As many of you know I'm a big proponent of using iPads for grad school - there are so many great benefits to it! But, how do you know which iPad to get? There are so many on the market now and it's tough to figure out what you actually need when there are so many bells and whistles to look at! Last year, I decided to switch to a 12.9 inch iPad Pro from my 9.7 inch 6th gen iPad - but even though I now have a newer, larger iPad, I find that I still use both of my iPads regularly. Today, I'll compare the two iPads to help you figure out which one is the best fit for you.
P.S. If you’re curious about how I use my iPad and the apps I use on my iPad, I wrote a couple other posts about how I use my iPad for grad school: What’s on my iPad? and How I use my iPad for Grad School
Cat for scale :) — just kidding! Ollie just has really bad FOMO and always wants to be involved in everything, including taking photos of iPads!
My Regular iPad Setup
6th Gen 9.7 inch iPad, 32 GB (the specific iPad I have is no longer available to be purchased new, but there are many refurbished options if that’s the specific one you want!
Apple Pencil Case (similar, the one I have is no longer available)
Functionality (Winner: iPad Pro)
Alright, so I'm not very tech-y when it comes to defining functionality, but what I will say is that my iPad Pro makes working on my iPad much more seamless. Simply put, it's a more powerful iPad so you get less lag, things download faster, and your iPad crashes way less (something that happened to me a lot with older iPads). This is probably a minor point for most people, but I can get pretty impatient and I also tend to load up my iPads with tons of apps, photos, and downloads, so an iPad that can continue to run things smoothly even after I load up ALL of my stuff on it makes my life a lot easier.
App Availability (Tie)
As as grad student, my primary use case for my iPad is as a planner, for taking notes, and for reading journal articles. These requirements are all satisfied by both iPads and you can pretty much get all the same apps on both iPads!
Cost (Winner: Regular iPad)
This is pretty much a given but the iPad Pro is going to cost you at least $1000 (yep you read that right) whereas the regular iPad cost me around $300. My specific iPad Pro was around $1300 because I opted for the 12.9 inch screen over the 11 inch screen and added some extra storage (I have the 256 GB version) so that I could make the iPad last longer. If you’re not a crazy iPad obsessed person like myself, then I think the regular iPad is more than enough - especially for the $1000 price difference.
Screen (Tie)
This might be a hot take, but I don’t really care that much about screen clarity - ah! I know the die hard Apple fans are going to be upset about that one because the iPad Pro screen is supposedly SO much better than the regular iPad screen. Don’t get me wrong, it is better and I can tell, but for my use case, it doesn’t really matter how clear it is because I don’t notice it a ton and I usually end up putting a matte screen protector on it anyway.
Portability (Winner: Regular iPad)
This is the primary reason I still use my regular iPad on an everyday basis. I LOVE my iPad Pro but I usually use it at home when i can lay it flat on my work desk or prop it up to watch TV. If I’m on the go working in a coffee shop or on campus, I typically prefer to bring my regular 9.7 inch iPad because it’s so much lighter and easier to carry. I also love that it’s a good notebook size so it really feels like I’m carrying a paper planner around!
Storage (Tie)
You can add different tiers of storage to either iPad so it’s really customizable to how much storage you think you’ll need! Personally, I bought a 256 GB iPad Pro because I knew that 32 or 64 GB was too small for the number of video lectures I record (they take up so much space!) and Netflix shows I download :P
Access (Winner: iPad Pro)
Ok, this one might seem like a minor one but trust me - it’s not. The regular iPad I have right now is an older model that only uses your thumbprint to unlock the iPad whereas my iPad Pro has Face ID. I love Face ID because I’m constantly snacking, washing my hands etc and my thumbprint is almost never recognized! Alternatively, though, if Face ID makes you uncomfortable (which I know it does many people) then you should opt for an older iPad model for the fingerprint unlocking option.
The Fun Side (Winner: iPad Pro)
Outside of using my iPad for grad school work, I also use it for playing games (Fellow SIMS and Diner Dash playing friends - looking at you!), watching TV, and drawing/doodling. For these purposes, the iPad Pro wins by a landslide. There’s just something so much more satisfying about having all of that screen real estate to move things around, pull up multiple programs, and see all of your Diner Dash restaurants :P
Accessories (Winner: Regular iPad)
I have both the Apple Pencil 1, which goes with the older iPad, and the Apple Pencil 2, which goes with the Pro and other newer models. Unfortunately, you can’t buy an older iPad and a newer Apple Pencil (or vice versa) because they’re not compatible. Though the Apple Pencil 2 is a little sleeker, charges via magnet, and magnetizes to the side of the iPad, I actually think this is somewhat inferior to the old Apple Pencil 1. The old Apple Pencil 1 charges by plugging the pencil into the charging port of the iPad which means that you can have any case you want on both the iPad and the pencil and it will charge. This isn’t the case for the Apple Pencil 2 - I have a sleeve on the pencil and a case on the iPad Pro which means that my pencil won’t charge when both cases are on — I have to remove one or the other. This is super inconvenient because I like to have both on at all times to protect my devices and have to remove one in order to charge the pencil.
So what’s the verdict?
I think in most cases, the smaller regular iPad (or maybe the student iPad? it may go by a different name now!) is more than sufficient for a grad student! The reason I chose to get a bigger, more powerful iPad Pro is because I'm looking at my iPad every single day and use it for eeeeverything I possibly can. If I can do it on my iPad instead of my computer, I'll do it. If I can do it on my iPad instead of on paper, I'll do it. I find it easier to be looking at a bigger screen and it's helpful for my frustration level if the processing speed of my iPad is also fast enough that I'm not hindered by a document loading.
But I realize that the way I use my iPad is not the norm and that most grad students may not use an iPad for reading, planning, writing - everything. So, if you're a grad student or an academic and you're just looking for something where you can jot down quick notes and read papers for class or for research, then a regular 9.7 inch iPad is more than sufficient. On top of that, having the smaller iPad is so much more convenient for throwing in your bag and bringing to campus. And it'll save you a lot of money without really losing that much functionality!
I hope this was helpful! Got any more questions? Send me an email or leave me a comment - I love talking about my tech and productivity and would be happy to chat more! :)
Shop my iPads & Apple Pencils:
Shop my Tech Favorites for Grad School:
