iPad iPad Air 13 and 13 Pro M4 users: tell us your experience so far

[Sensamic]

I'm debating which new tablet to buy. Coming from an iPad 11 M1 that's been handed to my parents. I'm looking at the new 13 Air and 13 Pro M4 to be used 100 % docked and I'm interested in hearing others users experiences with both devices.

I tried both yesterday at the store and the two main differences I could point out for me where the bigger trackpad in the new M4, which made using gestures much, much more comfortable, and the 120Hz screen. On the store I can't see much difference with the OLED, and the device won't be used to watch movies, rather than productivity tasks and web surfing. 500€ is the difference between the two (128GB base M2 Air and 256GB base M4 Pro).

Which do you own and how are you using it?

 

[JonnyMacx86]

Honestly, if you're using it 100% docked and not watching movies, the iPad Air is made for you. I have the 13" Pro but had it not been for my fascination with OLED and its profile, the iPad Air would have been just fine for me, too. I don't regret my purchase, but it's debatable whether or not I overspent.

 

[okkibs]

For the same money you can get a Mac Mini or a used Macbook Air with twice the storage. They run some iPad apps too. The iPad's main advantages are the Pencil/touch and how lightweight it is. If you only use it with the folio or magic keyboard it's mostly a worse Macbook.

 

[sparksd]

Quite enjoying my 13" M4, using it both with an MKB and in a folio case. I often use it in lieu of my laptop, often as a complement to it. I do email, photo & video processing on it as well as consumption - ebooks, videos, etc.

 

[kitt9000]

I have used the M4 13" IPad pro in the last 2 weeks and for my purposes (entertainment, browsing, and intermittently using it for work with remote windows desktop access) has been great. ITs replaced my surface pro that I used for work quite nicely at the moment.

Quite honestly I had a 12.9" pro and upgraded mostly for that new Magic keyboard. I dislike the small size of the previous magic keyboard trackpad, as my fingers would constantly hit the top and bottom border of that trackpad. New keyboard is much better built, but that larger trackpad has made a huge usability difference for me.

The new screen and lighter weight are also of course much appreciated as well but are probably the 2nd and 3rd reason I upgraded.

I also use my Ipad 13" docked 99% of the time. since you mentioned re: your use case, my thoughts on the new Magic keyboard may be of help. good luck deciding!

 

[Isengardtom]

Honestly, if you're using it 100% docked and not watching movies, the iPad Air is made for you. I have the 13" Pro but had it not been for my fascination with OLED and its profile, the iPad Air would have been just fine for me, too. I don't regret my purchase, but it's debatable whether or not I overspent.

Agreed with this

For me personally though, as it’s my main device, the pro features are too nice: the OLED, the lighter weight, promotion, quad speakers and the new MK. I’m too spoilt with these features now, going back to an Air would make me sad.

I always loved my M1, but this has been an upgrade well worth it, despite the cost and the need to re-buy all the accessories.

For what the OP wants to do though, the Air seems the perfect choice. Or perhaps a refurbished M2 could be a good option too.

 

[Devyn89]

Agreed with this

For me personally though, as it’s my main device, the pro features are too nice: the OLED, the lighter weight, promotion, quad speakers and the new MK. I’m too spoilt with these features now, going back to an Air would make me sad.

I always loved my M1, but this has been an upgrade well worth it, despite the cost and the need to re-buy all the accessories.

For what the OP wants to do though, the Air seems the perfect choice. Or perhaps a refurbished M2 could be a good option too.

Agreed, even though it‘s very expensive and repurchasing accessories sucks, it’s still worth it. I can finally use the 13” as a tablet pretty comfortably. Not as comfortable as the 11” for tablet use, but miles better than the M1 I used to have before trading it in. iPad is my main computer (only one besides the phone) so I don’t mind splurging every few years.

 

[kitt9000]

This is a great review that I agree with and that pushed me over to upgrade to the new Pro, hope it helps with your decision!

 

[richard371]

I find the 13” pro with the folio case perfect for me. It’s very light and easy to take anywhere. I have a high end gaming pc and 14” mbp m3max I use for productivity so I don’t need to do a ton of typing on my iPad. I love the larger 13” OLED screen and the 13” also has better sound compared to the 11”.

 

[NikkiAngel]

I just got my 13 nano this afternoon and I am in love. I have both the folio case and the MKB and I plan on using it to remote into my windows desktop for work and also for the charts for my guitar, and of course general media consumption.

I also didn’t realize how band my eyes were and the larger screen is amazing. This thing is so thin. Simply amazing.

 

[Greggio]

I have used the M4 13" IPad pro in the last 2 weeks and for my purposes (entertainment, browsing, and intermittently using it for work with remote windows desktop access) has been great. ITs replaced my surface pro that I used for work quite nicely at the moment.

Quite honestly I had a 12.9" pro and upgraded mostly for that new Magic keyboard. I dislike the small size of the previous magic keyboard trackpad, as my fingers would constantly hit the top and bottom border of that trackpad. New keyboard is much better built, but that larger trackpad has made a huge usability difference for me.

The new screen and lighter weight are also of course much appreciated as well but are probably the 2nd and 3rd reason I upgraded.

I also use my Ipad 13" docked 99% of the time. since you mentioned re: your use case, my thoughts on the new Magic keyboard may be of help. good luck deciding!

The remote windows desktop access is the main reason I’m thinking I’ll get the 13” rather than the 11”. I feel that must be better on the 13 and with the full sized keyboard?

 

[sparksd]

The remote windows desktop access is the main reason I’m thinking I’ll get the 13” rather than the 11”. I feel that must be better on the 13 and with the full sized keyboard?

I use Jump Desktop with the 13" Pro and MKB and a mouse and it works quite well.

 

[NikkiAngel]

I just got my 13 nano this afternoon and I am in love. I have both the folio case and the MKB and I plan on using it to remote into my windows desktop for work and also for the charts for my guitar, and of course general media consumption.

I also didn’t realize how bad my eyes were and the larger screen is amazing. This thing is so thin. Simply amazing.

For anyone questioning if they bought the right size, I have been using my 13’ for a couple days. I will admit that after I wrote the post I am replying to, I started to wonder if I made a mistake. The 13’ is a LOT bigger. I really noticed this when I was using it as a tablet (i.e. browsing the internet, reading, etc). Using it as a tablet feels almost too big.

However, I was able to do a variety of tasks today that I would not have been able to easily do on my 11’. This is why I wanted a 13’. The larger screen makes it more accommodating for tasks that require more screen space. I hate pinching and zooming on pdfs, or when taking notes in GoodNotes, it’s the size of a sheet of paper. It just feels more natural.

 

[Blackfalcon7]

My 2018 12.9” iPad Pro kicked the bucket last week, previously had a gen 1 12.9” iPad Pro as well. I had used the Apple fabric (magic?) keyboard with each.

Picked up a 12.9” M2 air and Smart Keyboard as a replacement, as mostly do office work on it and can let go of the promotion… but when I unpacked it, the weight of the new keyboard compared to the old one surprised me. I lug both this and my macboook air around as the iPad is fantastic as a mobile second display for my work.

So for more than anything else, going to be returning both for the pro and marching keyboard for the weight savings alone. C’est la vie

 

[wakinghour]

I'm debating which new tablet to buy. Coming from an iPad 11 M1 that's been handed to my parents. I'm looking at the new 13 Air and 13 Pro M4 to be used 100 % docked and I'm interested in hearing others users experiences with both devices.

I tried both yesterday at the store and the two main differences I could point out for me where the bigger trackpad in the new M4, which made using gestures much, much more comfortable, and the 120Hz screen. On the store I can't see much difference with the OLED, and the device won't be used to watch movies, rather than productivity tasks and web surfing. 500€ is the difference between the two (128GB base M2 Air and 256GB base M4 Pro).

Which do you own and how are you using it?

I came from an 11" 2020 iPad Pro to a 13" iPad Air.

Color accuracy is the baseline for creative work, which the iPad Air has. The screen size difference, power increase, and new Apple Pencil is a huge enough improvement to my workflow, so I felt like that was the most sensible purchase.

Most people here are enthusiasts so I would bet most responses are going for the M4 Pro. If the purchase was purely based on functionality, then these are the use cases I would say the M4 pro is a must:

A) Editing complex 4K or 6K timelines (mostly pro work, consumer doesn't matter)
B) Using the LIDAR camera for 3D or architectural design work
C) Using the Pro microphones

 

[Sean006]

My 2018 12.9” iPad Pro kicked the bucket last week, previously had a gen 1 12.9” iPad Pro as well. I had used the Apple fabric (magic?) keyboard with each.

Picked up a 12.9” M2 air and Smart Keyboard as a replacement, as mostly do office work on it and can let go of the promotion… but when I unpacked it, the weight of the new keyboard compared to the old one surprised me. I lug both this and my macboook air around as the iPad is fantastic as a mobile second display for my work.

So for more than anything else, going to be returning both for the pro and marching keyboard for the weight savings alone. C’est la vie

Can you tell me how to use as a second monitor ? how to ?