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iPad Pro 11 or 12.9 Pro ?
- Thread starter George Dawes
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The best way I can summarize my use of the 11 inch IPad Pro:
- 40% of the time it’s the perfect size
- 30% of the time I wish it was larger
- 30% of the time I wish it was smaller
So although out of the three options it might be the “best”, 60% of the time I would prefer it to be something that it is not.
- 40% of the time it’s the perfect size
- 30% of the time I wish it was larger
- 30% of the time I wish it was smaller
So although out of the three options it might be the “best”, 60% of the time I would prefer it to be something that it is not.
In light of the rumors of the entire IPP-line possibly going OLED I finally went and bought a 12.9" IPP M1 from a refurb-site. I want to experiment with HDR color grading and OLED typically has a time limit on how long they can retain peak brightness which makes it a no-go for my use cases.
That meant I had to go with a size I've always ruled out. Boy is it big. Barely smaller than my MBA-screen. I can see the benefits and for some things I expect I will love it. Especially when putting it up as a secondary screen for the macbook!. But it's not that nice for a casual lug-around the home. Will see how I feel about it some month down the line.
I was planning on selling both my IPP 10.5" 2017 and Mini 6 but I really really like the Mini and perhaps even more so now.
That meant I had to go with a size I've always ruled out. Boy is it big. Barely smaller than my MBA-screen. I can see the benefits and for some things I expect I will love it. Especially when putting it up as a secondary screen for the macbook!. But it's not that nice for a casual lug-around the home. Will see how I feel about it some month down the line.
I was planning on selling both my IPP 10.5" 2017 and Mini 6 but I really really like the Mini and perhaps even more so now.
Definitely check in after a month on the 12.9. I've had my 2018 since launch and Im holding out on the OLED 12.9 hopefully coming in 2024. Due to some vision loss issues, the OLED is so much crisper, easier on the eyes than LED. Even my 14" MBP with MiniLED gives me eye strain vs OLED which does not. Just switched to a 42" LG OLED for my MBP, so at least I do not have to use the MiniLED unless Im out and about.
I'm in the same boat, love my 11" and the portability. Hope you can get used to the 13" after a month.
Bring on the OLED!
Thank you for this. Was having a ponder this week about selling my mini 6 and going 12.9. My aging eyes with my refusal to wear reading glasses make my mini’s scaling issue rather annoying lately.
I have pondered, purchased, flip-flopped and fomo'd over the 11 and 12.9 since 2018 😆. I even courted the Mini a few times since its inception. 2023 has very recently seen me order an Apple-refurbished 12.9 1TB M1. My reasoning is having it as my all-encompassing mobile device and resorting to a Mac Mini for one-off or heavy lifting tasks. It'll be a miracle if I make it a year without flopping back to the 11, but I think I currently have a good, versatile set up: 12.9/Mac Mini.
No regrets on going back to the 12.9. With my mini 6 when needed I feel this is the ideal size for most of my media and general browsing usage. 11 inch was good but still not comfortable enough to use holding all the time where the MK is such a nice experience
I’m still rocking my 10.9 iPad Air 4. Love the size for bringing everywhere in my edc bag. I use it for work showing customers pdfs and spec sheets without needing to open my laptop or needing to bring them back to my desk. Eventually I will be getting a pro and will be getting the 11” model. Going to wait 1 more year and then my air will more than likely go to my daughter.
11 inch for me. Amazon had a good deal on the M1 11 inch cellular 2TB version(1000 US incl VAT) so just upgraded from my 2018 model and couldn’t be more happy. The storage is such a convenience for my photography workflow, while traveling I no longer need external drives to backup and/or offload my memory cards. Lightroom is a joy to work with on the iPad, I rarely edit on a Mac anymore.
Having originally voted for 11 inch and although still what I am using, I would now go to 12.9 having seen and played with a friend's M1. Nowhere near as bulky as previous generations, I think that if not using external keyboard then definitely the best option for me. OSK having numbers too makes input significantly faster though would not do masses of writing on OSK. I think the size difference and weight have been exaggerated, and only relevant if you need to be moving it about a lot during the day or travelling with it frequently. The extra screen size with or without pencil makes it much more appealing as is the SQ and video to me. Now have to decide on refurb or M2/3 next year, with or without cellular (pricey add on).
I'm currently in the market for a new Pro as my 10.5 is starting to show its age... absolutely would go for the 11 since that's the perfect size imo BUT given that HDR video is getting more and more traction and also I'm doing a lot of LR editing there's no way I'd pass on the XDR screen... so I'm gonna have to swallow the size and get the 12.9.
Can you afford to wait until next year? Rumors are both iPad Pros are going OLED so you'll be able to get HDR on 11".
OLED usually come with a strict timer on how long they can stay on peak brightness as well as a limit on how much of the screen can stay at a certain brightness level. This to save it from burn-in.
Not a big deal for *consuming* content, as you don't run into those limits. But for *creating*, like how christlinah mentions Lightroom, it is an absolute dealbreaker. Imagine sitting with your photo up for 5 minutes and peak brightness of the panel has simply gradually gotten lower while you worked on the image.
Now there are ways around this in professional OLED reference monitors, but they involve actively cooling the panel, something I doubt the iPad will do.
It's pretty possible that the rumored switch to OLED, if true, will make the iPad Pro *less* Pro. Granted the light-bleed from the low-res mini-LED wasn't ideal either, but I'd rather take this while waiting for microLED.
Are you guys on iPad os 17 ? Apparently stage manager is much better now, with fully resizeable windows management, shifting windows on top of each other etc.
This may shift the vote to a larger 12.9” since this opens up more productivity and multitasking (if stage manager really does prove to be more effective) .
This may shift the vote to a larger 12.9” since this opens up more productivity and multitasking (if stage manager really does prove to be more effective) .
The best way of going about it.. is selling current device a couple months before the release day of the upcoming device. At least, that’s been my process.
Because as soon as the upcoming device official release… the previous generation becomes immensely devalued (especially used).
Currently using iPadOS 17 and enjoying the slightly revised Stage Manager… but I don’t think that weighs in on choosing the 12.9 inch over the 11 inch.
If a user is choosing the 12.9 inch over the 11 inch… they looking at it from the standpoint of wanting a bigger display and Stage Manager doesn’t necessarily factor in (imo). And you might correlate… “bigger display means better multitasking experience.”
But I personally think the bigger display is the sole reason because some 12.9 inch users don’t care for Stage Manager nor multitasking.
Though I have M1 11 and was my initial vote, having seen a friend using the 12.9 I got a refurb 2020 model (half price of M2). Surprised and pleased by screen, though only 2 inches larger somehow seems more usable and enjoyable, so 11 now the portable. Also noticeable difference for video and sound. Performance is not quite as fluid as M1 but not a problem for me.
For me, it was the iPad 12.9. I annotate PDF's all day long and the extra screen real estate is fantastic. But I'm not sure the extra screen real estate of the 12.9 is necessary for average use cases. It's such an individual decision based on how someone is going to use the iPad and what they prefer. If someone is traveling, I can see them wanting an 11" for convenience.
I have a 3rd gen iPad Pro 12.9 and always wished it was bigger. More battery life.
#1. More room when using Goodnotes or Notability.
#2. Just better when watching movies/tv/streaming
#3. More real estate for apps that can take advantage of the increased size. (sketching, esp)
#4. Probably big enough to put a medium sized pizza box on top of
#5. I can watch more security camera feeds at once without squinting
#6. Better IP rating and even tougher glass/enclosure.
And on and on.
Tom
#1. More room when using Goodnotes or Notability.
#2. Just better when watching movies/tv/streaming
#3. More real estate for apps that can take advantage of the increased size. (sketching, esp)
#4. Probably big enough to put a medium sized pizza box on top of
#5. I can watch more security camera feeds at once without squinting
#6. Better IP rating and even tougher glass/enclosure.
And on and on.
Tom
On the other hand, eight months is a long time to wait, and there are some really great deals on M1 iPad Pro 12.9’s right now.
I have had the M1 iPad Pro 11 since November 2021. I use it for my real estate/property management work, so I am mobile a lot, and the 11 is perfect. Plenty of screen real estate for the work I do, and pretty light. I also use it as a desktop setup with Stage Manager, which has improved in iPad OS 17.
![IMG_1356.jpg]( "IMG_1356.jpg")
![iPad Desktop 2-12-2023.jpg]( "iPad Desktop 2-12-2023.jpg")
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The Woot deals were great.
The eight month wait can feel really long if you’re having lots of issues with your current device. If you only have minor nitpicks, it can be a bearable wait for a better device at one’s desired form factor.
I like the 12.9 for certain tasks but if I can only keep one iPad, it won’t be the one I’d choose.
A 12.9 combined with an iPad mini, is my choice. The 12.9 has a fabulous screen, and is the perfect size except for portability. Nothing beats the iPad mini for that, much better than using a phone.