iPad with cellular: why?

[georgivelev]

I have hotspot support with my phone cell plan but my carrier is only charging me CAD$5 / US$3.60 / €3.30 a month for a dedicated tablet plan with 4 GB per month.

It’s hard to argue with $5 per month for the convenience.

In my experience, 4GB monthly cap is too little if taken as an argument for LTE. Recently I’ve downloaded a traffic monitoring program and it became apparent that just opening Facebook takes ~10MB, let alone Youtube videos. In my opinion 4GB would be enough if all I do is email checking and some very simple browsing/downloading?

I also have an SE. Half-an-hour viber video call consumes 1GB traffic and the phone heartbeat (email+viber in background mode) consumes around 15MB a day. Start a viber chat and your MB will jump up. It seems viber calls consume less traffic than chatting.

In that regard, the MacRumors forum is very frugal and consumes just a few MB per opening.

Of course, after the initial opening of the webpage, the browser caches most of the data so that further pages are not so mammoth-like.

 

[subjonas]

Live in Florida. Had a hurricane. No power for 4 days. Will never again purchase an iPad without cellular service. It’s that simple.

Wow, is that often?

I don’t lose power often, and I have hotspot on my iPhone, so it doesn’t make sense for me to spend money on a cellular iPad plan (I try to be very frugal), but I’m one of those want-to-be-ready-for-anything types, so since hotspot drains the phone battery, I have a $30 AA battery pack phone charger and I always keep a stockpile of alkaline batteries. So it’s basically unlimited battery life for my phone during a blackout (ie. unlimited hotspot).

But if your blackouts happen often, it’s probably better to have a cellular iPad plan.

When you buy from a carrier, you don’t get a choice.

I “upgraded” my cellular data plan for my phones and unexpectedly lost my hotspot option. I have to “upgrade” again to get it back. So having the iPad be cellular keeps me from having to worry about wether or not hotspot is on my phone plan.

having the freedom to use the iPad wherever there is a signal is a nice convenience.

Ah! Please know what plan you’re getting before you agree to change it!

that sounds worth it to me. I went with WiFi only thinking I would be smart and save money since I could use a hotspot but the battery drain when doing this is huge on both devices. It sucks the life out of them.

iPad should be consuming less battery on WiFi (connected to hotspot) than on cellular. For the phone, I usually just connect it to a portable battery (or wall if near one), but that can be inconvenient if you have to do it frequently.

I have hotspot support with my phone cell plan but my carrier is only charging me CAD$5 / US$3.60 / €3.30 a month for a dedicated tablet plan with 4 GB per month.

It’s hard to argue with $5 per month for the convenience.

GPS is a nice bonus too.

If your data consumption isn’t too demanding, sounds like a good deal!

 

[rui no onna]

In my experience, 4GB monthly cap is too little if taken as an argument for LTE. Recently I’ve downloaded a traffic monitoring program and it became apparent that just opening Facebook takes ~10MB, let alone Youtube videos. In my opinion 4GB would be enough if all I do is email checking and some very simple browsing/downloading?

I also have an SE. Half-an-hour viber video call consumes 1GB traffic and the phone heartbeat (email+viber in background mode) consumes around 15MB a day. Start a viber chat and your MB will jump up. It seems viber calls consume less traffic than chatting.

In that regard, the MacRumors forum is very frugal and consumes just a few MB per opening.

Of course, after the initial opening of the webpage, the browser caches most of the data so that further pages are not so mammoth-like.

It's a given that video uses a lot of bandwidth. If you're using an ad blocker and keep video and audio streaming to a minimum though, 4GB is pretty workable. Granted, I'm not a heavy Facebook-Instagram-Twitter user.

For pure iPad usage with iMessage, email, forums and general web browsing, online shopping, ebook downloads, Dropbox selective folder sync and the odd YouTube video or two, I think I regularly use less than 5 GB per month.

 

[DaveOZ]

I have 240gb of data shared across our Small business Plan of 4 phones and one iPad. Plenty.

 

[tbayrgs]

I still have one of the original ‘unlimited’ iPad data plans from AT&T that was offered for only a month or two when the original iPad launched. It still only costs $29.99/month and for me, having reliable, high speed data just about anywhere I go is worth it. Plus, I found an insane deal on a new 2018 12.9 iPP 1TB LTE model so couldn’t pass it up. My iPP is basically my everyday computer so it gets put to good use.

 

[EugW]

In my experience, 4GB monthly cap is too little if taken as an argument for LTE. Recently I’ve downloaded a traffic monitoring program and it became apparent that just opening Facebook takes ~10MB, let alone Youtube videos. In my opinion 4GB would be enough if all I do is email checking and some very simple browsing/downloading?

I also have an SE. Half-an-hour viber video call consumes 1GB traffic and the phone heartbeat (email+viber in background mode) consumes around 15MB a day. Start a viber chat and your MB will jump up. It seems viber calls consume less traffic than chatting.

In that regard, the MacRumors forum is very frugal and consumes just a few MB per opening.

Of course, after the initial opening of the webpage, the browser caches most of the data so that further pages are not so mammoth-like.

If I need to watch a lot of video then I tether. On my tetherable phone plan, I get 5 hours per month of unlimited data along with the regular 15 GB data.

But if I just want to quickly surf and iMessage and check email with an occasional 2 minute news video, 4 GB is enough. It saves with the hassle of manually tethering to the iPhone. Despite the claims of automatic and persistent hotspot in iOS 13, it just doesn’t work consistently and reliably. Plus, tethering really kills the iPhone battery.

 

[gsal]

As I rarely use my iPad in a location without good secured WiFi, I’ve come to the conclusion that cellular would be such a waste considering the upfront cost and the additional monthly cost through my carrier. I’d rather put that money towards extra storage and accessories.

For the rare occasions where I don’t have a secured WiFi connection, I have 100GB that I can use through personal hotspot which has been made convenient with the release of iOS 13.

 

[jcshas]

I’ve always owned the cellular version iPad Pro, and recently went wi-if only with the 2020 iPad Pro. However, I soon realized I miss the convenience of having onboard cellular so I returned it for an open box deal on 12.9 cellular/Wi-Fi iPad Pro from Best Buy. With the rollout of 5G I was really on the fence about going cellular again, but I just like having the convenience of having it when I need it.

 

[subjonas]

I have hotspot support with my phone cell plan but my carrier is only charging me CAD$5 / US$3.60 / €3.30 a month for a dedicated tablet plan with 4 GB per month.

It’s hard to argue with $5 per month for the convenience.

GPS is a nice bonus too.

If your data consumption isn’t too demanding, sounds like a good deal!

Oops, actually now that I think about it, whether your iPad data usage away from WiFi is high or not is irrelevant, as long as you use the 4gb and it offers you CAD$5 worth of convenience, which I’m sure it does.

 

[brgjoe]

Sprint charges me (or at last time I looked) more $$ to use it as a hotspot.

My old iPad doesn't have cellular. So I think if/when I get another one, I will get that option. I like it you don't have to sign a contract or anything, just pay for it when you want to use it. And with public Wifi being a bit sketchy at times, it's nice to have a bit of extra security.

You pay more for it, of course. But over the course of years (I still use my 3rd generation iPad), I think the cost will be worth it.

 

[Never mind]

Wow, is that often?

I don’t lose power often, and I have hotspot on my iPhone, so it doesn’t make sense for me to spend money on a cellular iPad plan (I try to be very frugal), but I’m one of those want-to-be-ready-for-anything types, so since hotspot drains the phone battery, I have a $30 AA battery pack phone charger and I always keep a stockpile of alkaline batteries. So it’s basically unlimited battery life for my phone during a blackout (ie. unlimited hotspot).

But if your blackouts happen often, it’s probably better to have a cellular iPad plan.


Ah! Please know what plan you’re getting before you agree to change it!


iPad should be consuming less battery on WiFi (connected to hotspot) than on cellular. For the phone, I usually just connect it to a portable battery (or wall if near one), but that can be inconvenient if you have to do it frequently.


If your data consumption isn’t too demanding, sounds like a good deal!

No, not often, but it was a wake up call none the less. 👍

 

[throAU]

I have the iPad Pro with cellular and really don't see the point of it. I have the T-Mobile 200MB/month for life deal and the only times i ever needed to use it are when my Wi-Fi went out, and another time i was at a hotel and the Wi-Fi was so slow that it was unusable. And now that i can enable personal hotspot on my iPhone with AT&T, i wouldn't be stranded in a situation with no Wi-Fi.

Im thinking of getting the 10.5" without cellular this time but I'm scared that i might regret it later.

To all iPad owners with cellular, what situations have you been in where you genuinely had use for the cellular?

I don't have cellular, but all I can say is if you use it for work away from wifi in the field, and rely on personal hotspot, you'll know why the cellular model exists.

(hint: relying on hotspot from your phone sucks)

 

[stanza.richi]

A question for people who have got lte ipad pro 12.9 2018: how is battery life when you use lte?

 

[EugW]

A question for people who have got lte ipad pro 12.9 2018: how is battery life when you use lte?

I don't have the 2018 iPad Pro, but I can tell people here that:

1) iPad 7 LTE has very good battery life on LTE.
2) iPad Pro 10.5" WiFi has very good battery life when tethering off my iPhone's LTE.

BUT

3) My iPhone 7 Plus has HORRIBLE battery life when my iPad Pro is tethering off it.

 

[rui no onna]

I don't have the 2018 iPad Pro, but I can tell people here that:

1) iPad 7 LTE has very good battery life on LTE.
2) iPad Pro 10.5" WiFi has very good battery life when tethering off my iPhone's LTE.

BUT

3) My iPhone 7 Plus has HORRIBLE battery life when my iPad Pro is tethering off it.

Not a 2018 iPad Pro either but:

4) LTE iPads have very good battery life when other devices are tethering off it.

Biggest battery drain on the iPad is the display backlight. LTE drain is pretty minor compared to that. With no active usage and display off, iPads can probably last more than 24 hours when used as hotspot.

 

[Nhwhazup]

I have the original grandfathered ATT cellular plan and won’t let it go. I do use my iPad a lot when traveling. It’s just nice to have if I need it.

 

[subjonas]

Phone batteries are small so if you’re using hotspot for more than a quick download/sync here or there, you‘d definitely need a portable battery, or wall socket if available.
And if you’re needing to do that a lot, you’re probably gonna want an iPad data plan.

 

[secretk]

Phone batteries are small so if you’re using hotspot for more than a quick download/sync here or there, you‘d definitely need a portable battery, or wall socket if available.
And if you’re needing to do that a lot, you’re probably gonna want an iPad data plan.

I agree. I unfortunately now with working from home have to rely on my phones' data plan. I am on limited traffic plan at home and I managed to use up all of it in the first 10 days of the period. As a result I had to rely on my two phones (personal and corporate) to survive until the 15th. I luckily have 10 GB plan in my personal plan and 12 GB on my company phone. What I noticed is that I manage to consume around 2 GB a day. I spent my work day mostly in calls (almost 8 hours) and working with files in OneDrive. And I basically restricted the video streaming stuff - so no youtube watching. If I include youtube (which I tend to do a lot as I do not own TV) my consumption goes up to 4/5 GB a day.

I would say that the mobile data traffic that I have (4G) is actually quite reliable so no issues there. However I do have to charge them constantly. Today my connection dropped during a call because the phone went dead. Luckily I managed to recover.

 

[gsal]

For those worried about draining your iPhone’s battery when using personal hotspot you can always

Phone batteries are small so if you’re using hotspot for more than a quick download/sync here or there, you‘d definitely need a portable battery, or wall socket if available.
And if you’re needing to do that a lot, you’re probably gonna want an iPad data plan.

You could carry a USB-C to lightning cable to charge your phone through your iPad while using hotspot.

Though if I found myself regularly away from a secured WiFi connection, cellular would be a no brainer.

 

[subjonas]

For those worried about draining your iPhone’s battery when using personal hotspot you can always


You could carry a USB-C to lightning cable to charge your phone through your iPad while using hotspot.

Though if I found myself regularly away from a secured WiFi connection, cellular would be a no brainer.

Is that confirmed to work? I didn’t know the port was two way charge. How does it know which direction you want it to charge?

I do know you can tether a laptop to a phone via usb to hotspot. Maybe you can tether an iPad to iPhone too—unless that was what you meant. I don’t know which way it charges, but wired offers the fastest speeds, so perhaps it sends data more efficiently and uses less iPhone battery.

 

[HappyIntro]

Dang, I just about convinced myself that my next iPad would be Wi-Fi only to save some $$, but now the doubts are creeping in.

 

[rui no onna]

Is that confirmed to work? I didn’t know the port was two way charge. How does it know which direction you want it to charge?

I do know you can tether a laptop to a phone via usb to hotspot. Maybe you can tether an iPad to iPhone too—unless that was what you meant. I don’t know which way it charges, but wired offers the fastest speeds, so perhaps it sends data more efficiently and uses less iPhone battery.

2018 iPad Pro can charge iPhones via USB-C to Lightning. However, USB tethering to iPhones doesn't work yet despite iPads supporting USB to ethernet adapters. The iPad just gets assigned an automatic private IP address.

 

[tivoman]

I buy cellular models for GPS and the ability to use them when WiFi isn’t available. The data plan I have my iPads on is “AT&T Access for iPad LTE” for $20 ($23.49 w/fees). So far this period I have used 62 GBs of data.

 

[thebeachbum]

I bought the cellular iPads because it saves me money and is very convenient. I don't have "home" WIFI and totally rely on my carrier, Verizon, for my internet connection. Would burn through my 15GB data limit on my phone hot spot very quickly watching YouTube videos or Netflix. It also keeps me from using public WIFI at restaurants, etc. With unlimited data, I more than make up the cost difference for a cellular iPad.

 

[s2mikey]

I’ve always owned the cellular version iPad Pro, and recently went wi-if only with the 2020 iPad Pro. However, I soon realized I miss the convenience of having onboard cellular so I returned it for an open box deal on 12.9 cellular/Wi-Fi iPad Pro from Best Buy. With the rollout of 5G I was really on the fence about going cellular again, but I just like having the convenience of having it when I need it.

For those of us without the hotspot option, cellular makes a lot more sense. I dont use it much but when you need it, you need it! The upfront cost isnt too bad if you are the type to keep your iPads a while like me. It ends up being like an extra couple bucks a month or even less to get the cell data option. I always go for it.