iPad Pro Exchanged 12.9” for 11”

[jimmy_uk]

I had a few hours of play on a 2021 12.9" today in a home setting, and while the screen is impressive it only really shines when brightness is very high - and in normal usage this is not practical. I found using it under 50% brightness was most comfortable but this took away the crispy bright whites which felt like the display could have just been LCD. I did see some blooming when using youtube but I can see how you could learn to ignore it.

In hand I leaned back to thinking as a tablet it's cumbersome to use. It isn't as heavy as I originally thought but the weight distribution is odd as it's more a square than the 11", so if trying to hold in one hand the tablet wants to pull away from you. If holding in two hands and you want to interact with the screen, you have to keep considering how the weight will shift. I found I only liked using it as a tablet when leaning against something, like a table edge or your leg when sitting.

So I'm back to the realisation I'd rather have a tablet as a tablet and the 11" is back on the cards. It's a use anywhere, anyhow product.

I was a little concerned that my eyes started to feel a little strained, a bit like the feeling I get when using an OLED iphone. I'm aware there is PWM on the ipad pros but the rate is very high so it shouldn't be a problem. Perhaps I'm much more sensitive to the effect than I realise. It could be the Mini-LED though?

 

[milgauss88]

In my earlier post I mentioned how I really liked the portability of the M1 11" and that it was going to compliment my M1 MBA moving forward. Fast forward 5 days and I'm now swinging towards keeping the M1 12.9" instead. Fact is, I had been using the 2020 12.9" + MK as my only device for so long, I don't really want to give up on that 'one device, do it all for me' despite I will be keeping the M1 MBA (mainly for new work requirements that recently came up).

In the past 5 days, I've tried extensively to use the M1 12.9" in tablet form only. Yes it's heavier on the wrist and cumbersome at times and it's definitely not easy (if at all possible for me) to use one handed when moving around. However, I have found in most use scenarios, it's possible for me to negate some of the weight and cumbersome factor. Hence, making the tablet experience much better.

I've also been doing a fair bit of A B comparison (based on my use case) on the two sizes and have come to realise the new XDR display and screen size makes a significant difference for my needs.

• The XDR display wins hands down when it comes to any HDR content. There are significant improvements to movies, photos, videos whether it be viewing or editing. It's like everything looks so real, feels like being there in that moment.
• In general day to day use, blacks and whites looks better and colours are a little more vivid. Some say it's negligible but I can still see the improvements, plus it's more noticeable when using dark mode.
• The 12.9" size provides a three column view for apps I use regularly vs a two column view on the 11"
• Split view is more useable on the 12.9" and the app layout stays in iPadOS format. Whereas on the 11" some apps revert to the iOS layout limiting the productivity experience.
• The iPad Pro is productivity device first and leisure second for me. The 12.9 very much fits the bill for me. Sure, the 11" can do this with much more portability but also with some caveats.

I will continue to use the M1 12.9" in tablet form only (I've already sold my 2020 12.9" + MK) and balance 'real work' / productivity needs with my M1 MBA. At the same time, there is the comfort the 'one device, do it all for me' is available and just needs a MK. ?

 

[benobi]

In my earlier post I mentioned how I really liked the portability of the M1 11" and that it was going to compliment my M1 MBA moving forward. Fast forward 5 days and I'm now swinging towards keeping the M1 12.9" instead. Fact is, I had been using the 2020 12.9" + MK as my only device for so long, I don't really want to give up on that 'one device, do it all for me' despite I will be keeping the M1 MBA (mainly for new work requirements that recently came up).

In the past 5 days, I've tried extensively to use the M1 12.9" in tablet form only. Yes it's heavier on the wrist and cumbersome at times and it's definitely not easy (if at all possible for me) to use one handed when moving around. However, I have found in most use scenarios, it's possible for me to negate some of the weight and cumbersome factor. Hence, making the tablet experience much better.

I've also been doing a fair bit of A B comparison (based on my use case) on the two sizes and have come to realise the new XDR display and screen size makes a significant difference for my needs.

• The XDR display wins hands down when it comes to any HDR content. There are significant improvements to movies, photos, videos whether it be viewing or editing. It's like everything looks so real, feels like being there in that moment.
• In general day to day use, blacks and whites looks better and colours are a little more vivid. Some say it's negligible but I can still see the improvements, plus it's more noticeable when using dark mode.
• The 12.9" size provides a three column view for apps I use regularly vs a two column view on the 11"
• Split view is more useable on the 12.9" and the app layout stays in iPadOS format. Whereas on the 11" some apps revert to the iOS layout limiting the productivity experience.
• The iPad Pro is productivity device first and leisure second for me. The 12.9 very much fits the bill for me. Sure, the 11" can do this with much more portability but also with some caveats.

I will continue to use the M1 12.9" in tablet form only (I've already sold my 2020 12.9" + MK) and balance 'real work' / productivity needs with my M1 MBA. At the same time, there is the comfort the 'one device, do it all for me' is available and just needs a MK. ?

I couldn’t agree more with this perspective. I have an M1 MBA and also tried using both the 11" and 12.9" in tablet mode only (with a smart folio and just naked) during the free return period. I personally found that neither the 11 or 12.9 are very comfortable to hold in one hand for very long (especially when compared to a phone or the iPad mini). I made my decision on what was most comfortable when resting on my lap or chest (when on a chair/couch/bed). For me, the 12.9 is large enough that, when resting, it’s still very easy to interact with and still very compelling whereas 11” felt too small from that distance. Writing and drawing is better with the more real estate of the 12.9. Multitasking is way more functional. Furthermore, I feel like the onscreen typing experience on the 11” is awkward in both portrait and landscape orientations. It’s slightly too large to thumb type in portrait and too cramped to type like normal in landscape. At least with the 12.9, you get a full-sized on screen keyboard whenever you need it. This is all without mentioning the beautiful XDR screen.

The icing On the cake for me is that with the 12.9, in many circumstances, it can and will be the only device I travel with, leaving the MBA at home. It is a productive enough machine that I could legitimately travel with it as my only device for most of the travel I do. I can not say the same for the 11", which will always be a consumption device primarily.

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

Just bought my new M1 11". Couldn't be happier coming from a 2018 11". I was considering a 12.9" but I do have a 16" MBP and it seems like total overkill to me. The screen is just fine and I mostly do photo editing and document work.

 

[kp98077]

Received the Apple smart folio today, only been using the magic keyboard with the 12.9 for a week. This really transformed it again. Probably keeping this and sending back the 11” when it arrives

Good to know .. did u have the MK too?

 

[Booji]

In my earlier post I mentioned how I really liked the portability of the M1 11" and that it was going to compliment my M1 MBA moving forward. Fast forward 5 days and I'm now swinging towards keeping the M1 12.9" instead. Fact is, I had been using the 2020 12.9" + MK as my only device for so long, I don't really want to give up on that 'one device, do it all for me' despite I will be keeping the M1 MBA (mainly for new work requirements that recently came up).

In the past 5 days, I've tried extensively to use the M1 12.9" in tablet form only. Yes it's heavier on the wrist and cumbersome at times and it's definitely not easy (if at all possible for me) to use one handed when moving around. However, I have found in most use scenarios, it's possible for me to negate some of the weight and cumbersome factor. Hence, making the tablet experience much better.

I've also been doing a fair bit of A B comparison (based on my use case) on the two sizes and have come to realise the new XDR display and screen size makes a significant difference for my needs.

• The XDR display wins hands down when it comes to any HDR content. There are significant improvements to movies, photos, videos whether it be viewing or editing. It's like everything looks so real, feels like being there in that moment.
• In general day to day use, blacks and whites looks better and colours are a little more vivid. Some say it's negligible but I can still see the improvements, plus it's more noticeable when using dark mode.
• The 12.9" size provides a three column view for apps I use regularly vs a two column view on the 11"
• Split view is more useable on the 12.9" and the app layout stays in iPadOS format. Whereas on the 11" some apps revert to the iOS layout limiting the productivity experience.
• The iPad Pro is productivity device first and leisure second for me. The 12.9 very much fits the bill for me. Sure, the 11" can do this with much more portability but also with some caveats.

I will continue to use the M1 12.9" in tablet form only (I've already sold my 2020 12.9" + MK) and balance 'real work' / productivity needs with my M1 MBA. At the same time, there is the comfort the 'one device, do it all for me' is available and just needs a MK. ?

One of the best responses I have seen. The common thread seems to be: for those that prioritize productivity consumption, the 12.9 wins. For consumption and when mobility is a top priority, the 11 is a lot more convenient.

 

[wolfboy]

Just got my 11” and happy to say, no regrets. I was disappointed about no XDR but after finally using it, I find the 11 has an awesome screen. And the black levels are also great, as good as it gets without local dimming.

 

[kave]

Good to know .. did u have the MK too?

Hello. Yes, I had the Magic Keyboard with the 12.9” and now I have it on the 11”. As a former MacBook Air 11” user I thought I would love this combo, but I find the keyboard very small. When typing on it my hands bangs into the the display. For me the combo was great on the 12.9” but not so much on the 11”.
We will see today what happends, my dream is that Apple makes the iPad work properly with an external display.

 

[kp98077]

Hello. Yes, I had the Magic Keyboard with the 12.9” and now I have it on the 11”. As a former MacBook Air 11” user I thought I would love this combo, but I find the keyboard very small. When typing on it my hands bangs into the the display. For me the combo was great on the 12.9” but not so much on the 11”.
We will see today what happends, my dream is that Apple makes the iPad work properly with an external display.

so what will we expect today? the ipad to work more like a pc? what else?

 

[Rafterman]

Just got my 11” and happy to say, no regrets. I was disappointed about no XDR but after finally using it, I find the 11 has an awesome screen. And the black levels are also great, as good as it gets without local dimming.

I actually have both and I have to say in non-HDR content, I can't tell the difference between the two, and the blacks are both equally deep on both.

 

[VaruLV]

Im likely to change my 12.9 order to 11 at best, hoping that its regular LED screen wont get too hot from M1 like it does on 12.9 miniLED and wont develop "white spot" issues or anything similar within certain amount of time.

 

[applematic]

I actually have both and I have to say in non-HDR content, I can't tell the difference between the two, and the blacks are both equally deep on both.

If it’s video and there’s any type of black bars on the screen I can very readily see a difference even in non HDR content by just having a deeper black there.

 

[loganmac]

After watching the news of WWDC today, I ended up contacting support and asking for an exception for my return. I'm trading out the 12.9" for the 11". Switching to silver + white keyboard as well after seeing all of the gorgeous pics.

Half of the reason I convinced myself to get the 12.9" was that I thought they would bring a way to run macOS apps on the pros, and I could just have one 12.9" machine instead of a Macbook Pro + iPad.

Since I'll still probably use a laptop as my primary device, the 11" makes a much better companion device. I had both sizes before, and found myself always reaching for the 11" while the 12.9" collected dust.

 

[ericwn]

so what will we expect today? the ipad to work more like a pc? what else?

iPads continue to be iPads. Not surprised at all.

 

[Surfman]

Big mistake, the 12.9 will be much better for the new widgets and multitasking.

 

[thadoggfather]

Big mistake, the 12.9 will be much better for the new widgets and multitasking.

The second part, yea. I could see that.
The first, no. Just no.

 

[ericwn]

Big mistake, the 12.9 will be much better for the new widgets and multitasking.

The OP didn’t like blooming and no widget will fix it for them I guess, and if I remember correctly on of the other issues was they felt it was uncomfortable to operate for them. I think that’s totally valid.

 

[kp98077]

Big mistake, the 12.9 will be much better for the new widgets and multitasking.

I have both and clearly the 12.9 screen is more engaging for whatever use.

 

[sorgo †]

Big mistake, the 12.9 will be much better for the new widgets and multitasking.

Kinda doubt it; iOS 15 has been lovely to use so far on my teeny 11” M1 Pro, all congested multitasking and shrinky-dink widgets considered. And consider I have. The 12.9” XDR iPad is also lovely albeit in some slightly different (and yes, heftier) ways.

A while after making this thread I decided to swallow my pride and give the XDR iPad another go (insert clown emoji here), and while the screen technology was surprisingly nice to revisit and re-appreciate—with seemingly/interestingly less-perceptible blooming and with all the delicious contrast I remembered from the first one—I ultimately decided that the size was too much for me, even (or perhaps especially) docked in the Magic Keyboard. I can be as “extra” as anyone but it just felt excessive in its roominess and most definitely in the awkward size and aspect ratio when used undocked and/or in a reclining position.

Realistically speaking there isn’t a great deal of functionality enhancement offered by the larger iPad until/unless it receives some truly-exclusive feature such as triple-app-panel multitasking. Thus, for me and for other not-professionally-creative types the smaller package of the eleven-inch actually serves to elevate the overall experience above even what the gorgeous XDR display does for the 12.9” iPad. All chalks up to user preference, again, until there is something distinct about software or hardware functionality beyond just the superficial (a larger canvas, prettier colors, better contrast).

 

[kp98077]

Kinda doubt it; iOS 15 has been lovely to use so far on my teeny 11” M1 Pro, all congested multitasking and shrinky-dink widgets considered. And consider I have. The 12.9” XDR iPad is also lovely albeit in some slightly different (and yes, heftier) ways.

A while after making this thread I decided to swallow my pride and give the XDR iPad another go (insert clown emoji here), and while the screen technology was surprisingly nice to revisit and re-appreciate—with seemingly/interestingly less-perceptible blooming and with all the delicious contrast I remembered from the first one—I ultimately decided that the size was too much for me, even docked in the Magic Keyboard. I can be as “extra” as anyone but it just felt excessive in its roominess and most definitely in the awkward size and aspect ratio when used undocked and/or in a reclining position.

Realistically speaking there isn’t a great deal of functionality enhancement offered by the larger iPad until/unless it receives some truly-proprietary interface feature such as triple-app-panel multitasking. Thus, for me and for other not-professionally-creative types the smaller package of the eleven-inch actually elevates the overall experience above even what the gorgeous XDR display does for the 12.9” iPad. All chalks up to user preference, again, until there is something distinct about software or hardware functionality beyond just the superficial (a larger canvas, prettier colors, better contrast).

So did you end up with the 11”? I doubt there will ever be anything significantly and distinctly that different between the 11 and 12.9.

 

[sorgo †]

So did you end up with the 11”? I doubt there will ever be anything significantly and distinctly that different between the 11 and 12.9.

Yes, ended up with a 256GB Space Gray 11” M1 iPad w/ Cellular, so in most ways my original post/essay didn’t change and I am quite satisfied. Sorry I failed to establish that in my recent post.

 

[Surfman]

I have both and clearly the 12.9 screen is more engaging for whatever use.

So do we

 

[Surfman]

The second part, yea. I could see that.
The first, no. Just no.

How so, bigger screen more/bigger widgets, less stupid apps everywhere.

 

[kp98077]

How so, bigger screen more/bigger widgets, less stupid apps everywhere.

So are u a fan of the 12.9?

 

[Rafterman]

Im likely to change my 12.9 order to 11 at best, hoping that its regular LED screen wont get too hot from M1 like it does on 12.9 miniLED and wont develop "white spot" issues or anything similar within certain amount of time.

M1 operates cooler.