All iPads Should I get a refurbished iPad Pro or a new regular iPad?

[ldjarmin]

Can someone help me figure out which of these iPads to get?

So the regular iPad is $309 education pricing; 10.2 inch screen, 32GB, A10x . The other option is a refurb'd 10.5 inch iPad Pro for $379. It's a hair bigger and has 64GB instead and is "Pro" but is it actually better? It's almost 3 years old; will that actually matter? It has an A10 processor not an A10x--is this a big deal?

Are these roughly comparable, or is one clearly better and I'm missing something?

Thanks!

 

[rui no onna]

iPad Pro is better in every way (except maybe battery as the X chips use more power).

• bigger, better display (10.5", laminated, ProMotion)
• quad speakers
• Apple A10X chipset with more CPU cores and much faster GPU
• 4GB RAM
• higher base storage

One caveat, the new regular iPad 10.2 supports good Pencil alternatives like the Logitech Crayon and Adonit Note. The iPad Pro 10.5 requires a genuine Apple Pencil.

By the way, the regular iPad can often be found for $249 from places like Best Buy, Amazon, Target, Staples, etc.

 

[cambookpro]

The 10.5" is head and shoulders above even though it is older. The laminated, 120 Hz screen makes it worth the slightly higher price alone IMO, though you also get the benefits listed by the poster above. The A10X in the 10.5" Pro is ~60% faster for multicore tasks than the A10 in the regular iPad (not that either are slow).

Since it's a refurb from Apple, you get the same one-year warranty. I see no downsides unless you're on a very strict budget.

 

[AutomaticApple]

(except maybe battery as the X chips use more power)

Wouldn't that depend on the task?

 

[rui no onna]

Wouldn't that depend on the task?

In the household, we have:

iPad Pro 9.7 A9X
iPad 5th gen A9
iPad Pro 10.5 A10X
iPad 6th gen A10
iPad Air 3 A12

In all cases, the non-X chips have longer standby battery life and onscreen time than the X chips when used for the same tasks. Makes sense when you consider the smaller batteries on iPhones where the non-X are originally used.

 

[mikzn]

Another vote here for the iPad Pro especially at that price difference - IMHO - worth the $70 extra

 

[FeliApple]

I wonder if a refurb Air 3 64GB makes more sense at the current price point - $419 - than either of your choices. Now, if $379 is the absolute limit of your budget, then I’d definitely suggest the 10.5 Pro; for $70 more, I think it’s a better choice.

 

[hotr32]

For the $70 price difference, it‘s a definitely worth getting the Pro. Even though its now a 3 year old device, its still going to last you years.

 

[rui no onna]

I wonder if a refurb Air 3 64GB makes more sense at the current price point - $419 - than either of your choices. Now, if $379 is the absolute limit of your budget, then I’d definitely suggest the 10.5 Pro; for $70 more, I think it’s a better choice.

The only advantage of the Air 3 is chipset (and 3rd party Pencil alternatives if you care for those). RAM, display and speakers are all better with the Pro 10.5.

Mind, I do own an Air 3 as backup since the Pro battery life is not so good anymore. Performanc-wise, they're pretty much the same.

 

[FeliApple]

The only advantage of the Air 3 is chipset (and 3rd party Pencil alternatives if you care for those). RAM, display and speakers are all better with the Pro 10.5.

Mind, I do own an Air 3 as backup since the Pro battery life is not so good anymore. Performanc-wise, they're pretty much the same.

Yeah, you have a good point. Also, I’m painfully aware of the impact of the new iOS versions on the (older) iPad’s battery life. I’m eager to buy a new iPad (I have to travel as my country sucks, but that’s a different thing altogether), as my 9.7 iPad Pro’s battery life was cut by half when it was forced out of iOS 9 last year by Apple, and you’ve said that the battery life of the Air 3 is great, so maybe that’s another factor to take into account.

So, if you take all of these factors into account, would you recommend an iPad Pro 10.5 at 379 rather that the refurb Air 3 at 419?

 

[rui no onna]

Yeah, you have a good point. Also, I’m painfully aware of the impact of the new iOS versions on the (older) iPad’s battery life. I’m eager to buy a new iPad (I have to travel as my country sucks, but that’s a different thing altogether), as my 9.7 iPad Pro’s battery life was cut by half when it was forced out of iOS 9 last year by Apple, and you’ve said that the battery life of the Air 3 is great, so maybe that’s another factor to take into account.

So, if you take all of these factors into account, would you recommend an iPad Pro 10.5 at 379 rather that the refurb Air 3 at 419?

The refurbs should have newer batteries so Pro 10.5 battery life shouldn't be bad. It just won't be as good as Air 3 since A12 naturally just has lower power consumption than A10X.

You sacrifice a lot of features going with Air 3 so unless one has a specific need (e.g. Logitech Crayon, battery life), value-wise, I think the $379 Pro 10.5 is better.

Mind, the Air 3 can often be found on sale brand new for $399/64GB from Best Buy and Amazon.

 

[ssledoux]

I had an 11” pro and sold it planning to use a 6th gen we had lying around (just realized I don’t need a pro for my iPad usage). Of course one of my grandkids’ iPads wound up needing to be replaced so she got that 6th gen and I had to buy something new for me. I went with the Air 3, and I’m really happy with it. I like the older style ASK, and actually prefer touch ID on the iPad. I also liked that I can have one Logitech crayon here and it works on ALL the iPads we have. The speakers are definitely not as good, but I’m not one to really watch movies and stuff on my iPad anyway.

The battery life blows my mind. It’s fantastic. I’m always shocked at how long I can go between charges (charging does take a lot longer than with my 2018 pro using USB-C, but it usually charges when I’m sleeping anyway.

Overall I’ve been really happy with it.

 

[rui no onna]

I also liked that I can have one Logitech crayon here and it works on ALL the iPads we have. The speakers are definitely not as good, but I’m not one to really watch movies and stuff on my iPad anyway.

The awesome thing is you don't need to pair the Crayon to the iPads. Just turn it on and write. You can easily switch between devices without pausing just like with pen and paper.

 

[ssledoux]

The awesome thing is you don't need to pair the Crayon to the iPads. Just turn it on and write. You can easily switch between devices without pausing just like with pen and paper.

I know. I loved the 2nd gen Apple Pencil with my pro, but I’m not a daily pencil user, so this made more sense for me, and all my grandkids can use it on their iPads when they’re here.