iPad Pro 11 or 12.9 Pro ?

[MCube74]

If one carries a big 6” phone then it is probably best to go with iPad Pro 12.9. It is smaller than previous generations and the screen remains big.

11” iPad Pro is probably more suitable for people with smaller phones because nowadays you can do quite a lot with big screen phones.

Times have changed.

Also writing on a small screen for some may not be as comfortable as with bigger screens.

The weight between the 2 sizes is not like night and day difference so I don’t see 11” being so much more portable.

 

[Stokkes]

It depends on a lot of factors.

For example, I'm not a tall person, only 5'3" and I'm writing this in bed with the 12.9 over my head in portrait mode. It isn't super comfortable and due to my size I'm stretching my wrists to reach the 'g' and 'h' keys. Doing that for a long period of time is going to cause discomfort.

Yet earlier I was doing development with the folio keyboard attached using Textastic, working copy and Blink (ssh app) and it was a dream.

I find both these iPads polarizing. It's crazy for less than 2". I've never been more torn on a product. I have an 11" beside me and it's a lot nicer to type in portrait, lighter, but it's not as good for those development tasks

Wish I could afford,both! Still unsure which one I'll keep. I have 5 days to decide.

 

[6749974]

It depends on a lot of factors.

For example, I'm not a tall person, only 5'3" and I'm writing this in bed with the 12.9 over my head in portrait mode. It isn't super comfortable and due to my size I'm stretching my wrists to reach the 'g' and 'h' keys. Doing that for a long period of time is going to cause discomfort.

Yet earlier I was doing development with the folio keyboard attached using Textastic, working copy and Blink (ssh app) and it was a dream.

I find both these iPads polarizing. It's crazy for less than 2". I've never been more torn on a product. I have an 11" beside me and it's a lot nicer to type in portrait, lighter, but it's not as good for those development tasks

Wish I could afford,both! Still unsure which one I'll keep. I have 5 days to decide.

Keep the 12.9” for work, and buy a used iPad for bed.

 

[tridot]

If I used my iPad for work I’d go 12.9 in a heartbeat.

 

[The Game 161]

If one carries a big 6” phone then it is probably best to go with iPad Pro 12.9. It is smaller than previous generations and the screen remains big.

11” iPad Pro is probably more suitable for people with smaller phones because nowadays you can do quite a lot with big screen phones.

Times have changed.

Also writing on a small screen for some may not be as comfortable as with bigger screens.

The weight between the 2 sizes is not like night and day difference so I don’t see 11” being so much more portable.

Exactly what I did...max and 12.9 made the most sense

 

[MK500]

After looking at both at the Apple Store I purchased the 12.9. I am coming from a 9.7” Air 2 that I love. I work on my iPad 6 to 10 hours per day. My use case is research, financial charting, messaging and remote admin of some macs and Linux boxes. I use multitasking a lot.

After a day of thorough testing I returned the 12.9 and purchased the 11. After just a few minutes of use I was very sure I made the right choice. Here are some of the reasons:

- I’m not a desk user; I hold my iPad or lie down with it balanced on my chest. The difference between 1lb and 1.3lb is MASSIVE. The 12.9 just isn’t comfortable for extended holding. It seems like a desk iPad. I have a MacBook for when I want to sit at a desk...the iPad isn’t great for desk work.
- The on screen keyboard is too large on the 12.9 to comfortably 2-finger “thumb type” or “finger type”. I can type vastly faster on the 11”. And they removed the split keyboard option which may have been a good workaround. Who knows why. If I want a full size keyboard I use a real one.
- Even though the 12.9 form factor and resolution has been out for a long time; it feels like Apple isn’t properly supporting it yet. Example: there are the exact same 5x4 row of app/folder icons on each screen. It looks completely ridiculous (massive space between icons). There are endless examples like this where the screen just looks silly with lots of empty white space.
- The ergonomics are just bad on the large screen. I often rest my hands on the edge of the case and can stretch from there to whatever I need to tap with thumbs on the 11. On the 12.9 I was finding myself holding my hand in the air...and after hours I was in pain.
- The extreme thin-ness of both of these iPads makes them feel a bit flimsy. This is far more obvious on the 12.9. It just felt fragile to me. Scary for the price! This is reminding me of the Titanium PowerBook G4 days. Bad move Apple.
- While there is definitely more data density when multitasking on the 12.9 vs the 11...it’s really not that noticeable most of the time. If you work all day with two full safari windows open I can see that being much better. But otherwise for most real usage cases I didn’t really notice the difference. Things just felt BIGGER on the 12.9. My vision is good so I don’t really need enlarged text. Also a lot of unused white space (back to how it doesn’t feel like Apple has optimized for the 12.9 form factor even after having tons of time to do so).

Anyway, that’s my take. Hope it helps some of you. I love my 11”.

Other than the painful headphone dongle...which is utterly stupid.

 

[throAU]

Didn’t vote, but having used a 10.5 since release day with the pencil and keyboard i’d say it depends.

If you are looking to draw on it a lot, get the 12.9. 10.5” is still pretty small for things like diagrams, etc. I also accidentally hit the home button a bit. but i guess i could tilt it the other way, and that won’t be an issue with the new 11” model.

If you’re using it more as an ipad plus keyboard then the 10.5 is fine. But i can definitely see why Apple did not do a Mini form factor ipad pro with the pencil. The 10.5 is borderline cramped enough.

That said, i haven’t tried the 12.9 yet. Maybe i’ll find the size a drawback. but my next ipad will be the 12.9 i think.

 

[MisterSavage]

After a day of thorough testing I returned the 12.9 and purchased the 11. After just a few minutes of use I was very sure I made the right choice. Here are some of the reasons:

I was in the same situation and knew I made the right decision after a few minutes. I was upgrading from the 9.7 IPP and jumped straight into preordering the 12.9. It's been almost a week since I exchanged it for an 11. No regrets!

 

[augustya]

Apparently, also because the 11" split-screens apps in iPhone mode, rather than iPad mode.

EDIT: I may be confusing the floating-window with split-view

No Sorry didnt understand what ? Floating Window with Split View ? is that not visible on the 11" iPP and only visible on the 12.9" ? Pictures would be better to understand, do you think you can post a screenshot of what you are trying to explain ?

 

[6749974]

No Sorry didnt understand what ? Floating Window with Split View ? is that not visible on the 11" iPP and only visible on the 12.9" ? Pictures would be better to understand, do you think you can post a screenshot of what you are trying to explain ?

Quoting Serenity Caldwell's article from April 2018:

When using iOS's multitasking features, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro uses the Compact size class when going into Split View. This means that after you set two apps into Split View, those apps will display iPhone-style interfaces when set side by side in a 50/50 split, and one iPad, one iPhone-style when in a 25/75 or 75/25 split.

The reason for this is simple: The 10.5-inch iPad Pro isn't wide enough in landscape mode to fit two regular-sized apps without their interfacesI overlapping. Apple would need an extra 15% or more of width to make the apps scale effectively, which would make for a mighty strange iPad indeed.

In contrast, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro uses the Regular size class when going into Split View. This means that after you set two apps into Split View, those apps will display iPad-style interfaces when set side by side in a 50/50 split, and and one iPad, one iPhone-style when in a 25/75 or 75/25 split.
​

So just replace 10.5-inch with the new 11-inch iPad in the above quote; and that explains why 12.9-inch is superior for multitasking, if multitasking is priority.

 

[jazzer15]

Quoting Serenity Caldwell's article from April 2018:

When using iOS's multitasking features, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro uses the Compact size class when going into Split View. This means that after you set two apps into Split View, those apps will display iPhone-style interfaces when set side by side in a 50/50 split, and one iPad, one iPhone-style when in a 25/75 or 75/25 split.

The reason for this is simple: The 10.5-inch iPad Pro isn't wide enough in landscape mode to fit two regular-sized apps without their interfacesI overlapping. Apple would need an extra 15% or more of width to make the apps scale effectively, which would make for a mighty strange iPad indeed.

In contrast, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro uses the Regular size class when going into Split View. This means that after you set two apps into Split View, those apps will display iPad-style interfaces when set side by side in a 50/50 split, and and one iPad, one iPhone-style when in a 25/75 or 75/25 split.
​

So just replace 10.5-inch with the new 11-inch iPad in the above quote; and that explains why 12.9-inch is superior for multitasking, if multitasking is priority.

That's a helpful explanation. Thanks. But I'm curious, wouldn't implementation of this really depend on the app? In other words, I assume some iPhone apps are essentially the same as their iPad counterparts (just smaller), while in other instances, the iPad app might actually display more information on a screen and/or be formatted differently.

Split screen isn't a big thing for me, but I'm just wondering if (with the exception of having a bigger screen) this is a distinction without a difference depending on which apps one is trying to split screen.

 

[thatappleguytoday]

Been using the 11” for a few days now and definitely love it. But, after having the 1st gen 12.9 for almost 3 years, think I’m going to be returning this for the new 12.9. Just can’t go over the smaller footprint after such a massive display to use daily.

I feel the new footprint on the 12.9 will still be easy to carry about and bring to work. Thoughts on that?

As expensive as the smart folio is (no keyboard), I love this case. Slim, minimalist, and clean all around. It’s a perfect pair to the iPad.

 

[cardfan]

I see a lot of “in bed” use of iPads. Even with an iPad my iPhone is my primary book reader in bed or even to watch video that’s superior on an oled screen. Laying down holding up a 11 or 12.9” iPad? That seems crazy.

On the couch I hold iPhone. I hold kindle. Maybe even an iPad mini. But the bigger iPads are propped on me or lay in lap. So whether 11 or 12.9 I use each the same way. Although I would say 12.9 can be too big at times and more area to swipe which is more work. (Not a fan of all the swiping)

The real difference is if you’re on the go with one. I hardly am except on trips. IMO it’s not really a factor. My phone is the on the go device. If I did take an iPad every where I certainly wouldn’t be buying a 1000 phone. I would be looking to eliminate iPhone somehow or using the cheapest one.

 

[augustya]

Quoting Serenity Caldwell's article from April 2018:

When using iOS's multitasking features, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro uses the Compact size class when going into Split View. This means that after you set two apps into Split View, those apps will display iPhone-style interfaces when set side by side in a 50/50 split, and one iPad, one iPhone-style when in a 25/75 or 75/25 split.

The reason for this is simple: The 10.5-inch iPad Pro isn't wide enough in landscape mode to fit two regular-sized apps without their interfacesI overlapping. Apple would need an extra 15% or more of width to make the apps scale effectively, which would make for a mighty strange iPad indeed.

In contrast, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro uses the Regular size class when going into Split View. This means that after you set two apps into Split View, those apps will display iPad-style interfaces when set side by side in a 50/50 split, and and one iPad, one iPhone-style when in a 25/75 or 75/25 split.
​

So just replace 10.5-inch with the new 11-inch iPad in the above quote; and that explains why 12.9-inch is superior for multitasking, if multitasking is priority.

Yes, the description says whatever it says, but when actually looking two APPS in split screen, there is no difference for the user. One cannot identify this difference of compact view versus full view. Yes apart from the fact that in the 12.9" it would be bigger and wider and on the 11" it would be smaller because of the screen size. Only if someone can post a picture or screenshot of what he is trying to say that would be helpful to understand.

 

[Nugget]

...when actually looking two APPS in split screen, there is no difference for the user.

This depends entirely on the app. Some apps have significant differences in UI between the compact and regular size displays. Some apps do not have any noticeable differences other than canvas size.

 

[richpjr]

I see a lot of “in bed” use of iPads. Even with an iPad my iPhone is my primary book reader in bed or even to watch video that’s superior on an oled screen. Laying down holding up a 11 or 12.9” iPad? That seems crazy.

On the couch I hold iPhone. I hold kindle. Maybe even an iPad mini. But the bigger iPads are propped on me or lay in lap. So whether 11 or 12.9 I use each the same way. Although I would say 12.9 can be too big at times and more area to swipe which is more work. (Not a fan of all the swiping)

The real difference is if you’re on the go with one. I hardly am except on trips. IMO it’s not really a factor. My phone is the on the go device. If I did take an iPad every where I certainly wouldn’t be buying a 1000 phone. I would be looking to eliminate iPhone somehow or using the cheapest one.

I guess I am crazy because I use an iPad in bed all the time! Usually it’s a 10.5” for reading, web surfing a quick email or games. Before that, I picked up the 10.5, I used a 12.9 for the same thing.

 

[augustya]

This depends entirely on the app. Some apps have significant differences in UI between the compact and regular size displays. Some apps do not have any noticeable differences other than canvas size.

I still do not have the 11" if someone has both the 2018 iPad Pro"s i.e. 12.9" and 11" and if someone can post a screenshot of both the variations that we are taking abiut that would help better understand

 

[Nugget]

I still do not have the 11" if someone has both the 2018 iPad Pro"s i.e. 12.9" and 11" and if someone can post a screenshot of both the variations that we are taking abiut that would help better understand

Run an app on your iPad and run the same app on your phone. That's the basic difference. Without knowing what apps you use there's no way for us to know what difference you will see.

 

[The Game 161]

Interesting the 12.9 ahead in the poll now...

 

[6749974]

That's a helpful explanation. Thanks. But I'm curious, wouldn't implementation of this really depend on the app? In other words, I assume some iPhone apps are essentially the same as their iPad counterparts (just smaller), while in other instances, the iPad app might actually display more information on a screen and/or be formatted differently.

Split screen isn't a big thing for me, but I'm just wondering if (with the exception of having a bigger screen) this is a distinction without a difference depending on which apps one is trying to split screen.

I looked and looked for youtube videos that would show a side-by-side but have yet to find one.

Best I can explain, as an example, and as far as I know, is that one twitter app displays two columns, even in split-screen mode on the 12.9, but on the 9.7/10.5-inch, that twitter app only displays one column, just like the iPhone app. [EDIT: Found the photo demonstrating the difference with the twitter app behavior.]

It's really not the end of the world for anyone preferring the smaller of the two, but it's a bonus-point for the 12.9'ners here. It certainly helps one see more information at-a-glance.

What I'm wondering, because I haven't found confirmation anywhere, is if the new, 11-inch iPad Pro has changed this at all. Since, after all, there is now more screen, maybe it behaves like the 12.9.

 

[RJ2010115]

I’ve basically had every Size and generation combination of iPad so far. The new 12.9 Pro has become my daily driver; allowing me to replace a 10.5 Pro and a 2016 MacBook Pro. The 12.9” is always going to be slightly bulkier, but the added benefit of the screen size is a good trade off for me. I do still have 2010 MacBook that runs just fine for everyday computing if need be as well.

Exactly me. Every iPad since 2010, 2016 macbook pro (in my case 15 inch) moved from 10.5 to 12.9 and it feels great! Selling the macbook. As a backup "real computer" I have a gaming laptop (Msi Gs65) and moved my photo collection to the cloud. Doing my movie editing on the iPad (I have a gut feeling that final cut pro will be announced for iPad soon...)

 

[6749974]

Yes, the description says whatever it says, but when actually looking two APPS in split screen, there is no difference for the user. One cannot identify this difference of compact view versus full view. Yes apart from the fact that in the 12.9" it would be bigger and wider and on the 11" it would be smaller because of the screen size. Only if someone can post a picture or screenshot of what he is trying to say that would be helpful to understand.

This photo says otherwise. [Source] Notice how on the smaller iPad, the twitter app is being told to behave like an iPhone. The UI icons are on the bottom, like the iPhone, and single column like the iPhone—but the 12.9" has the icons on the left and is two-column (you can view Recent Tweets and Mentions at the same time).

I agree that it would be helpful for more visual representation, like a YouTube video, demonstrating both smaller and larger iPad Pro. I found none but will keep looking. I'm also looking for confirmation that the new 11-inch behaves just like the 9.7/10.5'ers.

 

[eclipse01]

after going from a Ipad Air 2 (9.8) to a 12.9 IPP, I can't imagine going back to the smaller one now.

FYI, I don't draw or anything on my Ipad, I mostly use it for internet surfing/watching netflix type videos.

 

[pshady]

This photo says otherwise. [Source] Notice how on the smaller iPad, the twitter app is being told to behave like an iPhone. The UI icons are on the bottom, like the iPhone, and single column like the iPhone—but the 12.9" has the icons on the left and is two-column (you can view Recent Tweets and Mentions at the same time).

I agree that it would be helpful for more visual representation, like a YouTube video, demonstrating both smaller and larger iPad Pro. I found none but will keep looking. I'm also looking for confirmation that the new 11-inch behaves just like the 9.7/10.5'ers.

Based on some previous posts, it sounds like some apps (e.g. Mail) can show the "iPad" version of the app if it's the larger of the 70/30 split on the 11". On the 10.5", Mail will show "iPhone" version even if it's the larger of the 70/30 split.

 

[leenak]

I was so torn on which one to get and I'm glad I went with the 11". I wanted something for drawing, taking (non work related) notes, as well as things like watching movies on a plane. I use Concepts for drawing/notes, which allows me to scroll and zoom in/out which makes me feel like I have more space. Also some drawing using procreate as well (still learning it). Portability being a primary driver as well as holding in one hand while drawing/writing notes was really the deciding factor.