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iPad Pro Wich one has the better speaker, Ipad Pro or Macbook pro?

Kaikidan

Kaikidan

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 3, 2017
182
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I saw this new macbook pro 13" and a question come to my mind, wich device has the better sounding speaker? iPad Pro or Macbook pro?

both have similar CPU and GPU performance, and people always compare one with another in those "can an ipad be used as a notebook replacement" videos, but as far as I remember, I never saw anyone compare the audio quality between the two. does they sound similar? is the macbook better?
 
go to the mall and try it out.
bring your own music and confirm it for your self

likely few here have the latest hardware of both devices to develop a comparison
 
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all these units (MB MBP, iPad) are as thin as a tortilla bet the drivers are super duper medium quality
things that are louder will sound better
 
jeyf said:
all these units (MB MBP, iPad) are as thin as a tortilla bet the drivers are super duper medium quality
things that are louder will sound better
Click to expand...
While these aren’t high end audiophile speakers obviously, the quad speakers in my 10.5” iPad Pro sound noticeably better than most Windows laptops at 3X the thickness.

They really are very decent for such thin and portable devices.
 
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Kaikidan said:
I saw this new macbook pro 13" and a question come to my mind, wich device has the better sounding speaker? iPad Pro or Macbook pro?

both have similar CPU and GPU performance, and people always compare one with another in those "can an ipad be used as a notebook replacement" videos, but as far as I remember, I never saw anyone compare the audio quality between the two. does they sound similar? is the macbook better?
Click to expand...
I’d say the iPad Pro 12.9 inch. It sounds so good! :)
 
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Kaikidan said:
I saw this new macbook pro 13" and a question come to my mind, wich device has the better sounding speaker? iPad Pro or Macbook pro?

both have similar CPU and GPU performance, and people always compare one with another in those "can an ipad be used as a notebook replacement" videos, but as far as I remember, I never saw anyone compare the audio quality between the two. does they sound similar? is the macbook better?
Click to expand...

Uh OK so, I just compared between my iPad and the MacBook and I gotta say the MacBook blows the iPad out of the water. It sounds more like surround sound and the bass is less tinny.
 
I can compare only my 2018 15" MBP and 2017 10.5" iPP. Both are excellent. The MBP is more expansive, if that makes any sense and louder, if that matters, but both have great articulation for device speakers.

Whatever difference there is between the two would have no bearing on my choosing one or the other. Other criteria/needs would determine that. Like I said, both are excellent for computing device speakers.
 
Kaikidan said:
I saw this new macbook pro 13" and a question come to my mind, wich device has the better sounding speaker? iPad Pro or Macbook pro?

both have similar CPU and GPU performance, and people always compare one with another in those "can an ipad be used as a notebook replacement" videos, but as far as I remember, I never saw anyone compare the audio quality between the two. does they sound similar? is the macbook better?
Click to expand...
Little late, but here is my experience. The MacBook can get little louder and there's more separation on the Mac. So I can hear details that I can't on my iPad but, I feel like the speakers themselves are still better on the iPad. They include more bass, and louder highs and vocals. So idk, I feel like both are better and worse at the same time.
 
I have both. They do sound different but can't say one is better than the other as it's objective.
In terms of detail and sound stage they are quite similar, but macbook sounds a lot warmer and has a bit more lowend whereas the iPad sounds a bit thinner, but details sparkle in songs. I like them both, but personally prefer the macbook sound.
 
Based on the device i have , my experiences are : 2011 21 inches iMac > 2021 11 inches iPad Pro >2015 15.4 inches MacBook Pro >2017 ipad (two speakers) > 2021 iPhone 13 pro
 
Since this old thread has been resuscitated, I'll add my experience with my devices.
The M1 12.9 has louder/fuller speakers than the 2018-2020 12.9". The 12" MacBook (2017) is in between the 2, but closer to the M1. The 11" iPad is below any 12.9".
Let also add the Tab S8 ultra to the mix, which is, like the 12" MacBook, better than the 2018 12.9 but slightly less full than the M1 12.9.
They are all of course quite close.
 
UltimateSyn said:
With the new MBPs the game has changed. The 2021-2023 14"/16" MacBooks Pros have vastly superior speakers vs. the 2018-2022 11"/12.9" iPad Pros.
Click to expand...
yes, while the M1 iPad pro beats the Apple Silicon Macbook air (which is roughly on par with the 12" Macbook), the new 14" and especially 16" MBPs are on another league.
 
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Unrelated, but I initially thought the 2015 13” Retina MacBook Pro’s speakers were decent. My 9.7-inch iPad Pro is infinitely better than both the MacBook, and an iPad released 6 years later: the latest iPad Air 5.
 
It’s alright, I don’t use my device speakers that much as it has way less bass than my Bluetooth Sony XB43 and JBL BoomBox, I only use my iPhone/iPad speakers when my AirPods are charging, or I just wanna let my ear relaxed.. or I’m too lazy to get up and turn on my Boombox.
 
Vivian125 said:
It’s alright, I don’t use my device speakers that much as it has way less bass than my Bluetooth Sony XB43 and JBL BoomBox, I only use my iPhone/iPad speakers when my AirPods are charging, or I just wanna let my ear relaxed.. or I’m too lazy to get up and turn on my Boombox.
Click to expand...
“Which of these two is better?”
“No idea I don’t have these for comparison and pretty much rely on a boombox”

Got ya.
 
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