iPad Pro **Update: M4 iPad Pro fixed the problem** I was wrong .... iPad sucks ... worst Apple device by far.

[Wando64]

It's not an emotional post. These are the facts:
- 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro = 100% battery health
- 13" M2 MacBook Air = 100% battery health
- 12.9 M1 iPad Pro = below 80% battery health

And the reason for this, is that Apple doesn't allow you to manage the charging behavior of the device, like what you can do on Mac.

The iPad Pro really sucks with the way it destroys batteries due to limitations Apple has put in place.

How many hours did you use each device, and how many times did you recharge them (cycles)?
Without that information your “facts” are pointless.

In any case, even assuming that you used them all equally, batteries are consumables and eventually will need to be changed.

 

[Digitalguy]

I've had my m1 iPad Pro for 2 3/4 years now and yeah, battery sucks. Is battery service available for iPad?

only if it's degraded below 80% based on Apple's tools, which generally means half of your original battery life...

 

[FeliApple]

that makes your theory rather vague however, and the issue I take with it is that it's based on a relatively limited amount of devices (and updates thereof). Again none of us has hard scientific numbers to prove anything, but my experience does not match this theory.
My 10.5 pro degraded heavily all of a sudden and within iPadOS 16 (where it still is). Battery health moved from over 80% to 50-60% in a matter of months and battery life was more than cut in half, without any special factors or changes in habits.
Similarly my 9.7 stayed on 13.4 (where it still is) for years, but then in a matter of months lost a lot of health and battery life for apparently no reason. So updates are not the culprit and this also show a non linear path in degradation (although it's always for devices used for several years, never within the first couple of years).

No, my theory is that earlier iOS versions are more resilient. The earlier you go, the better this is. On the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, battery life would remain constant (13-14 hours SOT) throughout, say, 100-50% health on iOS 9. On iOS 12, battery life would be 10-11 hours on, say, 100-70%, perhaps it drops a little after that (maybe it doesn’t, but it probably isn’t as resilient as iOS 9. So far so good for me, though), and on iPadOS 16, battery life would be paltry on 100-70 (4-5 hours, which is what people report), and it would be completely unusable afterwards (I’ve seen people report 2 hours at best on a fully updated, degraded 10.5-inch iPad Pro).

 

[Digitalguy]

No, my theory is that earlier iOS versions are more resilient. The earlier you go, the better this is. On the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, battery life would remain constant (13-14 hours SOT) throughout, say, 100-50% health on iOS 9. On iOS 12, battery life would be 10-11 hours on, say, 100-70%, perhaps it drops a little after that (maybe it doesn’t, but it probably isn’t as resilient as iOS 9. So far so good for me, though), and on iPadOS 16, battery life would be paltry on 100-70 (4-5 hours, which is what people report), and it would be completely unusable afterwards (I’ve seen people report 2 hours at best on a fully updated, degraded 10.5-inch iPad Pro).

Thanks for being more specific. I think this could be somewhat true for some devices, although not necessarily in those proportions, but I wouldn't generalize this to all iPads models and generations.

 

[FeliApple]

Thanks for being more specific. I think this could be somewhat true for some devices, although not necessarily in those proportions, but I wouldn't generalize this to all iPads models and generations.

I hold the hope that the M1 processor can put an end to this, however, I’ve been burned before when placing hope on, at the time, amazing chipsets. Time will tell.

I hope the M1 chip is the solution. Imagine if the iPad Air 5 and the 5th-gen iPad Pro were as good on iPadOS 23 as they are on iPadOS 15!

 

[Digitalguy]

I hold the hope that the M1 processor can put an end to this, however, I’ve been burned before when placing hope on, at the time, amazing chipsets. Time will tell.

I hope the M1 chip is the solution. Imagine if the iPad Air 5 and the 5th-gen iPad Pro were as good on iPadOS 23 as they are on iPadOS 15!

I am not sure it's a matter of M1 vs A chips etc. I think impact on battery life is essentially software related.
As you know for me Screen-on time is not important since I never do 100% to 0, but stand-by time is, that is how well the iPad sleeps.

 

[FeliApple]

I am not sure it's a matter of M1 vs A chips etc. I think impact on battery life is essentially software related.
As you know for me Screen-on time is not important since I never do 100% to 0, but stand-by time is, that is how well the iPad sleeps.

Agree completely, it’s definitely software related. But just to give an example, Apple actively advertised the iPhone Xʀ’s battery life, even with battery-specific ads: “the best battery life ever on an iPhone; you will go to sleep before it does”, etc. A few years later, battery life is hours below what it used to be. So much for those ads...

I hoped that maybe they’d make it better this time, after all, having overtly advertised battery life had to count for something, right?... right?... right? Well... no.

 

[Maigrais]

I was checking the battery health of my 13" M2 MacBook Air, 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro and the M1 12.9 iPad Pro.

Both the MBA and MBP still have 100% battery health, while the battery of the M1 12.9 iPad Pro already need servicing. How awesome is that?

The difference is, with the M1 12.9 iPad Pro, you cannot change the changing behavior of the device, which you can do on Mac OS.

I guess I will pay for the battery replacement, but this is a major problem of the iPad Pro. Probably won't buy an other iPad anymore if the battery on these devices degrade so badly as you don't have the ability to customise the charging behaviour.

That’s exactly what I’m seeing on my end. I am distancing myself from iPad Pro squarely because of battery now.

 

[Boeingfan]

I was checking the battery health of my 13" M2 MacBook Air, 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro and the M1 12.9 iPad Pro.

Both the MBA and MBP still have 100% battery health, while the battery of the M1 12.9 iPad Pro already need servicing. How awesome is that?

The difference is, with the M1 12.9 iPad Pro, you cannot change the changing behavior of the device, which you can do on Mac OS.

I guess I will pay for the battery replacement, but this is a major problem of the iPad Pro. Probably won't buy an other iPad anymore if the battery on these devices degrade so badly as you don't have the ability to customise the charging behaviour.

What is the percentage of the iPad Pro battery? You quoted the others but not the iPad.

 

[acblue94]

It's not an emotional post. These are the facts:
- 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro = 100% battery health
- 13" M2 MacBook Air = 100% battery health
- 12.9 M1 iPad Pro = below 80% battery health

And the reason for this, is that Apple doesn't allow you to manage the charging behavior of the device, like what you can do on Mac.

The iPad Pro really sucks with the way it destroys batteries due to limitations Apple has put in place.

The iPad sucks for you. And you speak for yourself. Good luck with that.

 

[someoneoutthere]

You will never have the same battery health as on Mac, because you cannot customise the charging behaviour. That is a fact.

It's not about a "data point", it is about there is no way to manage the battery on the iPad, like you can do on Mac.

Can you show me where in iPadOS I can change the charging, if you claim it is "emotional" and not a fact?

Launch day 16" M1 Pro @ 90% battery health;
Launch day 6th gen iPad mini @ 89%;
Launch day iPhone 14 Pro Max @ 92% and
Launch day AW Ultra I @ 100%
I never bother using any third party apps to regulate charging nor I have ever used optimized charging on any of my products. They are always plugged into a power source where applicable. I have never understood why people obsess so much about regulating the charging behavior.

 

[xantufrog]

My gen 3 iPad Air is still going strong… assuming no user abuse I reckon you unfortunately just drew a short straw and got a dud battery in yours

 

[mectojic]

I was checking the battery health of my 13" M2 MacBook Air, 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro and the M1 12.9 iPad Pro.

Both the MBA and MBP still have 100% battery health, while the battery of the M1 12.9 iPad Pro already need servicing. How awesome is that?

The difference is, with the M1 12.9 iPad Pro, you cannot change the changing behavior of the device, which you can do on Mac OS.

I guess I will pay for the battery replacement, but this is a major problem of the iPad Pro. Probably won't buy an other iPad anymore if the battery on these devices degrade so badly as you don't have the ability to customise the charging behaviour.

Agreed, my M1 12.9 iPad Pro is already draining battery really fast, which is concerning after just 2 years.

 

[btrach144]

It's not an emotional post. These are the facts:
- 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro = 100% battery health
- 13" M2 MacBook Air = 100% battery health
- 12.9 M1 iPad Pro = below 80% battery health

And the reason for this, is that Apple doesn't allow you to manage the charging behavior of the device, like what you can do on Mac.

The iPad Pro really sucks with the way it destroys batteries due to limitations Apple has put in place.

Please go to your local university and sign up for a statistics course. You’ll soon understand why your sample size of only 1 cannot be used to make such broad claims. As a result, your post and defensive replies come across as emotional.

Unless you can compile data from other iPad users, this is case closed. To many factors, including faulty battery or charger to ignore.

 

[Joe Dohn]

I agree that the iPad is a terrible device. For me, it has only been useful for drawing and maybe handwriting. It's just not good for anything else. For example, the available office suites are just not good for a power user. Or as anyone mentions, file management is also clumsy / limited.

Also, op, this behavior of being so difficult to swap the battery is by design: Apple wants you to buy the next shiny new iPad (obviously).

It IS possible to replace the battery, but that involves heating the screen with a specialized machine. It's something that not even Apple will do.

On the versatility, I bought myself an ASUS ROG Ally and, aside for drawing, it is everything the iPad should be. It's amazing how potent such a small device is. If you set it to 15W, you can barely hear it's even there, even when running a triple A game (!). And while not much, you can customize the stock battery to up to 4 hours battery life on light office usage.

No, it unfortunately doesn't have the battery life an iPad has, but at least the device can easily be opened, and the battery can easily be swapped if you need to do so. I'd rather have to deal with a power bank or a more limited battery life sometimes than having a toy device that's powerful, but that can't be used for absolutely anything because Apple wants to dictate the right way to use it.

 

[Sami13496]

Some of you guys buy iPads for use cases that it’s not designed for then complain that iPads are terrible devices. iPad is great for use cases it’s made for. It’s not useful for everyone and it’s certainly not a laptop replacement. The fact is that many people buy iPad Pro for ”new shiny” who don’t really need it. If you need to do laptop stuff then you need a laptop, so buy a laptop. If you don’t know what the iPad is good for then clearly you don’t have use case for it. It doesn’t mean it’s useless for other people. It’s like saying I don’t need pick up truck so it’s useless type or vehicle.

Regarding the battery. By the time your Windows and Android all in one devices with replacable batteries need a battery replacement, the device is always outdated lagfest in terms of hardware. iPads on the other hand last for years. Unless you ruin battery by strange charging habits, of course.

 

[zapmymac]

I’ve owned iPad2, Air1, 3rd gen 12.9 ipp: the Air1 & iPad Pro were/stellar!

Ipad pro goes as if it was brand new still after 5 years.

I’m sorry, and concerned that your iPad is failing you 😕😔

 

[NastyMatt]

It's not an emotional post. These are the facts:
- 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro = 100% battery health
- 13" M2 MacBook Air = 100% battery health
- 12.9 M1 iPad Pro = below 80% battery health

And the reason for this, is that Apple doesn't allow you to manage the charging behavior of the device, like what you can do on Mac.

The iPad Pro really sucks with the way it destroys batteries due to limitations Apple has put in place.

I have a 2020 IPP that has better battery health than yours so it's either defective or you are letting it drain for long periods. I don't even think about my battery - I simply charge it when it needs it.

 

[Zest28]

It gets even worse. I came back from the Apple Store and they told me the batteries of the M1 12.9 iPad Pro cannot be replaced, so they are going to give me a new M1 12.9 iPad Pro.

So you are not able to manage the charging behaviour of the iPad Pro yourself, causing the batteries to wear out much faster than it should, the batteries cannot also be replaced creating more costs and e-waste.

 

[Digitalguy]

It gets even worse. I came back from the Apple Store and they told me the batteries of the M1 12.9 iPad Pro cannot be replaced, so they are going to give me a new M1 12.9 iPad Pro.

So you are not able to manage the charging behaviour of the iPad Pro yourself, causing the batteries to wear out much faster than it should, the batteries cannot also be replaced creating more costs and e-waste.

Batteries are never replaced on iPad, the device is replaced where there is a battery service. Always

 

[floral]

So... your only issue is the battery degradation?

All batteries degrade. Mines do, yours do, even traditional AA batteries do. The M1 is two years old at this point, so degradation would start to be noticeable by now. Replace it and move on.

As for charging behavior, it really isn't that hard to just remember when to unplug these things. I personally charge it to 100% and never noticed an issue, but you might like to preserve your battery, so just remind yourself to unplug it.

 

[bondr006]

I agree that the iPad is a terrible device. For me, it has only been useful for drawing and maybe handwriting. It's just not good for anything else. For example, the available office suites are just not good for a power user. Or as anyone mentions, file management is also clumsy / limited.

Also, op, this behavior of being so difficult to swap the battery is by design: Apple wants you to buy the next shiny new iPad (obviously).

It IS possible to replace the battery, but that involves heating the screen with a specialized machine. It's something that not even Apple will do.

On the versatility, I bought myself an ASUS ROG Ally and, aside for drawing, it is everything the iPad should be. It's amazing how potent such a small device is. If you set it to 15W, you can barely hear it's even there, even when running a triple A game (!). And while not much, you can customize the stock battery to up to 4 hours battery life on light office usage.

No, it unfortunately doesn't have the battery life an iPad has, but at least the device can easily be opened, and the battery can easily be swapped if you need to do so. I'd rather have to deal with a power bank or a more limited battery life sometimes than having a toy device that's powerful, but that can't be used for absolutely anything because Apple wants to dictate the right way to use it.

Personally, I prefer my M1 iPad Pro 11 over my Mac Mini for my main computer use. I run my real estate businesses with the iPad, and even replaced my 2019 I9 MBP with it in November 2021. It has cut my work flow drastically, and made using a computer for work fun again. All the things I do are just easier and more intuitive than on a laptop.

iPadOS File App is a very robust file manager similar to Finder or Windows Explorer and has come a long way and is actually very usable.. It is one of the most used apps on my M1 iPP 11 for managing files and sending to or grabbing from my desktop computer and external drives. There are some 3rd party apps like Tonido and FileBrowser that I also like, but the native Files App is what I use most now.

I do know quite a few people that don't want to, or have no interest in taking the time to find out what the iPad can really do. Some are intimidated at the thought of using a new operating system, some are happy with what they have always used and just don't want to learn a new OS, and some are just perfectly fine with the iPad being their media consumption device. These are all ok, but it doesn't change the fact that the iPad is a very capable device that can and has replaced a laptop for a large minority of people.

Heck. I'm 63 and like the iPad OS better than either Windows or MacOS which are both overloaded and cumbersome, and add steps to my workflow. I myself am pretty excited, happy, and proud of the fact that at 63 years old and almost 40 years worth of Mac and PC use, I learned a new OS on a device that has replaced my need for a traditional laptop, and cutting the redundancy of devices I needed for work. To me iPadOS is just more fluid and intuitive for the kind of work I do. I create and work with contracts, documents, and pdfs. I take a lot of notes, and sketch house and room dimensions. I do a lot of scanning of documents to pdf for fill, mark up, and signing. The camera is even good enough for taking photos for my listings. Communication with clients is also easy. One device that is easy and fun to use that takes care of all my business needs. Yes I do have an M1 Mac Mini for keeping backups on, but it gets used mainly for watching movies and reading news. I know it is the opposite of most peoples use case, but hey, I love my iPad and it just lets me work the way I need to. AFAIC the iPad Pro has got to be Apple's most versatile and flexible device.

 

[throAU]

You will never have the same battery health as on Mac, because you cannot customise the charging behaviour. That is a fact.

It's not about a "data point", it is about there is no way to manage the battery on the iPad, like you can do on Mac.

Can you show me where in iPadOS I can change the charging, if you claim it is "emotional" and not a fact?

I couldn’t change charging behaviour on my 2011 and 2015 macbook pros, and both seem to have had better battery longevity than any newer apple device i have purchased including my 2021 MBP 14, 2020 iPhone SE, 2022 iPhone 13 Mini and Apple Watch 6

 

[Wando64]

It gets even worse. I came back from the Apple Store and they told me the batteries of the M1 12.9 iPad Pro cannot be replaced, so they are going to give me a new M1 12.9 iPad Pro.

So you are not able to manage the charging behaviour of the iPad Pro yourself, causing the batteries to wear out much faster than it should, the batteries cannot also be replaced creating more costs and e-waste.

Apple have chosen to not replace batteries in store and instead they will give you a new (refurbished) unit to make the process safer and quicker for you.
Your actual unit will go back to a lab where it will undergo a process of refurbishment, which includes a new battery, and then either sold as a refurbished unit or swapped to someone that needs a new battery.

For the price of a new battery you are getting a fully Apple certified refurbished unit, and yet some people still complain.

 

[Joe Dohn]

Some of you guys buy iPads for use cases that it’s not designed for then complain that iPads are terrible devices. iPad is great for use cases it’s made for. It’s not useful for everyone and it’s certainly not a laptop replacement. The fact is that many people buy iPad Pro for ”new shiny” who don’t really need it.

The iPad was designed as an accessory / media consumption device.
While it has the firepower for many sophisticated uses (e.g, virtualization), Apple doesn't want you using like that. Period.

And while it is a great media consumption device, the problem is that it's not a good value at that. Or do you really think using a $1000 device just to watch YouTube is worth it?

All other usages except drawing on Procreate can be better done by other devices. Otherwise, tell me of something ONLY the iPad can do well that justifies buying it (and no, signing PDFs doesn't count).