I have tried both USB C monitors and others with adapters. With custom wallpaper the issue is gone... temporarily. It comes back, maybe because I like to use a different wallpaper on the lockscreen (a picture with the 3d effect). Another bug that I have since beta 1 is that HDR compatible monitors only run in HDR, which sometimes is terrible for colors. This only happens via USB C, so the solution is to use another port if your monitor has it.
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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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So, in an interesting turn of events, I won an iPad 11th gen from a raffle my bank was holding! 👍🏻. So now I will have an extra iPad. It will be interesting to see how it goes, I may decide to hold onto it as a secondary, or give it to a family member. But pretty cool that I won an iPad! And, if nothing else, it will be an interesting contrast, owning an iPad at the top and bottom of the lineup. 👍🏻.
Nice! Post your real world comparisons between the two.
So, the iPad 11th Gen arrived a few days ago, and I’ve been using it now for a bit, and I have a few initial impressions. 👍🏻
First, I think the iPad 11th Gen is actually a great value for a good percentage of users. It provides quite a bit of value for its price tag. The display is actually really good for a budget tablet, it isn’t noticeably lower quality than even the iPad Air’s in my experience so far. 👍🏻. Also, performance is very surprising. I am running the iPadOS 26 Beta on it, and it handles the multi-windowing system just about flawlessly, which is very impressive giving it uses 6GB of RAM and an A-series chip.
I was also able to replicate some of my heavier workflow on it, which I also found to be quite impressive. The only app I use that would not work at all is Octane X. That apps requires the M-Series chips, it doesn’t recognize A-Series chips. The app will open, but projects will not open in it. But everything else did open fine. And most apps perform pretty well.
Overall, I’d say it’s a great value for many kinds of users, and I think I will definitely be interested in incorporating it into my workflow as a secondary for some lighter use-cases.
It actually overall compares pretty favorably against the more expensive iPad Air Models for many average lighter workflows, with a handful of caveats. For one, with the A-series chip, it doesn’t support extended display on an external monitor, just mirroring. So this would be a downside for those who want to dock their iPad and use it more like a desktop. Also, some of my larger projects in Nomad Sculpt would not open, the app would crash and close out. If I pile up projects and such in the Affinity apps, I can run into some performance issues. Also, there’s the obvious differences with performance, display, display size, etc. So it wouldn’t replace an iPad Air or Pro for some. But I think overall it is a great option for the budget end of the lineup, and iPadOS 26 really sweetens that deal! 👍🏻
I think it is a great machine for kids up to the age of 16. It has plenty of power for what they have to do school wise and they can start using other apps even if they they don’t work as fast. Even games runs good on the new standard iPads. When college come an iPad Air is the way to go. Letting them hook up on a monitor is a big plus when working on college assignments. A Pro only is advised when the free time related stuff goes up to a point you need 120hrz and Thunderbolt 4.
I think it probably depends on personal preference to a large extent, but I do think extended display support is very useful for many people, and I could see that being a reason for a college kid going with the Air models. And as an iPad Pro user, I would kind of disagree with that last part. The Air models are good, but they still don’t have the M4 chip, and for graphic design and art, the better display is a big difference, and I think the better display would also be appealing for other use-cases as well. 👍🏻. Also, the keyboard case for the M4 iPad Pro is nicer, so that may also sway some people. 👍🏻
I don’t disagree with you at all, we’re actually saying similar things. My main point was about the iPad lineup itself: once your needs go beyond schoolwork and into more demanding graphic tasks or you start to value the 120Hz display, then the Pro becomes a valid option. Before that point the standard iPad (with iPadOS 26) is a really good iPad. So my point: up until college this is a very good option for kids an teenagers.
But let’s be real, the extra headroom the M4 offers compared to the M3 isn’t something most people truly need. All M-series chips are very capable. And now that the Air is available in both 11” and 13”, the need for a Pro has decreased even further.
External display support is also available on the Air, so for most college work, a Pro isn’t necessary. As for the keyboard, that’s more of a personal preference. The new M4 Pro keyboard is amazing, no doubt, but for many workflows the previous generation Magic Keyboard is already more than sufficient. It also depends on the use case. My iPad is is less and less in the keyboard case as I use it on a stand attached to my external monitor and using the “normal” Bluetooth Apple Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad.
One area where the Pro still stands out is the display, especially with the M4 is the new Tandem OLED screen. If you’re working with HDR video, high-end color grading, or advanced illustration, that screen really makes a difference. But for anything outside that niche, the Air is more than enough.
As a bit of a side step:
I automated my M2 Pro to enter stage manager mode when not attached to a external display en and to enter window mode when connected to the display. With stage manager being available on the 11 it’s a real work pony.
Oh, that makes sense. Yeah, I definitely agree with you there. 👍🏻. I think the iPad Air is the best iPad for most people who need more, but still want to keep things at a more reasonable price. 👍🏻