M series iPad Pros to Apple because the screen was TERRIBLE. I could not stand to use the thing at night. The blooming of the old display made me want to pull my eyeballs out of my head).
The tandem OLED is FANTASTIC and I love the M4 iPad more than I thought I would. It's already full and I find myself wanting to return the 256GB and get the 1TB with cellular as I travel a lot and it would be nice to not have to hotspot all the time.
The 16GB RAM alongside the extra storage seems like it might perform better with iPadOS 19 and the rumors of bringing more MacOS like features to iPadOS. I know currently, a lot of benchmarks, etc. don't show a huge difference between the 2 models with extra cores and RAM... but if more multi-tasking and Mac features come to iPadOS, I feel the extra processing power and RAM would come into play. I don't wan't to wait until the end of the year or later for an M5 and frankly the money isn't an issue.
So I think I will upgrade before WWDC on the off chance that they say the bigger iPad is better and the discounts for the 1TB dry up... I may not open it and just return it if I am wrong... gonna play the odds I think.
For those that don't believe me, I just tell MY experience. I must say that I can only compare it to the 2018 iPad pro with 6GB of RAM and my iPhone 16 pro max with 8GB of RAM. And yes, for me the safari tabs and apps reload way more frequently on my 16 pro max compared to my iPad Pro with 16GB and sincerely, my safari tabs almost never reloads for what I remember until a reboot. I have like 15 tabs open maybe? But on my phone with 8GB, safari tabs reloads everyday, with only like 10 tabs open or so.
And just before you were throwing around the thesis that other people don’t use their iPads enough. Fact is, as pointed out by multiple people with actual experience, a few gigs more RAM doesn’t protect one from app or safari reloads. So now we’re comparing this to other devices that have less ram and point out that they will refresh way more often. Nicely backtracked.
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Well that explains it, you have a 6GB iPad (I have that too), and a 8GB iPhone, which does not have swap to disk, although how much iPad swaps to disk is unknown.
Again 8GB M iPads and 16GB ones reload Safari tabs roughtly the same, that is, rarely. And definitely less often than 6GB ones (no swap either, although 6GB is still way better than 4 in terms of reloads in my experience).
For Apple! For the average buyer, 2-3 years was valid between 1990-2015. After that, 2-3 years is mostly a waste of money*. 5-8 years is a better guidance. Still using my 2017 iPad Pro for all personal stuff at home. Works great. Web, e-mail, Apple TV, Civ VI, XCOM2, HoMM III. When will I buy a new one? Not a clue. Could be a 15 inch iPad.
*Except some professions or gaming demands craving the latest and greatest.
I replaced my 2017 iPad Pro back in 2021 with the M1 iPP.
The 2017 iPP was perfect until iOS 12 (practically no reloads). Alas, iPadOS 13 and later put a lot more stress on the memory subsystem. The 2017 iPP is my mom’s Netflix tablet now.
The M1 iPP (1TB cellular) is holding up really well though.
If it's your primary computer -> go for 1TB. IT's my primary computer and I need the storage to actually store stuff so I have a local copy of my stuff.
If it's just for funsies -> go for the cheapest as it holds its value the best. FLipping ipads is more economical IMHO than worrying about whether it's future proof.
If it's just for funsies -> go for the cheapest as it holds its value the best. FLipping ipads is more economical IMHO than worrying about whether it's future proof.
+1
I used my iPP 9,7" for at least 7 years and only purchased the iPP 11" M1 cellular 2 TB because I broke the 9,7 " iPP accidently one day. Maybe I had used it even 1 year longer if I did not do my fatal mistake...
So - if you use Macbook, iPP, iPhone for at least 3-4, maybe even longer - the high price gets less important. Especially if you buy the new one at the time the next model already hits the market for half the price or even less... That is my way to purchase. since many years.. new generation apple products that hit the market are extreme rarely much better than the generation before... in terms of real life use...
The nearly only exeption was the enormous big step from Intel processors to the M-processor generation - but then the following M-generations were just very little steps as were the little steps of the Intel-generations in former times....
The implemented hardware nowadays is quite performing - especially the wonderful M-chips and the high performing processors of the iPhones - that they will be more than enough for at least 5 years...
.
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I have an 8 GB iPad Pro M4 and I regret not going for the 16 GB version. 8 GB is very frustrating when multitasking since content is constantly lost. It can also slow down Final Cut Pro quite a bit even without multitasking, when working on mid sized projects (large ones can be forgotten altogether).
There’s a some kind of Apple cult mentality about the iPad not needing RAM, but the reality is that an iPad is as much a computer as a Mac. Same laws of physics, just slightly less RAM designated for OS compared to Mac.
There’s a some kind of Apple cult mentality about the iPad not needing RAM, but the reality is that an iPad is as much a computer as a Mac. Same laws of physics, just slightly less RAM designated for OS compared to Mac.
The only reload I have is CivVI but then I am surprised it is playable at all with 4 Gb RAM and an A10X. Worth to upgrade? Not for me. I have had too many devices in my life, so upgrading feels like an expensive and time consuming exercise I really do not want to do too often.
Well... Just pulled the trigger on the the 1TB Cellular M4 11"
It was the lowest price ever on Amazon today for that model. Now I just have to return my 256GB M4 iPad to Costco within the next couple weeks.
Now I am just majorly crossing my fingers that WWDC25 and iPadOS 19 delivers on the rumors to allow the iPad Pro's to take advantage of all that horsepower and offer a more MacOS-like experience.
Not that I really need it with an M2 MAX 16" MBP... but I like having the iPad Pro for all my travels and not having to bother with the giant MBP on planes, in cars, etc.
It was the lowest price ever on Amazon today for that model. Now I just have to return my 256GB M4 iPad to Costco within the next couple weeks.
Now I am just majorly crossing my fingers that WWDC25 and iPadOS 19 delivers on the rumors to allow the iPad Pro's to take advantage of all that horsepower and offer a more MacOS-like experience.
Not that I really need it with an M2 MAX 16" MBP... but I like having the iPad Pro for all my travels and not having to bother with the giant MBP on planes, in cars, etc.
Congrats!
Welcome to the WWDC cycle. The rumors of improved producitivty and MacOS features is a staple rumor in months leading up to WWDC.
Well hopefully we don't get disappointed (refine stage manager please).