2018 iPad long term review

[1BadManVan]

So about one month into ownership and I use it more and more, no slow downs, ram management has been great, it’s very similar to my 8 plus which has an extra gig of ram. I am very happy with the quality of the screen on this, I honestly was expecting something a bit lower quality considering their pricing and the constant negative towards the non laminated

I use this a lot more then I was expecting considering I’ve owned tablets for the last few years but never this kind of quality user experience. I know this will be around the house for a long time, pass it down to the kids in a few years and know it will still be just fine.

Maybe one day I’ll splurge on a pro series, but honestly I am very pleased with this tablet. I’ve had it off the charger since Thursday afternoon and still at 50% battery!

 

[AutomaticApple]

So about one month into ownership and I use it more and more, no slow downs, ram management has been great, it’s very similar to my 8 plus which has an extra gig of ram. I am very happy with the quality of the screen on this, I honestly was expecting something a bit lower quality considering their pricing and the constant negative towards the non laminated

I use this a lot more then I was expecting considering I’ve owned tablets for the last few years but never this kind of quality user experience. I know this will be around the house for a long time, pass it down to the kids in a few years and know it will still be just fine.

Maybe one day I’ll splurge on a pro series, but honestly I am very pleased with this tablet. I’ve had it off the charger since Thursday afternoon and still at 50% battery!

That’s awesome!

 

[1BadManVan]

Just like to provide the update for any of those on the fence thinking about it, I debated for awhile and watches hours of videos and reviews lol. Might save someone the time

 

[Mainsail]

The 2018 iPad might be the best value in the entire Apple lineup of products. There is so much that you can do with it, and the price is hard to beat.

You can buy one for as low as $250 on sale, which makes it a great supplemental device for light mobile productivity, reading, and entertainment.

 

[gsucyclist]

I’m about 1 month in as well and I’m loving this thing. Everything seems snappy and fast despite it having a 2 year old processor. Granted, it’s mostly used for browsing the web and watching YouTube, but it’s still the best bang for your buck if you are doing anything “pro”

 

[1BadManVan]

I’m about 1 month in as well and I’m loving this thing. Everything seems snappy and fast despite it having a 2 year old processor. Granted, it’s mostly used for browsing the web and watching YouTube, but it’s still the best bang for your buck if you are doing anything “pro”

It’s the nice thing about hardware these days being so far ahead of software, even two years in, it still feels and runs as fast as any other new product, blowing the doors off almost all other tablets besides the pros. That’s why the pros get criticized for this high prices is because the hardware is incredible in them but the software is still way behind.

This iPad is a perfect in between model, the hardware can still take full advantage of all that iOS has to offer right now and still future proof as well as a tablet. Sure if iOS suddenly does a major revamp and suddenly goes all Mac OS on us this might not run as well as the pros but I honestly don’t see apple going that way and merging their iPad and MacBook line

I think apple realized the potential of a mid range iPad and how much the general consumer loves the price for all the features and performance and I see them supporting these for a long time. And yearly updates to the hardware will continue to intice more and more people to them that were on the fence

Next year if they upgrade to quad speakers with a laminated screen along with the A11, I may just pass this down to the wife and kids and go that route, that would be the perfect iPad as long as they keep the price about the same. Which is certainly possible since they added a better cpu and pencil support this year for the same price and sometimes even cheaper than last year. This model iPad has a long future ahead of it for apple, it covers both ends of the pricing spectrum for a proper tablet experience.

 

[Richard8655]

Please Apple, if you read these forums, no laminated screen on a 7th gen. I'm perfectly happy with the regular Retina display, and don't want to worry about exchanging it for idiosyncrasies and anomalies. Also, please keep the cost down by just keeping the tried and true Retina. Let the laminated fans go with the Pro models.

 

[1BadManVan]

The laminated display in the air 2 had very little complaints. A simpler technology used in it, wasn’t crammed in with all the extra technologies on the pros. Just prefer the better viewing angle you got in the air 2 display

But as I’ve said before, I love the screen on mine as well, just liked the air 2 body a bit more, little lighter and slimmer but not stupid slim. I think in order to get the body slimmed down to the air 2, you would need the laminated display.

Be interesting to see what they do with next years. Mines sticking around for awhile unless they really blow us away with the 7th gen, but don’t think they will, they try to save that for the pros. Never know though, definitely surprised some people with the pencil support

 

[1BadManVan]

At over 3 months in, this is still my daily driver for couch surfing and while at work. Never crashes on any apps, no hiccups, just very smooth performer. Still never had any issue with the non-laminated display on this either. Great viewing angles, very responsive even with the screen protector on and the brightness is more than good.

Wife has stolen it a few times herself while on the couch, did a small day trip last week and she had a few work things for scheduling to catch up on and did it all on the iPad while on the road. Now she wants one too lol

The only thing I wish for is quad speakers, but for 2 speakers, it’s still fairly loud

 

[Eithanius]

Only wished it had come in 256GB... Else it's perfect...

 

[ssledoux]

I used the 2018 iPad for about 9 months (in between selling my 2nd gen iPP 12.9, and buying 2018 iPP 11”).

To be quite honest, there was really no legit reason I couldn’t have kept the 2018 iPad. It did absolutely everything I needed it to do, and my iPads have replaced my Mac (and I have never owned a laptop) for the last 3-4 years.

Probably the main reason I went ahead and got the 11” pro is because, since it is pretty much my main “computing” device, I just wanted it to be an overall better experience. In the 11”, and almost the same footprint of the 9.7 (I always intended to downsize from the 12.9), I have a bigger, nicer screen (tbh though, I never felt the iPad screen was inferior while using it, but the pro certainly is nicer when they are side by side), better speakers, a better processor, more ram, etc. I was also really excited about the new version of the pencil, since I use that a lot.

Also, since I was planning to get a new pro all along, I had only purchased the 32 gb iPad. I really didn’t need a ton of storage, but I knew I would need more than that to last a few years, so I was going to have to upgrade to something anyway.

Another thing is I really missed my ASK, although after reading about the new keyboard folio, I haven’t bitten the bullet - I have a really good setup with a full size keyboard and stand, so I just keep my pro in a thin case in the stand, and when I need to take it with me, I can flip the case shut, and throw it in my purse. I’m still on the fence about whether I will get the folio.

So this is a long, drawn-out way of saying I don’t think anyone could go wrong with a regular iPad. There isn’t much you can’t do with it. I certainly think it’s one of, if not THE, best values in Apple’s lineup.

 

[Dovahkiing]

I've owned the 256GB 12.9" since they launched and I think one of the most spot-on reviews was the one done by the Verge when they launched. Give that one a watch if you haven't already.

It's the best iPad ever, but it's still an iPad. If you understand all the limitations of iOS and you're OK with them, then go for it. I do and I'm mostly very happy with my iPad. It is still not a laptop/computer replacement yet, though I am hopeful iOS 13 will change that (though i definitely wouldn't buy one on that hope alone). If you need a full file system or a good keyboard experience, I would look elsewhere. But if what you need to do can be done on a touchscreen and there are native iOS apps for it, then iPad can be a very good alternative.
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I used the 2018 iPad for about 9 months (in between selling my 2nd gen iPP 12.9, and buying 2018 iPP 11”).

To be quite honest, there was really no legit reason I couldn’t have kept the 2018 iPad. It did absolutely everything I needed it to do, and my iPads have replaced my Mac (and I have never owned a laptop) for the last 3-4 years....

I agree 100% - the 2018 iPad is 80-90% of the 2018 iPad Pro for less than half the money (or more). Very important to point out.

 

[1BadManVan]

So far there hasn’t been a thing that my iPad that it can’t do what I need from it. In a world where most other apple products seem to be really struggling to show their value for what they’re charging, atleast the 5th and 6th gen iPads showed there is still potential.

I hope they continue to offer this value iPad because I know plenty of people still waiting to get on board with these models as long as apple keeps supporting it

 

[AmazingTechGeek]

Tried the 2018 iPad some time ago...great product for its price point. My iPad Air 2 was stolen a few weeks ago, so I needed to decide between the 2018 iPad, iPad Pro 2018, and Mac Book Air 2018.

I opted for the MacBook because of its maximum utility. The price points between iPad Pro and MacBook are too close together for me to buy the iPad Pro. This is mainly because I already have an iPhone Xs. This setup gives me a wider productive workflow.

 

[kazmac]

I much prefer the 2018 iPad to the iPad Pros, the only thing missing is more ram.

For me, drawing on the non laminated screen feels more comfortable (not as ice skating slick), and I am perfectly fine reading and watching movies on that screen too.

Yes, it’s heavier but that is fine because no touch disease etc.

My only issue is Procreate freezes sometimes because of the 2GB of Ram. Sketches Pro seems to be fine though.

I would hope the 2019 keeps this casing and bumps up the ram. Would buy another one and a Mini (if that gets pencil capabilities).

 

[AmazingTechGeek]

You’re right, compared to your previous devices, it is a beast. A great big hairy one, with huge fangs and claws that could rip a man asunder.

The A10 Fusion is a great SOC. There’s plenty of power there to cope with the next several years.


Even 2GB of RAM isn’t an issue with iOS, likely at least a couple of years before we start to see a little bit of slowdown creep into the OS, in a few places. But general use shouldn’t be an issue.


Hell, I’m even using the wife’s old iPad Mini 4 as one of my debugging devices, it’s only got a paltry dual-core A8 and it copes very well with, well, basically everything.


The iPad Pros, especially this years have power to spare and then some, yes they’re more powerful than any other iPad, and apparently most laptops out there.

What’s going to stress them and use all of that power? Absolutely sod all for quite a while.


The A10 Fusion, even when I push it hard in Xcode and monitor it in Instruments performs more than admirably. I too am surprised that people experience extreme issues with these devices, they should easily cope with anything in their category iOS can throw at them.


You’ve got your new iPad, you’re happy with it and that’s all that really matters at the end of the day.

You’ll likely still be enjoying it in half a decade, that can’t be bad by any means.

What I find about processing power and development is the focus on efficiency now. It's not that the new Apple products have power to spare, but uses that extra speed for very specific functionality/features. An example would be ML and Metal/Metal 2.

 

[Love Divine]

The 10.5 Pro has

- Better speakers
- Laminated screen
- Better form factor
- Better proc
- 64 gb
- 4 gb RAM

If you can nab it on a significant sale, then go for it. If it's normal price vs normal price, I'd go 2018 iPad no question though, at least based on my needs. I don't think any of those differences would really be that noticeable unless you had them side by side.

 

[1BadManVan]

The 10.5 Pro has

- Better speakers
- Laminated screen
- Better form factor
- Better proc
- 64 gb
- 4 gb RAM

If you can nab it on a significant sale, then go for it. If it's normal price vs normal price, I'd go 2018 iPad no question though, at least based on my needs. I don't think any of those differences would really be that noticeable unless you had them side by side.

At the time of choosing between iPads, the price difference was massive because Rogers had their 6th gens on for $250 off (LTE models). The price difference was over $700 for the 128gb 6th gen vs the 256gb pro (only model of the 10.5 available), no regrets going for the lesser model.

 

[kazmac]

The 10.5 Pro has

- Better speakers
- Laminated screen
- Better form factor
- Better proc
- 64 gb
- 4 gb RAM

If you can nab it on a significant sale, then go for it. If it's normal price vs normal price, I'd go 2018 iPad no question though, at least based on my needs. I don't think any of those differences would really be that noticeable unless you had them side by side.

I would have agreed if I did not have to return a brand new 10.5” iPP (on sale) because it exhibited touch disease symptoms within a day last month. Also the pencil would not always work (fully charged too). Plus, the white spot issue.

 

[Love Divine]

At the time of choosing between iPads, the price difference was massive because Rogers had their 6th gens on for $250 off (LTE models). The price difference was over $700 for the 128gb 6th gen vs the 256gb pro (only model of the 10.5 available), no regrets going for the lesser model.

Understanble. For me it was $475 (iirc) for the 10.5, and $329 for the then new 2018. No brainer for me at that difference.