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iPad New iPad Air or 2017 iPad Pro 10.5?

rdunlap

rdunlap

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 13, 2013
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I'm looking to purchase a new iPad and was wondering which one I should pick up. I love the Smart Keyboard and that is helping me narrow down which ones to buy. The 12.9" is too big for me so it comes down to either the New iPad Air or the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5". I think I'm leaning towards the Pro just because of the better speakers and refresh rate. I can also get one for $488 from Amazon that is Like New but just comes with a generic charger and no box. This is the 256GB as well. Opinions would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance!
 
This one? https://amzn.to/2I6xdIy

Only 15 left!

It's a good price. I'd go for the 10.5 Pro. Mine's just over year old and I paid slightly under $675 brand new (256GB Wifi).
 
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I may just wait for a sale to come along. Apparently the same model was on sale for $550 on Amazon brand new last week. Kind of upset I missed it.
 
AutomaticApple said:
For a cheaper price.
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Well in parts of Europe and North America, you can buy the Pro (which is now on closeout) for less than the Air.

The Pro is also cheaper if you get it through the Apple refurb store. For, the refurb Pro was exactly the same price as the edu pricing for the Air. I bought the Pro.

The main drawback for me about the Pro that it will likely be updated for less time than the Air. My prediction is that the Pro will get 1 year less of updates than the Air, although worst case scenario is that it gets 2 years less of updates. So we’re talking the end of the iOS update cycle of the Pro happening probably around 2023 to 2024-ish, or very worst case scenario, 2022. I figured I’d probably upgrade around 2023-2024 anyway, so I don’t really care that much, since applications continue to be updated for several years after the last iOS update. One should expect mainstream app compatibility for the 2017 Pros until 2025 or so.
 
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If I can get this brand new with an Apple Pencil for $550 is that a good deal?
 
I'd personally recommend the Air TBH. Promotion isn't a huge deal to me and it is definitely not as groundbreaking as a lot of people like to exaggerate it out to be. The four speakers are nice, but the two on the Air are quite great too. The A12 Bionic in the Air vs the A10x Fusion in the Pro is a nice enough benefit for me to be won over the 10.5".
The 10.5" also appears to be quite susceptible to display and digitizer issues, given the consensus of this forum.
 
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VertPin said:
I'd personally recommend the Air TBH. Promotion isn't a huge deal to me and it is definitely not as groundbreaking as a lot of people like to exaggerate it out to be. The four speakers are nice, but the two on the Air are quite great too. The A12 Bionic in the Air vs the A10x Fusion in the Pro is a nice enough benefit for me to be won over the 10.5".
The 10.5" also appears to be quite susceptible to display and digitizer issues, given the consensus of this forum.
Click to expand...

ProMotion is SO beneficial for writing notes and drawing. The delay on the 9.7 Pro kind of bothered me. ProMotion improved the delay, a lot.
 
Freakonomics101 said:
ProMotion is SO beneficial for writing notes and drawing. The delay on the 9.7 Pro kind of bothered me. ProMotion improved the delay, a lot.
Click to expand...
I use two iPad's, one with promotion and one without. I honestly don't see any lag or delay between the two. Of course, one is ever so slightly smoother, but once I go back to the smaller device, I simply don't notice it and isn't anything I really notice.
Unless Promotion is the be all, end all, life decision changing choice between the models, get the 10.5" pro. However, I still feel like its quite exaggerated by some people here.
 
VertPin said:
The four speakers are nice, but the two on the Air are quite great too.
.
Click to expand...

I agree with much of what you say, but about the speakers on the new Air I couldn't disagree more. I find them abysmal: tinny and nasty, and the less said about the side-firing business the better.
 
AutomaticApple said:
For a cheaper price.
Click to expand...

That's the thing... no it isn't. The 10.5 Pro and 'new' fake Air are the same price. Plus they removed features and added others. Many reviews even state the older model is better for day to day use because of the screen, speakers, and camera.
 
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Fenhalls said:
I agree with much of what you say, but about the speakers on the new Air I couldn't disagree more. I find them abysmal: tinny and nasty, and the less said about the side-firing business the better.
Click to expand...
Really? I am using a Mini 5 with two speaker, and they sound more than decent enough to me imo. I wonder if there are any differences between the speakers of the Air and Mini? Likely not...but perhaps our preferences on sound quality are far apart lol.
 
rdunlap said:
If I can get this brand new with an Apple Pencil for $550 is that a good deal?
Click to expand...
Yes!

VertPin said:
Really? I am using a Mini 5 with two speaker, and they sound more than decent enough to me imo. I wonder if there are any differences between the speakers of the Air and Mini? Likely not...but perhaps our preferences on sound quality are far apart lol.
Click to expand...
The four speakers make a huge difference, not the least of which is stereo vs. mono in landscape mode.

Whether or not the 2 speaker setup is good enough for you though is a different question.

One of the annoyances I had with the iPad Air 2 was that although the sound volume and clarity was sufficient, it just sounded off because it was effectively mono in landscape mode. The sound is just much fuller in stereo mode with a 4-speaker setup.

That said, I probably need the speakers just 5% of the time, so for me they're not a deal maker alone. Also, while ProMotion is very nice, they're not a dealmaker alone. It's a combination of factors, which includes the improved camera and the extra RAM.
 
VertPin said:
I'd personally recommend the Air TBH. Promotion isn't a huge deal to me and it is definitely not as groundbreaking as a lot of people like to exaggerate it out to be. The four speakers are nice, but the two on the Air are quite great too. The A12 Bionic in the Air vs the A10x Fusion in the Pro is a nice enough benefit for me to be won over the 10.5".
The 10.5" also appears to be quite susceptible to display and digitizer issues, given the consensus of this forum.
Click to expand...

I bought the Air. I kept dithering but in the end I didn’t want to risk the bright spot issue, plus I wanted the A12 as it future proofs the Air for a year or so longer. I’ve never had quad speakers so in a way that’s something i’m not going to miss and whilst I use the pencil, it’s for colouring in Pigment mainly. I’m not an artist and don’t plan to use the pencil for notes a lot. I just wanted the pencil to colour and use as a stylus.
 
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Josieb1 said:
I bought the Air. I kept dithering but in the end I didn’t want to risk the bright spot issue, plus I wanted the A12 as it future proofs the Air for a year or so longer. I’ve never had quad speakers so in a way that’s something i’m not going to miss and whilst I use the pencil, it’s for colouring in Pigment mainly. I’m not an artist and don’t plan to use the pencil for notes a lot. I just wanted the pencil to colour and use as a stylus.
Click to expand...
If you’re not an artist, Crayon can save a few bucks, or more if you get edu pricing.
 
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