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Which iPad Should You Buy? (Basic, Mini, Air, Pro or Pro 12.9)

2022-03-11 · Tech review, setup or bag tour · Ali · recording, 19:42 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Tools, apps and tech · mode: Review and recommendation · tags: Aimed at students

Ali goes through the five iPads of 2022 (basic, mini, Air, 11-inch and 12.9-inch Pro) on a consumer-to-creator spectrum and a curve of diminishing returns: consumers and students on a budget get the basic iPad, light creators the iPad Air, only professionals who need the M1 an iPad Pro; he himself uses the iPad mini as a glorified Kindle beside his MacBook.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Tech Tuesdays intro: which of the five iPads to buy in 2022

00:00:38 — Upfront conclusion

  • ★★★ Ali's upfront iPad advice for 2022: consumers, and students, get the basic iPad or the iPad mini; light creators the iPad Air; only professionals who need the M1's power the 11-inch or 12.9-inch iPad Pro. — 00:00:44 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★ Ali suspects that 99.9% of people do not need the power of the M1 chip in an iPad. (overstated, hedged) — 00:01:13 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ On Ali's consumer-to-creator spectrum, a consumer mostly watches or reads things, such as Netflix, and spends most of the time in a web browser. — 00:01:13 · Netflix

00:01:24 — Consumer versus creator

  • ★★ Most people, Ali says, sit in the middle of the consumer-to-creator spectrum: they use the iPad for consumption but also some creation, such as Word documents, presentations, sketching or notes. — 00:01:42 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ At the creator or professional end of Ali's spectrum are people doing 3D modelling, advanced gaming, rendering massive Photoshop files or music production with many tracks. — 00:02:11
  • ★★★ Knowing where you land on the consumer-to-creator spectrum tells you how much to pay for tech, Ali says: a consumer does not need tools designed for professionals. — 00:02:11
  • ★★ Ali's second principle for valuing iPads is diminishing returns: the more you spend on an iPad, the less return you get for each extra pound. — 00:02:40 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ By Ali's estimate, the basic iPad at 319 pounds gives roughly 88% of the value of the iPad experience. — 00:02:40 · iPad, iPad Pro

00:02:46 — Diminishing returns

  • ★★ Ali's value ladder, from his own experience: 160 pounds more for the iPad mini gives 92%, 100 more for the iPad Air 95%, 170 more for the 11-inch Pro 98%, 250 more for the 12.9-inch Pro 100%. (hedged) — 00:03:04 · iPad Pro
  • ★★★ Whether an iPad Air or iPad Pro is worth it, Ali says, depends on how much money you have to burn: objectively you pay a lot more for a very small gain, and there is no single answer. — 00:03:33 · iPad Pro
  • ★★★ Ali recommends the budget iPad to anyone on a budget, and to students on a budget without reservation; it looks a bit old-fashioned but is still really good. — 00:04:00 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ The basic iPad model released in September 2021 now supports the Apple Smart Keyboard, Ali says. — 00:04:00 · iPad, iPad Pro

00:04:05 — Basic iPad

  • ★★ On a budget, Ali suggests third-party keyboards for the basic iPad, from Logitech and other brands, rather than Apple's own, which he thinks costs about 100 or 150 pounds. (hedged) — 00:04:30 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ The basic iPad's A13 processor is a few years old, but a student or a lighter user, Ali says, will not notice any difference from an M1. — 00:04:30 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ The basic iPad keeps the old design with a home button and a 10.2-inch non-laminated display, which leaves more of an air gap between the screen and what is underneath. — 00:04:59 · iPad, Apple Pencil, iPad Pro
  • ★★ The non-laminated display is noticeable side by side or when writing a lot with the Apple Pencil, but Ali does not think it justifies an extra 200 pounds for the iPad Air. — 00:04:59 · iPad, Apple Pencil
  • ★★ The basic iPad works with the first-generation Apple Pencil, charged by sticking it into the iPad, which Ali calls unaesthetic; the other iPads use the second generation, which charges magnetically on the side. — 00:05:28 · iPad, Apple Pencil, iPad Pro
  • ★ The first-generation Apple Pencil now comes with a Lightning adapter for charging by cable; the basic iPad still uses Lightning, while the iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad Pro use USB-C. — 00:05:57 · Apple Pencil, iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ The iPad Air starts at 579 pounds, a 260-pound upgrade over the basic iPad and almost double its price. — 00:06:27 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ Ali calls the iPad Air a really good middle-ground iPad, with things that make it a compelling alternative to the basic iPad. — 00:06:27 · iPad, iPad Pro

00:06:34 — iPad Air

  • ★★ Thanks to slimmer bezels, the iPad Air fits a 10.9-inch screen in about the basic iPad's form factor and supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, which charges on its side. — 00:06:56 · Apple Pencil, iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ Ali finds the second-generation Apple Pencil nicer: matte, with a ridge that stops it rolling; as a student his first-generation pencil always rolled off the table. — 00:07:25 · Apple Pencil
  • ★★ USB-C on the iPad Air makes third-party accessories easier to find, but in five-plus years of using iPads Ali has basically never needed to plug in an accessory. — 00:07:54 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★★ Upgrading from the basic iPad to the iPad Air, Ali says, costs about 80% more for only about 7% more value in his subjective estimate, so you have to decide for yourself. — 00:08:23 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ Ali would personally pay for the iPad Air, because he has more money to burn and can buy iPads as a business expense. — 00:08:53 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ The iPad Air now has the M1 processor, a significant speed jump over the basic iPad. — 00:08:53 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ The M1 does not change whether the iPad Air is worth it, Ali says: semi-consumer, semi-creator users will not hit the limits of an A13 or A14 processor anyway. — 00:08:53
  • ★★ Because the M1 should make the iPad Air last longer, Ali suggests it over the basic iPad for someone buying for the long term, despite the 260-pound difference. — 00:09:28 · iPad, iPad Pro

00:09:53 — iPad mini, his daily driver

  • ★★ The iPad mini is 100 pounds cheaper than the iPad Air, with a similar design in a form factor holdable in one hand. — 00:09:57
  • ★★★ The iPad mini is now Ali's daily driver: he thinks of it as basically a glorified Kindle and uses it to read books and scientific papers on the go. — 00:09:57 · Kindle
  • ★★ Ali is writing a book and has to read a lot of scientific papers for it, which he finds much easier on the iPad mini. — 00:09:57
  • ★★ Ali finds the iPad mini, held in one hand on trains, in Ubers and in cafes, more manageable than the two-handed iPad Air, and so better for him as a consumption device. — 00:10:28
  • ★★ Ali would not use the iPad mini as a creation device and would not recommend it to a light creator. — 00:10:28
  • ★★ For illustration or note-taking Ali recommends one of the bigger iPads. — 00:10:58 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ For using an iPad basically as a glorified Kindle or Netflix machine, Ali calls the iPad mini a really solid option. — 00:10:58 · Kindle, Netflix, iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★ There is no first-party smart keyboard for the iPad mini, which Ali finds annoying; he occasionally types on it with a small Bluetooth keyboard. — 00:10:58
  • ★★ When he really needs to type, Ali gets out his 14-inch MacBook Pro, which he finds much easier than typing on an iPad. — 00:11:27 · MacBook, iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★ Choosing between the iPad mini and the iPad Air, Ali says, comes down to the form factor: whether you want a smaller iPad or a bigger one. — 00:11:27 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★★ The iPad does not replace Ali's laptop: he carries his 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro everywhere, and has hardly used the 11-inch iPad Pro he kept in his bag for the last few months, since for proper work he always takes the MacBook. — 00:12:00 · MacBook, iPad Pro, iPad
  • ★★ With a MacBook for real work, Ali sees no point in a middle-ground 10.9- or 11-inch iPad, but a light glorified Kindle in his bag suits cramped cafes, libraries and public transport. — 00:12:29 · iPad Pro, MacBook, iPad, Kindle

00:12:56 — 11-inch iPad Pro

  • ★★ The 11-inch iPad Pro costs 750 pounds; Ali calls it a beautiful, glorious device he has got a reasonable amount of use out of, but very expensive. — 00:13:06 · iPad Pro
  • ★★ The 11-inch iPad Pro is hard to justify for Ali beside a MacBook and an iPhone: most things it does, the iPad Air or the basic iPad also do. — 00:13:06 · iPad Pro, iPad, MacBook, iPhone
  • ★★ Switching between iPads, Ali has never noticed a speed difference between the A13, A14 and M1 chips, and thinks most people never will. — 00:13:35 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★★ The only difference Ali notices on the iPad Pros is the 120 Hz ProMotion display, super smooth; the other iPads have 60 Hz screens that feel worse once you are used to it. — 00:13:35 · iPad Pro, iPad
  • ★★ The lack of a 120 Hz ProMotion display is Ali's only complaint about the iPad mini: with one he would buy it in a heartbeat, and an iPad Pro shrunk to mini size would be his perfect iPad. — 00:14:04 · iPad Pro, iPad
  • ★★ Ali does not think ProMotion is a good enough reason to buy the iPad Pro: it is mostly an aesthetic preference, unless you are an artist who notices it when drawing with the Apple Pencil. — 00:14:44 · iPad Pro, Apple Pencil
  • ★★ The iPad Pros come with 128 GB of storage as standard, the other iPads with 64 GB. — 00:14:44 · iPad Pro, iPad
  • ★★★ Ali used to hate on 64 GB iPads, but now finds 64 GB reasonable: with cheap, good cloud storage and fast internet almost everywhere, he rarely stores anything locally. — 00:14:44 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★★ Ali thinks the iPad Pro is probably not worth it for most people; anyone who needs the M1's performance already knows it, and his review should not sway them. (hedged) — 00:15:13 · iPad Pro
  • ★★ With money to burn, such as a student with rich parents or a side hustle, Ali calls the 11-inch iPad Pro sick: you won't regret it, and its ProMotion display is really nice. — 00:15:42 · iPad Pro
  • ★★ The 11-inch iPad Pro gives about 3% more value than the iPad Air for 70 to 80% more cost, which Ali calls objectively not worth it, depending on how much money you have to burn. — 00:15:42 · iPad Pro
  • ★★ Now that the iPad Air has the M1, Ali says, upgrading to the iPad Pro is mostly for its screen and build quality, which makes the upgrade even less needed. — 00:16:10 · iPad Pro
  • ★★ The 12.9-inch iPad Pro used to be Ali's daily driver, at the hospital and for planning videos, before the M1 MacBooks; now he never reaches for it, even with its Magic Keyboard. — 00:16:39 · iPad Pro, MacBook, Magic Keyboard

00:16:40 — 12.9-inch iPad Pro

  • ★★★ Asked whether an iPad can replace a laptop, Ali still answers, five years on, no, not really: the iPad is limited by iPadOS, which is not a proper desktop operating system. — 00:17:09 · iPad Pro, iPad
  • ★★ The 12.9-inch iPad Pro's more contrasty blacks are noticed only side by side, Ali says, which he calls a very artificial, unfair way to test iPads. — 00:17:38 · iPad Pro, iPad

00:18:07 — Where we are at the end: which iPad he would buy as a student

  • ★★★ The 12.9-inch iPad Pro suits creators such as music producers; for most viewers, unless they have loads of money and really want a huge screen, Ali finds it very hard to justify. — 00:18:07 · iPad Pro
  • ★★★ A student with no money at all should not get an iPad, Ali says: it is not a game changer for university life, so save the money for something else. — 00:18:07 · iPad, iPad Pro
  • ★★★ For a student on a budget going paperless, Ali would pick the budget iPad; with 300 pounds to spare the iPad Air; with a business to put expenses through or rich parents, the 11-inch iPad Pro. — 00:18:36 · iPad, iPad Pro

00:19:05 — Paperlike screen protector and sign-off

  • ★★ Anyone getting an iPad should put a Paperlike screen protector on it, Ali says; it is not sponsored, and he has used one on his iPad since 2017. — 00:19:05 · Paperlike, iPad, iPad Pro

Threads in this video

  • shift · Which iPad should you buy? — Ali's upfront iPad advice for 2022: consumers, and students, get the basic iPad or the iPad mini; light creators the iPad Air; only professionals who need the M1's power the 11-inch or 12.9-inch iPad Pro. (00:00:44)
  • restate · Which iPad should you buy? — Ali recommends the budget iPad to anyone on a budget, and to students on a budget without reservation; it looks a bit old-fashioned but is still really good. (00:04:00)
  • refine · Which iPad should you buy? — A student with no money at all should not get an iPad, Ali says: it is not a game changer for university life, so save the money for something else. (00:18:07)
  • revise · Which iPad should you buy? — Ali used to hate on 64 GB iPads, but now finds 64 GB reasonable: with cheap, good cloud storage and fast internet almost everywhere, he rarely stores anything locally. (00:14:44)
  • refine · How do you decide whether a purchase is worth it? — Knowing where you land on the consumer-to-creator spectrum tells you how much to pay for tech, Ali says: a consumer does not need tools designed for professionals. (00:02:11)
  • restate · How do you decide whether a purchase is worth it? — Whether an iPad Air or iPad Pro is worth it, Ali says, depends on how much money you have to burn: objectively you pay a lot more for a very small gain, and there is no single answer. (00:03:33)
  • restate · Can an iPad replace a laptop? — Asked whether an iPad can replace a laptop, Ali still answers, five years on, no, not really: the iPad is limited by iPadOS, which is not a proper desktop operating system. (00:17:09)
  • refine · Can an iPad replace a laptop? — The iPad does not replace Ali's laptop: he carries his 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro everywhere, and has hardly used the 11-inch iPad Pro he kept in his bag for the last few months, since for proper work he always takes the MacBook. (00:12:00)
  • restate · Which tech is worth buying? — Anyone getting an iPad should put a Paperlike screen protector on it, Ali says; it is not sponsored, and he has used one on his iPad since 2017. (00:19:05)
  • milestone · Ali's first book, which a publisher asked him to write (2020) — Ali is writing a book and has to read a lot of scientific papers for it, which he finds much easier on the iPad mini. (00:09:57)

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: consumer-to-creator spectrum · diminishing returns · iPad · iPad Air · iPad mini · iPad Pro

Also: Projects: Tech Tuesdays

Organizations: Logitech · Netflix · YouTube

Concepts: business expenses

Products: Adobe Photoshop · Apple A13 Bionic · Apple A14 Bionic · Apple M1 · Apple Pencil · Face ID · Google Chrome · Google Docs · Instapaper · iPadOS · iPhone · Kindle · MacBook · Magic Keyboard · Microsoft Word · Paperlike · ProMotion · Safari · Smart Keyboard · Spotify · Touch ID

Also centred on diminishing returns: The Best iPad - iPad Pro vs iPad Air vs iPad 8th Generation · 5 Financial Mistakes I've Made In The Last 10 Years · The Law of Diminishing Returns 📉

Also centred on iPad Air: Which iPad should you buy - Analysis of iPad Pro vs iPad Air vs iPad Mini vs iPad · iPad Mini Review - The Perfect Consumption Device · HEAD TO HEAD - iPad Pro vs MacBook Air (2020) · iPad Air Review - Productivity Powerhouse · The Best iPad - iPad Pro vs iPad Air vs iPad 8th Generation

Also centred on iPad mini: Which iPad should you buy - Analysis of iPad Pro vs iPad Air vs iPad Mini vs iPad · iPad Mini Review - The Perfect Consumption Device · My Everyday Carry 2022

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