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iPad Pro 9,7 from 2017 - worth buying?

MrAverigeUser

MrAverigeUser

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 20, 2015
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europe
I still have my iPad 3 (the first retina model) from 2012 and it still works fine (nearly exclusively at home).

But I am considering to buy a newer one because I want to use an iPad now outside as well...and I want to use the pencil as well, as I think this is a worthy feature.

Found a 2017 iPad Pro 9,7 128GB wifi/cellular -IIRC their screens are less reflective than the new iPad...and better - is this correct?

It is now not easy to make the decision between the new iPad 128Gb and the "old" iPP with 128GB...
A9x vs A10 ---> I am not a power user, so what?
used with still 93% capacity vs new with full battery capacity ---> worth thinking about.

perhaps still the good IOS 10.3.3 vs the still buggy IOS 11 --> could be a temptation...

20% less price for the "old" iPP could be tempting as well....

what do you think about it?
 
It’s a solid iPad, no doubt and the screen is nicer than the base models. But, it has the same amount of RAM and an older processor. I just recently upgraded from an iPad Air to the latest base model and its a great performer and feels great. The screen is fine to me but that’s subjective.

If you can get a really buy on the older pro then it’s a decent purchase but I wouldn’t over pay for it. The newest models support the pencil and are priced right. The newer models will be a tad faster too, IMO.
 
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MrAverigeUser said:
perhaps still the good IOS 10.3.3 vs the still buggy IOS 11 --> could be a temptation...?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor. You'll eventually want to update beyond iOS 10.3.3 .

IMHO, it's inadvisable to keep running an old iOS version. There will no doubt be unpatched security vulnerabilities that affect iOS 10.3.3.
s2mikey said:
If you can get a really buy on the older pro then it’s a decent purchase but I wouldn’t over pay for it. The newest models support the pencil and are priced right. The newer models will be a tad faster too, IMO.
Click to expand...
I agree, if the OP doesn't need cellular radio, don't pay for it.

From https://www.imore.com/ipad-6-faq, the 6th gen iPad (even though it's thicker and heavier) is faster than the iPad Pro 9.7-inch. And, for versions w/o cellular, it's only $429 USD for a 128 gig version and $329 for 32 gigs. That's brand new with a full warranty and new battery.

I recently paid a tad under $499 + tax for a 64 gig 10.5" iPad Pro w/o cellular. I'd gotten Staples to price match Micro Center.
 
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I got mine last year on sale and I like it. If I were buying one this year, I would probably go with the new 9.7. I believe both can be used with the Apple pencil.
 
Depends on the price. The problem is, unlike the other Pros, this one only has 2GB of RAM, which is the same as the value 2017 and 2018 iPads (which are sold for a lot less).

If it provides a significant saving over the 10.5" and not much more than the 2017/8 iPads, then get it as it is still a great iPad and has some of the neat features like quad speakers and true tone display. If not, then get the 2018 iPad.
 
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pika2000 said:
Depends on the price. The problem is, unlike the other Pros, this one only has 2GB of RAM, which is the same as the value 2017 and 2018 iPads (which are sold for a lot less).

If it provides a significant saving over the 10.5" and not much more than the 2017/8 iPads, then get it as it is still a great iPad and has some of the neat features like quad speakers and true tone display. If not, then get the 2018 iPad.
Click to expand...

The RAM is the clincher here, IMO. The screen is nicer but its not a life-changing difference. The weight and size difference are also pretty trivial. The 6th gen iPad is the same as the Air 1 regarding size and weight which is just fine, IMO.

So, its that pesky RAM issue and the fact that the A10 is a newer chip that sealed it for me. I was also considering a 9.7" pro versus a 6th gen base but decided on the 6th gen and couldnt be happier.
 
A great "Thank you" to all of you!

Especially because you gave nothing but good arguments without emotional declarations.

The price for the IPP 9,7" I found was less than half the price for a similar equipped IPP 10,5" - resting a lot of money for other things... for me this seemed to be a good deal.

Evidently a lot of people thought like me - so, soon after I opened the thread it was sold to someone else.. :(

If the new iPad had a lesser glaring screen, I´d go for it since it has all the features I need really in real life.
I hesitated because I hate glaring screens.

And it seems that the new iPad is much more glaring and less light (perhaps no more usable in very light environments?) - for me this is a very, very important point.

found a not_so_good review, but with one impressive photo of the screens of IPP 10,5 and the new iPad:

image-1273571-videoposter16-ncyn-1273571.jpg

If this photo was technically done in a correctly way, this is indeed a big difference concerning anti-glare (iPP) vs. non-antiglare (iPad new) .... PLUS the fact that the screen of the IPP is much more brilliant....

Uuuhh not easy to make the decision...

dreamer-mod ON:
Apple might develop a kind of "iPad SE" :

the screen of the IPP, Wifi and cellular, including the pencil, but with just a simple camera instead... and without useless gimmicks....and even a plastic housing (high-tech polymers are much more protecting than the out-of-time-metal housings) ...
dreamer-mode OFF

So - What sort of experience did you have with the two different screens in real-world conditions ?

cheers
 
s2mikey said:
The RAM is the clincher here, IMO. The screen is nicer but its not a life-changing difference. The weight and size difference are also pretty trivial. The 6th gen iPad is the same as the Air 1 regarding size and weight which is just fine, IMO.

So, its that pesky RAM issue and the fact that the A10 is a newer chip that sealed it for me. I was also considering a 9.7" pro versus a 6th gen base but decided on the 6th gen and couldnt be happier.
Click to expand...

Sorry what pesky RAM issue? Doesn't the new iPad also have 2GB?
 
hi everyone,

I had a new chance, even better than before...
I purchased a iPP 9,7 128GB with pencil, keyboard-Cover and still guarantee until 31.12.2018 by chance in my neighborhood - it´s like new. And did cost even less than half the price of an similar PP 10.5...

I am very, very pleased about it....
the screen of the iPP is really very, very impressive, especially the anti-glare surface is well done and I am sure it will have an important role for me.

Thanks again for your advice
 
Last edited:
Kendo said:
Sorry what pesky RAM issue? Doesn't the new iPad also have 2GB?
Click to expand...

Correct - meaning all of the other "pro" labeled iPads have 4GB of RAM which would be a huge plus for the 9.7" pro. My iPad also has just 2GB but I paid quite a bit less for it than a 9.7" pro which are now 2+ year old models. I can certainly see why someone would go for a 9.7 pro over a 9.7 6th gen. But, the price would have to be really right. From my shopping experience just recently I found the 9.7 pro pricing simply still too high to warrant a purchase. I was considerng one but the discounts just werent good enough and even refurbs through apple with LTE(a must for me) were close to $600 bucks. Not a good buy, IMO.
 
I am enjoing also more and more the very good reproduction of music by the iPP with its 4 speakers... really well done hardware!

I am very happy to have chosen the“old“ 9´7“ iPad Pro.
 
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I have a 9.7 Pro too. It's on iOS 9 and it's really fast, flawless. It works just as the day I bought it. App compatibility is still decent - for now, I know that will change - and performance is top notch. I'm really happy with it.
Regarding RAM, if I am using Safari which tends to be the greatest example (tabs reload) I can open a lot of them before they reload. I generally only have a few opened, but I'm researching something, I have used it with like 10 and they did not reload. Maybe it has to do with the fact that as it is still on iOS 9, iOS RAM consumption is at its lowest. It tends to increase with iOS updates.
 
@FeliApple
As for IOS 11.3.1

The vendor had already updated before I purchased it.
He told me that he never had problems with it - and until now I can conform this.
It runs flawlessly and I find it user-friendly.

Note that IOS 11 was developed as a progress for iPads, NOT (or just a little part) for iPhones.
Maybe that is one of the reasons that User are complaining about IOS 11 on their iPhones...

Although I always wait until the last version of IOS or MacOS before before upgrading (My iPhone is still on IOS 10.3.3 and my Mac on MacOS 10.12.6) my fear about IOS 11 on my iPadPro seemed to be not justified.

Just the opposite: There are some really fine details in IOS 11 that I appreciate already.
No problems with battery live so far.
the "old" iPP 9,7 runs very fast on IOS 11.3.1

You should try it and experience some good refinements in daily use... :)
 
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