All iPads Best iPad for studying?

[AccenT]

Hello! I am a doctor doing my residency and I have quite a few books and articles to read. I mostly read on paper because it's much easier on the eyes, especially it goes on for a longer period.

Do any of you use an iPad for actual studying? How is that working out for you? What iPad are you using and what features on current iPads improves that experience? 12.9" (being able to display a whole A4 page), 11" (better to hold) or Air? Does the 120hz refresh rate have any effect on this (anything other than scrolling)? True Tone is already on most iPads and it seems like a huge plus.

 

[Natzoo]

I use an Ipad Pro for note-taking and studying. It works out pretty decent, not good at handwriting so not good with the pencil. I would say go for the Ipad Pro, I went with the 12.9 solely for the screen size and recommend the same. Never noticed the 120hz display improvements so can't comment on that. Also, go with a storage upgrade.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Any of the iPads you listed can fulfill the needs you mentioned.

I have an iPad Pro 11 that I use as my main computer. I read for hours a day, do some writing, spreadsheet etc. with 128GB cellular model and still have plenty of room. It is easy to travel with and I don’t feel I am missing out on anything by not having the 12.9. In my opinion, you can do just fine viewing PDF and other large files on the 11” Pro

The 120 Hz refresh rate really isn’t a factor past scrolling. You might see a slight difference with your larger full anatomy apps.

I see no real need to spend money on more storage. Use that same money and get the Apple Pencil, which will be of more use to you.

A lot of people around here like to advise others to get more than the fellow forum member needs.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Hello! I am a doctor doing my residency and I have quite a few books and articles to read. I mostly read on paper because it's much easier on the eyes, especially it goes on for a longer period.

Do any of you use an iPad for actual studying? How is that working out for you? What iPad are you using and what features on current iPads improves that experience? 12.9" (being able to display a whole A4 page), 11" (better to hold) or Air? Does the 120hz refresh rate have any effect on this (anything other than scrolling)? True Tone is already on most iPads and it seems like a huge plus.

I used an iPad Pro to write down some notes about WWDC20. It was a great experience.

 

[cdcastillo]

Hello! I am a doctor doing my residency and I have quite a few books and articles to read. I mostly read on paper because it's much easier on the eyes, especially it goes on for a longer period.

Do any of you use an iPad for actual studying? How is that working out for you? What iPad are you using and what features on current iPads improves that experience? 12.9" (being able to display a whole A4 page), 11" (better to hold) or Air? Does the 120hz refresh rate have any effect on this (anything other than scrolling)? True Tone is already on most iPads and it seems like a huge plus.

I do. I'm more than happy with a mini 5. It fits in the pocket of my Barco One scrubs (in the lower pockets of the shirt) without falling out and it's pencil compatible (1st gen) to highlight and take notes. It's also a lot more comfortable to hold for long reading sessions, either when drinking coffee on the sofa or seated in a gurney while on call.

I faced the "big enough for a whole page" debate years ago with the Kindle DX, and found that when not reading in paper, you usually end up NOT reading with the page filling the whole screen, so this is a moot point. Also, other than high resolution and True Tone (every current iPad has these), no other feature makes a difference for reading: not the refresh rate, not the closeness of the panel to the surface.

I'm no longer a resident , but I teach 4th year students at med school and when studying I use both PDFs (papers, "scanned" books) and web-based books (Expert consult / inkling Elsevier). I highly prefer reading on my mini than on the physical books or on the laptop. I use it also from time to time to make presentations (for classes or conferences) and write dissertations/papers, but honestly I prefer the MBP for that, and you asked "for actual studying"

Add: My wife has a 1st gen 12" iPad Pro. I couldn't imagine myself carrying that behemoth in the hospital.

 

[Jimbo Limbo]

I got my kid an iPad Pro 12.9 1TB w LTE to use in post-secondary studies. It is the perfect size, because you can open an electronic text on one side, open the lecture notes in Notability, and add in your own notes using the apple pencil 2, all while recording the lecture. It is the perfect scholarly tool, in my opinion. It has served my kid well. That particular model came w 6 gig of RAM, so my kid is not behind the times at all. Bought a keyboard folio for it as well for longer writing sessions.

The iPad 12.9 is the only one on which iPad apps run in split screen without reverting to their simpler iPhone versions. That is the deciding factor.

 

[stanza.richi]

I’m a fifth year resident in neurosurgery in Italy. I bought iPad Pro 12.9” 64 gb wifi in october 2019 (2018 model obviously) and I use it everyday day to read and underline papers and books and to write papers with a bluetooth keyboard (adding references only in the end with Mendeley Desktop on my MacBook Pro late 2013). Perfect to watch operative video on youtube or webinar with zoom (just yesterday a wonderful webinar by Prof Lawton).

My only complaints are that maybe I could buy 256 gb and LTE model. More size for more easy use of space; LTE because in my hospital we haven’t got public wifi strong enough to reach my department at 3rd floor 🤬

Portability isn’t a problem for me, you can may consider iPad mini if you want something that could fit in your scrub pocket (i had got a mini 1 during med school).

 

[Jaekae]

11 ipad pro if need to carry it around alot

 

[dmccloud]

I like the 11" iPad Pro for studying. All of my classes are online (and have been even before COVID-19 was a thing), and I use the iPad for my textbooks. The size is comparable to a physical textbook, so the readability is top notch.

 

[_karrol]

I am doing my PhD and using the 11'' iPP with Pencil, I read 95% of my stuff on it and take lots of notes. I think it does a great job, but I did not notice that much of a difference when it comes to the 'easiness on the eyes' in comparison to the regular 2018 I had before. In the end, when I happen to read for hours on a day, my eyes will want me to stop or take a longer break or switch to regular paper. I think this is just the thing with screens, as you mentioned. Also, all iPads are LCDs, so I guess the issue with eye strain some people have with the OLED iPhones should not be a problem here.

Regarding the size, my 11'' is absolutely fine for A4 documents, but at the same time I was also not complaining about the 9.7'' and I have never used the 12.9'', so I think it is a matter of a personal preference and you should decide on your own.

 

[Nikhil72]

Also a doc here, use my iPad Pro to study. If your goal is to have a PDF and split screen for either handwritten notes or typed notes, then the 12.9 is going to be helpful but at the cost of portability for sure. I actually have both and the 12.9 is great except when it comes to mobile on the go use or casual reading, but whenever I use the 11” for split screen everything is just too cramped to comfortably use for an extended period of time. I find more often the 12.9 doesn’t show more content but the content is bigger and easier on the eyes, reducing strain and fatigue. The tradeoff? It’s less pleasant for handheld non-medical reading (longform journalism, novels in Apple Books...)