I have the same experience with the same iPad (2018 with 6GB RAM). I don't know if you have a 4GB RAM one, but 4GB is already kind of a limitation if you use Safari with multiple tabs open and expect them to not reload when you reopen them after 1-2 days. Other than that yes, 4GB is still plenty for using any app, including side by side. I use my 2018 12.9 (the one with 4GB) more than my M1, except for Safari, simply beacuase it's lighter and it's lag free.Little misinformation in this thread - and as an owner of the 2018 (A12X/Not A12Z in 2020 model, a slight clock bump) - mine is fully loaded of the '18, w/1TB (which also gave me the 6GB RAM). I also have both an M1/512GB/8GB RAM and an M2/2TB/16GB RAM as we use them daily at my business.
The 2018 - other than the DaVinci Studio limitations, (1080p v 4k) I've YET to see ANY type of slowdown. Glitch. Frame drop... or anything of the sort.
I play Diablo, Flight Sims (RFS, Aerofly 23, X-Plane and Infinite Flight, perennial subscriber to each), other RPGs, COD, and other frame rate/fluency dependent games, my favorite of all being Real Racing 3.
That said, the 2018/2020 are a couple of the best deals on the preowned or even the refurbished dept with Apple. They're genuine bargains and 4GB of RAM is NOT a limitation today. Will it be tomorrow? Yeah - when 8GB is standard and the developers make more money developing for the masses (think iPhone 7/8/X right now or iPad original or second round of Pros before the 12.9" - when the iPad Pro was a 9.7" then the 10.2"
I love my loaded M2 but its for a completely different project the muscle and the memory and the storage and the cellular capabilities are necessary - even though its an option anytime, I always reach for the 2018/2021 models at home. They're as capable and much more tailored to my use, my apps, prefs et al...
But when it comes to watching the movies on the iPad there's no displays available that compete with the latest 12.9" Pro models - HDR etc
ENJOY!!! It's ONLY a Great Choice!
J
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iPad ipad air 5 m1 vs ipad pro 2020
- Thread starter Fede_Apple
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Neither - these are the wrong devices to choose between. Lack of 120hz is a deal breaker for me, so the M1 Air is out. Lack of M1 is a deal breaker as well, since the M1 is likely going to be the baseline of "pro" features for years to come, so the 2020 iPad Pro is out as well.
M1 and 120hz are the baseline for me, so if money was a concern I'd be looking for a good deal on an M1 iPad Pro and perhaps saving a little longer.
If I already had a 2018/2020 iPad Pro with the A12X/Z I might hold on to it until the next iPad Pros come out, but I certainly wouldn't spend money on one today.
M1 and 120hz are the baseline for me, so if money was a concern I'd be looking for a good deal on an M1 iPad Pro and perhaps saving a little longer.
If I already had a 2018/2020 iPad Pro with the A12X/Z I might hold on to it until the next iPad Pros come out, but I certainly wouldn't spend money on one today.
So i stay without ipad. Thanks for the advice.
My budget is 500-600€, the price of ipad pro m1 is 780-800€. Maybe is worth it, but not for my budget, and my small needs (studying, open pdf, take notes).
I have a good pc for heavy tasks
If I were in your situation I would wait for a good deal on the M1 iPad Pro. UNLESS 120hz isn't a deal breaker, in which case the Air would be fine. If you are on a strict budget, it could be worth considering how important 120hz really is for you.
I'm already on the high refresh rate train at this point so there's no going back for me. All my devices are 120hz-144hz. But I'm not really on a budget.
In my country i don't expect to see ipad pro M1 under 600€ in less than 2 years lol.
A12z is similar to snap dragon 8 gen 2 on galaxy tab s8 released on 2022, and is around 600€, more than refurbed ipad pro 2020, so maybe it isn't so bad A12Z for my light tasks, but thanks for share your opinion.
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The A12Z will be perfectly fine for today - the reason I wouldn't buy it is because the M1 is going to be the lowest common denominator for pro iPad features, since the M1 is the first chip to have 8GB of RAM and desktop class storage/memory swap.
If I had to choose an iPad to use for the next 2 years, and I had to choose out of the M1 Air and A12Z Pro, I'd choose the Pro. I just think it's a poor use of money in the long term.
120hz and 4 speakers are over rated… its all about how much storage you need. Between your two options, if you planing to keep it more then 2 years, the Air 5 with m1 CPU is the one to have.
For your needs, unless bigger screen is a must, you should also look at the Mini 6…
For your needs, unless bigger screen is a must, you should also look at the Mini 6…
Lol, I don’t even expect 1-2 days. I’d be happy if tabs/apps didn’t reload after 10 minutes.
With 4GB RAM, even recently used tabs reload for me. Quite annoying when typing replies on reddit and I need to reference something and I lose whatever I typed because the reddit tab reloaded.
Also, in side by side mode, I often experienced the inactive window crashing with just 4GB.
These are some of the reasons I bought the M1 iPad Pro on day 1.
By now, the OP might be wondering if an iPad contributes joy or merely makes the owner obsessive about features, value, and the device’s inevitable demise.
p.s. I like geta’s mini 6 write-in vote, since the OP is looking for note taking with an Apple Pencil. And the mini is best at being a handheld device, so one doesn’t have to wonder which expensive keyboard case they should or should not buy.
p.s. I like geta’s mini 6 write-in vote, since the OP is looking for note taking with an Apple Pencil. And the mini is best at being a handheld device, so one doesn’t have to wonder which expensive keyboard case they should or should not buy.
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Well, my first remark is a commentary about iPad lovers with monetary concerns having to make choices like the one in your poll. It’s a bit Faustian if getting the feature you want means another feature is not what you want.
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So why they make every years 3 different models with 3 different prices? You should be new apple ceo.
I have no monetary concers, i don't want to waste money. It's different.
my pc has cpu and gpu that are a lot better than m1 (and ofc 16gb ram, not 6 or 8), but i want to try studying and take note with apple pencil and a tablet.
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Keep it simple then, if it don’t think the high refresh screen will be a big deal to you, get the air. It’s far more future proof with the M1 and the extra ram, faster ssd as well. If you don’t want to worry about upgrading again for awhile, that’s the way to go.
Caveat there is storage. I find 64GB too small particularly if using the device for a long time.
Admittedly, even 256GB isn’t enough for me.
I think it's because I spread my usage among different iPads so I use less apps at the same time. On my 3GB mini 5 tabs reloads by simply switching among them instantly, and I am still on iPadOS 15 there.... This does not happen with 4GB unless I use other stuff or wait for a while. But when it happens all tabs reloads at the same time, not just one. This happens much less with 6GB and even less with 8GB.
I guess it must be even more rare with your 16GB RAM iPad pro.
For his usage? I don’t see an issue. My kids have had the 64gb air 3 now for over 3 years, using them mostly for games, streaming and drawing apps and do just fine on storage. Not everyone needs big storage. That’s why the base model iPads have been the best selling iPads for years now and only JUST recently got bumped from 32gb to 64gb base storage.
For his usage he does not need the 2 additional GB of RAM either, and could actually benefit by better audio and promotion, so it's all a matter of what are the priorities
That’s why I mentioned IF the high refresh screen is a big deal to him or not lol.
The thing for me is unless I’m marking up two documents or something, I tend to use one iPad at a time and then just swap iPads when the battery needs charging.
Nowadays, I’m often on the iPad mini 6 and the 4GB RAM can get quite annoying. But yeah, barely any reloads on the 16GB iPad Pro unless I switch tab groups. I’ve gone back to month old tabs and they’re still there.
Yeah I see. I have now basically split my use of the 12.9 as this:
2018: reading and annotating PDFs and Word files, watching the news (national Swiss news on dedicated app), watching TV (which I do rarely), remote desktop, and second screen. Basically everything except Safari. And I have very few reloads by not using Safari, which is by far the most RAM hungry app.
M1: Safari, mainly for gmail and youtube with very reloads (I tend to not have over 5-6 tabs at the same time and they can stay open for weeks where I left them). Replacing the 2018 when it's charging.
This split is working very well for me and I can also take advantage of the lighter weight of the 2018 12.9 when I hold it.
My Mini (5) is my bed device for browsing, email etc. and also my ebook reader in general.
In all of this my 11" pro is now the least used, other than when I need an iPad on the go (mainly as a wireless monitor for my laptop). It used to be my on the go cellular laptop, but since I got my cellular Thinkpad nano, it lost that role.