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iPad iPad Pro 10.5 vs iPad Air 10.5 - Value?

I know some people wondered about the battery of the Pro due to its X chip, but I am pleased. With the Apple Smart Keyboard, if left at idle the iPad Pro 10.5” will only drop from 100% to something like 98% in a day. Seems pretty damn good to me.

Also, battery life while watching downloaded Netflix videos on the road is very good.

Even though A10X is 10 nm, not 7 nm like A12, and A10X is physically bigger than A12, it’s clear that Apple’s power management features in this chip and in iOS are already excellent.
 
Fortunately, I no longer have to decide as I managed to purchase an iPro Pro 11 from Amazon’s warehouse deals site for £538. I was able to take advantage of a 20% off promotion and should also get a £10 voucher back.

It’s in pristine condition, has nine months of the Apple warranty left and I understand Amazon’s satisfaction guarantee covers it for 12 months.

I’ve decided against purchasing AppleCare. If it develops a problem out of warranty which is uneconomical to repair, then I’ll just sell it for parts.

I haven’t been able to check the battery cycle count yet as I don’t have a USB-C to USB-A adapter, but it was last charged to 92% on the 7th of March and had 81% charge left when I got it.

Now the difficult decision of finding the right case!
 
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You should get the newer iPad Air as it offers a lot of exciting features and is really a great tablet for tasks such as browsing, editing, gaming etc.
 
I ended up going with the iPad Pro 10.5. Got it in Space Gray and 256GB. Ended up going with an open box and it just came in today and it’s literally brand new. Checked serial number and the warranty is indeed good until April 2020. I definitely lucked out. Got that and the Smart Keyboard for $587 shipped. If you want to check it out I left the link below. They even have 2 day expedited shipping included. If you want one buy it right away if it’s in stock because it’s sold out on me quite a few times while it’s in my cart.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-iPad...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
 
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We’ve decided to stay with the Air 3. Taking the Pro back to the store for a refund tomorrow. I wasn’t wowed by the Pro, yes it has lovely speakers and a better camera but I can deal with the speakers by using an external speaker and I don’t need the camera particularly. The Air seems a safer bet for me.
 
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Josieb1 said:
We’ve decided to stay with the Air 3. Taking the Pro back to the store for a refund tomorrow. I wasn’t wowed by the Pro, yes it has lovely speakers and a better camera but I can deal with the speakers by using an external speaker and I don’t need the camera particularly. The Air seems a safer bet for me.
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If those things mean little to you then I completely agree with your decision.
 
Josieb1 said:
We’ve decided to stay with the Air 3. Taking the Pro back to the store for a refund tomorrow. I wasn’t wowed by the Pro, yes it has lovely speakers and a better camera but I can deal with the speakers by using an external speaker and I don’t need the camera particularly. The Air seems a safer bet for me.
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I'm curious, what external speakers?

The difference for me is that I'd wouldn't mind using the Pro's internal speakers, but the Air's internal speakers would annoy me. However, if you're going to use an outboard home stereo system or something, then it's moot.
 
EugW said:
I'm curious, what external speakers?

The difference for me is that I'd wouldn't mind using the Pro's internal speakers, but the Air's internal speakers would annoy me. However, if you're going to use an outboard home stereo system or something, then it's moot.
Click to expand...

It’s not a home stereo system, primarily I listen to my iPad through an Echo when i’m On my own. I also have various Bluetooth speakers as well. I mainly listen to audiobooks, you tube and tv. I’m not a dedicated music listener. When others are in the house I use my AirPods. I tested both the pro and the Air today using the Echo and the AirPods and couldn’t tell the difference tbh.
 
EugW said:
I'm curious, what external speakers?

The difference for me is that I'd wouldn't mind using the Pro's internal speakers, but the Air's internal speakers would annoy me. However, if you're going to use an outboard home stereo system or something, then it's moot.
Click to expand...

I couldn't bear them even for an occasional listen.
 
Josieb1 said:
We’ve decided to stay with the Air 3. Taking the Pro back to the store for a refund tomorrow. I wasn’t wowed by the Pro, yes it has lovely speakers and a better camera but I can deal with the speakers by using an external speaker and I don’t need the camera particularly. The Air seems a safer bet for me.
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How about the screen? Is the difference that noticeable?
 
I love the 4 speakers. You can actually use them to pinpoint exact sound signature while gaming “usually this is only possible with quality stereo headphones”, although, just this iPad can do this with pretty good precision. And movies are just as awesome, and videos as well.

Man, I really love my iPad!

Fast, N Loud! Is that a TV show? Lol
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rdunlap said:
I ended up going with the iPad Pro 10.5. Got it in Space Gray and 256GB. Ended up going with an open box and it just came in today and it’s literally brand new. Checked serial number and the warranty is indeed good until April 2020. I definitely lucked out. Got that and the Smart Keyboard for $587 shipped. If you want to check it out I left the link below. They even have 2 day expedited shipping included. If you want one buy it right away if it’s in stock because it’s sold out on me quite a few times while it’s in my cart.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-iPad-Pro-10-5-Wi-Fi-256GB-Retina-Display-Space-Gray-MPDY2LL-A/362088190585?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Click to expand...

I think the 2nd gen iPad Pro sells are at an all time high.
 
Josieb1 said:
No. The screen is identical. The Pro has Pro-Motion, that’s the only difference but I honestly couldn’t tell the difference.
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That is a massive difference. The most important difference. And the main difference.

120fps gaming is incredible. 120hz is so smooth. The home screen is butter!

Anyone in the world will say, once you go high refresh rate you never go back.
 
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tps3443 said:
That is a massive difference. The most important difference. And the main difference.

120fps gaming is incredible. 120hz is so smooth. The home screen is butter!

Anyone in the world will say, once you go high refresh rate you never go back.
Click to expand...

Not for me. I don’t play games on my iPad. As I said repeatedly, I could not see the difference in the Air screen or the Pro 10.5 screen. My husband, who does play some games, couldn’t either.
 
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I dont know how you people dont notice benefits of true motion? I noticed it right away when I started using 10.5 pro, the smoothnes of scrolling etc. even when I didn’t know what to expect with pro motion
 
What tipped me in the direction of the Air is not so much the newer A12 Bionic chip in and of itself, but specifically Apple's Neural Engine. I think they've got big plans for that in the future.
 
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Josieb1 said:
It’s not a home stereo system, primarily I listen to my iPad through an Echo when i’m On my own. I also have various Bluetooth speakers as well. I mainly listen to audiobooks, you tube and tv. I’m not a dedicated music listener. When others are in the house I use my AirPods. I tested both the pro and the Air today using the Echo and the AirPods and couldn’t tell the difference tbh.
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There won’t be a difference if you’re using external devices for audio output. It’s when you’re listening via the built in speakers you’ll hear a difference.
 
Shanghaichica said:
There won’t be a difference if you’re using external devices for audio output. It’s when you’re listening via the built in speakers you’ll hear a difference.
Click to expand...

The thing is, oftentimes I use the internal speakers because I simply cannot be a*sed to plug in headphones or transmit the audio to an external speaker via AirPlay. And, at least to my ears, there is a huge difference in the quality of speakers between the 10.5 Pro and the Air. Lookit, these are tiny speakers anyway and the size of these devices means that, at very best, stereo separation is minimal. However, the sound from the Pro is much fuller and more satisfying. It is also far less likely to be blocked by an errant hand, and, as the sound comes from two sides, stereo separation aside, it doesn't feel as if something is broken in the device, or one's ears.

I can fully understand why various people have plumped for the new Air. I can't help but see it, however, at least in some significant ways, as a castrated 10.5 Pro.
 
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Fenhalls said:
The thing is, oftentimes I use the internal speakers because I simply cannot be a*sed to plug in headphones or transmit the audio to an external speaker via AirPlay. And, at least to my ears, there is a huge difference in the quality of speakers between the 10.5 Pro and the Air. Lookit, these are tiny speakers anyway and the size of these devices means that, at very best, stereo separation is minimal. However, the sound from the Pro is much fuller and satisfying. It is also far less likely to be blocked by an errant hand and as the sound comes from two sides, stereo separation aside, it doesn't feel as if something is broken in the device, or one's ears.

I can fully understand why various people have plumped for the new Air. I can't help but see it, however, at least in some significant ways, as a castrated 10.5 Pro.
Click to expand...
I have the 10.5 pro and I wouldn’t swap it for the new air. Even if I was buying new today I’d still pick the pro over the air. The air just has too many compromises imo.
 
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EugW said:
I have the same question. The 64 GB new Air is CAD$649 but the refurb old 10.5” Pro is slightly cheaper at CAD$619.

The Pro has a better camera and ProMotion. The new Air’s A12 CPU is 20% faster than the 10X multi-core but the 10X’s GPU is about 35% faster.

Both have a headphone jack. The old Pro has Both have a Smart Connector.

The old Pro has 4 speakers. The new Air has 2 I think.

The old Pro has 4 GB RAM. The new Air, I dunno.
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EugW said:
I have the same question. The 64 GB new Air is CAD$649 but the refurb old 10.5” Pro is slightly cheaper at CAD$619.

The Pro has a better camera and ProMotion. The new Air’s A12 CPU is 20% faster than the 10X multi-core but the 10X’s GPU is about 35% faster.

Both have a headphone jack. The old Pro has Both have a Smart Connector.

The old Pro has 4 speakers. The new Air has 2 I think.

The old Pro has 4 GB RAM. The new Air, I dunno.
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The new Air has 3gb of ram
 
I appreciate every comment, unfortunately all it does is fog my brain. I know the Pro 10.5 has better speakers, a better camera, a better GPU and more Ram, I just can’t get past the fear of getting a bright spot and the fact that the Pro 10.5 might lose iOS updates two years earlier than the Air.

I just wish the Air had a bit of love. Everything seems so biased against it. I feel like a fool liking it.
 
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