iPad Pro Worth upgrading iPad Pro 11" 2018 to M2 model? Worried about lack of support for my 2018 model

[SSD-GUY]

Hi all,

I currently have an iPad Pro 11" 2018 that I primarily use for note-taking and office work with the Apple Pencil 2nd Gen, and the Apple keyboard in my capacity as a Product Manager.

I'm thinking of upgrading because from my research, iPad OS 18 will be the last iPad OS for the iPad Pro 11" 2018, and therefore I'll not have any further OS upgrades. However, that being said, my main use case is literally light note-taking, and I don't see myself needing the extra power of the M2 processor, as my 2018 iPad Pro is already plenty powerful enough. As far as I can also tell, the screen quality is mostly the same too, so my main worry is just that iPad OS 18 will be my last OS update.

I currently have found a deal for £700 for a 256GB cellular iPad Pro 11" M2, and can possibly sell my iPad Pro 11" for £400, so is it worth the upgrade for the extra support?

Thanks all!

 

[MisterSavage]

If what you've got still works for you honestly I'd just keep using it. Next year when you're not eligible for upgrades maybe you'll find a better deal.

I still use my 2018 IPP as my backup and I continue to be impressed with how it's held up.

 

[Digitalguy]

The 2018 pro will get iPadOS 19. All iPad pros have received 7 major OS updates so far, as well as all iPad air since the air 2.
The 2018 will have received only 6 with iPadOS 18, so there is absolutely no reason for it not getting iPadOS 19.

The confusion is due to the 2017 pro, which did not come 1 year before the 2018 pro, but 1.5 years earlier and 2 OSs earlier, and number of OS is what matters for support with Apple (5 for the base model and 7 for the air/pro)

 

[SSD-GUY]

The 2018 pro will get iPadOS 19. All iPad pros have received 7 major OS updates so far, as well as all iPad air since the air 2.
The 2018 will have received only 6 with iPadOS 18, so there is absolutely no reason for it not getting iPadOS 19.

The confusion is due to the 2017 pro, which did not come 1 year before the 2018 pro, but 1.5 years earlier and 2 OSs earlier, and number of OS is what matters for support with Apple (5 for the base model and 7 for the air/pro)

Ah this has sealed it for me then! Thank you, I'll continue to use my iPad Pro 11" 2018 till at least summer 2026 (which is when I'm guessing iPad OS 20 will be announced/released, at which point the 2018 iPad Pro won't be supported)

Many thanks for clearing this up (and saving me quite a bit of cash)!

 

[iStorm]

Agree with the above. Unless you're really wanting to keep on top of the new features, I would just stick with what you have now. iPadOS 18 being the last version is just a rumor...maybe it will get iPadOS 19. Either way, you'll still receive security updates for a least a few more years beyond the latest supported major version.

FWIW, my old/spare iPad Air 2 is stuck on iPadOS 15, but it still gets an update every few months.

 

[MisterSavage]

I just upgraded my 2018 IPP to the iPadOS 18 beta and it's running like a champ.

 

[Thisismattwade]

I just upgraded my 2018 IPP to the iPadOS 18 beta and it's running like a champ.

Can you give an update on a 2018 iPP running iPadOS 18? I'm inclined to update my (launch day 256GB) 11" 2018 iPP, but I don't want the OS to make it slow.