iPad Pro Thinking about getting an iPad Pro 12.9. Any major flaws/defects I should be worried about?

[sneak3]

Hey guys.

I'm considering buying an iPad Pro, 12.9, especially for painting and drawing. I have had bad experiences with Microsoft's Surface line, as devices would be full of dead pixels, noticeable light bleed, screens lifting, bad color/brightness uniformity etc.

So up till now, has the iPad Pro 12.9 had any significant complaints regarding the HARDWARE part? I don't care about software or iOS cause I trust apple to fix those, and worst case it's easier to get it replaced under warranty. Some hardware defects though, like dead pixel or light bleed, that can vary too much. Not even sure what's the policy for those now.

Thanks!

 

[Jal217]

So I wouldn't post this unless I saw that no one else answered you. However, I've had mine since November and use it heavily daily. I also travel with it often so it's thrown in and out of a bag often. I haven't had a single problem with it. The home button and volume buttons are more firm than that of my brand new iPhone. It's very resilient, the speakers and microphone work great even after constant use and not proud to admit it but I spilled soda on it. My one and only thing that bothers me is the Smart Keyboard begins to wear a bit where I hit the space bar in the same place over and over. That's just cosmetic and to be expected though. Really a quality product.

 

[sneak3]

Thanks Jal.

What about the screen itself? I tend to OCD a bit about screens.

 

[Jal217]

Thanks Jal.

What about the screen itself? I tend to OCD a bit about screens.

It's quite good in the sun, no unevenness that I can tell. The 9.7" shows fingerprints really badly I hear, but my 12.9 doesn't have this problem. I wish it had the true tone, but that's not a defect. No flaws at all on mine, and I got mine when it first came out so if the quality has changed it's only gotten better since then.
[doublepost=1461797793][/doublepost]I have a 2012 non-retina MacBook Pro and I can't even use it anymore because the screen quality of the iPad pro has ruined me for it.

 

[Leo90]

I use my 12.9 quite intensively every single day and I have no complaints about hardware. It is a powerhouse and screen is simply gorgeous!

 

[Kal-037]

Had mine since launch day, I absolutely love it, super insanely fast, thin, durable, it has a perfect screen (no light bleed, no uneven colors, bright and color accurate.) The home button, volume and power buttons are good, The speakers are like Jal217 said, are great. *knock on wood... This is the best iPad IMO.


Kal.

 

[xsdeus]

Thanks Jal.

What about the screen itself? I tend to OCD a bit about screens.

iPad Pro screens tend to have some screen uniformity issues.
I've tested 3 myself and all have had the same issue.

Oxide TFT is supposed to improve screen uniformity, but is a fairly new tech and has less than favorable yield rates.
I think it'll take a while to stabilize the tech.

Mind you, I'm also very particular to screen quality, and notice defects more easily than the general users.
I haven't had the chance to test the iPad Pro 9.7 inch, so I can't compare the two, unfortunately.

 

[artfossil]

Had mine since launch day, I absolutely love it, super insanely fast, thin, durable, it has a perfect screen (no light bleed, no uneven colors, bright and color accurate.) The home button, volume and power buttons are good, The speakers are like Jal217 said, are great. This is the best iPad IMO.


Kal.

What Kal-037 said.

With the Apple Smart Keyboard and the Pencil you can be amazingly productive AND have tons of fun.

 

[pjh]

It's not so much a flaw, but the size and weight can be quite daunting. If you have the chance try and borrow one and use it for a day or two. For some people it just does not work. When I first got mine I was initially concerned that I would not get used to the extra weight. After a week I had adjusted how I held it and was more than happy. As an experiment I went back to my Air for a week and I hated the tiny screen!

The only flaw of the ipad pro at the moment is the lack of choice in the accessory department. The apple keyboard is great but expensive. Normally I'd still purchase it, but the lack of a UK layout, the dull and total lack of colour choice were just too much of a compromise. Having to also buy a back cover grated on me too.

It's a great bit of kit and most people I know that have one, would never go back.

 

[Andy847]

I've had mine since March and thus far the only problems have been since I updated to 9.3 IOS update. After that, I have to pair my Apple Pencil after every Reboot. That is getting totally frustrating, because before that update, I only had to pair the Apple Pencil once when I first got it. Regardless of it being turned off. So now I keep it on all the time.

One other thing, now my Wifi disconnects sometimes and I have to go through steps I read online or turn my Router on and off. That is listed as a bug with 9.3 update. So mostly Software issues I've had. Other than that, everything works fine. No complaints. I just wish Apple would fix these two issues in the next update. I know a few from another forum who have the same issue after the 9.3 update, regarding having to pair the pencil all the time after turning off the IPP. Even happened to the Apple Genius guy on his IPP. It worked fine and he saw it was on 9.2.1 and then he updated to 9.3 on his store model, same problem I have. So it's definitely something Apple should fix.

 

[TheColtr]

I have both the 9.7 and 12.9 iPad Pro. Both are great products. Period. The 9.7 true tone display has me using my iPad more than my phone, just for this display. The pencil is great on both, although the 9.7 can feel a little cramped when taking notes. The keyboard on the 12.9 is superb, best keyboard ever made for a tablet. The 9.7 inch keyboard hasn't been delivered yet. The 12.9 is definitely a workhorse and if you want to do multitasking get the 12.9 it's screen was made for multitasking. No matter what anyone tells you the 9.7 screen is just a little too small to make multitasking really useful, although it is still great. I have also used the surface 3, pro 3,pro 4, and surface book. Although good products I always go back to my iPad because the surfaces are always getting hot, the fan is constantly running, and they never seem to be quite powerful enough to do what I want them to do, maybe it's because I'm expecting them to act like my desktop, not like a tablet. Regardless the 12.9 and 9.7 are both amazing products and you will not be disappointed with either.

 

[thadoggfather]

make sure it has 4gb of ram,

quality control is so bad, those pesky iPP9.7's have been known to come with 2gigs...

/s

probably the looseness of buttons/screen would be the main QC concerns,

 

[Nevaborn]

I have held off getting an iPad Pro as was wanting one in 9.7 but after testing them both extensively side by side I can comfortably say the 12.9 is the better product.

Multitasking while not my main feature is useful especially if drawing from reference and it is so much better on the 12.9 due to the size.

The screen uniformity is a good question and frankly both are very uniform, however even with the wider colour space of the 9.7 the 12.9 looks every bit just as accurate to the eye when viewing photos or editing video. True tone while nice for say writing or reading etc is no good for photos or art as it skews colour accuracy. It is not a gimmick but not is it a holy grail feature.

The weight is a non issue really, the 12.9 to me feels on slightly heavier than the 9.7 but you are getting twice the area to work on.

The only real issue with the 12.9 is at its size compared to thickness it can be fragile so there have been cases of damage caused by the smallest of knocks or drops that would not affect other devices. So it will need a degree of care.

 

[thadoggfather]

I hadn't thought about split screen for referencing when drawing,

now I'm even more pumped for my 12.9 to arrive,

got a pencil, my iPad should be here friday

Probably will keep air2 around too, but may sell potentially if it collects dust AND the 12.9 is on iOS 9.1 so I can jailbreak, though not getting my hopes up

 

[iSheep5S]

I was one of the early Surface 3 adopters. I mocked the iPad Pro 12.9" when I watched the keynote. Yup I always watch the keynotes whether I want the product or not.

My Surface 3 didn't have dead pixels or any structure issues but... It had some strange glitches. I sold it pretty quick.

Alas I caved a while later and got the 12.9" Pro and for what I do it is perfect. Should I say... Better for me than the surface.

I haven't had mine long but no issues. Only one thing that may annoy you is the charge time and the cost to 'fix' that with a 29w charger. Otherwise it's the best, or one of the best devices I've had. Pretty much say bye to your laptop/PC for the most part.

 

[subjonas]

Watch out for a clicking screen. You can google this, but some 12.9 Pros have an issue where if you touch certain areas of the screen, you'll hear what seems to be a faint "click" sound coming from the display, even when the iPad is off. I had this issue with the first Pro I bought. You can't really hear it if there is ambient noise. But if you're in a quiet room or office, it becomes noticeable and even annoying after awhile. If I had to guess, I think it sounded like adhesive under the display was touching then separating every time I tapped (regular taps, not even hard presses). I took it back to the Apple store during the return period. The worker had never heard of the issue but he still swapped it out. Before taking it home though, I found a quiet area in the mall and tested it out. Thankfully, I now have a non-clicking iPad Pro.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Thanks Jal.

What about the screen itself? I tend to OCD a bit about screens.

If you really look hard enough you will find something wrong with any device. Apple products are no different and are not perfect.

 

[Cassady]

Surprised no-one(?) has mentioned its biggest flaw:

After prolonged use of the 12.9", your arms and hands grow really, really big...
Mainly because after prolonged use, holding a 9.7" feels really, really tiny.
Which (obviously) can only be explained by your arms/hands having grown...

 

[andy271]

to me the device is better than Wacom for drawing .the screen size is perfect and it has plenty of speed ,the problem I continue to have is uneven display with yellow tint if you can put up with this then the ipad pro is the best out there procreate is the best app for sketching but it doesn't have photoshop,and some of the other full featured programs like a windows tablet does if you do really lite brush strokes the apple pencil is remarkable the best ive used also one thing that the ipad pro does beat the competition is battery life its amazing

 

[sracer]

Hey guys.

I'm considering buying an iPad Pro, 12.9, especially for painting and drawing. I have had bad experiences with Microsoft's Surface line, as devices would be full of dead pixels, noticeable light bleed, screens lifting, bad color/brightness uniformity etc.

So up till now, has the iPad Pro 12.9 had any significant complaints regarding the HARDWARE part? I don't care about software or iOS cause I trust apple to fix those, and worst case it's easier to get it replaced under warranty. Some hardware defects though, like dead pixel or light bleed, that can vary too much. Not even sure what's the policy for those now.

Thanks!

I bought my 12.9 iPP nearly 2 months ago. Hardware is perfect. That is my rule of thumb... wait 3-6 months after the launch of a device before purchasing one.

Generally speaking, There is a hard scramble to ramp up inventory leading up to a product launch that can result in slightly loosening quality tolerances in order to meet production numbers. But as crunch time passes, processes improve, yields improve, and things settle in. Please note that I'm not saying that release day devices are junk, only that there is a greater probability of getting a unit with issues on launch day than 3-6 months out.

 

[Night Spring]

I've had every 9.7 iPad since the original one other than the ipad4. I had a original mini. I currently have a 12.9 Pro. I've had several iPod touches and iPhones. That's at least a dozen iOS devices for me alone. Then between my partner and my mom, they've probably been through a dozen iOS devices. NONE of them had any screen defects. So I'm totally not worried about that when buying iOS devices. If I ever get one with an egregious defect, I feel confident Apple will replace it. But I don't go around looking for dead pixels or light leaks. As long as it doesn't bother me under normal use, it's fine.

 

[sneak3]

You guys are AWESOME. Thanks so much for the replies!

to me the device is better than Wacom for drawing .the screen size is perfect and it has plenty of speed ,the problem I continue to have is uneven display with yellow tint if you can put up with this then the ipad pro is the best out there procreate is the best app for sketching but it doesn't have photoshop,and some of the other full featured programs like a windows tablet does if you do really lite brush strokes the apple pencil is remarkable the best ive used also one thing that the ipad pro does beat the competition is battery life its amazing

When did you buy yours?

Watch out for a clicking screen. You can google this, but some 12.9 Pros have an issue where if you touch certain areas of the screen, you'll hear what seems to be a faint "click" sound coming from the display, even when the iPad is off. I had this issue with the first Pro I bought. You can't really hear it if there is ambient noise. But if you're in a quiet room or office, it becomes noticeable and even annoying after awhile. If I had to guess, I think it sounded like adhesive under the display was touching then separating every time I tapped (regular taps, not even hard presses). I took it back to the Apple store during the return period. The worker had never heard of the issue but he still swapped it out. Before taking it home though, I found a quiet area in the mall and tested it out. Thankfully, I now have a non-clicking iPad Pro.

When did you buy the first one with the clicky noise?

 

[subjonas]

When did you buy the first one with the clicky noise?

I got it at the end of March or early april. By the way, it was the 256GB model (got it when it had just come out in stores). But I think previous Pros with smaller storage had the same issue.

 

[warton-john]

Got the 12.9 IPP when it was released. Used everyday for many hours. Fab machine. I have not come across any problems or flaws yet.

 

[jamesrick80]

If you are coming from a surface pro 4, the iPad Pro 12.9 with the Smart Keyboard will seem flawless....I speak the truth