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iPad Pro Is it worth to spend extra $$ on iPad Pro with cellular?

H_D

H_D

macrumors 6502
Jun 14, 2021
292
340
If you take it outside, yes. Hotspot is okay, but sucks. It depends on your use case and contract with your 5G provider if it is worth a MultiSIM etc. In fact, MultiSIMs should be cheaper in some way, with Watches, one or two iPads and hopefully one day MacBooks being cellular, 3—5 MS would make sense in a package.
 
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wib

macrumors regular
Nov 16, 2013
167
120
I did go for cellular in the end and am very glad I did! I forgot an important piece of paper this morning. While I was in the train station, I was able to turn on my cellular, download the document from an email, send it to Notability, and then edit it on the train.

Even though it's a tiny thing, that convenience was worth the extra cost for me! I was able to reclaim my day and not need to stress about being forgetful. Of course I could have tethered from my phone, but I always forget that I can and there's a lot of singing and dancing and juggling multiple devices that wouldn't have been easy standing in a queue on the platform.

I really spent days and days agonising over whether to save the money or not and am really grateful I went with my gut in the end.
 
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h2ofun

macrumors member
Jun 5, 2024
40
38
macfacts said:
It is so easy to turn on hot spot on a smartphone. I'm not made of money.
Click to expand...
Yep, that is why there are options. We all seem to find the money for what we justify. I bought the bad ass Ipad, 2 TB, 5G, nano. Would have bought 4tb if that was an option. Only live once.
 
macfacts

macfacts

macrumors 603
Oct 7, 2012
5,367
6,336
Cybertron
h2ofun said:
I just love not having to hassle with turning on my hotspot with the phone, connecting, and having my phone get hot.
I just love things that are simple to use, even if it costs me a few more bucks.
Click to expand...
with android and a chromebook, the chromebook can use bluetooth to automatically turn on hotspot. my samsung s23 doesnt get hot. i thought apple continuity does this.
 
Aka757

Aka757

macrumors 6502
Sep 22, 2016
302
443
Houston
macfacts said:
with android and a chromebook, the chromebook can use bluetooth to automatically turn on hotspot. my samsung s23 doesnt get hot. i thought apple continuity does this.
Click to expand...
Macs have this option as well; when they detect no WiFi connection they show a notification to connect to an iphone / iPad hotspot. I believe I’ve seen it on iPadOS as well but can’t exactly remember now. I know for sure it shows up on ios so probably on iPad as well.
 
Elusi

Elusi

macrumors regular
Oct 26, 2023
241
488
Aka757 said:
Macs have this option as well; when they detect no WiFi connection they show a notification to connect to an iphone / iPad hotspot. I believe I’ve seen it on iPadOS as well but can’t exactly remember now. I know for sure it shows up on ios so probably on iPad as well.
Click to expand...
Yeah it's fully automatic on the iPad, even. As soon as I open for example the browser on my iPad while out and about, it automatically tethers to the phone. Not a hassle or something I need to think about at all.
 
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John981

John981

macrumors regular
Nov 5, 2017
163
304
Wifi version for me. I rarely use my iPad while I‘m out and about and if I do, I‘m in a cafe, hotel or something anyway.

And should I really need internet connectivity, I can activate the iPhone’s hotspot from the iPad, so it‘s as easy as connecting to wifi.

Meanwhile, the cellular version costs 250€ more on the new iPad Pro and requires me to subscribe to an additional SIM card with a data plan that adds monthly cost again. No brainer for me, the only time I‘d take the cellular iPad is if I‘d be on the road a lot for work or something.
 
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StaceyMJ86

StaceyMJ86

macrumors demi-goddess
Sep 22, 2015
8,448
14,882
Washington, DC
My iPad Pro and Mini 6 are both WiFi. I don’t take them out the house nor use them enough to justify paying the extra fee for a cellular plan. Even though my iPad Pro is my laptop replacement, I still didn’t pay for the cellular version. All I need to do is turn the hotspot on my phone which connects my iPads to them automatically in a matter of seconds. I always carry a battery pack, so I’m not worried about my iPhone’s battery draining.
 
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macfacts

macfacts

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Oct 7, 2012
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The only reason to get the cellular version is to get GPS, if you are going to use maps app cause the normal iPad doesn't have GPS, when every cheap android tablet has GPS, but Tim obviously saved some money by not having GPS in the wifi chipset.
 
Coolpher

Coolpher

macrumors 6502
May 8, 2008
334
147
Seattle,WA
I just wanna say that ever since I switched from the MacBook Pro 15 inch in 2015 to the iPad Pro 12.9 inch in late 2015. I have always gotten a cellular model that only does it offer connection all the time at a low price on T-Mobile but I can also pay off my iPad monthly over two years. I may not use it all the time, but it’s nice to have it just in case I have discontinued the line of service and still been able to pay off the device monthly, but in cases of emergency, I can always reactivate the line of service and I have had to do that once or twice the pros outweigh the cons and yes, I own an iPhone 15 Pro Max but it’s still nice to not have to worry about hotspotting and wasting my battery on my phone if need be
 
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jlc1978

jlc1978

macrumors 603
Aug 14, 2009
5,865
4,840
I've had both - WiFi and Cellular. I found I didn't use the cellular feature enough to warrant the cost of a line so I went with WiFi only on my latest iPad. The few times I needed connectivity my iPhone's hotspot was enough to meet my needs. Then again, I do not rely on my iPad all day long or am away from wifi that much. If you are, then cellular's connivence makes sense; such as a real estate agent that is showing houses and using MLS while driving clients around..

While admittedly it would be nice to have it as an option, I decided to put the money to AppeCare instead.

As always, it's your wallet and YMMV.
 
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Coolpher

Coolpher

macrumors 6502
May 8, 2008
334
147
Seattle,WA
Maybe this will help clear it up the topic if you plan on buying your iPad directly from Apple or Best Buy etc then you can buy a cellular model and not have to activate the service at the point of purchase. You can do it at any time. Now, if you go with a carrier in the United States like I did and you’re paying monthly, you buy the iPad with a new line of tablet service and as long as you have no promotion, you can usually cancel that line and keep paying your device off monthly and if you ever need tablet service you can activate it directly on the iPad I say it’s always better to have a cellular tablet and maybe not have it active but there’s a level of convenience, especially if the power ever goes out that you just keep using your iPad as it will toggle to cellular compared to the extra tap to activate cellular, especially if your phone dies it’s a very controversial topic. Hopefully, this helped have a great great day.
 
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Isamilis

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2012
2,191
1,074
wib said:
I did go for cellular in the end and am very glad I did! I forgot an important piece of paper this morning. While I was in the train station, I was able to turn on my cellular, download the document from an email, send it to Notability, and then edit it on the train.

Even though it's a tiny thing, that convenience was worth the extra cost for me! I was able to reclaim my day and not need to stress about being forgetful. Of course I could have tethered from my phone, but I always forget that I can and there's a lot of singing and dancing and juggling multiple devices that wouldn't have been easy standing in a queue on the platform.

I really spent days and days agonising over whether to save the money or not and am really grateful I went with my gut in the end.
Click to expand...
Just curious. For this use case, shouldn’t it possible using WiFi and personal hotspot to your phone?
 
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