iPad Pro Quick Review of the A12Z 12.9 (refurb) just bought.

[balnazzar]

Hi Folks,

I already have a 11" (2021, M1) iPad Pro, but I wanted a big iPad just for home. I had occasion to play with the miniLED 12.9 for hours, and I strongly disliked its screen; not only for the (quite visible) blooming, but also because it's kinda 'hard' on my eyes. The content pops up from the screen, granted, but I use the my tablets mainly for reading and editing PDFs, writing notes about math & physics, coding, etc.

I have to say that with respect to my M1 11", the A12Z 12.9" still feels very good. No lags, no stutterings, the display is very good, no backlight bleeding. Notebookcheck found that it has PWM, but ONLY below 13% brightness.

Bought the wifi 256gb model for 759 EUR on the official refurb store with student discount. I can recommend it for all the people who want the 12.9 but are uncomfortable with the miniLED display.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

For anyone not trying to use their iPad as a computer replacement (due to memory) you would be hard pressed to notice much of a difference between A and M series chips.

 

[Shanghaichica]

For anyone not trying to use their iPad as a computer replacement (due to memory) you would be hard pressed to notice much of a difference between A and M series chips.

I don’t have an M1 device. However, I have the 2018 iPad Pro and the iPad mini 6 and iPhone 13 Pro Max which both have the A15 chip. To be honest I don’t notice any difference between all three devices for the things I do. I do wen browsing, apps, videos, colouring and some light gaming. Basic things.

 

[xxFoxtail]

For anyone not trying to use their iPad as a computer replacement (due to memory) you would be hard pressed to notice much of a difference between A and M series chips.

The A12Z iPad Pro is still pretty good. If you're not using that and the M1 iPP side by side, you'll never notice the very minor speed bumps the M1 has over the A12Z.

I'd say if you're perfectly happy not needing an external monitor for your iPad, or running Final Cut Pro on it, you'll be perfectly happy with the A12Z iPP.

I actually just sold my M1 iPP 12.9" and bought a M2 MBA (after using iPads as my main devices for years). But I still have my old A12Z 12.9" iPad Pro around that my partner and I share.

 

[WuMing2]

We have iPad Air 2 and iPad 9th. Apart for rendering web pages quicker we don’t notice much difference. Notes, emails, pdf annotations, Shortcuts, Maps, Netflix, Userscripts are mostly indistinguishable. Newer is more responsive but our life is minimally affected by the need to wait one or two seconds longer. Value of our tasks emerge after hours or more. Same for our iPhone 7 and 13 Pro. Photos are obviously better on the second but they are mostly viewed once and never again. Professional use of emails, pdf, chats, notes and various apps is not affected by age of the device.

 

[spiderman0616]

I had the A12Z model as well—only 12.9” model I’ve owned. I really liked it especially for LumaFusion and Affinity Designer.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I had occasion to play with the miniLED 12.9 for hours, and I strongly disliked its screen; not only for the (quite visible) blooming, but also because it's kinda 'hard' on my eyes.

You're the only person I've seen say this, and I had the same reaction when I tried out a 12.9" M2. I don't know why that screen felt so harsh, but I couldn't stand it. Returned it in the end. I daily drive a 14" MBP which is absolutely fine, so it's not like my eyes just dislike mini OLED or anything.

There were some colour uniformity issues with the unit I got, so I wonder if perhaps that's what causes the harshness, and perhaps yours had it too.

 

[Coolpher]

I am one who has had every generation iPad Pro at 12.9 except for the 2018 model then I switched back to 12.9 in 2021 with the M1 and so far have skipped the M2 we will see about the M3 model if it’s worth the upgrade

 

[rappr]

I have both a mini-led iPad Pro and a mini-led MacBook Pro. To my eyes, the blooming seems about the same on each 🤷‍♂️

 

[spiderman0616]

I have both a mini-led iPad Pro and a mini-led MacBook Pro. To my eyes, the blooming seems about the same on each 🤷‍♂️

I can say that ALL of the Apple devices I own make my LG 4KTV look like a mess, especially when it comes to blooming. I've become so spoiled by Apple's display quality that I'm probably going to be getting an OLED TV next time I'm in the market.