iPad iPad pro 11" - 2018, 2020 or all in with 2021?

[jimmy_uk]

With prices dropping on iPad Pro 11" refurbs and last years stock, what is the better/smarter purchase right now:

• iPad Pro 11" 2018 - wifi 64gb - Apple Refurbished = £479
• iPad Pro 11" 2020 - wifi 128gb - Costco = £600
• iPad Pro 11" 2021 - wifi 128gb - Apple = £749

Would be used for general browsing, email, youtube, comics - also coupled with a keyboard as I don't own a laptop.

I'd jump on the 2018 as I don't need a lot of storage but the 4GB RAM is a slight concern for longevity.

Price isn't really a concern for the iPad but there is a sting with the Magic keyboard sticker price - this does make a difference the closer the bundle gets to £1000, which is on its way to Macbook money.

Part of me wants to just say "sod it, get the latest and greatest" but I'm betting next years model gets mini LED which would take the shine off a full-priced iPad today.

I guess the middle choice might be the way I'm swinging right now - but by all accounts, it's not a lot different from the 2018 model as I understand it..... 🤷‍♂️



I know all the shine is going towards the 2021 12.9" today, so any contribution is appreciated.

 

[snipr125]

Jimmy, personally i would just get the 2021 Ipad Pro 11 for £749 and be done with it. The 11” still got a solid upgrade with the M1, base 8gb RAM, thunderbolt port and the centre stage feature. Amazon should drop the price by £10 to £20 if lucky, and you can get the magic keyboard later on. Apple may or may not upgrade the Pro 11 with a mini LED display later on, if they do they may raise the price, there is no way of knowing, heck they could discontinue that size and leave it for the Air line where they get more sales.

 

[pdoherty]

2021, for sure. Future proofed with the faster CPU and more RAM. Even the minimum 8GB is probably twice what the older model 11” has (don’t know for sure - didn’t look it up).

 

[Digitalguy]

2021, for sure. Future proofed with the faster CPU and more RAM. Even the minimum 8GB is probably twice what the older model 11” has (don’t know for sure - didn’t look it up).

it is (other than the 1TB 2018)

 

[svish]

Get the 2021 11" iPad Pro.

 

[doolar]

Just to balance things a bit, I’m on a 2018 Pro and it feels so fast still. I can’t fault it, and my usage mimics yours. I do dabble with Procreate and the performance is stellar.

All in all, a 2018 Pro is excellent value still, especially if you want the Pro features (speakers, promotion, display) but don’t need the latest performance, which you don’t surfing or watching YouTube.

 

[Devyn89]

I’m using an 2018 11” iPad Pro for similar tasks and haven’t noticed any kind of slowdown so far. I have noticed some apps needing to refresh in the background a little more than would be ideal. To me that‘s more of a nice to have extra RAM so that doesn’t happen, not a need to have. If it was me, and you’re thinking you might want to upgrade to the mini-LED 11” iPad Pro when that is available (if it is - though I can’t imagine it won’t be) then I say get the 2018 for now and upgrade when the mini-LED 11” is available with less guilt about spending money.

 

[Wags]

Either the 2018 or 2021. The 64GB storage might be the biggest concern. Don’t save much by getting the 2020 vs 2021.

 

[AutomaticApple]

With prices dropping on iPad Pro 11" refurbs and last years stock, what is the better/smarter purchase right now:

• iPad Pro 11" 2018 - wifi 64gb - Apple Refurbished = £479
• iPad Pro 11" 2020 - wifi 128gb - Costco = £600
• iPad Pro 11" 2021 - wifi 128gb - Apple = £749

Would be used for general browsing, email, youtube, comics - also coupled with a keyboard as I don't own a laptop.

I'd jump on the 2018 as I don't need a lot of storage but the 4GB RAM is a slight concern for longevity.

Price isn't really a concern for the iPad but there is a sting with the Magic keyboard sticker price - this does make a difference the closer the bundle gets to £1000, which is on its way to Macbook money.

Part of me wants to just say "sod it, get the latest and greatest" but I'm betting next years model gets mini LED which would take the shine off a full-priced iPad today.

I guess the middle choice might be the way I'm swinging right now - but by all accounts, it's not a lot different from the 2018 model as I understand it..... 🤷‍♂️



I know all the shine is going towards the 2021 12.9" today, so any contribution is appreciated.

Purchase the 2020 version. You'll get more storage for a cheaper price than the 2021 version.

 

[jimmy_uk]

Having spent an hour in the Apple store over the weekend I feel confident not going for the 12.9" was the right choice for me as I cannot unsee the border shadow, extra screen thickness and added weight. Yes, on the Magic keyboard it would be my preferred setup, but I think I will primarily use it as a tablet and so the 12.9" is not hand friendly for me.

Using the 11" felt about right but I'm not convinced that I will make use of the power the M1 brings so will wait out a little longer to see if any fire sales on the 2020 version occur in the coming weeks. We have a bank holiday coming up in the UK which usually results in some good sales. If there isn't a good chunk off retail then I'll likely go for the new 2021 version.

I'm still on the fence about owning an iPad again as I gave up on them several years ago after owning them since release - the iPad Pro 2nd Generation 12.9 killed my general usage as I always gravitated to using my iPhone because the table was so unwieldy. So a decent price will allow me to feel more comfortable jumping back into ownership.

Thanks for the posts all.

 

[Zillio]

£150 for the 2021 over the 2020 I would definitely go for that, better CPU and RAM. Would not go for a 2018 device unless the battery is new.

 

[jimmy_uk]

£150 for the 2021 over the 2020 I would definitely go for that, better CPU and RAM. Would not go for a 2018 device unless the battery is new.

Kind of hoping for a £200 - £250 discount on the 2020 but this is unlikely.

 

[snipr125]

Kind of hoping for a £200 - £250 discount on the 2021 but this is unlikely.

Haha unlikely for us in the UK Jimmy. Its £730 right now on Amazon, so £20 off RRP. After a few months hopefully, Amazon will reduce it further by £50-£60 off RRP, like they did with the 2018 and 2020 Pro 11 models. Our American friends have no idea how lucky they are with the regular discounts they get on Ipads on Amazon US/best buy etc, let alone the lower base price compared to the rest of the world.

 

[jimmy_uk]

Haha unlikely for us in the UK Jimmy. Its £730 right now on Amazon, so £20 off RRP. After a few months hopefully, Amazon will reduce it further by £50-£60 off RRP, like they did with the 2018 and 2020 Pro 11 models. Our American friends have no idea how lucky they are with the regular discounts they get on Ipads on Amazon US/best buy etc, let alone the lower base price compared to the rest of the world.

Oops my bad - I meant the 2020 being discounted heavily as shops dump stock. Weird Amazon are already discounting the 2021 11", but clearly this hasn't been in demand like the 12.9" as my local Apple store have stock.