If you went from 12.9 to 11, is the screen big enough?

[richpjr]

I currently have both a 10.5 and 12.9 2nd gen iPad Pro (work bought them for me) and would really love to settle on a single device. I know the 12.9 is smaller than the previous generation, but it is still quite a bit larger than the 11. If you had as 12.9 and went to the 11, is it too small? I am having a hard time deciding and haven't had a chance to play with them yet.

 

[muzzy996]

I'd really like to hear some perspective on this too even though I know it's totally subjective in nature. Especially since an upper range spec'd 12.9 can seem like unobtainium to some of us who have to purchase a completely new set of accessories for it.

 

[B.A.T]

If you can go to the store and play with them both. I spent about 45 minutes in there today and still not sure. I love the 12.9 but the cost is a lot to ask. The 11 is nice but I didn't like apps in split screen mode. No rush for me, I'll figure it out at some point.

 

[richpjr]

If you can go to the store and play with them both. I spent about 45 minutes in there today and still not sure. I love the 12.9 but the cost is a lot to ask. The 11 is nice but I didn't like apps in split screen mode. No rush for me, I'll figure it out at some point.

I definitely need to play with both in person before deciding, which is why I didn’t preorder one.

 

[alex00100]

I got to see both in a store and since the 12.9" model is basically 13" it is still very much larger then the 11".

 

[KrispyKrink]

I’m liking the 11 in portrait but split screen in horizontal might have me returning for the 12.9 to get normal sized apps.

 

[HeatherA]

I currently have both a 10.5 and 12.9 2nd gen iPad Pro (work bought them for me) and would really love to settle on a single device. I know the 12.9 is smaller than the previous generation, but it is still quite a bit larger than the 11. If you had as 12.9 and went to the 11, is it too small? I am having a hard time deciding and haven't had a chance to play with them yet.

Only been using my 11 for a few hours but I'm missing my 12.9 very little. I love holding the thing one handed.

I guess it depends on you usage needs.

 

[koooolkeith]

Hmmm, still think I’m gonna go with the 12.9.

 

[Pete Rodgers]

I like reading magazines on my 1st gen 12.9. Does anyone know whether you still have to zoom in on the 11 inch like on the 9.7, or is a page readable as it is?

 

[pshady]

I like reading magazines on my 1st gen 12.9. Does anyone know whether you still have to zoom in on the 11 inch like on the 9.7, or is a page readable as it is?

I came from a 10.5 and went up to 12.9. I use Texture to read magazines, and a full page in portrait mode on the 12.9 is just barely good enough without zooming. Keep in mind that the 12.9 is basically exactly as big as a sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper, so it’s still smaller than most printed magazines (esp. if you figure in the small bezel). I’ve found the 12.9 to be less convenient, but the bigger screen and better productivity with full-size split screen apps makes it worth it for me.

 

[Pete Rodgers]

I’ve found the 12.9 to be less convenient, but the bigger screen and better productivity with full-size split screen apps makes it worth it for me.

Yes, i like the size of the 12.9, but it is a bit unmanageable. Did you find reading full pages ok on a 10.5? Was it significantly better than the smaller 9.7?

 

[Greenmeenie]

Both iPads are equally great. I think in the end, the best way to make a decision, is to identify what’s most important to you personally. I mean the number one thing.

Like for me, I am an artist, so even tho the larger 12.9” screen is sweet...I also travel a lot. International backpacking. Hoping on planes. Sketching on the go. So even tho the new 12.9” with its slimmer bezels is more portable now, the screen is basically the size of an A4 sketchbook, while the 11” is roughly the size of an A5 sketchbook - which is my go to sketchbook for traveling. If I stayed at home mostly, and didn’t have such a mobile lifestyle, i’d definitely go for the 12.9”. I am sure some can and will travel with the 12.9” and love it. But I am 99% sure the 11” is the better solution for me.

At least this is how I am helping myself come to a decision. By Focusing on what i’ll be using it for mostly.

Will meditate on this over the weekend, make my final decision, and buy a new iPad Pro next week.

 

[pshady]

Yes, i like the size of the 12.9, but it is a bit unmanageable. Did you find reading full pages ok on a 10.5? Was it significantly better than the smaller 9.7?

I had the 9.7 Pro before going to the 10.5 (yes I have a problem). 10.5 was worth the jump from 9.7 but not enough to read a full page in texture without zoom.

 

[physicsguy13]

I ordered the 11” to replace my first gen 12.9”, but I ended up exchanging it 24 hours later. While I always felt that the original 12.9” was too large, I missed the screen size and the new version is much easier to handle. The new 12.9” is a significant improvement over the original.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

I currently have both a 10.5 and 12.9 2nd gen iPad Pro (work bought them for me) and would really love to settle on a single device. I know the 12.9 is smaller than the previous generation, but it is still quite a bit larger than the 11. If you had as 12.9 and went to the 11, is it too small? I am having a hard time deciding and haven't had a chance to play with them yet.

I’m an iPad-only user (sold MBP almost a year ago), and I kept my 12.9 from 2017, replacing an Air 2 with the new 11. My take on the 11 is that I love its compactness and plan to carry it pretty much everywhere with me in my purse, but when I’m at home, the 12.9 size is much nicer. I can fit more of documents on the screen, more room for drawing on a whiteboard, etc. So— 11 amazing on-the-go, but 12.9 feels like a luxurious relief to my eyes.

 

[vapourtrails]

I just picked up the 11”. I think whichever one you pick will become what you are used to. I wanted a bit more portability so the smaller size worked for me.

 

[Maukey]

I’m an iPad-only user (sold MBP almost a year ago), and I kept my 12.9 from 2017, replacing an Air 2 with the new 11. My take on the 11 is that I love its compactness and plan to carry it pretty much everywhere with me in my purse, but when I’m at home, the 12.9 size is much nicer. I can fit more of documents on the screen, more room for drawing on a whiteboard, etc. So— 11 amazing on-the-go, but 12.9 feels like a luxurious relief to my eyes.

Makes perfect sense. I'm going 11 because I still have and need my 13" MBP for personal use. iPads still can't do/aren't great with Torrents, Emulators, etc. I use my MBP when doing serious/more difficult personal tasks. My iPads have always been my go anywhere and everywhere media consumption device. Many times I'm using my iPad for some sort of Media Consumption while on my MBP LOL. As much as I love the 12.9, it just doesn't make sense for me and my use cases. If I could abandon my MBP, the 12.9 would be a no brainer. But I'd still want a smaller iPad for portability personally.

 

[Adrianinkc]

Picked up the 11 today coming from a 12.9 2nd gen, I love the 11, don’t really have small hands but it is so much easier to carry around and hold one handed. The 12.9 is great as long as you don’t have to hold it or move it.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

I just went and bought the 11 inch iPad right now to test out along side the 12.9 inch tablet. I’ll find out if the 11 inch is good enough..pretty soon.

 

[richpjr]

I just went and bought the 11 inch iPad right now to test out along side the 12.9 inch tablet. I’ll find out if the 11 inch is good enough..pretty soon.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

after doing a quick two hour evaluation:
Here are my thoughts:

12.9

• Screen real estate is better
• better web browsing experience
• More immersive
• writing is better because of the larger real estate
• typing is better on the 12.9
• when projecting to a monitor (i used a 1080p monitor), more black bars on the sides because the the 4:3 ratio but more information on the screen.
• PDF document reads were more pleasant.

11 inch ipad pro

• $200 cheaper
• smaller form factor
• fits better on my macbook stand (which sounds ridiculous, but let me explain, my macbook is on a stand that is tilted and i put my ipad on my keys because i have a HHKB hooked up externally, from there i can sometimes write notes or keep it on a specific task screen i want to keep track of. both the 12.9 and 11 can do this but because of the magnets on the 12.9 are close to the touchbar, they actually interfere and start reacting with the touchbar.
• The 11 inch feels more like a consumer toy, which i can leave in my living room. the 12.9 feels like i can get a bit more work done.
• the smart folio, which i decided to buy is very good on the 11 inch and i think it's miles better than the old smart folio. i'm super happy with that.
• video projection, because the ipad pro is more horizontally longer (in landscape view) it covered more vertical black bars, but the content showed was less because of the resolution.
• No issues with excel
• no issues with word
• no issues with PPT
• No issues with microsoft based cloud apps.
• Noticed some resolution issues because of the new form factor which app developers have not optimized yet, including Direct TV now.
• Typing is an issue at first because they moved some of the keys but after typing on it for a full hour, i got used it o, it's not as good as the 12.9 but it's manageable and i can type pretty fast. maybe i should so a type test to see how fast.

Currently, i saw lot of positives of having the 11 inch but the thing that is killing me is resolution. If the 12.9 inch and 11 inch were the exact same resolution, i actually would of preferred the 11 inch. Because of the reduced resolution, it fits less information in one screen and the one thing that I like about the 12.9 inch is the feeling of a true digital newspaper, going to webpages having the full effect in a light package in your hands is like heaven to me.

Thats it so far. I'll check sound next.

 

[Jmoc916]

I bought the new 12.9” both folio cases and the pencil.. just to show how much i was planning on sticking with it. I brought it back after a day or so because the majority of my use is media consumption, browsing the web, reading and stuff. The 1” is awesome. I mainly use in landscape so the split view is fine for me in that aspect. You really can’t go wrong either way. But the screen is definitely a good size. Just need apps to update for the changes..

Also when it comes to typing. I found in landscape it’s actually easier with the 11”.
[doublepost=1541839659][/doublepost]

Makes perfect sense. I'm going 11 because I still have and need my 13" MBP for personal use. iPads still can't do/aren't great with Torrents, Emulators, etc. I use my MBP when doing serious/more difficult personal tasks. My iPads have always been my go anywhere and everywhere media consumption device. Many times I'm using my iPad for some sort of Media Consumption while on my MBP LOL. As much as I love the 12.9, it just doesn't make sense for me and my use cases. If I could abandon my MBP, the 12.9 would be a no brainer. But I'd still want a smaller iPad for portability personally.

Said perfectly for my situation

 

[millydog]

I also currently have the 10.5” and 12.9” 2nd gen. iPads are my favourite things and I really planned on upgrading this year. I think I even spent the majority of the year pondering this question myself, which iPad of the two would I upgrade.
What happened though was the iPhone XS Max. I really craved returning to the larger screen of the Max (from the X) and going up to 512GB. So Max it was and it’s not a cheap phone. Don’t get me wrong, I am a senior programmer and I have the cash, but the cost of all these devices has gone up significantly.
So now I’ve decided to just hang on to both of my iPad Pro devices with keyboards, leather sleeves, leather covers and one pencil between them for another year. This way I’ll still have my choice of size for the occasion.
But, if you want to know..before the iPhone XS Max and my deciding to hang on to them both until the next Pro release, I had decided to upgrade the 12.9”. My reasoning was that the overall size of the device sits between the 10.5” and 12.9” 2nd gen while still giving the full screen size of the 12.9”. It is the 12.9” that I like to use for the screen size the most, but the 10.5” that I have liked to hold in my hands and take out and about the most due to it being lighter and more portable. I now think that the 12.9” 3rd gen is the best of both worlds. I’m jealous of everyone buying them and I’m addicted to watching and reading reviews and Macrumors, but I’ll sit back and enjoy living through you all until it’s my turn to upgrade an iPad next year (or following March or whenever). I can’t complain and it’s my decision. But anyway....I think that I will pick the 12.9” for the upgrade then and it will become my main iPad while my 10.5 will be more my bedside reader (if I don’t pass it on to the kids).

 

[TheAustrianGuy]

Have ordered the 12.9“ (should arrive late next week (I hope)), but was unsure, too.
So I went to our local electronics store to check out the display units.

The 11“ is so small in comparison - it feels like an iPad Mini really, so it didn‘t even take a second for me to confirm and be happy with my decision to go for the bigger one.

 

[The Game 161]

I have my 10.5 side by side with my new 12.9 and the extra screen is very much needed