iPad Used iPad Pro 1st gen or new iPad 9th gen?

[Hellohi]

Hi, Would you recommend the iPad Pro 1st generation 10.5 inches, model A1701 over the 2021 Apple iPad 9th generation 10.2 inch? I was going to purchase the 9th generation new, but I may be able to get the iPad Pro used. Pros and cons for each device? I want to be able to use it for a long time so maybe the new one would be better? Thank you.

Used iPad Pro $350-400 CAD
New iPad $440 CAD

 

[GMShadow]

No. The 10.5 model is pretty old at this point, and they were infamous for developing issues as they aged, like white spots on the screen, the touch layer going out, etc.


What exactly are you wanting it for?

 

[chikorita157]

If you can pay a little more, used 2018 iPad Pro 11" for around the same price ($350 USD) of a new iPad 9th generation, which has more features and a laminated display. It doesn't suffer from the bright spot issue. Also, it gets Stage Manager, which even the 9th and 10th generation iPads don't even get.

I will never go back to a non-laminated iPad, it just feels cheap, outdated, and very reflective. It's shameful how Apple still uses a non-laminated display on the 10th generation iPad when everyone moved on and have laminated displays on tablets and smatphones. Even the iPhone SE 2022 have a laminated display and is around the same price of the iPad 10, which is shameful.

 

[Hellohi]

No. The 10.5 model is pretty old at this point, and they were infamous for developing issues as they aged, like white spots on the screen, the touch layer going out, etc.


What exactly are you wanting it for?

Just for watching videos, and using some apps. Thanks for your response!

 

[Hellohi]

If you can pay a little more, used 2018 iPad Pro 11" for around the same price ($350 USD) of a new iPad 9th generation, which has more features and a laminated display. It doesn't suffer from the bright spot issue. Also, it gets Stage Manager, which even the 9th and 10th generation iPads don't even get.

I will never go back to a non-laminated iPad, it just feels cheap, outdated, and very reflective. It's shameful how Apple still uses a non-laminated display on the 10th generation iPad when everyone moved on and have laminated displays on tablets and smatphones. Even the iPhone SE 2022 have a laminated display and is around the same price of the iPad 10, which is shameful.

I’ll look around. Is Apple iPad 9th generation non-laminated?

 

[GMShadow]

I’ll look around. Is Apple iPad 9th generation non-laminated?

It is non-laminated yeah. I don't think it's the end of the world as much as some do - especially if you can get a great price on the 9th gen.

But yes, the 10.5 is just too much of a risk. I had one for a few years, used carefully, and it was still developing the white spot by the third year.

 

[CharlesShaw]

Check out what's available on the "Refurbished and Clearance" link at the bottom of the Apple Store site, as they still sell old models at good prices and those would all have the same warranty as buying a current model from Apple.

 

[HDFan]

they were infamous for developing issues as they aged, like white spots on the screen, the touch layer going out, etc.

Data source?

 

[GMShadow]

Data source?

Countless threads on this site and my own personal experience?

Just check on eBay lol, resellers will classify the 10.5s based on whether the screens have white spots or not. The 12.9s were worse with the touch issues but it did happen on the 10.5 too.

 

[Hellohi]

It is non-laminated yeah. I don't think it's the end of the world as much as some do - especially if you can get a great price on the 9th gen.

But yes, the 10.5 is just too much of a risk. I had one for a few years, used carefully, and it was still developing the white spot by the third year.

Thank you!

 

[chikorita157]

Countless threads on this site and my own personal experience?

Just check on eBay lol, resellers will classify the 10.5s based on whether the screens have white spots or not. The 12.9s were worse with the touch issues but it did happen on the 10.5 too.

Also noticed this issue on my father's iPad Air 3, since it uses a similar screen, but without Pro Motion.

 

[CharlesShaw]

And be warned: if you've never owned an iPad with ProMotion and quad speakers, but wish to remain frugal in the future, my advice is to avoid the Pro models or else you'll never want to take advantage of the lower end affordable models when it comes time to get a new iPad.

 

[antiprotest]

You can see the comparison here.

iPad - Compare Models

Compare resolution, size, weight, performance, battery life, and storage of iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini models.

www.apple.com

It's not a 100% win for either one.

The 9th gen has a newer chip. New battery. If your old Pro has the original battery, it's pretty old.

The Pro has promotion, laminated screen, better camera, better speakers, etc. But the 9th gen has a better front camera with center stage.

Personally I would choose the 9th gen. It's a better chip so you will receive updates for longer, including some new features. And the better front camera makes it more practically for video calls.

The 10.5 Pro is too old. And being that old it seems overpriced to me. It's going to turn "vintage" on you much sooner.

 

[*~Kim~*]

The 10.5 is actually the 2nd Gen Pro with the A10x processor, as the 1st Gen only came in 9.7 inch and 12.9. It’s the one the white spot issue was most prevalent in, so I’d take the new 9th Gen.

A10x vs A13 too. There were some who took the A10x Pro over the A12 Air 3 as there wasn’t much between them, but the A13 9th Gen would be the better choice.

There’s 1Gb extra RAM (4 instead of 3) better speakers and laminated display on the Pro, but those don’t seem worth the disadvantages of the Pro at this point. Both of the iPads have Pencil 1 support.

 

[TorbenIbsen]

Go to Apple's homepage and compare the different models. - We have both the iPad Pro 10.5" and the current iPad Pro 11". The 10.5" can do it all except the LIDAR scanning. - Look at the differences between iPad 9 and iPad Air 5 and the 10.5". I think that you should avoid the iPad 9. You will not get the very good display features if you get that model. But you will on iPad Air 5 and iPad 10.5 Pro.

Don't bother too much with the chip versions. The important thing will be the RAM. In iPad 9 you get 3GB RAM but in iPad Air 5 you get 8 GB RAM. in the 10.5" you get 4 GB RAM.

iPad RAM list: How much memory every model has - 9to5Mac

This guide covers the amount of memory in every iPad model Apple has released. Follow along for all the details in our iPad RAM list.

9to5mac.com

 

[rui no onna]

We’ve got both in the household. I recommend getting a brand new iPad 9th gen over a used 2017 iPad Pro 10.5.

The 4GB RAM feels much the same as 3GB on iOS 15, the Pro 10.5 has a design defect making it prone to developing a white spot and unresponsive touchscreen, and at 5 years old battery’s a crapshoot.

Meanwhile, the iPad 9th gen probably has one of the best battery life among Apple’s current iPad line up

 

[Vivian125]

Straight to the point… iPad 9 is very budget friendly so I’d recommend it depends of:

A9X of iPP? No.. A13 is way powerful compare to that. Worst battery for sure as it’s the oldest...
A10X.. sure iPP 10.5 has 4GB of Ram but those 12 cores are weaker clocked.. so all Of them have to work making the battery to drain more.
A12: Air 3 also no. As it’s 3GB Ram only. And weaker compared to A13.
A12X: I’d definitely get it.. 4GB of ram but has 7 to 8 cores in which the day to day task will be equal to A13 if not better in gaming performance and editing as well.. and it’s two generation newer than the older A10X which is not that efficient in comparison to A12/A12X..