iPad Pro Used iPad Pro 11 2018 or iPad Air 4?

[honggil]

Hey everyone,

Would love to get the general consensus on what is the better purchase between (A) a Used iPad Pro 11 2018 64GB version with warranty expired or (B) Used iPad Air 4 64GB but still with half a year warranty that goes into 2022?

Coming from an iPad Air 3.

My budget is about $600 CAD which is approx $500 USD (for the US folks) and they are both priced around the same at $600 CAD.


I'm aware of the technical differences between the two
- e.g. FaceID on Pro, 120Hz on Pro, newer A14 on the Air 4.

With both being at the same price point, but the iPad Pro 11 64gb possibly being used more would battery health be an issue? Is one more future proof than the other?

What else should I consider?

Cheers!

 

[Tsepz]

Hey everyone,

Would love to get the general consensus on what is the better purchase between (A) a Used iPad Pro 11 2018 64GB version with warranty expired or (B) Used iPad Air 4 64GB but still with half a year warranty that goes into 2022?

Coming from an iPad Air 3.

My budget is about $600 CAD which is approx $500 USD (for the US folks) and they are both priced around the same at $600 CAD.


I'm aware of the technical differences between the two
- e.g. FaceID on Pro, 120Hz on Pro, newer A14 on the Air 4.

With both being at the same price point, but the iPad Pro 11 64gb possibly being used more would battery health be an issue? Is one more future proof than the other?

What else should I consider?

Cheers!

I would recommend trying to find the iPad Pro 2018 1TB, then at least you will have more RAM at your disposal, that would the sweet spot, otherwise get the Air 4.

 

[velocityg4]

I'd get the iPad Air 4
- Newer
- Warranty
- Less battery wear
- Faster
- Likely longer OS support life

 

[Wizec]

i just upgraded my iPad 2018 Pro to the 2021 Pro, and bought my son an iPad Air 4.

I would suggest the iPad Air 4. It’s really nice.

 

[azentropy]

I have both and they are both great devices. If both were new and the same price I'd go with the 2018 iPad Pro. Some of the things that are better about the 2018 Pro are more important to me (120hz refresh and much better speakers) than what is better about the Air 4. That said, I only have the Air 4 since I wasn't able to find a "new" or even an Apple refurb 2018 iPad Pro at that price when I needed one right away and didn't want to pay extra for the 2020 version.

 

[1BadManVan]

Well let’s start with the obvious question for me. Why are you wanting out of the Air 3? Going from and Air 3 to Air 4 isn’t a major upgrade unless you’re really pushing it in a certain area that it’s struggling? What’s the air 3 not doing well that is wanting you to jump ship?

 

[honggil]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Seems like more people are siding with the iPad Air 4.

@UnLiMiTeD558 upgrading because I want to get the new design, whether it's touchID or faceID doesn't matter to me, but I like the buttonless and new bezel design. Also want to use Pencil 2 to take some notes (i'm not going to be drawing so I don't think the 120hz is a big deal to me on the iPad Pro).

 

[Shirasaki]

120Hz is a massive deal imo and once you are into it, it is extremely difficult to go back. I have used iPad Pro 2018 for about 2 years and now I can literally see iPad Air Home Screen scrolling lag. It’s very obvious.

I like your like of new form factor. I’d go as far as to say that form factor is the only one making sense for Apple Pencil use. Lightning Apple Pencil just ugh, especially considering its awkward way to charge with iPad.

Touch ID on power button is new but I have since used Face ID so no experience there.

Battery can always get replaced, and it wont cost much. A14 is newer, but overall performance wouldn’t be too much different. Actually, since A14 is for iPhone, it can’t get as much performance as A12X sometimes for certain tasks.

In summary, I highly recommend picking iPad Pro. You wont really regret it much.

 

[1BadManVan]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Seems like more people are siding with the iPad Air 4.

@UnLiMiTeD558 upgrading because I want to get the new design, whether it's touchID or faceID doesn't matter to me, but I like the buttonless and new bezel design. Also want to use Pencil 2 to take some notes (i'm not going to be drawing so I don't think the 120hz is a big deal to me on the iPad Pro).

Well besides the design, if you’re happy with the performance of your air 3, then you’ll be happy with the 4. But besides the design it’s not much of an upgrade, the air 3 still supports the apple pencil 1 which works great as my kids have them.

I personally would try to hold out for an m1 for a more proper upgrade when you already have an air 3 but it’s your money. Speaking from my personal experience, I had an air 4 for a short time but Sent it back due to a screen defect. I decided to hold out longer for the new pro instead of replacing it as it didn’t feel much different then my kids air 3.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Hey everyone,

Would love to get the general consensus on what is the better purchase between (A) a Used iPad Pro 11 2018 64GB version with warranty expired or (B) Used iPad Air 4 64GB but still with half a year warranty that goes into 2022?

Coming from an iPad Air 3.

My budget is about $600 CAD which is approx $500 USD (for the US folks) and they are both priced around the same at $600 CAD.


I'm aware of the technical differences between the two
- e.g. FaceID on Pro, 120Hz on Pro, newer A14 on the Air 4.

With both being at the same price point, but the iPad Pro 11 64gb possibly being used more would battery health be an issue? Is one more future proof than the other?

What else should I consider?

Cheers!

iPad Air 4 for the newer warranty that the 2018 iPad Pro simply won't have.

 

[Digitalguy]

120Hz is a massive deal imo and once you are into it, it is extremely difficult to go back. I have used iPad Pro 2018 for about 2 years and now I can literally see iPad Air Home Screen scrolling lag. It’s very obvious.

I like your like of new form factor. I’d go as far as to say that form factor is the only one making sense for Apple Pencil use. Lightning Apple Pencil just ugh, especially considering its awkward way to charge with iPad.

Touch ID on power button is new but I have since used Face ID so no experience there.

Battery can always get replaced, and it wont cost much. A14 is newer, but overall performance wouldn’t be too much different. Actually, since A14 is for iPhone, it can’t get as much performance as A12X sometimes for certain tasks.

In summary, I highly recommend picking iPad Pro. You wont really regret it much.

Just a different view to balance what would seem the absolute truth to someone who doesn't know...
120hz is a massive deal for some people and just a small bonus for others (count me in the latter category). I go back and forth between promotion and non promotion iPads and I don't care, and if I can choose I prefer speed to 120hz. If I have to choose between A10X with 120hz and A12 with 60hz I take A12...
Battery replacement (for $100) can only be done when the battery is severely degraded. Apple won't replace it otherwise...
A14 will feel faster than A12X in most use cases, but A12X is already plenty fast.
For me the biggest advantage of the pro are the speakers (but again, priorities are personal, some people care a lot about promotion, I barely care, others don't care about speakers since they hardly use them at full volume, I do all the time). Air 4 has decent speakers (better than any non pro iPad) but not as good as a pro.

 

[Digitalguy]

I would recommend trying to find the iPad Pro 2018 1TB, then at least you will have more RAM at your disposal, that would the sweet spot, otherwise get the Air 4.

You won't find the 1TB model for the price of the air, you'll even have a hard time to find it for the price of the entry level M1 pro, unless it's in poor condition. It's easier to find the 128GB 2020 pro for cheaper than the 1TB 2018.

 

[Shirasaki]

Just a different view to balance what would seem the absolute truth to someone who doesn't know...
120hz is a massive deal for some people and just a small bonus for others (count me in the latter category). I go back and forth between promotion and non promotion iPads and I don't care, and if I can choose I prefer speed to 120hz. If I have to choose between A10X with 120hz and A12 with 60hz I take A12...
Battery replacement (for $100) can only be done when the battery is severely degraded. Apple won't replace it otherwise...
A14 will feel faster than A12X in most use cases, but A12X is already plenty fast.
For me the biggest advantage of the pro are the speakers (but again, priorities are personal, some people care a lot about promotion, I barely care, others don't care about speakers since they hardly use them at full volume, I do all the time). Air 4 has decent speakers (better than any non pro iPad) but not as good as a pro.

For the processor, I just want to point this out: A8 was released in 2014 with iPhone 6/6 Plus. iPad Air was also released in 2014 with A8X. A8 was cut from software support 2 years ago and yet A8X still receives iOS 15 support. A14 is newer, but they are still processor used on iPhone, and they will be dropped from software support earlier than A14X (M1). Same for A12 vs A10X. Well, at least this is what I will believe.

 

[Digitalguy]

For the processor, I just want to point this out: A8 was released in 2014 with iPhone 6/6 Plus. iPad Air was also released in 2014 with A8X. A8 was cut from software support 2 years ago and yet A8X still receives iOS 15 support. A14 is newer, but they are still processor used on iPhone, and they will be dropped from software support earlier than A14X (M1). Same for A12 vs A10X. Well, at least this is what I will believe.

No, A8 is still supported in iPadOS 15. You are confusing iPads and iPhones (iPhone 6 had only 1GB RAM, that's why it was support was cut).
As for A12 vs A10X, A12 got some iPadOS features that A10X didn't get, like offline text recognition in images and other offline features. So maybe they are cut from support at the same time, maybe not, but A12 is being considered a better chip already in iPadOS 15...

 

[Shirasaki]

No, A8 is still supported in iPadOS 15. You are confusing iPads and iPhones (iPhone 6 had only 1GB RAM, that's why it was support was cut).
As for A12 vs A10X, A12 got some iPadOS features that A10X didn't get, like offline text recognition in images and other offline features. So maybe they are cut from support at the same time, maybe not, but A12 is being considered a better chip already in iPadOS 15...

I’d not consider A8 and A8X the same chip even though they share the same architecture. 1GB of RAM is the determine factor, but iOS 15 still supporting A8X means architecture plays less of a role for determine if it gets the cut or not. Yes I type iOS instead of iPadOS.

Newer mobile phone chip does have extra silicon that is designed for newer features but I’d argue performance wise they will probably gets cut in iPadOS world at the same time. Ultimately, performance is the key for enjoyable iPad experience.

 

[Digitalguy]

I’d not consider A8 and A8X the same chip even though they share the same architecture. 1GB of RAM is the determine factor, but iOS 15 still supporting A8X means architecture plays less of a role for determine if it gets the cut or not. Yes I type iOS instead of iPadOS.

Newer mobile phone chip does have extra silicon that is designed for newer features but I’d argue performance wise they will probably gets cut in iPadOS world at the same time. Ultimately, performance is the key for enjoyable iPad experience.

It's not the same chip, I am talking about the iPad mini 4 with A8 which which is still supported, that's why I said you are confusing iPhones and iPads... (or simply forgetting about the mini 4)
As for X chips being cut at the same time as the next gen... I tend to agree but I think it depends. I am convinced that A9X will outlive A9 and be cut at the same time as A10 (at least the 2GB RAM A10).
A10X vs A12, not so sure. A12, in addition to being 2 generation newer, is clearly faster, regardless of RAM. So even performance-wise the difference is clear and noticeable.
Having said that, I don't think support really matters because support is becoming extremely long (already 8 years until iPadOS 16 for the A8X and it's not even certain it won't continue to be supported for longer... let alone chips with more cores and RAM that could well be supported for over 10 years, which makes support a non-issue...)

 

[rui no onna]

A10X vs A12, not so sure. A12, in addition to being 2 generation newer, is clearly faster, regardless of RAM. So even performance-wise the difference is clear and noticeable.
Having said that, I don't think support really matters because support is becoming extremely long (already 8 years until iPadOS 16 for the A8X and it's not even certain it won't continue to be supported for longer... let alone chips with more cores and RAM that could well be supported for over 10 years, which makes support a non-issue...)

Also, A10(X) doesn't have the Neural Engine and that still uses homogeneous cores. I think it's quite likely the A10X gets dropped before the A12.

Mind, 10 years of support may be overly optimistic. I think 8 years is Apple's target. Looking at Macs, that seems to be how long they're providing major MacOS upgrades.

 

[littlepud]

Also, A10(X) doesn't have the Neural Engine and that still uses homogeneous cores. I think it's quite likely the A10X gets dropped before the A12.

Mind, 10 years of support may be overly optimistic. I think 8 years is Apple's target. Looking at Macs, that seems to be how long they're providing major MacOS upgrades.

A10 Fusion and A10X have the heterogeneous performance and efficiency cores, but can only run either core type exclusively at any given time. The A11 and later chips can run both types of cores at the same time.

 

[rui no onna]

A10 Fusion and A10X have the heterogeneous performance and efficiency cores, but can only run either core type exclusively at any given time. The A11 and later chips can run both types of cores at the same time.

I'm aware. The reason I mentioned homogeneous is because A10(X) can only use either high performance or low efficiency, not both at the same time.

 

[Digitalguy]

Also, A10(X) doesn't have the Neural Engine and that still uses homogeneous cores. I think it's quite likely the A10X gets dropped before the A12.

Mind, 10 years of support may be overly optimistic. I think 8 years is Apple's target. Looking at Macs, that seems to be how long they're providing major MacOS upgrades.

I absolutely agree on the first point.
I tended to think the same about the second point. But after iPadOS 15 I have kind of changed my mind. Nobody expected the mini 4 and air 2 to be supported, but at this point everything is possible, including them being supported for another (9th in the case of the air 2) consecutive year till 2023 with iPadOS 16. And I think something like A12X/Z deserve even more than that. I might be wrong, but again at this point everything is possible....
And even 8 years is extremely long and beyond what any enthusiast would really care... My guess is that most people who keep iPads that are 8-10 years old have very basic use or have another main iPad and the old one gets very little use anyway...
Will things change? Maybe... I am really curious to see how a A12/A14/M1 iPad will perform in 2028-2030 (regardless of the battery which might have been swapped in the meantime), my guess is quite a bit better than an air 2 / mini 4 today....

 

[one more]

I have an Air 4, so here is my simplified take on it.

a) If your use requires a better quality screen, with deeper blacks and better contrast > go with iPad Pro. Air 4 screen is ok, but it is more “washed out” and tends to have more light bleeding issues than the Pro’s. I thing Apple cheapened out on Air 4 panels, so I would not invest into feeding that pattern. ProMotion with its 120 Hz makes the whole thing seem faster and more fluid too.

b) Same goes for the speakers, Pro sounds better.

c) Air 4 has a really well working Touch ID, if this is important for you.

All the rest is not so much different, IMO, you would barely notice any day-to-day performance difference. I cannot imagine Apple will drop iPadOS support for iPadPro 2018 earlier than Air 4, most likely at the same time. Probably 3-5 years from now, I guess.

 

[rui no onna]

I tended to think the same about the second point. But after iPadOS 15 I have kind of changed my mind. Nobody expected the mini 4 and air 2 to be supported, but at this point everything is possible, including them being supported for another (9th in the case of the air 2) consecutive year till 2023 with iPadOS 16. And I think something like A12X/Z deserve even more than that. I might be wrong, but again at this point everything is possible....
And even 8 years is extremely long and beyond what any enthusiast would really care... My guess is that most people who keep iPads that are 8-10 years old have very basic use or have another main iPad and the old one gets very little use anyway...
Will things change? Maybe... I am really curious to see how a A12/A14/M1 iPad will perform in 2028-2030 (regardless of the battery which might have been swapped in the meantime), my guess is quite a bit better than an air 2 / mini 4 today....

Again, I'm basing the 8 years on Macs. Catalina, Big Sur and Monterey seem to drop support around the 8 year mark so likely more of a monetary/resource consideration for Apple than a performance one. I doubt that the iPads will be supported longer than Macs are.

Unless we go through a big computing shift though, I do believe the 2018 iPad Pros will perform much, much better in their 8th year than the Air 2 is doing right now. Heck, barring driver issues with Sandy Bridge iGPU, that one still handles Windows 10 just fine.

 

[Wizec]

After all the comments about the Pro having a better screen, higher refresh rate (ProMotion), the Air having light bleed etc. I spent some time using my son’s iPad Air 4 to see if I could notice anything that seemed worse about the display.

I just am not seeing any downsides to the Air 4 display. The only real reason I got the 2021 Pro was for Face ID. ?

I love that the Pro has more RAM and starts at 128GB. I expect to get a lot of years out of it.

One thing you might do is see if you qualify for Apple’s educational pricing. That can bring the Pro down almost to Air pricing levels.

 

[1BadManVan]

After all the comments about the Pro having a better screen, higher refresh rate (ProMotion), the Air having light bleed etc. I spent some time using my son’s iPad Air 4 to see if I could notice anything that seemed worse about the display.

I just am not seeing any downsides to the Air 4 display. The only real reason I got the 2021 Pro was for Face ID. ?

I love that the Pro has more RAM and starts at 128GB. I expect to get a lot of years out of it.

One thing you might do is see if you qualify for Apple’s educational pricing. That can bring the Pro down almost to Air pricing levels.

Double the base storage and double the Ram, two extra cpu cores and significantly more powerful gpu. That’s just the benefits of the soc.

I think if you plan to hold onto your iPad for a long time, then spend the extra $$ up front. If you plan to upgrade every few years, the air is a better choice

 

[honggil]

Thanks for all the input!

still deciding and will purchase this coming weekend.

have my eyes on a green iPad Air 4 for $600 cad but also found a iPad Pro 11 with cellular 2018 for $500 , however there’s quite a few scratches on it and doesn’t come with a charger. Thinking maybe I could use a matte screen protector to cover the scratches and save myself $100.