iPad Should I buy a Pro M1 now?

[gdourado]

Hello, hope everyone is doing well.

I currently have an iPad mini 5.
I have been using it since launch and have enjoyed it.
But for some time now, I am starting to fell the performance not being on par as it was.
The A12 and especially the 3gb of ram are starting to show its age.
Also, since I am getting older, I sometimes wish I had a bigger display so that text is more comfortable to read. Guess my eyesight is also getting older.

Anyway, based on that, I am thinking about getting an 11 inch Pro, for that 8gb, M1 chip, pro motion and all the goodies.

At the same time I am afraid Apple will introduce a refresh soon.
But some things I am thinking…
Besides the obvious M2 chip upgrade, what other benefits could a future 11 inch Pro have? Mini Led? Something else that is worth the wait?

I am also thinking about other issue. I am from the EU. And this year, the iPhones here increased in price by around 200 euros.
The 256 13 Pro Max cost 1140 euros. The 14 Pro Max this year cost me 1320 euros.

So even if Apple introduces a new iPad soon, it will probably have a price increase. So I am left wondering if a M2 chip might be enough to justify it.

Or I should just buy an M1 now at the current price and call it a day…

What are your thoughts on this?

Thank you.
Regards!

 

[Pezimak]

I would wait till next month to see what’s launched. Having said that I love my m1 11”.

 

[BenTrovato]

If waiting is an option just wait. There’s a chance the M1’s get a price decrease and/or you get to decide if the newer M2’s are worth it.

 

[gdourado]

What are the most recent and respected rumors considering possible updates on the pro 11 lineup?
If it’s just a spec bump it might not be worth it.

 

[wayne905]

Hello, hope everyone is doing well.

I currently have an iPad mini 5.
I have been using it since launch and have enjoyed it.
But for some time now, I am starting to fell the performance not being on par as it was.
The A12 and especially the 3gb of ram are starting to show its age.
Also, since I am getting older, I sometimes wish I had a bigger display so that text is more comfortable to read. Guess my eyesight is also getting older.

Anyway, based on that, I am thinking about getting an 11 inch Pro, for that 8gb, M1 chip, pro motion and all the goodies.

At the same time I am afraid Apple will introduce a refresh soon.
But some things I am thinking…
Besides the obvious M2 chip upgrade, what other benefits could a future 11 inch Pro have? Mini Led? Something else that is worth the wait?

I am also thinking about other issue. I am from the EU. And this year, the iPhones here increased in price by around 200 euros.
The 256 13 Pro Max cost 1140 euros. The 14 Pro Max this year cost me 1320 euros.

So even if Apple introduces a new iPad soon, it will probably have a price increase. So I am left wondering if a M2 chip might be enough to justify it.

Or I should just buy an M1 now at the current price and call it a day…

What are your thoughts on this?

Thank you.
Regards!

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm ready to put money down on an 11" Pro, but am hesitant to do so given the rumours of an upcoming refresh. Could just be a spec bump or maybe more. I guess I'll wait it out so that I don't have buyers remorse if something better does come along.

 

[Pezimak]

What are the most recent and respected rumors considering possible updates on the pro 11 lineup?
If it’s just a spec bump it might not be worth it.

Not much, they range from just a spec bump with the M2 better camera etc, to a glass back and wireless charging with MagSafe. No consistency really and not many rumours or leaks either.
I would ignore any glass back rumours, MagSafe maybe I guess? But an iPad is a bit big to charge wirelessly, I don’t think they will get a redesign personally. But the 11” may get the Mini LED screen.

 

[1BadManVan]

What are the most recent and respected rumors considering possible updates on the pro 11 lineup?
If it’s just a spec bump it might not be worth it.

So far the rumours aren’t pointing to much for upgrades on the 11”, last I heard it was still not getting mini led. I don’t see it getting another ram bump past 8gb on the lower storage models As they just got that ram bump last year.

But unless you’ve found a deal on a current m1 that you can’t pass up, you may be better waiting to see what they offer. I have the 11” m1 pro and it’s very fast, I can’t imagine the m2 bringing much more of a speed boost to it as it’s already instant on everything. But obviously would help future proof it for future iPadOS releases that may be more resource heavy. It would be more about if there’s any killer feature coming to the next iPad more then a speed boost.

 

[chabig]

What are the most recent and respected rumors...

There is no such thing as respected rumors. Rumors are just rumors. Wait until Apple announces something.

 

[hoo-man-b-ing]

Odds are there will be a refresh in October so if you’re content to wait a month, that would probably be best.

Odds are it will be a small spec bump, but there have been rumors of MagSafe as well.

Even if the new model doesn’t offer major improvements, odds are the existing one will be heavily discounted upon its release. Perhaps you’d be able to get extra storage or a peripheral with the potential savings.

 

[doolar]

As much as I love my 2018 Pro, I think it needs a screen refresh now. It went from being my best portable display to my worst in a few years. It really deserves mini LED or OLED. Still a fantastic iPad of course, but it’s hard to ignore the washed out blacks these days.

 

[Digitalguy]

I have the 2018 12.9 and the M1 12.9. In terms of speed I can barely notice the difference, both are extremely fast to open and load things. Even my mini 5 is extremely fast.
The only big difference is RAM, especially when using safari. Tabs reload all the time on 4GB RAM, but in those apps where RAM does not matter, they are almost identical. Honestly if A12X had 8GB RAM I wouldn't care about M1.
In daylight I can barely see the mini-led vs IPS difference. The "lack" of backlight is only visible in dark environments. But maybe some people use they iPads mainly in the evening/night with low light. I use them all day long and even in the evening my place is pretty well lit...
One thing however is a clear plus with M1 for my use, speakers, clearly louder and fuller then previous gen ones.

 

[slplss]

As you mentioned, I’d wait mainly for the chance of 11” version being upgraded to OLED/miniLED, because that upgrade is massive. But should it follow the M2 Macbook Air situation, getting the older gen would make much more sense if money is in the question. M1 Macbook Air is an absolute beast of a power machine that will last anyone for many years to come (7+). I’d say the same for M1 iPad Pro, no matter how good the M2 iPP will turn out to be. And iPads are much more limited by OS than Macs. M1 iPP is the epitome of unused potential. M2 iPP will be twice the overkill.

 

[ian87w]

Will the October event just refresh the Pro? Or will the Air got a refresh as well? If the Air won't be refreshed (as it just got M1 earlier this year), it might be a safer buy.

 

[redcarlsen]

You likely made the mistake of updating your Mini 5.
It's not a slow device by any means. It was my last ipad, but I'm done with lightning devices (despite it being a better design than usb-c, unfortunately it's proprietary and not the standard)

I've been debating whether to get a mini 6 or ipad air, but I'll wait til next month and see what comes.

 

[v1ctorS]

What are the most recent and respected rumors considering possible updates on the pro 11 lineup?
If it’s just a spec bump it might not be worth it.

Rumors are very inconsistent at the moment. Personally, I'm hoping for a switch to horizontal mode as the new default and an relocated front facing camera. I'd also appreciate an improved Magic Keyboard that functions as both a case and a keyboard similar to the Logitech Combo Touch.

In any case, considering iPadOS 16 is just around the corner, it makes sense to wait for the release of the new OS. If there are any changes to this year's iPad Pro, Apple will most likely use the launch of the new OS to promote them.

 

[doolar]

I have the 2018 12.9 and the M1 12.9. In terms of speed I can barely notice the difference, both are extremely fast to open and load things. Even my mini 5 is extremely fast.
The only big difference is RAM, especially when using safari. Tabs reload all the time on 4GB RAM, but in those apps where RAM does not matter, they are almost identical. Honestly if A12X had 8GB RAM I wouldn't care about M1.
In daylight I can barely see the mini-led vs IPS difference. The "lack" of backlight is only visible in dark environments. But maybe some people use they iPads mainly in the evening/night with low light. I use them all day long and even in the evening my place is pretty well lit...
One thing however is a clear plus with M1 for my use, speakers, clearly louder and fuller then previous gen ones.

I agree with this regarding the display. I use my iPad mostly in bed watching movies, shows and YouTube. The washed out colors are really noticeable next to my iPhone 13 Pro or my 14" MBP.

I've been back and forth on the 12,9", but it just wont fit my motorcycle tank bag, and that's sort of a dealbreaker.

I still think my 2018 model is plenty fast, never thought once that it felt slow. Page reloads are a thing, yes, but it doesn't bother me that much.

 

[stevemiller]

As much as I love my 2018 Pro, I think it needs a screen refresh now. It went from being my best portable display to my worst in a few years. It really deserves mini LED or OLED. Still a fantastic iPad of course, but it’s hard to ignore the washed out blacks these days.

so much this. it feels kind of bizarre that apple has multiple options for modern screen tech in seemingly every product category except the ipad pro, which restricts it to a singular top-end model.

upgrading my aging ipad is a tough sell when i've got a recent macbook pro and iphone that cover most tasks and both would have better screens than any new ipad i would purchase (given that i'm not interested in the 12.9)