iPad Pro 2018 iPad Pro owners - Have you upgraded to the M4 iPad?

[h2ofun]

I continue to smile at this stuff. Buy what you want. At my stage in my life, I no longer have to pinch pennies. Even though I was given an older Ipad, and it kinda works for what I needed, I really wanted the 2tb of memory so I can never ever have to worry about storage. I can fill with movies, and still have lots of room for my 4K video recording.
One can ALWAYS justify what one does or does not buy.

 

[gusping]

But it's not about having high expectations... the post was confused that they could not tell the difference between 600 vs 1600 nits. That's strange, don't you think?


Yeah, that would be my advice.... pivot away from the iPad lol.

It's very strange if there are a lot of bright highlights in the HDR footage you are watching, haha.

Ludatyk's advice on the iPad (or lackof) has been noted!

 

[NVDA]

I am amazed at that. The dual OLED is industry recognised as the best panel of any device on the market (including reference monitors) if you cannot (or barely) tell the difference I think that says more about your eyes or bias, than the panel. How can you barely tell the difference between 600 v 1600 nits???

Don’t get me wrong, I understand if screen quality is not a driving factor of your requirements, as the speakers are not a driving requirement for me, but to dismiss the screen as equal quality to the older tech is incredible.

It’s all marketing. I can barely tell a difference between my LG C1 and C4 but there’s a massive difference between those two and my G4. I had Fallout, Dark Matter, and House of the Dragon playing side by side and other than the deeper blacks they look similar. The Liquid Retina display is no slouch. And I’m picky with OLED technology, have 20/20 vision without any prescriptions, so I’m a display nerd.

 

[zedsdead]

I tried the M4 iPad Pro 11" out for two weeks, but ultimately returned it. The price was just too much to justify for me right now (I bought a Vision Pro, and that is replacing about half of my home iPad usage at this point). Some notes:

- The 2018 iPad Pro has slightly better speakers than 2024 M4
- I use the iPad as a table in portrait model and this makes FaceID more of an annoyance sometimes
- New Magic Keyboard is better in MOST ways, except I prefer the current diagonal hinge rather than the 90 degree vertical of the new one. It is hard to explain, but the way the old keyboard sits makes it easier to grab the device with one hand and carry ti around etc....the new one of course has a better trackpad, build quality and function rows however
- OLED screen is amazing, but since it is not higher resolution and the 2018 is ProMotion it only has some benefits
- Stage Manager on external displays is a cool add on, but is not fully baked yet
- No iPads in Safari can handle Google Docs/Sheets properly and scroll with a magic trackpad right...and their apps are trash (not a new issue, just saying this would drastically increase my usage of iPads and help replace my Mac in most cases). I work in education.

 

[gusping]

I tried the M4 iPad Pro 11" out for two weeks, but ultimately returned it. The price was just too much to justify for me right now (I bought a Vision Pro, and that is replacing about half of my home iPad usage at this point). Some notes:

- The 2018 iPad Pro has slightly better speakers than 2024 M4
- I use the iPad as a table in portrait model and this makes FaceID more of an annoyance sometimes
- New Magic Keyboard is better in MOST ways, except I prefer the current diagonal hinge rather than the 90 degree vertical of the new one. It is hard to explain, but the way the old keyboard sits makes it easier to grab the device with one hand and carry ti around etc....the new one of course has a better trackpad, build quality and function rows however
- OLED screen is amazing, but since it is not higher resolution and the 2018 is ProMotion it only has some benefits
- Stage Manager on external displays is a cool add on, but is not fully baked yet
- No iPads in Safari can handle Google Docs/Sheets properly and scroll with a magic trackpad right...and their apps are trash (not a new issue, just saying this would drastically increase my usage of iPads and help replace my Mac in most cases). I work in education.

To pick up on your last point. I am still waiting for this desktop class safari we were promised. Safari on iPad is still an iPhone-like experience.

 

[NastyMatt]

It's very strange if there are a lot of bright highlights in the HDR footage you are watching, haha.

Ludatyk's advice on the iPad (or lackof) has been noted!

Remember, NVDA did sell their 2018 IPP and got a M2 IPP, so they wanted to upgrade but cost was more of a driver than improved quality / new functionality. Which I am not criticising, everyone has their own requirements, I just wish people would acknowledge those and not down play obvious improvements to justify their purchase over others.

 

[erasr]

Still confused over these really specific things people are returning the M4 for.

Face ID, got used to that position after two weeks. No problem, and I use my iPad portrait most of the time.

Overall, the weight, speed, better display and lightness make it an easy decision over older iPads. That is unless money is a really tight issue.

 

[gusping]

Still confused over these really specific things people are returning the M4 for.

Face ID, got used to that position after two weeks. No problem, and I use my iPad portrait most of the time.

Overall, the weight, speed, better display and lightness make it an easy decision over older iPads. That is unless money is a really tight issue.

Agree. Apple’s generous return policy certainly helps people test products.

If money is tight, they shouldn’t be spending $$$ on an iPad Pro in the first place.

 

[NVDA]

Agree. Apple’s generous return policy certainly helps people test products.

If money is tight, they shouldn’t be spending $$$ on an iPad Pro in the first place.

How is Apple’s return policy generous? It’s the same as Best Buy, you get 14 days. Worse than Target, Amazon and Costco. And with Costco you get 90 days and they’ll still let you go over that.

 

[gusping]

How is Apple’s return policy generous? It’s the same as Best Buy, you get 14 days. Worse than Target, Amazon and Costco. And with Costco you get 90 days and they’ll still let you go over that.

From my experience in the UK, it is more of a hassle at some other places to return expensive technology even if you are well within your legal rights. Some will pester you for a specific reason, etc. Apple don't care. On all my other tech purchase i make sure i 100% want that item before buying it. With Apple I can be 90% sure and roll the dice more easily.

 

[Runaway Train]

I did this exact upgrade. A six year gap was enough see a tangible upgrade. Display, speed of CPU and above all the Magic Keyboard and Pencil Pro. No, the software is behind but likely I will keep this for the next 5 years, at some point we’ll see the software make incremental gains, though I grant you iPad OS18 was very much underwhelming. A giant yawn. Still hoping for something significant, it just didn’t happen this release.

 

[Shabbis]

Just upgraded from a 2018 12.9 iPad Pro 512 to a 2024 13 iPad Pro 512. USB-C port died on me twice with my 2018 and replaced, along with another USB-C port on my MBP, never had issues with lightning, ever, maybe I am just hard on USB-C ports (I know, 13 is also USB-C).

The new screen alone is definitely worth it, especially with HDR content, the old screen just looks washed out. The thinness and weight difference is actually noticeable. Really wanted the 1TB, but couldn’t justify the cost as I use the iPad primarily for content consumption.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Nope. If they updated the mini-sized iPad along with the Pro models like they did once upon a time, then sure. But while an iPad mini is more useful to me than a phone, it's as useful as a larger size iPad isn't. I've got the 12" ipp sitting on my desk as a second reference display, but displaying anything useful on it usually isn't worth the trouble, so it just serves as a TV. It'll probably outlive me sitting there. One day Apple will realize the Mini is popular because its size makes it a deluxe mobile device rather than a cheap portable device. ...but given how they hacked all the features off the 6 and then ignored it in this round of updates, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Christopher Kim]

I also just did this upgrade. 11” 2018 iPP (256gb) to 11” 2024 iPP (256gb). I also got the new Magic Keyboard, and I had the previous one w/ my 2018. I’ve been using it for the last 2 weeks, so some thoughts / impressions:

- The new MK is nice. The feel of the keys is great, the trackpad feels nice, and overall build quality feels more premium than the old version. I also switched up colorways (had 2018 Space Grey / Black MK, got the 2024 Silver / White MK), so the “look” feels new as well
- The OLED screen is nice, but not an earth-shattering change vs the old one so far. Part of is it that I don’t watch a lot of movies on the device (eg. Netflix) - most videos I watch are on YouTube, where a lot of the “letterboxing” black bars are actually fake (eg. encoded in, with the channel’s watermark in one of the corners / black bars), and often its own grey color of some kind. So I‘m not seeing that much of the deep inky black that much
- I actually notice the OLED screen the most when I’m looking at photos / videos from my camera roll (I have an iPhone 15 PM, and my wife has an iPhone 15 Pro). The HDR really makes things pop.
- The ProMotion scrolling looks smoother. When I’m scrolling websites / eg. MacRumors, where I have everything in Dark Mode (eg. dark background, white text), the scrolling is perfectly smooth (either in my hand like a tablet, or in landscape docked with the MK). When I scroll, I see the text on the page perfectly as the screen moves. I can read it perfectly in motion, especially near the end of the scroll when the speed is slowing down coming to a stop. On my 2018 iPP, it felt a bit more jaggedy / not quite as smooth. Not sure if that’s a placebo effect or not, but it was something I noticed immediately (and also noticed when I tried out the 11” M4 iPP in the Apple Store before buying)
- Like all new Apple tech, once the “newness” wears off, it goes back to just being a tool / device. Given it’s still iPadOS 17, my usage feels basically the same. Everything feels snappier, a little crisper, and the screen is great, but at the end of the day, my 2018 iPP was still a fantastic device.

I didn’t need the upgrade, but 6 years felt like a good amount of time between upgrades, that I could easily justify it. It’s a nice treat to myself. If you can afford it, I’d do it. But you probably don’t need to!

 

[D1STORT1ON]

I broke down. Kept going back and forth but made money on a house sale so I figured there’s got to be improvements I’ll notice since my ipad is pretty old now. A lot of money for an ipad but I use it a lot. Hoping I don’t regret it, but kinda figure I won’t. I’ll probably miss the smart folio keypad though

 

[gusping]

I broke down. Kept going back and forth but made money on a house sale so I figured there’s got to be improvements I’ll notice since my ipad is pretty old now. A lot of money for an ipad but I use it a lot. Hoping I don’t regret it, but kinda figure I won’t. I’ll probably miss the smart folio keypad though

Let us know how you get on!

 

[iPadified]

I use a 2017 iPP and a new iPad is not on the horizon yet. Civ VI is sluggish to start (not to play) but not slower than 5 years ago. It will last til next generation.

My work issued 2020 iPP runs fine and will do for a few more years.

No AI (I am in EU and old SoCs) meaning I will use my own intelligence a little longer. Not a big problem.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Nope I upgraded to the M2 pro. That’s fine for me.

 

[D1STORT1ON]

Ok I’ve had mine for a few days. Overall very happy with it. Significantly faster, screen is nicer, still getting used to the magic keyboard. I like how it responds and feels, and it is definitely nice when I need to type, but it is kinda cumbersome and kinda makes the ipad so close to a macbook that if you don’t have to have touch the macbook would make more sense. Also not thrilled with the fact I have to remove the ipad from they keyboard which provides protection when I want to use it as a music reader. Ended up ordering a folio for it to try using it without the keyboard. I’d say the ipad upgrade was worth it, and although the magic keyboard is nice I wish they still offered the old smart folio keyboard as an option. Oh and speakers didn’t seem significantly worse like I’d heard. They are fairly close to the old ones so it isn’t a deal breaker.

 

[Surfsalot]

Ok I’ve had mine for a few days. Overall very happy with it. Significantly faster, screen is nicer, still getting used to the magic keyboard. I like how it responds and feels, and it is definitely nice when I need to type, but it is kinda cumbersome and kinda makes the ipad so close to a macbook that if you don’t have to have touch the macbook would make more sense. Also not thrilled with the fact I have to remove the ipad from they keyboard which provides protection when I want to use it as a music reader. Ended up ordering a folio for it to try using it without the keyboard. I’d say the ipad upgrade was worth it, and although the magic keyboard is nice I wish they still offered the old smart folio keyboard as an option. Oh and speakers didn’t seem significantly worse like I’d heard. They are fairly close to the old ones so it isn’t a deal breaker.

What size? If 11" they are worse, 13" more like the old 11", folio is good never used a keyboard myself on any iPad.

 

[D1STORT1ON]

What size? If 11" they are worse, 13" more like the old 11", folio is good never used a keyboard myself on any iPad.

I bought the 13 and my previous ipad was 12.9