iPad Is 120Hz refresh rate really important for an iPad?

[BugeyeSTI]

I really prefer the ProMotion devices now that I've used them. I have an Air2 I use for viewing online content when my 12.9 is charging and I can definitely say I miss the smooth animations and scrolling during those circumstances. I also noticed a big difference going from my X to the 15PM. I ever knew what I was missing so I never gave 120Hz a second thought but now that I've made the switch, I don't want to go back

 

[1BadManVan]

if you're using the air 5th gen now and you're happy with it then just keep it and enjoy it.

 

[jm31828]

You're not going to notice the 120hz, most of the stuff really is just 'nice to have'. I routinely swap between my 12.9 and the iPad 10 and the main thing I notice is the non-laminated display, which isn't a factor on the Air 5.

Well, that and the speakers, but they're serviceable and if you don't have a Pro to compare to, you won't notice what you're missing.

Do you notice much of any performance difference when doing regular tasks between your 12.9 pro and your 10? I know on paper the Pro would be a lot faster, but do you see much difference in real world usage?

 

[MarkNewton2023]

I am really impressed with 5th generation iPad Air. Earlier I was thinking of buying iPad Pro. But I have limited budget and the fact that iPad Pro have very limited color options. I like the blue color of iPad Air.

I that feel that with 5th generation iPad Air I can accomplish anything that people can with iPad Pro, I can use all iPad pro accessories, the latest generation pencil. My only concern is, how important is 120GHz display? That's the only feature missing in iPad Air. Otherwise give me one reason for selecting iPad Pro over iPad Air

Personally, it is important for me. Just my preference. Others might have different preferences.

 

[GMShadow]

Do you notice much of any performance difference when doing regular tasks between your 12.9 pro and your 10? I know on paper the Pro would be a lot faster, but do you see much difference in real world usage?

My 12.9 Pro is the A12Z model, so it's slower single-thread but faster multi-thread. In practice it's mostly a wash - I notice things more when they hit the neural engine, as the A14 version is a huge boost over the A12 model (and indeed a lot of the iPadOS 17 features like improved auto-correct don't work prior to A14). Also software updates are slower on the 12.9 as that's heavily single threaded again.

What I notice most is the 6GB (12.9) vs 4GB (10) of RAM. 4GB is workable but 6GB is what I'd consider minimum for any sort of heavy multitasking use these days.

 

[mrmister]

My only concern is, how important is 120GHz display?

In my opinion it is absolutely unimportant.

 

[jm31828]

My 12.9 Pro is the A12Z model, so it's slower single-thread but faster multi-thread. In practice it's mostly a wash - I notice things more when they hit the neural engine, as the A14 version is a huge boost over the A12 model (and indeed a lot of the iPadOS 17 features like improved auto-correct don't work prior to A14). Also software updates are slower on the 12.9 as that's heavily single threaded again.

What I notice most is the 6GB (12.9) vs 4GB (10) of RAM. 4GB is workable but 6GB is what I'd consider minimum for any sort of heavy multitasking use these days.

Ah, thanks for clarifying.
What types of issues do you see with the 4GB RAM- just refreshes occurring when you have too many browser tabs open? Or is it having other effects?

 

[zach-coleman]

I find the iPad is where it is most noticeable. More obvious than an iPhone or a Mac by far.

 

[GMShadow]

Ah, thanks for clarifying.
What types of issues do you see with the 4GB RAM- just refreshes occurring when you have too many browser tabs open? Or is it having other effects?

Just app reloads - it's not like it bogs to a crawl or anything. It's a fine iPad for the lower end.

 

[MrGimper]

I find the iPad is where it is most noticeable. More obvious than an iPhone or a Mac by far.

Agree with this... I have the M1 12.9 and 15PM. Pro-motion is more noticeable on the iPad over the phone. I have a 2019 16" i9 MBP and tried the new macbook pros and less fussed about Pro-motion on a macbook... but Mini-LED would be nice.

 

[jm31828]

Just app reloads - it's not like it bogs to a crawl or anything. It's a fine iPad for the lower end.

How far can you push a 3GB device- I know I see videos from a couple of years ago where people are creating 4K videos in LumaFusion.... that would be the absolute hardest I'd push this device (9th gen), potentially. I imagine that would still be fine, as again it's not a situation where a lot of multitasking is occurring?

 

[msackey]

I am really impressed with 5th generation iPad Air. Earlier I was thinking of buying iPad Pro. But I have limited budget and the fact that iPad Pro have very limited color options. I like the blue color of iPad Air.

I that feel that with 5th generation iPad Air I can accomplish anything that people can with iPad Pro, I can use all iPad pro accessories, the latest generation pencil. My only concern is, how important is 120GHz display? That's the only feature missing in iPad Air. Otherwise give me one reason for selecting iPad Pro over iPad Air

I don't think a 120Ghz display is an absolute necessity. If you don't have issues with the refresh rate, then don't worry about it and just buy the iPad Air.

This isn't to say that once you've seen a 120Ghz display that you wouldn't notice the difference. A question is would the difference matter? If using the regular display suffices, then the difference doesn't matter.

 

[The Game 161]

Must have for me

 

[GMShadow]

How far can you push a 3GB device- I know I see videos from a couple of years ago where people are creating 4K videos in LumaFusion.... that would be the absolute hardest I'd push this device (9th gen), potentially. I imagine that would still be fine, as again it's not a situation where a lot of multitasking is occurring?

You're going to see some slowness, honestly. Doable? Probably. Enjoyable? Can't guarantee. It'll work though.

Worth noting that they note on their site you need a USB-C iPad to support ProRes, but they call out the iPad 10 and Air 4 as not being compatible. You might want to ask some Luma users specifically.

 

[jm31828]

You're going to see some slowness, honestly. Doable? Probably. Enjoyable? Can't guarantee. It'll work though.

Worth noting that they note on their site you need a USB-C iPad to support ProRes, but they call out the iPad 10 and Air 4 as not being compatible. You might want to ask some Luma users specifically.

Thanks for the response! Good thoughts, I'll check on that.

Honestly I have a long return window on this 9th gen, and I am also considering the other side of the spectrum, possibly looking at the 11" m2 Pro that is on sale now for $699, or perhaps splitting the difference and looking at the Air 5 that is on sale everywhere now for $499.

I won't be a heavy user by any means, but I also don't want to be stuck with something that is going to be problematic in the near future.

 

[jm31828]

Does battery life really suffer on the Air 5th gen vs. the Pro, or are they pretty similar? I've seen different Youtube videos and other discussion online about battery life, and it's all over the board, with some saying the Air is just as good as the pro, and others saying it's quite bad.

 

[maverick786us]

if you're using the air 5th gen now and you're happy with it then just keep it and enjoy it.

I don't have an iPad. My only iPad was first generation iPad Air which I bought way back in 2014-15. I used it for 4-5 years until its hardware was too slow to support latest OS and apps.

 

[1BadManVan]

I don't have an iPad. My only iPad was first generation iPad Air which I bought way back in 2014-15. I used it for 4-5 years until its hardware was too slow to support latest OS and apps.

Ok in your post, you mention being impressed with the 5th gen air, so I assumed you had one lol.

 

[Pezimak]

Having Pro Motion in my iPhone and iPad, I do notice a difference when I use my old iPhone XR, it it's also something I realise I could get used to if I only used the XR again. It's nice to have but not necessary.

 

[maverick786us]

Ok in your post, you mention being impressed with the 5th gen air, so I assumed you had one lol.

Ok in your post, you mention being impressed with the 5th gen air, so I assumed you had one lol.

I was going through the product description in Apple's website. 3 things that really got me fascinating about it were

1. The blue color
2. M1 Processor
3. Compatibility with all iPad Pro accessories specially the latest generation apple pencil.

Sorry if my original post made it sound like I already have it.

After going through all the responses, I think an M1 iPad Pro with 512GB storage will be my idle deice. It fits my budget over M2 512 GB

 

[1BadManVan]

I was going through the product description in Apple's website. 3 things that really got me fascinating about it were

1. The blue color
2. M1 Processor
3. Compatibility with all iPad Pro accessories specially the latest generation apple pencil.

Sorry if my original post made it sound like I already have it.

After going through all the responses, I think an M1 iPad Pro with 512GB storage will be my idle deice. It fits my budget over M2 512 GB

You’ll love it. I have an 11” M1 Pro 256gb, very nice tablet, just don’t get much use of it these days but once I’m back on the road for work I’ll be on it a lot

 

[chugg]

Once you get used to it, it’s hard to go back. I would say though that 120hz is far more noticeable on an iPad and iPhone than on a Mac. I regularly hook up my Mac to a 60hz monitor and don’t really mind it but when I use my wife’s 60hz iPad, it feels really jerky.

 

[ManuCH]

I own an M1 iPad Pro 11", and whenever I happen to use a friend's iPad Air, it's truly bothers me how "stuttery" it is compared to the Pro. But it's really a matter of personal preference and sensitivity. Some people don't notice or care. I do.

 

[darngooddesign]

Good point, I already have an M1 MacBook Pro 16, So I don't need a Magic Keyboard with my iPad. But I will need the latest generation Apple Pencil. Now while using pencil does 120Hz have a better response time? I will occasionally game with iPad so how much does 120Hz matters while gaming?

Apple is selling a refurbished 256GB M1 iPad Pro for $719, which less than the price of a new 256GB M1 iPad Air. Refurbished 512GB M1 iPad Pros are going for $890.

FWIW you can keep your videos on a USB-C thumb drive and play them from that.

 

[maverick786us]

Apple is selling a refurbished 256GB M1 iPad Pro for $719, which less than the price of a new 256GB M1 iPad Air. Refurbished 512GB M1 iPad Pros are going for $890.

FWIW you can keep your videos on a USB-C thumb drive and play them from that.

Can I also connect external SSD like Samsung T7 using USB-C with M1 iPad Pro and play it directly from it, just like the way it is in iPhone 15 Pro Max?