iPad Buy iPad Pro Now or Wait

[solardudesf]

Hi All I know this is a personal decision but I have an 11” 2018 iPad Pro WiFi + Cellular. Love the thing thing and it has served me well but the battery life is pretty awful these days (and Apple won’t replace the battery even if I will pay for it since they claim it isn’t under 80%). I’m itching to get a new iPad Pro. I know the new ones are due in a month or two and will have oled screens and not sure what other new features. Also heard they will be quite a bit more expensive. I can get a good deal on a new 1-2TB (meaning more ram as well) 2022 M2 iPad Pro WiFi + Cellular in the $1200-1300 range on eBay. What do people think? Sit and wait and pay a bit more or just go for the older one at a good price. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[fwmireault]

I would personally wait, even if you don't go with the latest model, you would probably have an even better deal on the M2 iPad Pro.

 

[NastyMatt]

I would personally wait, even if you don't go with the latest model, you would probably have an even better deal on the M2 iPad Pro.

+1

We can only spectulate on new features ( 🙏 landscape camera) and there might be some surprises that you really want. If not, you'll get a good deal on an M2.

 

[Matcha]

wait considering the redesign & accessories I wouldn't be surprised the new pencil is compatible with the redesign and beyond.

 

[floral]

i bought mine a whole year ago... and even then, the tablet was seen as relatively risky to buy as it was a few months old. Therefore you really should just wait until the next one.

 

[AVBeatMan]

I keeping wondering about this also. I have a 2021 11" M1 iPad Pro and wonder if I should upgrade to the new one's when out. I mean, I just use for media consumption and journaling so the Pro's are already overkill for me. My "sensible head" says stick with what I have as it'll be fine for years to come, but my "usual head" says, yeah! lets go for it!!!

 

[stanza.richi]

Wait.

 

[jazz1]

I keeping wondering about this also. I have a 2021 11" M1 iPad Pro and wonder if I should upgrade to the new one's when out. I mean, I just use for media consumption and journaling so the Pro's are already overkill for me. My "sensible head" says stick with what I have as it'll be fine for years to come, but my "usual head" says, yeah! lets go for it!!!

What attracts me is the rumored Magic Keyboard with a decent sized trackpad and aluminum construction. The killer to that attraction is the cost of the bundle. I wonder if I’d be better off keeping with the M! iPad Pro 12.9” and get a MacBook Air?

 

[Melbourne Park]

I'm waiting (my wife uses one).

I looked too at pricing of drives - Apples computer drives are tyically 2.5 times as much as PC NVME drives of the same speed. But in the iPad, the drive prices are 3.5 times the cost of fast NVME drives. The base drive price is around Apple's computer drive price though.

IMO Apple wants people to rent their on line storage model, so they get a continuous rental fee. Sort of a Microsoft business model.

The cheapest storage in an iPad is the minimum one. I expect the new iPad Pro will have a larger base storage, so that is another reason to wait.

For my wife, she wants good sound - that means Pro. The Air has four speakers, but only two work. Crazy ....

And the next issue for my wife, is battery life. We have gone to Apple too, and they say the battery is fine in her old iPad Pro. Its not though. They also refuse to put in a new battery - because they say they'd have to provide a whole new iPad.Which of course, is entirely their own fault to design the iPad that way.

I rate the most important thing for my wife is speaker and battery life. Promotion also greatly enhances an iPad too. So she has to buy a Pro, despite not needing its CPU power. I reckon any M processor is way overkill anyway. And if one wants to do video on an iPad, due to the high storage cost, its best to buy a Macbook or desktop.

So we are waiting for the new model ... just wish a new Air would use its four speakers.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Wait; it is a no-brainer when new models are rumored imminent. Plus IMO the currently available models are not compelling.

 

[azpekt]

I'm waiting - you should too

 

[svish]

Definitely wait. After Apple announces OLED iPad Pro, either go for it or the M2 iPad Pro which could then be had at lower prices.

 

[geta]

Simple - if you need new iPad now buy the one you found, if not, wait for the update.

 

[Jay Tee]

Wait, for heaven's sake, just wait; the longer you wait, the better.

Generally, if you don't need a new device, don't buy a new device.

 

[darngooddesign]

New iPads will be out in like two months, why wouldn't you wait?

 

[Surfsalot]

now

 

[James.K.Polk]

This is somewhat self-justification, since I recently purchased one myself, but there are plenty of good deals on the outgoing M2s that are worth considering. I wouldn’t buy at full price, but I got mine 20% off. The rumored price hike may not happen, but if it does - not like I was going to pay $999 for the base Pro, anyway - a <$650 11” Pro was enough to get me to commit. I have no issue with the MicroLED (of course, this forum loves to be bleeding edge - and why not!).

 

[Reverend Benny]

Hi All I know this is a personal decision but I have an 11” 2018 iPad Pro WiFi + Cellular. Love the thing thing and it has served me well but the battery life is pretty awful these days (and Apple won’t replace the battery even if I will pay for it since they claim it isn’t under 80%). I’m itching to get a new iPad Pro. I know the new ones are due in a month or two and will have oled screens and not sure what other new features. Also heard they will be quite a bit more expensive. I can get a good deal on a new 1-2TB (meaning more ram as well) 2022 M2 iPad Pro WiFi + Cellular in the $1200-1300 range on eBay. What do people think? Sit and wait and pay a bit more or just go for the older one at a good price. Thanks for the feedback.

A shame to hear about the battery but its still a device with good hardware that should deliver for many years to come.
Maybe a reset of the device will sort out the issues or see if you can find a decent diag software to see if its really that bad?

But on your Topic if you should upgrade or wait i'd sad "wait if you can".
Not just to get the new one but also that the older devices might drop a bit pricewise.

 

[solardudesf]

A shame to hear about the battery but its still a device with good hardware that should deliver for many years to come.
Maybe a reset of the device will sort out the issues or see if you can find a decent diag software to see if its really that bad?

But on your Topic if you should upgrade or wait i'd sad "wait if you can".
Not just to get the new one but also that the older devices might drop a bit pricewise.

It usually goes from 100% to dead in a few hours now. I use iMazing which shows the battery right at 80% capacity. Just need the iPad to last longer and Apple will not replace the battery. Their diagnostics claim 87%. That is definitely incorrect and leads me to believe they have no intention of ever letting me replace the battery.

Seems like people overwhelmingly thinking wait. I’m thinking that is pretty good advice (especially considering the new ones are so close). Just need to be patient. I still may opt for an M2 depending on the prices of the new ones, but guessing I’ll get an even better deal as many have mentioned.

Thanks all!

 

[Phil77354]

Did you take your iPad to the Apple Store and request battery replacement at your own cost? Apple's website states that they will replace it for an estimated $119. My experience at the local Apple store in my area is that they do replace batteries if you insist, even if their battery life measurement shows it is over 80%. The 80% criteria should only (generally) apply if you are asking for it to be replaced under warranty or AppleCare.

Personally, if your current iPad is fully satisfactory except for battery life, this is what I would do. It will get you several years more enjoyment for a very low cost, much lower than buying a new iPad, that's for sure.

 

[Reverend Benny]

It usually goes from 100% to dead in a few hours now. I use iMazing which shows the battery right at 80% capacity. Just need the iPad to last longer and Apple will not replace the battery. Their diagnostics claim 87%. That is definitely incorrect and leads me to believe they have no intention of ever letting me replace the battery.

Seems like people overwhelmingly thinking wait. I’m thinking that is pretty good advice (especially considering the new ones are so close). Just need to be patient. I still may opt for an M2 depending on the prices of the new ones, but guessing I’ll get an even better deal as many have mentioned.

Thanks all!

I stumbled in a smashing deal on my M1 Pro 11", got the 2TB version cellular for around $1300 on Amazon just after the M2 was released. Sometimes its easier to find good deals on peripherals too once the new models are out.

Still at 80% it should deliver an acceptable batterytime so it may be that the battery is faulty or you have something draining the battery. Anyhow it doesn't sound normal.

 

[xsmett]

It's all about the display. I prefer the 11 screen size but I own the 12.9 only because of the far better 12.9 mini led display vs the 11 regular lcd display. For me it's day and night when I compare them.

So I will get the 11 pro oled right away and sell the 12.9.

 

[solardudesf]

Did you take your iPad to the Apple Store and request battery replacement at your own cost? Apple's website states that they will replace it for an estimated $119. My experience at the local Apple store in my area is that they do replace batteries if you insist, even if their battery life measurement shows it is over 80%. The 80% criteria should only (generally) apply if you are asking for it to be replaced under warranty or AppleCare.

Personally, if your current iPad is fully satisfactory except for battery life, this is what I would do. It will get you several years more enjoyment for a very low cost, much lower than buying a new iPad, that's for sure.

Yes. This is what I tried to do however they said I could not replace the battery at my own cost unless it was below 80%. They said it was company policy. Sounds like it’s possible to try and find a different employee who will do the replacement.

 

[Phil77354]

If your iPad is 2018 model and it still has the original battery then that seems like you've done very well with that battery. I would just explain to the Apple store folks what your typical battery life is and how you use the iPad, and insist that they change it. In fact you can make an appointment online (go to Support on the Apple website) for battery replacement and that might bypass the whole "its not below 80%" discussion.

My one experience was with an iPhone a few years ago. I paid for the battery to be replaced because I was in getting ready to give it to a family member and wanted the battery to be fresh. They didn't have a problem with doing it for me, and the battery was not below 80% in that case, although I can't tell you exactly what the battery level was at that time.

 

[Matcha]

It's all about the display. I prefer the 11 screen size but I own the 12.9 only because of the far better 12.9 mini led display vs the 11 regular lcd display. For me it's day and night when I compare them.

So I will get the 11 pro oled right away and sell the 12.9.

I’m thinking of going with the 12.9 for split view and note taking but I like the size of the 11”. Do you use your 12.9 in split view regularly? I’m worried the 11 is too small to not take and split view