iPad Pro M1 12.9” iPad Pro to M2 11” iPad Pro?

[Ctg44]

I’m thinking about upgrading to an M2 iPad Pro from my M1 12.9” and I’m considering going 11” this time. I mainly use the iPad to stream movies and shows, editing GoPro videos, and some light work. Light work includes taking notes during meetings, using our software (doable on an 11”), emails, slack, etc.

Everything I need to do I can do just fine on the 11”. I’m not too worried about losing the extra screen real estate. My biggest concern is that I’ll miss the XDR display. Has anyone made the same switch?

 

[Greenmeenie]

Neither. I have the 2018 11” iPad Pro & am waiting for the 2024 11” iPad Pro when it finally gets an OLED screen. Heh heh heh 😈

 

[Nautilus007]

Literally considering doing the same thing.

I have a 10.5 ipad pro, iPad mini and an m1 ipad pro 12.9.

Was considering selling the 10.5 and 12.9 and getting the 11 as I am finding the 12.9 too large to use often. The mini Led display drew me in and I was waiting for an update to the 11 with either oled or MiniLED, but doesn't look like its coming

 

[Ctg44]

Literally considering doing the same thing.

I have a 10.5 ipad pro, iPad mini and an m1 ipad pro 12.9.

Was considering selling the 10.5 and 12.9 and getting the 11 as I am finding the 12.9 too large to use often. The mini Led display drew me in and I was waiting for an update to the 11 with either oled or MiniLED, but doesn't look like its coming

I ended up ordering both and will return one. I’ll let you know which one I keep lol

 

[Greenmeenie]

Even tho i have the ipad mini 6 for when I really want to travel light, i went with the 11” ipad pro over the 12.9” ipad pro because it feels more like a tablet. I’m a big guy, but the 12.9” ipad pro is not that comfortable to hold in the hands for long periods of time. The 11” is much more manageable & feels like a tablet whereas the 12.9” is strictly a table top device for me. Which kind of defeats the purpose of a tablet in my opinion. As an artist, the bigger space is nice… but I find the 11” ipad big enough to sketch on & to edit photos & videos on. Plus it is just more comfortable to hold. Others may disagree & that’s fine. We are just sharing our personal opinions. I may still get a 12.9” or even the rumored 14” ipad pro down the road for creative use at home. But most likely will stick with the 11” if they give it an OLED screen next.

 

[BaddAdvice]

I had a 12.9 pro since the redesign in 2018. At that time, I had no laptop, just an iPhone. So, the iPad was my constant travel companion for work travel (company-assigned Windows laptop did the work heavy lifting). Since the, I picked up a 13" M1 Air, then. 14" MBP, then I finally settled on the 16" MBP. With the 13" and 14" MacBooks, the 12.9 iPad seemed somewhat redundant and I found myself levitating towards the MB when I wanted to relax on the couch. So, I sold the 12.9 and picked up an M1 11" iPad Pro, when the M2s came out, at a slight discount. I find now, especially since I sold off the 13 and 14 and am rocking the 16" MBP, the 11" fills the gap nicely.

That all said, the 12.9 was a very nice tablet, but it rarely left my desk as it just felt too big.

 

[blkjedi954]

I’m thinking about upgrading to an M2 iPad Pro from my M1 12.9” and I’m considering going 11” this time. I mainly use the iPad to stream movies and shows, editing GoPro videos, and some light work. Light work includes taking notes during meetings, using our software (doable on an 11”), emails, slack, etc.

Everything I need to do I can do just fine on the 11”. I’m not too worried about losing the extra screen real estate. My biggest concern is that I’ll miss the XDR display. Has anyone made the same switch?

For your use case, hands down the 11 would suit you best. Many don’t realize the significant size and weight difference between the two. I have an M1 ipad Pro 11 in AND M1 iPad Pro 12.9. My 12.9 stays on my desk. It is unwieldy and substantive enough to get your arms tired. I absolutely love the portability of the 11 and it’s ample screen size. My 11 is attached to my hips, in bed, on couch, at coffee shop and anywhere out in public I need such a device. I will soon be on my 3 Otterbox case for this thing cause I use it soooo much…lol.

 

[rkuo]

I do actually use the 12.9 more because of the larger XDR display. We take and look at a lot of photos of our baby now and they look massively better on the XDR.

I still prefer the 11” if I had to pick just one tho.

 

[awintersdaybyth]

I've just done almost the exact same thing but to an iPad Air 5th Gen instead. Found the 12.9 a bit too bulky especially in portrait mode. I figured that I won't miss the mini led screen that much, if I want to watch movies I'll watch them on my OLED TV instead, not too fussed about quad speakers as I tend to use headphones and Im not too fussed about losing out on Pro Motion.

For me it came down to what I actually use an iPad for, and for me the main plus point and use case is portability (especially as Im going on a trip soon). I have a MacBook Air M2 which I use for doing "proper work" and it seemed to me that the iPad Pro was doubling up with it and my other devices as they basically weigh the same and the screen size is almost the same. Id rather watch video on a slightly worse screen but be able to move around with a bit more comfort

 

[Kal-037]

Do M1 as it’s cheaper than M2 (which had minuscule spec bumps.

 

[madat42]

If you‘re having a hard time deciding, I’d recommend getting both sizes from the Apple Store and spend the 2 week return policy window using them in your workflows and travels. This really helped me. Hopefully at the end you’ll have a better idea on which one works best vs the one you really want.

It’s not an easy choice for many, hence so many of these threads.

 

[Ctg44]

If you‘re having a hard time deciding, I’d recommend getting both sizes from the Apple Store and spend the 2 week return policy window using them in your workflows and travels. This really helped me. Hopefully at the end you’ll have a better idea on which one works best vs the one you really want.

It’s not an easy choice for many, hence so many of these threads.

I actually ended up doing that. The 11” was delivered the other day and the 12.9” will be delivered Thursday. To be honest I’m enjoying the 11” a lot more than I thought and I might even end up canceling the 12.9”!

 

[madat42]

I actually ended up doing that. The 11” was delivered the other day and the 12.9” will be delivered Thursday. To be honest I’m enjoying the 11” a lot more than I thought and I might even end up canceling the 12.9”!

I would not cancel the 12.9" just yet. I too initially thought that the 11" would be perfect, even mentioning this in another thread, but as I had both at my disposal I kept gravitating toward the bigger tablet. I'd also say I like the new (to me) multi-tasking features of Stage Manager and how it finally sets the Pro models apart from the rest in the lineup. If that's the direction the OS is headed in, I'll appreciate the extra screen real estate down the road.

 

[AVBeatMan]

I actually ended up doing that. The 11” was delivered the other day and the 12.9” will be delivered Thursday. To be honest I’m enjoying the 11” a lot more than I thought and I might even end up canceling the 12.9”!

Any updates? I have both the 11" and the 12.9" but find the larger iPad stays on my desk in my office while the 11" comes with me around the house and when away for the weekend. If I had to pick just one I think it'd be the 11". The 11" hits the sweet spot.

 

[Ctg44]

Any updates? I have both the 11" and the 12.9" but find the larger iPad stays on my desk in my office while the 11" comes with me around the house and when away for the weekend. If I had to pick just one I think it'd be the 11". The 11" hits the sweet spot.

Well I ended up keeping both, but I feel the same way as you. I keep the 12.9” at my desk (other than streaming in bed) and I use the 11” more. If I could only pick one it’d be the 11”.

 

[VaruLV]

Im also starting to debate whether I should sell 12.9" M1 and buy 11" M1/M2 for the sake of convenience.
I love miniLED display on my 12.9, however, I don't think I would miss it that much going back to IPS regular LED screen on 11".
11" iPad is, imho much better suited as tablet to most people and while I'm a fan of bigger tablets, my 12.9, now that I have traveled with it a bit seems a bit too big to accompany my laptop.
Plus, accessories on 12.9 are considerably more expensive than 11.
Either way, both tablets are great machines and I will be enjoying either of them in the future.
If Apple had released miniLED 11" IPad, I could have gotten that one probably.
All hope for double stacked oled displays in two years time 😬!

 

[rui no onna]

Personally, I never once considered replacing my 9.7/10.5/11" iPad when I got the 12.9". The 12.9" is just as heavy and bulkier than the early iPads with original design. Hence, I already knew they weren't suitable for me as EDC. They just each have their own niche.

Mind, I'm loving Display Zoom/More Space on the M-series 11" iPads. Having almost the same screen real estate/viewport as the 12.9" in a more compact size has been quite useful.

For travel, 11" iPP + Kindle PW4 works great for me. Add a 13" ThinkPad X1 Nano or 15.6" ThinkPad E/T-series if I anticipate needing a full Windows laptop.

 

[Rafterman]

I did the same, from 12.9 to 11. The 12.9 was too big and heavy to use as a handheld, i5t rarely left it's Magic Keyboard. The 11 is half a pound lighter, yet still works fine in laptop mode.

I don't stream often, most of my content is local and thus, the XDR made do difference to me as local iTunes content doesn't support XDR, just in streaming. But even when I did use streaming content, honestly, it wasn't that big a difference. I wouldn't let that persuade you, get what feels comfortable to you. Don't "spec" chase.

 

[Rafterman]

Personally, I never once considered replacing my 9.7/10.5/11" iPad when I got the 12.9". The 12.9" is just as heavy and bulkier than the early iPads with original design. Hence, I already knew they weren't suitable for me as EDC. They just each have their own niche.

Mind, I'm loving Display Zoom/More Space on the M-series 11" iPads. Having almost the same screen real estate/viewport as the 12.9" in a more compact size has been quite useful.

For travel, 11" iPP + Kindle PW4 works great for me. Add a 13" ThinkPad X1 Nano or 15.6" ThinkPad E/T-series if I anticipate needing a full Windows laptop.

I completely forgot about that "more space" feature. I turned it on and noticed small things. Like Outlook used to show only the email and display window columns. The folder column was hidden via button and would slide out when activated. But in "more space" mode, it's like the 12.9, with all three columns displaying by default. Then if you turn on "bigger icons" and, as you mentioned, "zoom" on, even better.

iOS is really configurable, once you get into it's nuts and bolts.

 

[ManoloC]

I am in a similar situation. I have an iPP M1 13 for a while now and I am very happy with it. My only complaint might be that it is heavy to carry in my backpack every day. In my work they give me an iPP M2 11 as gift. And now I am wondering what to do. Keeping both is something I don't see happening. If there were an iPad mini with an M chip, I would be sure of what to do. But since there isn't one (and according to rumors, there won't be any new iPad mini until 2024), I am unsure of which one to sell and which one to keep. Is the 13's screen noticeably better than the 11's? Because I think that could be the limiting factor.

 

[Surfsalot]

I sold my 12.9” M1 and Magic Keyboard mid last year while there was some value in it, only lost a few hundred $AU luckily.
I had a 11” for 2 years before it and thought I would try the 12.9” cause of the mini led when it released, and a laptop replacement. Didn’t work, so bought a 24” iMac, and went back to a 11” M1 with the folio only as I had on the 2018, light and comfortable to use and gets way more use.

 

[Surfsalot]

I am in a similar situation. I have an iPP M1 13 for a while now and I am very happy with it. My only complaint might be that it is heavy to carry in my backpack every day. In my work they give me an iPP M2 11 as gift. And now I am wondering what to do. Keeping both is something I don't see happening. If there were an iPad mini with an M chip, I would be sure of what to do. But since there isn't one (and according to rumors, there won't be any new iPad mini until 2024), I am unsure of which one to sell and which one to keep. Is the 13's screen noticeably better than the 11's? Because I think that could be the limiting factor.

You would probably only notice a difference if next to each other watching Netflix etc, but yes there is. It’s brighter and blacks are black, for normal use not really.

 

[The Game 161]

i went from 12.9 to 11 inch and didn't regret it. more portable while having a good overall screen viewing.

mini 6
ipad pro 11 inch
macbook pro 16

is my go to and works well

 

[leifp]

YMMV, obviously, but I detest the miniLED on my iPad. Love it on my MBPro. 🤷‍♂️

 

[teh_hunterer]

My biggest concern is that I’ll miss the XDR display.

I switch between my 14" MBP and my 11" M1 iPad all the time and I never miss the XDR display. An XDR or OLED display would be better, but I never notice it in day to day use. The 120hz is more important.