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Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,654
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Unfortunately true. Standby battery life on an aged iPad 4 (iOS 6) was longer than standby battery life on any of my iPad Pros because of all the Siri background stuff. Seems even worse now on iPadOS 13/14 versus iOS 9/10.
I can confirm. My mini 2 on IOS 10 has much better stand-by than any other iPad I have (and I have many), and so does also my iPad 2 on IOS 9 (man that thing has 750 cycles but still 93% battery capacity...). They lose like 2-3% during the night, while the other iPad lose 15-20% on iPadOS 14 and 13.
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,920
13,266
I can confirm. My mini 2 on IOS 10 has much better stand-by than any other iPad I have (and I have many), and so does also my iPad 2 on IOS 9 (man that thing has 750 cycles but still 93% battery capacity...). They lose like 2-3% during the night, while the other iPad lose 15-20% on iPadOS 14 and 13.

Yep. Honestly, I have no idea what iOS is doing in the background every single day that it constantly needs that much power. At least on the A12-based Air 3 and A14-based Air 4, standby usage is ~10% or less.

I've even tried completely disabling Siri but no go. I still see Siri standby battery drain.
 

Analog Kid

macrumors G3
Mar 4, 2003
9,360
12,603
Currently have an iPad 6th gen and wish to upgrade to an iPad Pro 11, but something that concerns me with paying premium prices with portable devices like tablets and laptops is the inevitable battery degradation.

With my current iPad battery is OK but not as great as before. It's been 3 years, so it definitely has battery degradation to some degree. Paying 800$ for a tablet would be ok if it could last me 5/6 years, but I'm sure at some point after 3/4 years battery life will take a big hit like I see with iPhones, Apple Watches, etc.

With the basic iPad it's easier to think that in 3/4 years I can upgrade to the latest basic iPad and get the newer hardware, new battery and new updates, but with the Pro, a good one like the M1 with 8GB RAM, I don't see what more I could need in 5/6 years, but I definitely don't want to pay in the future to replace the battery and have my iPad taken apart for it.

Do users of the Pro think about battery degradation?

I'm with the don't worry/be happy crowd on this. As you point out, degradation is inevitable. We all need to make our own financial calculations, but my computing equipment is either tools or toys (my iPP is a bit of both, frankly). For me to get the most out of it, I need to use it. That will degrade the battery-- protecting the battery means I'm not using it, or not using it as fully and comfortably as I'd like.

I don't know what a battery replacement will cost in 3 years, but for now it's $99. I'd enjoy the heck out of your iPad, put $3 in a jar every month, and replace the battery in 3 years if you think it's wearing down.
 
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artfossil

macrumors 68000
Oct 5, 2015
1,785
2,059
Florida
Just get AppleCare. My original iPad Pro had its battery replaced (actually, as noted above, it was replaced with a "new" unit) in the last month of my coverage and so it's still going strong.
 
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darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,128
Atlanta, GA
I have the original 9.7" iPad Pro and its battery is still pretty decent after five years if I'm not doing anything demanding. I have next to no standby drain if I just put it in airplane mode which is fine because I dont need it to update anything when I am not using it.

It's only $100 to have Apple replace the iPad Pro's battery. Totally worthwhile expense.
 
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MisterSavage

macrumors 601
Nov 10, 2018
4,854
5,755
I have the original 9.7" iPad Pro and its battery is still pretty decent after five years if I'm not doing anything demanding. I have next to no standby drain if I just put it in airplane mode which is fine because I dont need it to update anything when I am not using it.

It's only $100 to have Apple replace the iPad Pro's battery. Totally worthwhile expense.
Yes, I forgot to mention that I have, and still occasionally use, my 9.7" iPad Pro and it has held up well also. Just enjoy using your iPad as you want to without worrying about it is my motto.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,128
Atlanta, GA
Yes, I forgot to mention that I have, and still occasionally use, my 9.7" iPad Pro and it has held up well also. Just enjoy using your iPad as you want to without worrying about it is my motto.

I'm not worried. I was just saying that $99 to replace a battery in a five year old iPad Pro is pretty insignificant.
 
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rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,920
13,266
I have the original 9.7" iPad Pro and its battery is still pretty decent after five years if I'm not doing anything demanding. I have next to no standby drain if I just put it in airplane mode which is fine because I dont need it to update anything when I am not using it.

Funnily enough, the iPad Pro 9.7 is the reason I started being more "gentle" with my iPads.

The Pro 9.7 was fast enough and iOS was evolved enough that it was mostly able to replace my laptop. That one saw 16-hour days (3rd display and PDF markup during work hours, bedtime e-reader at night). I was pretty much charging it 1-2x a day. Onscreen battery life dropped around 10-20% just after the 1st year. When the iPad 5th gen was released, got one to use for night reading so the Pro 9.7 could rest (and so I don't get tangled up in the charging cable while tossing and turning).
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,920
13,266
I'm not worried. I was just saying that $99 to replace a battery in a five year old iPad Pro is pretty insignificant.

Caveat there, as @Digitalguy mentioned, Apple's not gonna replace the iPad's battery (well, the entire iPad) until it meets their threshold, and Apple's 80% always seems to be much lower versus Coconut Battery/iMazing. Also, if there are other defects on the iPad, you may have to do the OOW repair instead (one of the reasons I get AC+).

The only reason Apple's even doing no-questions asked paid battery replacements for iPhones is because of #batterygate.

With that said, no point babying iPads. I use whatever fits the task at hand. I do try to stick to best practices when it comes to charging though (keyword being try) and keeping my old devices allows me to spread the workload.
 

jumpingjackflash

macrumors regular
Nov 13, 2016
192
102
Scandinavia
To maximize the battery-life on li-ion device, you should keep the battery around 20%-80% or so. Charging, especially over nights usually keeps the iPad at 100% for longer periods of time. If this is so harmful, then why Apple doesnˋt give an option to set the max charge state at 80% on iPads (or iPhones). It should be pretty easy to do via software.

Why doesn´t Apple allow the user to decide if he wants to set a certain charging level without unplugging the device manually?

For example, on Teslas this is basic stuff to keep the battery life healthy as possible.
 

Tommyinnit

macrumors member
Apr 27, 2021
46
60
I bought the M1 11" Pro a couple of weeks ago from Apple, and traded in my 2017 10.5" IPP. I'll say this, my 10.5" held out much better per full charge ( screen on time ) Vs the M1 ( running 14.7.1 ATM )

I updated to iPadOS 15 Beta, and the battery did indeed get better.. but then rolled back to 14.7.1 due to .. well..CSAM.

Anywho, the stand-by is excellent ( drops maybe 1% after unplugging @ 100% around 10 pm and waking up ~ 7 next day, and not using it till ~ 9ish .. )

I also see the M1 heating up just using You Tube ( app ) and general browsing, and literally see the charge drop almost every 3-4 minutes!

Exchanged the unit at Apple, and it's the same-damn-issue ( set up as new ) with the replacement ( retail since I was still within 14 days ) unit!

One of the reasons I traded in my 10.5 was due to a degraded battery ( bought it at release ) .. Maybe I should've kept that ( didn't have the white spot issue either! )

Oh well..
That YouTube issue is definitely a you problem because I’ve been using yt for over 8 hours now and it dropped 20-22%. It also doesn’t heat up. Could be another app interfering here. Try force quitting the app and trying again. I also have an M1 11” Pro.
 
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darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,128
Atlanta, GA
Caveat there, as @Digitalguy mentioned, Apple's not gonna replace the iPad's battery (well, the entire iPad) until it meets their threshold, and Apple's 80% always seems to be much lower versus Coconut Battery/iMazing. Also, if there are other defects on the iPad, you may have to do the OOW repair instead (one of the reasons I get AC+).

The only reason Apple's even doing no-questions asked paid battery replacements for iPhones is because of #batterygate.

With that said, no point babying iPads. I use whatever fits the task at hand. I do try to stick to best practices when it comes to charging though (keyword being try) and keeping my old devices allows me to spread the workload.

$99 is Apple's out-of-warranty battery service.
 
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Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,654
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I know. Just saying if the iPad has other defects aside from battery (e.g. white spot, bending, major scratche/dings), Apple may reject doing the OOW battery service and instead require the full OOW service fee of $379-749 for iPad Pros depending on model.
One thing I had been wondering is if the white spots, which is not accidental damage, but a defect caused by Apple themselves, counts too...
 
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one more

macrumors 603
Aug 6, 2015
5,155
6,572
Earth
FWIW, my almost 7 years old iPad Air 2 still has about 85% of its original battery capacity (@ CoconutBattery) and can be used for 3-5 hours non-stop. I find that for some reason iPad batteries age better than those of iPhones or MacBooks.
 

Digitalguy

macrumors 601
Apr 15, 2019
4,654
4,483
FWIW, my almost 7 years old iPad Air 2 still has about 85% of its original battery capacity (@ CoconutBattery) and can be used for 3-5 hours non-stop. I find that for some reason iPad batteries age better than those of iPhones or MacBooks.
not all iPad batteries age equally... my mini 2 aged much better than my mini 4, my 11 pro is aging much better that first gen 12.9 (battery replaced shortly after I got the 11 pro...). I keep track of the health of all my batteries at least once a month in a file.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,405
13,290
where hip is spoken
This is what I mean. Most people I guess will upgrade in less than 5 years, but there are others that can’t afford to upgrade so often, specially when a purchase is this costly. That’s why I worry about longevity, since from a hardware perspective the new M1 is powerful enough to last many years, except battery degradation won’t allow it.
If longevity is a concern, then I don't recommend looking at the iPad Pro (for the reasons you've given). IMO, there's a disconnect between the iPad's design and the intended/expected lifespan. Most of it chalked up to style and form. Why have a machined aluminum body that'll last for 20+ years if everything else won't be effectively usable after 5-7 years?

If I could buy an iPad in an Amazon Fire-type chassis for $200, I'd do it.

The base model iPads continue to offer the best value, IMO. The 6th gen is still a great device (and the 8th gen is even better). If you need something more than that, then I suggest doing something similar to what I've done... take a hard look at what your needs and wants are.

See what things are really better suited for different form-factors. You might find that rather than buying a single device to try to accomplish different purposes, it may be more beneficial and more cost effective to have 2 devices.

I paid a premium for a 12.9 iPad Pro configuration in an attempt to have a single converged mobile device. Although it "worked", it was expensive and still required compromises. But when I took a step back and split out the functionality, I was able to buy a 13" Macbook Air and 6th gen iPad for LESS than an iPad Pro, keyboard, etc. And while the combo was not as portable, it was still portable enough and provided far more functionality and flexibility.

I've since moved on from that combo, but the lessons learned through that have carried over to alternatives (with even greater success and savings).
 

joeblow7777

macrumors 604
Sep 7, 2010
7,191
9,035
iPads seem to have among the best batteries that I’ve ever seen in a mobile device. The school I teach at still has 2nd gen iPads from 2011 that can run for hours on their original batteries! I’ve never noticed significant battery degradation on any of my personal iPads before the point when I decide to replace them for other reasons. Battery longevity is one thing I’ve never worried about with iPads.
 
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