iPad Pro 11 or 12.9 Pro ?

[RogerKmilw]

As a follow up to my previous post, I originally bought the new 12.9, then decided it was too big and went to 11, and now I’m back to 12.9, each purchase more expensive than the last.
The 11 is much easier to handhold but when sitting at a desk/table I enjoy the 12.9 plus keyboard case much more than I did my previous 10.5 or the 11.
I forgot to trade in my 10.5 after returning the 11 for the 12.9 and may end up keeping it as the more portable/handheld option.

I got the 12.9 and hung onto my 10.5 also. New 12.9 pretty much stays at home and the 10.5 is always in my bag or backpack. This is great cuz now I need minimal (if any) protection for the 12.9. I also have the 10.5 naked which makes it the ultimate in portability.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

I got the 12.9 and hung onto my 10.5 also. New 12.9 pretty much stays at home and the 10.5 is always in my bag or backpack. This is great cuz now I need minimal (if any) protection for the 12.9. I also have the 10.5 naked which makes it the ultimate in portability.

I kind of have the opposite (new 11, old 12.9), but I love this set up— smaller one going everywhere in my purse and bigger one living at home.

 

[neo-cd]

Well after an agonizing 3 weeks I just made it official and returned my 11.

It came down to having a top of the line desktop gaming pc and no laptop. The 12.9 will serve my portable use cases as a laptop and a tablet. If I need extreme portability, I’ll use my iPhone XS Max

As others have said this is a decision purely based on your use cases. For me, phones get bigger and bigger. It’s closing the gap on tablets. If we have an all screen OLED 7 inch in a year the 11 tablet is a little redundant especially with the same operating system

I’m a bit concerned about the fragility of the 12.9 but it’s something I’ll watch through it’s return period.

To anyone else making this decision. Think through your use cases and the other devices at your disposal and what you envision using each device for.

When viewing pages side by side with my iPhone XS Max/11/12.9 I realized I was paying 1100 to have the same viewable content blown up by 50%. It was too redundant. The 12.9 has more viewable content on the screen, better speakers, and overall just feels like the flagship iPad. I don’t think either is wrong. But now that I have made my decision, I’m not second guessing it at all.

I totally agree with you and I took the same decision based on the same analysis

 

[davidwoon]

12.9 so much better with the keyboard in place and when I want portability then I use my max, Best of both worlds to me

that was exactly my point, that the iPhone serves that purpose. the reply to my comment was that the iphone and ipad are different devices, yes i get that, but the iphone does provide the portability aspect of it, while the iPad provides the productivity part - so hand in hand they are great.

 

[Maukey]

After much deliberation, I finally settled on the 12.9". I still can't believe I had such a hard time making a decision. Initially I purchased the 11" and vowed I wouldn't even look at the 12.9", that plan quickly derailed. Picked up the 12.9" and have been going back and forth for the last week. I have boxed up the 12.9" and 11" multiple times. Finally decided that the 12.9" is the one for me. Just feels like the premium Apple iPad Pro. I currently have an iPhone X and next year will be upgrading to a new phone. I will most definitely be getting whatever the big iPhone is so the slight mobility advantages of the 11" iPad Pro will not be a factor for me. The only situation where I find the 12.9" to be a little inconvenient is in bed. My future iPhone Max will take care of that. Couch and recliner use is actually slightly better on the 12.9" in my opinion because I rest my iPads on something in these scenarios regardless of the size. The 12.9" is easier to position further away and still see my content with ease. Both are great devices and you can't go wrong in my opinion. Apple has done a great job with this release which is evident by how difficult it is for people to decide on which model is right for them. Well done Apple!

 

[5x10]

12.9
It was the only choice for me

 

[augustya]

Well and overall just feels like the flagship iPad.

Excuse me what ? Do you mean to say the 11" does not feel a Flagship iPad ? What do you mean by a Flagship iPad ? Are you saying the 11" iPad Pro is a Pariah ? Please do not justify your purchase of buying the 12.9" and make other who have opted for 11" iPad Pro sound as if they have got something secondary !!

 

[inimeg81]

Excuse me what ? Do you mean to say the 11" does not feel a Flagship iPad ? What do you mean by a Flagship iPad ? Are you saying the 11" iPad Pro is a Pariah ? Please do not justify your purchase of buying the 12.9" and make other who have opted for 11" iPad Pro sound as if they have got something secondary !!

Settle down there, sparky.

My intention was not to disparage the 11 at all. I almost kept it. Also, flagship doesn’t equate to better. You can’t argue that the 12.9 is the flagship iPad this year, can you? All the marketing and commercials along with the version influencers on YouTube was sent was the 12.9 - however, that doesn’t make it any better. Just the truth.

 

[thedwp]

After much deliberation, I finally settled on the 12.9". I still can't believe I had such a hard time making a decision. Initially I purchased the 11" and vowed I wouldn't even look at the 12.9", that plan quickly derailed. Picked up the 12.9" and have been going back and forth for the last week. I have boxed up the 12.9" and 11" multiple times. Finally decided that the 12.9" is the one for me.

The same happened to me. I even posted on this thread that I was keeping the 11 and not looking back! I jumped all the way in, using the 11 for several hours a day, and the more I started using split screen and when I had to type on the screen to send a text and could only see about 25% above the keyboard, I started to re-think things...I went all the way down to the last day for me to return and decided I didn't think it would be a good use of $$$ and the tool that best fit my work style.

I've watched pretty much every 'VS' video I could find on YouTube and to be honest, there are only a couple that actually talk about the practicalities between the sizes. We all know the specs, about the pencil and the keyboards, etc. But nothing that really helped me all that much. It took day to day, actual work to help me decide.

It was not easy. The 11 is a beautiful slab of glass, and I liked the idea of the portability, but at the end of the day, both of these products are very portable. I know, different strokes for different folks and as I said before, you can't go wrong with either one. It comes down to how YOU decide to use them.

Congrats to all those who've made their final decision, and best of luck to those still on the fence...a fence I've hopped way too many times over the past few weeks!

 

[richpjr]

Having both models for a few weeks now after also having a 10.5 and 12.9 second gen, I can say that the new 12.9 seems much smaller than the previous version. If I only had one out of all of the iPads I’ve ever had, it would be this one. I’m glad I have both and use them for different things. The 12.9 stays in the folio keyboard all the time and I use the Apple Pencil with it. The 11 is my media consumption and light browsing tablet. I am just glad my company makes mobile apps and I get to expense them!

 

[MCube74]

Excuse me what ? Do you mean to say the 11" does not feel a Flagship iPad ? What do you mean by a Flagship iPad ? Are you saying the 11" iPad Pro is a Pariah ? Please do not justify your purchase of buying the 12.9" and make other who have opted for 11" iPad Pro sound as if they have got something secondary !!

That is the problem with the 11”.

It has the same specs and all but because it is smaller than the 2, it makes one feel that it is not the best, which is obviously not true.

 

[vapourtrails]

That is the problem with the 11”.

It has the same specs and all but because it is smaller than the 2, it makes one feel that it is not the best, which is obviously not true.

I agree the perception that bigger is better leads people to opt for the bigger model because enthusiasts are drawn to the latest and greatest tech. Yet to me the 11” is the goldilocks size for ergonomics and media consumption. People agonize about split screen uses of two apps and the need for a bigger screen but then probably spend 90% of their time reading macrumours forums.

 

[Greenmeenie]

I agree the perception that bigger is better leads people to opt for the bigger model because enthusiasts are drawn to the latest and greatest tech. Yet to me the 11” is the goldilocks size for ergonomics and media consumption. People agonize about split screen uses of two apps and the need for a bigger screen but then probably spend 90% of their time reading macrumours forums.

I’m an artist and I opted for the 11”. Almost every review I read or YouTube video I watch about the new pros, they always always say...if you’re an artist you HAVE to get the 12.9”. Full stop. As if the 11” is not good for art!

Totally Not true. Sure, the 12.9” is the size of an A4 sketchbook, probably the most popular size sketchbook, so I get it. But the 11” is actually slightly larger than an A5 sketchbook, probably the most popular size travel sketchbook(at least it’s my favorite). I travel a lot, so I find this perfect for me. I ordered the LTE version so I can always be connected on the road. Also got the 1 TB for editing 4K video & photos while out on remote locations. 6 gigs of ram may help with photoshop next year too.

Down the road, if for whatever reason I find some of my paid art gigs would benefit from having a larger screen to draw on, I could see myself getting a WiFi 12.9” with smaller storage to use only as a larger sketchbook while at home. But for now, I really don’t feel the need.

 

[MCube74]

Not everyone will buy 2 iPads

Today iPad Pro is the best iPad money can buy, even when you can buy 3 Android tablets for the same price.

Soon the competition may release a better product and the 2 iPads the people are buying today will have a low resale value. Then you done only lose money on one iPad but 2.

Don’t forget that foldable phones and tablets will be launched next year. I am sure Apple will not charge such high prices next year.

The stronger the competition the better control on price.

I suggest don’t buy 2 iPad Pros.
Save your money and buy another iPad Pro next year.

I am extremely happy with my iPad Pro 12.9’. I am using it as a tablet and also as a notebook.

I may get the 11” model for my wife and daughter as their first gen iPad Pro 9.7” is starting to get slow plus they need more storage. Just hoping if they can wait till next iPad Pro release. May be possible next year all iPad Pro models will have 6gb ram. No need to buy 1TB storage for it.

 

[George Dawes]

As much as I love the 12.9 I have to agree that the OS holds it back

Trying to show off it's capabilities of split screen etc , I gave up when I had to send multiple images to clients

Begrudgingly went back to my iMac

Roll on iOS 13 !!!

 

[ImAnAgent]

I've ordered the 12.9" model that will be here later this week. I had the 9.7" Pro that I sold in August and I still have an iPad Mini 2.

 

[Maukey]

I agree the perception that bigger is better leads people to opt for the bigger model because enthusiasts are drawn to the latest and greatest tech. Yet to me the 11” is the goldilocks size for ergonomics and media consumption. People agonize about split screen uses of two apps and the need for a bigger screen but then probably spend 90% of their time reading macrumours forums.

Yeap, while watching YouTube videos in split screen on my 12.9"

 

[Greenmeenie]

I've ordered the 12.9" model that will be here later this week. I had the 9.7" Pro that I sold in August and I still have an iPad Mini 2.

Actually the 12.9” and iPad mini is the perfect combo. Too bad the mini doesn’t have pencil support, cause as an artist that is what I would need for the combo to work for me.

How is your mini 2 holding up? I love my iPad mini 2, but it’s dying. The home button is broken. The screen is cracked, and it’s slow as hell sometimes.

 

[joscejrod]

After much deliberation, I finally settled on the 12.9". I still can't believe I had such a hard time making a decision. Initially I purchased the 11" and vowed I wouldn't even look at the 12.9", that plan quickly derailed. Picked up the 12.9" and have been going back and forth for the last week. I have boxed up the 12.9" and 11" multiple times. Finally decided that the 12.9" is the one for me. Just feels like the premium Apple iPad Pro. I currently have an iPhone X and next year will be upgrading to a new phone. I will most definitely be getting whatever the big iPhone is so the slight mobility advantages of the 11" iPad Pro will not be a factor for me. The only situation where I find the 12.9" to be a little inconvenient is in bed. My future iPhone Max will take care of that. Couch and recliner use is actually slightly better on the 12.9" in my opinion because I rest my iPads on something in these scenarios regardless of the size. The 12.9" is easier to position further away and still see my content with ease. Both are great devices and you can't go wrong in my opinion. Apple has done a great job with this release which is evident by how difficult it is for people to decide on which model is right for them. Well done Apple!

Here other Mac user (iMac+macbook pro13) who is thinking about selling my Macbook and switching to iPad pro (11 or 12.9). I use to watch a lot of video at night in a couch and I'm hesitating between both screen sizes due to new 11" screen ratio that show less black bars with 16:9 video (see picture attached). Could you give your opinions regarding this topic? I really appreciate that.

 

[ImAnAgent]

Actually the 12.9” and iPad mini is the perfect combo. Too bad the mini doesn’t have pencil support, cause as an artist that is what I would need for the combo to work for me.

How is your mini 2 holding up? I love my iPad mini 2, but it’s dying. The home button is broken. The screen is cracked, and it’s slow as hell sometimes.

My mini 2 still works good. It's just a bit slow now compared to today's devices and the battery shows about 90% capacity left and it fluctuates a bit but it's not really noticeable. It's given me a lot of good usage over the years.

 

[The Game 161]

Those with the Smart Keyboard what position do you keep it in? Tried the new standing up view but not sure completely used to it. Might just go back to the old view.

 

[jrs22]

I’ve been wanting (lusting after) a 12.9 since they were first introduced in 2015 but they just seemed so bulky and heavy that I didn’t think I’d enjoy one. When the 2018 models were announced I decided to wait until they were available in stores so I could handle them. Then I got up early on November 7 and realized I could order one and pick it up that very day. It was like tossing a coin and knowing while it was mid-air what outcome I wanted. I went for the 12.9 but I didn’t really enjoy it until the Otterbox Symmetry case was available. This is the lightest protective case I’ve ever owned so the increase in weight from my 9.7 Pro to this one is barely noticeable. I even popped it into a messenger bag and took it to a meeting.

Best use of the extra screen real estate for me is drawing and painting in Procreate. That cramped feeling is gone. Second best use, since it’s work, not fun, is working with two documents at a time in split screen mode.

 

[Greenmeenie]

My mini 2 still works good. It's just a bit slow now compared to today's devices and the battery shows about 90% capacity left and it fluctuates a bit but it's not really noticeable. It's given me a lot of good usage over the years.

I hear ya there. My iPad mini 2 was my favorite iPad for many years and served me well. Love the form factor. Fits in my cargo pants pocket, and I never had to bring my backpack when out & about.

 

[Maukey]

Here other Mac user (iMac+macbook pro13) who is thinking about selling my Macbook and switching to iPad pro (11 or 12.9). I use to watch a lot of video at night in a couch and I'm hesitating between both screen sizes due to new 11" screen ratio that show less black bars with 16:9 video (see picture attached). Could you give your opinions regarding this topic? I really appreciate that.

Honestly for me, the black bars aren’t a big deal. I still enjoy videos more on the 12.9” simply because it’s a bigger screen and therefore easier to see and more immersive.

 

[joscejrod]

Honestly for me, the black bars aren’t a big deal. I still enjoy videos more on the 12.9” simply because it’s a bigger screen and therefore easier to see and more immersive.

However, If your eyes are used to look at oled displays for watching movies (iphone xs max, oled tv) the black bars are really annoying/distracting....