iPad Pro I have an iPad Pro 2018... the iPad Pro M1 doesn't seem better at all, it might even be worse!

[aacemyan]

I tend to watch lots of videos in bed i a pitch black room, so I notice the b]white on black elements quite frequently, even when screen brightness is at 1/3. Has anybody compared 2 different 2021 ipad pros together to see variance in blooming?

 

[mark34]

No. It’s not. Meaning it’s not worse. Maybe it isn’t worth an upgrade for you, but the new M1 iPad Pro is better. In pretty much every way. It’s ok you will be ok. It doesn’t change the fact that your 2018 is still an awesome iPad.

 

[Jára Tyky]

OMFG, how many of these threads do we need?

Exactly! He is like: "Mmmm there is 100 threads on this topic, lets open new one!"

 

[NARadyk]

I’m sorry, “it might even be worse”? 😂 I just cannot fathom the logic there.

 

[NARadyk]

Don’t all screens have blooming? Wasn’t aware there was solid evidence that certain iPads have less than others

That was my thoughts as well. I’m sure every single iPad Pro 2021 12.9 can encounter blooming in the right conditions for it? It’s just some MAY be worse than others.

 

[Digitalguy]

I’m sorry, “it might even be worse”? ? I just cannot fathom the logic there.

I think what he meant is that it might be worse in some respects and if those are more important to you than the aspects where it's better then it might be worse to some....
As far as I am concerned, while I think it has advantages, especially because of RAM, those are not worth the price, unless I was buying new, so I decided that a refurbished 2018 one for half the price was a better buy.
The weight difference is noticeable (it's 50gr, since my 2018 weight 630, and I can feel it)
The screen difference doesn't matter to me since I watch videos in my OLED S7+ (but I know most people here don't)
Thunderbolt does not matter to me (the fasted I have is a 10Gb/s Samsung T7 drive, which is covered by the 2018)
Speed of A12X is plenty. Even A10X is still very fast.
RAM is the only real advantage for me... But it's only for keeping things in the background, Apple has not given much in terms of apps or OS features that take advantage of the increased RAM. It's still an advantage, but that alone is not worth the price....

 

[slplss]

That was my thoughts as well. I’m sure every single iPad Pro 2021 12.9 can encounter blooming in the right conditions for it? It’s just some MAY be worse than others.

What would you prefer, grey blacks, tinted whites 100% of the time or occasional blooming in a pitch dark environment? Because those are the only conditions you can see the blooming.

 

[Shanghaichica]

It’s not worse. It is obviously better in terms of processor and display but not enough for me to upgrade.

 

[The Game 161]

You are going to get the same experience with a 2018 model as the M1 model but that’s the same for any phone

what most people use their phones and tablets is basically the same usage

Nobody needs to upgrade for most part. I upgraded for better screen. M1 chip is great and all but hardly a deal breaker

I kind of wish I didn’t upgrade seeing as I have to take mine back to Apple as it has a screen defect

 

[slplss]

It’s not worse. It is obviously better in terms of processor and display but not enough for me to upgrade.

I'd be satisfied with any iPad from the past 5 years that is still getting iPadOS 15. All the money I spent on Galaxy Tabs is wasted with Samsung's short term SW support and their shoddy Exynos processors.

 

[Jára Tyky]

Upgrade only if you want to have best products available

 

[Broadus]

I keep reading about buying a refurbished 2018 refurbished at half the price of new. With the same storage? I ordered a 2021 256GB 12.9 with retail pricing at $1199 USD, and Apple has been selling the 2018 12.9 for $709 (if I recall correctly — out of stock at the moment). Now that’s a significant difference but not half. (I ordered mine from Costco for $1099, so that made the difference with a refurb a little less and also played into my buying decision.)

Still, how long do buyers plan to keep these 2018’s? 2 years? 3? 5? For as long as they would be content with a 2021 before upgrading? Granted, no one knows the future, but the matter of price runs deeper than that at purchase.

 

[VaruLV]

I’m sorry, “it might even be worse”? ? I just cannot fathom the logic there.

Yes, it might, especially in the long term. Run some heavy tasks or benchmarks on miniLED iPP and see if the screen gets ripples/waves visible from slight angle. Users have reported such issue here. For me that is enough of a sign that current crop of XDR iPP screens are far from perfected, they might not last for power users or in hot environments. What will Apple do about it? Probably nothing, just like with 10.5 iPP/Air white spot issue and, if rumors are to be believed, this years regular iPad might come in 10.5” size and Im quite sure it will have the same defect.
I dont like to be beta tester while paying not even full price but premium.

 

[lyngo]

OMFG, how many of these threads do we need?

Apparently another one. :/

 

[fwmireault]

I’ll say two things:

- Some people these days seems to think that iPads are meant to be upgraded every single generation. If you look for a specific feature or if you have the money for, of course you can upgrade to every single new devices that Apple release. That doesn’t mean that Apple has to revolutionize the iPad Pro each gen, as some people who have a 4-5 years old iPad will be very happy to get the 2021, even if the update is somewhat incremental compared to the previous gen. This kind of post make me feel like if you have to justify to us not to buy the new iPad Pro. If you’re happy with the one you have actually, I see no reason why you would have to justify not to upgrade.

- There are already many threads concerning the blooming or the iPadOS limitations. I agree with some of the concerns, but people needs to calm down, and to stop making assumptions if they haven’t tried the device themselves. I don’t get the point of this thread, I bought the iPP 2021 and am happy with it. If you think it’s not worth it for you, I don’t have any problems with that. People have different needs and sometimes the most expensive piece of tech or most recent gen device aren’t the better. I don’t understand why we create new threads discussing the exact same topics.

 

[DMG35]

They definitely made the speakers worse on the 2021 model than on the 2018 and 2020.

 

[UBS28]

I tend to watch lots of videos in bed i a pitch black room, so I notice the b]white on black elements quite frequently, even when screen brightness is at 1/3. Has anybody compared 2 different 2021 ipad pros together to see variance in blooming?

I just noticed mine has blooming too on maximum brightness if you look carefully. However it is not as bad as some pictures I saw online.

 

[Digitalguy]

I keep reading about buying a refurbished 2018 refurbished at half the price of new. With the same storage? I ordered a 2021 256GB 12.9 with retail pricing at $1199 USD, and Apple has been selling the 2018 12.9 for $709 (if I recall correctly — out of stock at the moment). Now that’s a significant difference but not half. (I ordered mine from Costco for $1099, so that made the difference with a refurb a little less and also played into my buying decision.)

Still, how long do buyers plan to keep these 2018’s? 2 years? 3? 5? For as long as they would be content with a 2021 before upgrading? Granted, no one knows the future, but the matter of price runs deeper than that at purchase.

I am one of those who went this path... I didn't buy it refurbish from Apple but from a store, so I got it cheaper than $709. Sure the battery isn't totally new like Apple's ones, but it is at over 96% with only 75 cycles and the iPad is in mint condition. I got it for $750 in a bundle with the smart keyboard and pencil 2, plus 1 year warranty.
If you take accessories into account it's less than half the price...
I don't know how many years I will keep it, certainly a few, but let's say at least 3-4 (2 more generations at least). How much will I "lose" on my sale in 3-4 years? $300/350? How much would I lose on a M1 with the same accessories? Definitely much more.... I think people overestimate the time their are keeping their devices... Are they really keeping it for 10 years? Maybe in 5 years we'll have microled, with a thinner and lighter device and a better screen quality with almost no drawbacks and everybody will want to upgrade at that point... Or maybe Apple will make a 15in iPad which for some people who went with the 12.9in is what they are waiting for... (like me...). And to those that think it must be crazy heavy, Samsung is making a 14.6in S8 Ultra this summer that weighs less than the 12.9 M1 iPad...

 

[Broadus]

I am one of those who went this path... I didn't buy it refurbish from Apple but from a store, so I got it cheaper than $709. Sure the battery isn't totally new like Apple's ones, but it is at over 96% with only 75 cycles and the iPad is in mint condition. I got it for $750 in a bundle with the smart keyboard and pencil 2, plus 1 year warranty.
If you take accessories into account it's less than half the price...
I don't know how many years I will keep it, certainly a few, but let's say at least 3-4 (2 more generations at least). How much will I "lose" on my sale in 3-4 years? $300/350? How much would I lose on a M1 with the same accessories? Definitely much more.... I think people overestimate the time their are keeping their devices... Are they really keeping it for 10 years? Maybe in 5 years we'll have microled, with a thinner and lighter device and a better screen quality with almost no drawbacks and everybody will want to upgrade at that point... Or maybe Apple will make a 15in iPad which for some people who went with the 12.9in is what they are waiting for... (like me...). And to those that think it must be crazy heavy, Samsung is making a 14.6in S8 Ultra this summer that weighs less than the 12.9 M1 iPad...

You got a great deal. I would have taken that, too. Congratulations!

 

[Digitalguy]

You got a great deal. I would have taken that, too. Congratulations!

Thanks! You know, I was planning on staying with my 2015 12.9 for some more years (I replaced the battery in January) because, after all, it was "future proof" thanks to the 4GB and Apple updating their iPad for so many years...(and let's be honest, also because I had spent so much money between the iPad, pencil, keyboard and other accessories...). But man, so many improvements over that first pro....
1. 100gr lighter (630 vs 730) and the 680gr M1 didn't feel like such big jump from this point of view (I tried it in several stores). Now I can hold it for much longer for reading and annotating PDF/Word files....
2. much faster (I knew it from my 11 pro, and honestly A12X is so fast that I don't feel I need anything more)
3. USB C (finally I can use my SSDs with no dongle, and any USB C cable, just like my phone)
4. pencil 2, so much nicer...
5. promotion (not the biggest deal for me, but still a nice bonus)
6. Bluetooth 5 (this is a big deal for me, since it allows me to use airpods anywhere in the house, without having to take the device with me if I am only listening...)
6. double the storage is a nice bonus too...

 

[Rafterman]

Worse in what way? 2TB? 5G? Mini LED? The 2018/2019s may be a better deal, which is an important factor, but it is not a better device.

 

[Homme]

Its not really much better, but its not really meant for everyone to upgrade. I think if you have a 1st or 2nd Gen iPad Pro its definitely worth it but not so much if you have the newer devices. I think there is a little difference in the M1 and 2018 (that's what I came from) and I definitely see better battery life as my 2018 battery was truly awful. But outside of that, the changes are marginal. There is definitely less reloading of background apps for sure.

Anyone who upgraded from the 2020 isn't see any noticeable change outside of the screen. The 2020 iPad Pro and the 2021 are nearly identical in performance in all of the tests I've ran and there is literally no difference between them.

Apple is smart. They knew this years iPad wasn't going to be a huge change so they did a couple of things. Instead of designing an A14 chip they put an M1 into the iPad Pro. Thing is, the M1 chip is really just an A14 chip but Apple knew that people would fawn over an M1 chip being in the iPad. Secondly they added more RAM. You can't do anything with the additional RAM but Apple knows that there are RAM hungry people and that they would buy it just because they put more unusable RAM in it. Even something like center is pointless because of the camera location. Its a cool feature but its not really worth much due to the fact that the camera is on its side in landscape mode (which is completely maddening).

I like my M1 iPad Pro but I'm not blind to the fact that its barely, and I mean barely a better iPad than the two previous generations.

true though it’s a bigger update than the 4th Gen Pro, and even that was a minor upgrade over the 3?

 

[Booji]

iPads are certainly built for longevity and are so overpowered as to make a once-a-year upgrade senseless. Best to wait 3-4 years to upgrade for the best bang for buck.

I upgraded to an 11" M1 from a 10.5" Pro and I'm pretty happy with the upgrade so far.

 

[richinaus]

As usual, if you dont need the benefits of the update, dont buy.

However in my pro use I have benefited from the following :

• 5G - speed in an adhoc in field presentation of large documents
• super fast manipulation of images and linework in sketching
• excellent screen for viewing images and linework

Not sure there is anything else I need to add for my pro work. Its already paying its way.

Haven't watched any videos or read books or consumed much at all on it and dont really intend to, as it was bought for professional work.

Thanks.

edit - I should add I am coming from the 2018, and the above are noticeable.

 

[gui0312]

I can trade my iPad Pro 2018 in and get 540.00 toward the new 2021 iPad Pro. With education pricing, it would run me about 450 or so. My reasonings are my iPad has been dinged all over by kids, not sure, but, I think the battery life has become affected by this, it doesn’t hold the charge like it used to and its only 3 years old or so. The display is obviously nice but, I probably won’t watch many movies on there. Love using my new magic keyboard (5th gen), best thing for me, though again, it kills my battery it seems.