I like big screens. It’s evident throughout all of my devices. From my double-screen PC setup, to my 6.7-inch phone, ending with my 13-inch tablet, I like the workspace a bigger screen offers. So, I can tell you right away that I’m leaning toward the latter in this iPad Pro 11 vs 12.9 comparison. Not that I have anything bad to say about the 11-inch iPad Pro.
As with any decision between two similar devices, you need to know what you’re looking for and why and then decide what you’re willing to lose. You can have the largest screen but lose the ability to tuck a device in your pocket, for example. In other words, you can’t have it all. This iPad Pro 12.9 vs 11 article will walk you through all the pros and cons of each device so that you can make an informed decision.
iPad Pro 11 vs 12.9 — The Basics
You can search far and wide, and it will be hard to find anything better than the current Apple iPad Pro offering. Much of the tech behind these two devices is the same, so you won’t go wrong with either. The iPad Pro 11 is smaller and has a slightly lower screen resolution, coupled with slightly inferior screen technology. Apart from that and their batteries, they’re almost identical down to their release dates.
iPad Pro 11 inch
Pros:
- Great screen
- New M2 Chip
- Great Multi-tasking capabilities
- Good battery life
Cons:
- Buggy Stage Manager
- Smaller display
iPad Pro 12.9 inch
Pros:
- Excellent screen
- Best large tablet available
- Great multi-tasking capabilities
- New M2 Chip
Cons:
- Expensive
- Battery life
| iPad Pro 11‑inch | Specs | iPad Pro 12.9‑inch |
|---|---|---|
| 11” Liquid Retina IPS LCD | Display | 12.9” Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED |
| 2,388 x 1,688 | Resolution | 2,732 x 2,048 |
| iPadOS 16.1 | OS | iPadOS 16.1 |
| Apple M2 chip | Chip | Apple M2 chip |
| 8-core (4+4) 10-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine | Core Configuration | 8-core (4+4) 10-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine |
| 8GB, 128GB 8GB, 256GB 8GB, 512GB 16GB, 1TB 16GB, 2TB | Memory Configuration (RAM + Storage) | 8GB, 128GB 8GB, 256GB 8GB, 512GB 16GB, 1TB 16GB, 2TB |
| Supports Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) | Stylus | Supports Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) |
| 12 MP, f/1.8 (wide) 10 MP, f/2.4, 125˚(ultrawide) | Rear Camera | 12 MP, f/1.8 (wide) 10 MP, f/2.4, 125˚(ultrawide) |
| 12 MP, f/2.4, 122˚ (ultrawide) | Front Camera | 12 MP, f/2.4, 122˚ (ultrawide) |
| Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, hotspot | Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, hotspot |
| Nano-SIM & eSIM | Cellular | Nano-SIM & eSIM |
| Li-Po 7,538 mAh (28.65 Wh) | Battery | Li-Po 10,758 mAh (40.88 Wh) |
| USB Type-C 4 (Thunderbolt 4), DisplayPort, Magnetic Connector | Port | USB Type-C 4 (Thunderbolt 4), DisplayPort, Magnetic Connector |
| 247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9 mm (9.75 x 7.03 x 0.23 inches) | Dimensions | 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4 mm (11.05 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches) |
| 466 g (Wi-Fi), 470 g (5G) (1.03 lb) | Weight | 682 g (Wi-Fi), 685 g (5G) (1.50 lb) |
As you can see, the only areas where they differ are screen size, battery life, dimensions, and weight.
Features Face-to-Face
Design
If I can say one thing about Apple, it’s that their devices have always been well-designed and pleasing to the eye. But design also encompasses build in my view, especially when talking about portable devices. So, how strong are the iPad Pros built? Well, they won’t survive if you throw them against your floor, but they’ll survive the occasional fall.
Both iPad Pros are offered in two colors, silver and space gray. The iPad Pro 11 is 9.75 x 7.03 x 0.23 inches resulting in an 11-inch diagonal screen. The iPad Pro 12.9 is slightly larger at 11.05 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches (12.9 diagonal). Their sleek designs are reminiscent of the rest of Apple’s offerings. Both have ports, Magnetic connectors, microphones, speakers, and cameras positioned in the same places.
Winner: Draw
Display
This is the key selling point for Apple and where the iPad Pro 11 and 12.9 differ most. And it’s not only in size. A lot of tech and features sit behind the iPad Pro 12.9’s screen, setting it apart from all other iPads so far. While much of Apple’s current iPad offering features Liquid Retina displays (LRD), the 12.9-inch has an improved LDR XDR screen.
Apple’s regular Retina displays are already among the best tablet screens you can currently find. They pack a higher number of pixels per inch than other tablet screen types. You won’t see individual pixels on them, unlike on the majority of tablets, and you can forget about those jagged lines that have plagued us since the first displays appeared.
Apple built upon that already great technology by adding a liquid crystal layer. That’s LRD, and it’s featured in both the iPad Pro 11 and 12.9. The latter has an additional OLED layer resulting in brighter colors and deeper shades of black. XDR screens use less battery power, something very important considering the iPad Pro 12.9’s screen is bigger, and should logically be the bigger consumer.
A beautiful feature evident on the screens of both iPads is Apple Pencil Hover. When you bring your Apple Pencil close to your iPad Pro screen, the M2 chip knows your Pencil’s tilt, angle, distance, and position in a 3D environment before you ever touch your screen. It uses electromagnetic signals emitted from the Pencil to do this. The result is a much more responsive experience.
Not everyone is truly pleased with this, and it takes some getting used to it, especially if you’re upgrading from an older iPad. I think it’s great and adds that special touch we’ve come to expect from new Apple devices. Additionally, you can turn this feature off under Settings > Apple Pencil by turning off Show Effects when using Pencil.
| iPad Pro 11 | Model | iPad Pro 12.9 |
|---|---|---|
| LRD | Type | LRD XDR |
| 11-inch LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS | Size and Tech | 12.9-inch mini-LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS |
| 2388-by-1668-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch | Resolution | 2732-by-2048-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch |
| 600 nits max | SDR Brightness | 600 nits max |
| N/A | XDR Brightness | 1,000 nits max full screen, 1,600 nits peak (HDR content only) 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio |
| Yes (2nd-gen) | Apple Pencil Support | Yes (2nd-gen) |
| Yes | Apple Pencil Hover Support | Yes |
| ● ProMotion technology ● Wide color display (P3) ● True Tone display ● Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating ● Fully laminated ● Antireflective coating ● 1.8% reflectivity | Additional Features | ● 2D backlighting system with 2596 full‑array local dimming zones ● ProMotion technology ●Wide color display (P3) ● True Tone display ● Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating ● Fully laminated ● Antireflective coating1.8% reflectivity |
As you see in the table above, the iPad Pro 12.9 has more pixels (larger resolution), uses mini-LED, and offers more features than the 11-inch version. It seems popular among digital artists and designers. However, many users say it’s not worth upgrading from the 2021 M1 iPad Pro models to the 2022 M2 versions.
Winner: iPad Pro 12.9
Also Read: 2023 Guide: Best Large Screen Tablets
Audio
I’ve never been a fan of built-in speakers, but the iPad Pro 11 and the Pro 12.9 have a solid set of speakers on them; two sets of two speakers, to be precise. They sound pretty good for a portable device. They offer more depth than previous iPad Pros and other iPads. Both Pro versions also feature five “studio-quality microphones,” as Apple puts it.
I’ve had a recording studio, and I honestly doubt that any mic that small can compare with actual studio quality, just like a small speaker can’t compete with full-sized high-quality speakers. I currently lack the equipment to test an iPad Pro’s mic against a studio mic, but I stand by my opinion. Nevertheless, the microphones are a noticeable upgrade when comparing the 2022 models with their predecessors.
Winner: Draw
Hardware
Both iPad Pro versions are based on the same hardware. Both use the Apple M2 chipset and can be paired with several memory configurations. If you’re content with 8GB RAM, you can choose between the 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB versions. If you’re looking for the 16GB RAM experience, you’ll have to choose between the 1TB and 2TB versions, which will hike up the price significantly.
The M2 chip is an amazing piece of technology. It’s an octa-core processor that’s divided into CPU cores (4+4), GPU cores (10), Neural Engine cores (16), and RAM. The chip used in both the iPad Pro 11 and 12.9 features 100GB/s memory bandwidth, up from 50GB/s in the previous M1 chipset. Both iPad Pro models also have a hardware-accelerated Media engine.
| Specs | Apple M2 |
|---|---|
| Total Cores | 8 |
| Total Threads | 8 |
| P-cores | 4 |
| Frequency (p) | 3.5 GHz |
| E-Cores | 4 |
| Frequency (E) | 2.4 GHz |
| Integrated GPU | Apple M2 GPU |
| GPU Base Clock | 500 MHz |
| GPU Boost Clock | 1,398 MHz |
Winner: Draw
Software
Apple software has always been well-thought-out, easy to use, and elegant, even back in the nineties. The software available for an Apple iPad today is amazing. So much power in the palm of your hand. And with a few accessories, you can turn your iPad Pro into an even more powerful tool. The Magic Keyboard, for example, allows you to type on your iPad as you would on any laptop, but with even more mobility.
You can do this using various software, including Microsoft Office 365, Google Docs, and many others. You can download them from the App Store, set them up, and be ready to roll within minutes. Apple has dominated the high-quality video editing scene for quite some time, and it offers quite a bit in that regard on its iPad Pro models.
There’s a long list of video editing software to choose from on the App Store, one of which is Apple’s iMovie. Adobe Premier, Final Cut Pro, and GoPro’s Quik for Mobile are all great options easily attainable from the App Store. And the same goes for photo editing or drawing, something many think these displays were made for.
You can do many of these tasks in parallel, or at least your iPad can. iPadOS 16.1 brings these iPads much closer to the multitasking capabilities of a Macbook. The only issue is whether you can keep up. This is due to advancements in iPadOS featured in the iPad Pro 11 and 12.9.
Winner: Draw
Performance
Because they offer almost the same hardware and software, performance differences are hard to pinpoint when comparing the iPad Pro 11 vs 12.9. I turned to benchmark tests to find the truth of the matter. Test results favor the iPad Pro 12.9, slightly. You’ll see this in my graphs below.
The M2 chip offers great performance. No doubt about it. You can even game on an iPad, and I’m not talking about tablet-friendly games; I’m talking about immense graphic capabilities using Nvidia GeForce NOW (cloud-based gaming). Signing up turns your iPad into a gaming rig with just a few clicks and a subscription.
This is possible because of the M2’s power. Its octa-core configuration and Neural Engine speed up operations and handle anything you throw at it. Streaming an RTX 4080? Not an issue. Rendering a movie? No problem. Processing and editing high-resolution images? You got it. There isn’t much these devices can’t do with ease, but the iPad Pro 12.9 does it better.
Winner: iPad Pro 12.9
Looking for a gaming tablet? Read our Best Gaming Tablets article.
Camera
The iPad Pro cameras are great when considering these are tablet devices — among the best of any tablet you can find. They feature two lenses as part of their rear camera configuration, including a 12MP Wide and a 10MP Ultra Wide lens, and a LiDar Scanner. This enhances AR capabilities, among other things. It offers some cool features, such as calculating someone’s height, or an object’s dimensions.
Video recording is also very high-quality. The rear camera records 4K videos at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps (wide) or 1080p HD videos at 25, 30, or 60 fps. The iPad Pros also feature at least one microphone positioned near their cameras (the front camera has two).
The front camera is called a TrueDepth camera by Apple. It offers a single 12MP Ultra Wide lens with a lot of bells and whistles, including Depth Control, Portrait lighting, 1080p HD recording, time-lapse video, lens correction, auto stabilization, and more. As both tablets offer the same camera setup, I have to call a draw here, again.
Winner: Draw
Accessories & Peripherals
There’s almost no limit to what you can “upgrade” your iPad Pro with. I already mentioned the Magic Keyboard, which turns your iPad into a completely functional 2-in-1. A simple adapter allows you to extend your display to an external screen. An Apple Pencil can change how you create and use your device. iPad Pros even support joysticks, including the PS4 DualShock Joystick.
The only downside people point out about Apple accessories is they are expensive. To be honest, Apple products are high-end, so it’s logical for their accessories to be high-end also. But when I consider the Apple Pencil, for example, and what it can do for me, I don’t find the price high, especially the one I linked above.
Winner: Draw
Also Read: Our Best Tablet and iPad Accessories Guide
User Interface
Apple’s iPad interface looks good. There’s no other way to put it. It’s sleek, responsive, intuitive, and nice to look at. If you’re an Apple user, you’re already accustomed to Apple’s UI style. If not, it will take some time to get used to it. Especially if you’re switching from an Android device to an iPad.
Winner: Draw
Battery
Here, you can see a clear difference between the iPad Pro 11 and the 12.9. The 12.9 draws more power, features a larger battery capacity, and lasts about as long as its smaller brother, the iPad Pro 11. The iPad Pro 11 has a Li-Po 7,538 mAh battery that translates to about 10 hours of (Wi-Fi) internet surfing (less when using cellular connections). The iPad Pro 12.9 has a 10,758 mAh Li-Po battery, which also offers roughly 10 hours of the same content.
Winner: Draw
Memory
You can purchase either of these iPads in several memory configurations. The lowest memory configuration available is the 128GB version with 8GB RAM. It’s followed by the 256 and 512GB versions. That doubles up to 1TB with 16GB RAM and doubles again to 2TB. Neither of these iPads has a memory card slot, but you can connect external storage devices if needed.
Winner: Draw
iPad Pro 11 vs 12.9 – Quality and Reliability
Warranty and Customer Support
Every iPad has a 1-year warranty on hardware and 90 days of complimentary tech support. That’s not much, especially since most devices usually start failing us the day after their warranty period finishes. But this may not be the case with Apple, because you can sign up for the AppleCare+ package, and extend your warranty and tech support.
Winner: Draw
Price
At the Apple store, a fully-loaded iPad Pro 12.9 (2TB, 16GB RAM, Wi-Fi + Cellular), coupled with a Magic Keyboard and an Apple Pencil, will set you back well over $2,500. The iPad Pro 11 with the same configuration and accessories will set you back a few bucks above $2,500. You can find them on Amazon as well, but you’ll have to purchase any accessories (Magic Keyboard, Pencil) separately.
Conclusion
To summarize my iPad pro 12.9 vs 11 comparison, I can only say picking between them boils down to what you’re looking for because they both offer much of the same. If you’re looking for a powerful on-the-go device, the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro is the way to go. It’s smaller and thus easier to pack and carry yet still powerful enough.
If you’re aiming for a tablet that can cater to any need and has the screen size to do it casually, the iPad Pro 12.9 is absolutely the best choice. It offers enough screen real estate for any task and the clarity and precision to accomplish even more.
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