All iPads iPad Pro 11” 4th gen 128G or iPad Air 5th gen 256G?

[pcmike]

Trying to decide which is best to get as essentially first time iPad owner who will mostly just use the iPad for Netflix and casual web browsing when traveling (on plane and in hotel room). As far as I can tell it comes down to the Pro having an M2, ultra wide camera, 4 speakers, LiDAR, usb 4, and Wi-Fi 6E… but it would have 128GB less space since I’m trying to keep the price relatively the same (using military discount). Out of all those, I think the only one that might matter is the M2? Does it even really matter for my use case though? I’m guessing not? Probably better off having an extra 128GB of space, no? Opinions?

 

[rui no onna]

Don’t forget FaceID (Pro) vs TouchID (Air).

 

[pcmike]

Don’t forget FaceID (Pro) vs TouchID (Air).

They both get you into the thing, no? Is the button really that much of a deal breaker for anyone? Either one would seem fine to me?

 

[JPack]

If you're using the Pencil to draw, then go with iPad Pro for the 120Hz. If you're doing heavy gaming, then also go for iPad Pro. Otherwise, for typical media consumption, go iPad Air as you're not likely to see any benefits from the Pro.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Pro has a slightly better screen. Some reddit threads showed noticeable contrast differences especially when watching videos.

Face ID is huge... Especially if you plan on using any bluetooth keyboard with your iPad - just hitting a key then bam logged in is so nice. Touch ID is .... once you do Face-ID it's hard to go back.

You can find some REALLY nicely priced iPad Pro 11 3rd gens now that they're getting discounted (sometimes $200 off). I picked one up at BestBuy last week for almost $200 off myself.

120 Hz is a must for me when browsing even casually. To each their own tho.

 

[markiv810]

How would the performance of iPad Air M1 be compared to the perfomance of iPad 11" pro M2.

 

[MhaelK]

Honestly, when the primary use case is "watching Netflix and casual web browsing when traveling" the basis iPad 9th gen would be my first recommendation. Everything about it and the A13 is more than great for those use cases, and it is very cheap so breaking or loosing it while traveling won't sting as much as with a more expensive option.

Back to your question. The difference between the M1 and M2 wont matter for your use case, as both are blazing fast (overkill). Space is like more important than power, but for mainly streaming and casual webbrowsing any base storage is likely more than enough - with usb C you also have the option of using an external harddrive for on/off loading stuff. The pro/M2 have better features and is likely more futureproof if you start using the iPad for productivity or as your main device.

 

[tann]

Save some money and get the M1 Pro while it's still sold at some stores. It'll be the best of both.

 

[pcmike]

Pro has a slightly better screen. Some reddit threads showed noticeable contrast differences especially when watching videos.

Face ID is huge... Especially if you plan on using any bluetooth keyboard with your iPad - just hitting a key then bam logged in is so nice. Touch ID is .... once you do Face-ID it's hard to go back.

You can find some REALLY nicely priced iPad Pro 11 3rd gens now that they're getting discounted (sometimes $200 off). I picked one up at BestBuy last week for almost $200 off myself.

120 Hz is a must for me when browsing even casually. To each their own tho.

BestBuy lists the price on the 3rd gen as the same as the 4th gen releasing on 10/26? How did you get $200 off?

 

[emembee]

Never tried faceID on ipad (phone is good) but also no issue with Touch ID on my air, dont see this as a compelling upgrade to a pro. Screen quality good enough for me too. I went for the lower storage as I stream and have plenty of cloud options. EXternal drive for accessing files, music, videos also works on air.

 

[rui no onna]

They both get you into the thing, no? Is the button really that much of a deal breaker for anyone? Either one would seem fine to me?

I find the sleep/wake button TouchID less reliable than home button TouchID.

I've got 99% failure rate when I try to authenticate with the fingers on my left hand that I usually end up just entering the passcode (right works fine though). I've tried rescanning several times but it was fruitless.

 

[BigMcGuire]

BestBuy lists the price on the 3rd gen as the same as the 4th gen releasing on 10/26? How did you get $200 off?

My local Best Buy has sales on items every few months for around $150. In my case mine was an open box. I’m told Costco is selling third gen for around $150 off too.

 

[pcmike]

My local Best Buy has sales on items every few months for around $150. In my case mine was an open box. I’m told Costco is selling third gen for around $150 off too.

I’m gonna go over there today and check. Online the price is the same, but if the 3rd gen in person is $150 off, I’ll buy it today.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I’m gonna go over there today and check. Online the price is the same, but if the 3rd gen in person is $150 off, I’ll buy it today.

Good luck! I’m seeing a lot of other Macrumors members grabbing the 3rd gen for a significant discount all over the place.

 

[pcmike]

Good luck! I’m seeing a lot of other Macrumors members grabbing the 3rd gen for a significant discount all over the place.

Can you please mention at which places? Also, is it more than 10% off the MSRP? Reason I ask, is I can just do 10% off with apple and also use Apple Card installments plus 3% back if I buy something from apple.

 

[pcmike]

The prices at Costco in store and online are identical… MSRP. No discounts at all.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Can you please mention at which places? Also, is it more than 10% off the MSRP? Reason I ask, is I can just do 10% off with apple and also use Apple Card installments plus 3% back if I buy something from apple.

I'm not seeing any discounts right now off of MSRP for BestBuy or Costco. Those seem to be the places people bought in the recent past. My guess is once the new iPad is released next week, the discounts will come back. Some of the posters were in other countries so they got the old iPad at the reduced rate there.

If you go open box like me, you can get around $150-$200 off at BestBuy.

Weird, I was seeing deals weeks ago. :/ I bet they return next week/week after.

 

[lordhamster]

They both get you into the thing, no? Is the button really that much of a deal breaker for anyone? Either one would seem fine to me?

My kids have the iPad Air 5, and I have to say the button is a bit finicky and finding it depending on how I'm holding the device is a bit annoying. Not a deal breaker, but something I'd spent say $25 extra to improve?

I find the sleep/wake button TouchID less reliable than home button TouchID.

I've got 99% failure rate when I try to authenticate with the fingers on my left hand that I usually end up just entering the passcode (right works fine though). I've tried rescanning several times but it was fruitless.

When using my kids' iPads air 5s, I have to say my failure rate isn't that high... but it is high enough to where I regularly am entering the passcode. Anecdotally I'd say it fails about 25% of the time. This could be though because while I scanned my fingerprint to set it up, I'm not a regular user of the iPad. I thought I read that the scanning gets better over time because it somehow learns the nuances of your finger better.

 

[BenTrovato]

Pro has a slightly better screen. Some reddit threads showed noticeable contrast differences especially when watching videos.

Face ID is huge... Especially if you plan on using any bluetooth keyboard with your iPad - just hitting a key then bam logged in is so nice. Touch ID is .... once you do Face-ID it's hard to go back.

You can find some REALLY nicely priced iPad Pro 11 3rd gens now that they're getting discounted (sometimes $200 off). I picked one up at BestBuy last week for almost $200 off myself.

120 Hz is a must for me when browsing even casually. To each their own tho.

I agree that once you go 120hz, 60hz can be tough to go back to.

Although I would say once you go face it's very easy to go back to touch. Touch works so much better for me. Really depends how you use your device and peripherals.