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Apple iPad Pro 5 vs Apple iPad (9th generation)

Apple iPad Pro 5

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in Tablet

Apple iPad Pro 5

82 reviews

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Apple iPad (9th generation)

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in Tablet

Apple iPad (9th generation)

39 reviews

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#5 most mentioned

Reddit · r/tablets

Wirecutter · The Best Tablets for 2021

#3 most mentioned

Reddit · r/tablets

Wirecutter · The iPad Is the Best Tablet 2021

Great 12.9-inch screen

Compatible with Apple Pencil and Keyboard

Fast and responsive

Touch screen interface is easy to use

Long battery life

Great performance

Excellent front-facing camera

Very palatable price

Easy to set up and transfer data

Zippy and pleasant to use

Not suitable for heavy gaming

Expensive

Operating system is restrictive

Not as powerful as the Air and Pro models

No USB-C port

No support for Apple Pencil 2

Verdict

The Apple iPad Pro 5 is a powerful tablet that is capable of performing many tasks. It has a beautiful 12.9-inch screen and is compatible with the Apple Pencil and Keyboard. It is fast and responsive, and the touch screen interface makes it easy to use. However, it is quite expensive and the operating system is restrictive, limiting its potential.

Verdict

The Apple iPad (9th generation) is a great tablet for most people, offering strong performance and an excellent front-facing camera at a very palatable price. It is easy to set up and transfer data from an older tablet, and it is zippy and pleasant to use. It is much less expensive than the Air and Pro models, making it a great value for the money.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Price/value Ratio

Apple iPad Pro (12.9-Inch, 2021) Review

It's also, infuriatingly, saddled with an OS that still embraces a 2012-era idea of tablet computing. The result is an amazing tablet that can't quite justify its luxury-laptop-level price, because you still need a computer running a non-tablet OS if you want to open more than three windows or use a second monitor.

Negative

Apple iPad (2021) Review

And while it may look the same as last year's iPad, there are some major changes under the hood, including a more powerful processor, double the storage, and improved cameras. It's just the right size and price for most people, earning our Editors' Choice award and making it the tablet we recommend most out of Apple's lineup.

Positive

User Experience

Apple still dominates the tablet market.

I switched to the M1 MacBook Pro in 2020 and the improvements were astounding. Those improvements don't really seem to have quite the same impact on the iPad, and that's mostly because it's still a victim to iPadOS. I don't imagine that Apple has any plans on allowing its iPads to run MacOS, due to cannibalization of the MacBook market, but iPadOS has its limitations. I do not think the iPad is ready to replace your laptop quite yet, but the power is there to do so

Better than ever

This latest and affordable iPad is up to date, smooth & easy to navigate. What really me was when I learned that all the data and apps from my iPhone 11 could be transferred to the iPad by following easy to understand instructions. I did that and within about 15 minutes, everything from the iPhone jumped over to new iPad. How cool is that? I’ve owned earlier iPad versions but this one leaves those in the dust

Performance

Bloom! ...on an otherwise very nice device.

9”, this is not as big of an improvement as I thought it would be. Yes, this is faster but unless you’re a pro or gamer, you probably won’t notice a big difference from the chips a few years ago. The picture, taken on my iPhone XS max, shows a comparison between the 3rd gen iPad Pro 12.9 from 2018 (right) and the new one (left)

I always knew they were the "best tablets" but I was also a bit in denial as well as just being somewhat anti-apple. With this on sale during prime day 2022 (July) I took a chance and bought one for the kids. This does everything as well or better (usually better) than previous tablets I had purchased because they were cheaper. I also didn't buy a case for it and my kids are brutal with these types of devices

Battery Life

One tiny hiccup, but all is well now.

The battery life is awesome. I can sit and edit for hours without being interrupted to charge it. I actually don’t think it’s ever told me to charge it, I just do after I am done with it. The touch screen is very responsive as well

The battery life seems to be lower than my 6th gen iPad, but in all other categories this iPad is awesome. The 5th gen Air is faster in benchmarks, but the A14 Bionic in this one breezes through everything I throw at it.

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