Are the two iPads, 12.9 2018 vs 12.9 2020 so technically close that a refurbished 2018 remains a better buy than a discounted new 2020?
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iPad Pro Refurbished 2018 12.9” vs discounted new 2020 12.9”.
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The 12.9" 2018 usually has a much higher contrast ratio than the 12.9" 2020. I had to return my 12.9" 2020. Compared to the 2018 it causes to much eye strain.
www.notebookcheck.net
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2020) Review: Fine-tuning the Flagship
The Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2020) is the current flagship of the iPad Pro series. Its brand-new octa-core SoC Apple A12Z Bionic, 6 GB of RAM, up to 1 TB of storage, True Tone display, new 12-MP camera and the LiDAR scanner are meant to further its lead among XXL tablets.
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The 12.9" 2018 usually has a much higher contrast ratio than the 12.9" 2020. I had to return my 12.9" 2020. Compared to the 2018 it causes to much eye strain.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2020) Review: Fine-tuning the Flagship
The Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2020) is the current flagship of the iPad Pro series. Its brand-new octa-core SoC Apple A12Z Bionic, 6 GB of RAM, up to 1 TB of storage, True Tone display, new 12-MP camera and the LiDAR scanner are meant to further its lead among XXL tablets.
Doesn’t the article state the displays are the same? And you get headache from a stronger contrast ratio?
Refurbished only when it’s directly from Apple. 2018 and 20 models are almost identical, but the better bang for the buck, provided you get full warranty of course.
I have an unopened new 128Gb 2020 from Costco that was $799.
I can order a refurbished 256GB 2018 from Apple for $709.
Because I keep iPads for a few years, the 256GB 2018 is attractive for the price, but I may or may not need the extra storage.
And for long term, the two extra RAM in the 2020 128GB is attractive for perhaps increasingly demanding apps and iPadOS.
I keep checking Costco for an elusive 256GB 12.9 2020.
No, they have measured the contrast ratio. As you can see on the attachment it’s lower on the newer device. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-iPad-Pro-12-9-2020-Review-Fine-tuning-the-Flagship.465642.0.html
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I‘ve got a similar quandary as well. I want to try out the 12.9 again now that I don’t have a 13 MBP; before, it felt like two devices with the same screen felt ridiculous.
With my education discount, I can trade in my 2018 11 IPP ($455 against the device), use the $200 gift card I have, and the price is $549 plus tax. Or I can keep my 11 and get a 2018 refurb from Apple starting at $429 plus tax depending on storage. (My current iPP is only 64gb, and since I keep everything on the cloud, I’m still at least 20gb from filling up the thing.)
Still thinking about it either way. Yes, having both devices might be helpful, but I use my iMac for heavy work, so I wonder if one of them would end up unused, so I’m kind of leaning toward the former. If I don’t like the 12.9, I could return it for the new 11.
With my education discount, I can trade in my 2018 11 IPP ($455 against the device), use the $200 gift card I have, and the price is $549 plus tax. Or I can keep my 11 and get a 2018 refurb from Apple starting at $429 plus tax depending on storage. (My current iPP is only 64gb, and since I keep everything on the cloud, I’m still at least 20gb from filling up the thing.)
Still thinking about it either way. Yes, having both devices might be helpful, but I use my iMac for heavy work, so I wonder if one of them would end up unused, so I’m kind of leaning toward the former. If I don’t like the 12.9, I could return it for the new 11.
The two models are so similar. Heck I returned my 2020 and bought apple refurbished for a steal at 549. Day to day there’s no difference for me. Heck I can’t even justify upgrading to a 2021 model.
I have a $50 off coupon (good till 6/13) that I can apply towards Costco's regular $1149 price for a 2021 256GB 12.9" M1/XDR iPP. Total price with the negligible shipping charge and sales tax would be $1180.91.
The Apple Refurbished 2018 256GB 12.9" would total be $758.63. That difference is hard to justify for my relatively light usage. And if I kept the 2018 for three years before passing it along to a family member, I would be no worse than keeping the pricier 2021 for five years, it seems to me.
I'm starting to lean towards the 2018 refurbished. That will give a bit more time to see where Apple is going with iPadOS and whether I can utilize it better in my workflow. Right now, the 2018 15.4" MBP that I'm typing on is where I do most of my work.
And I just checked Apple's stock and the 256GB 12.9 is out of stock again. It will probably be back in stock soon.
Still unopened new 128Gb 2020 from Costco -- total (including state sales tax and shipping) was $869.38.
I can order a refurbished 256GB 2018 from Apple for $758.63, gaining 128GB storage but evidently dropping from 6GB to 4GB (would that affect light usage?).
Your use is likely like mine. I’m a pencil user for notes and pdf. And content streaming. Only thing I like is the bright screen on the 2021 12.9 but the power isn’t a an issue for me to upgrade. Total overkill.
I’d say go with the refurb. If you don’t care about the LIDAR, which was the only real difference
Do you think that the 4GB RAM of the 2018 vs. the 6GB of the 2020 (for the 256GB storage of each) have much affect on performance two or three years down the road?
Between the two of them, the 6GB RAM probably makes the 2020 the better deal. While I don’t believe in the traditional idea of ‘futureproofing’, given 4GB is rapidly becoming the floor, I think 6GB devices will hold up better over time. Certainly if you plan on keeping the device past ~3 years.
That such a bogus feature. It’s still pretty useless so I’m not sure why they include this on iPad other than showing off demos of dinosaurs in your living room.
I went with a refurbished 2018 12.9. Sold my Pro 10.5. The next best option was trading in the 10.5 directly to Apple and using it as credit towards a 2021 11. Getting the refurbished 12.9 saved me the most money and I got a bigger screen. Definitely loving it so far and the extra screen real estate is really nice for media. Hopefully in the future RAM doesn’t become that much of a issue and it still gets a few more OS updates.
Apple has a history of supporting iPhone and iPad devices that have more RAM for longer when it comes to updates. I'd go for that for a bit more money if you're not into upgrading frequently. Not sure about your storage needs, though. I typically find that I don't use much but that's because I have 2TB of iCloud Storage so my photos and videos go up into that and it stores lower-res proxies on my device after a period of time.