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iPad Pro: Medium or Large?

Some asshole (Thanks San Francisco) stole my iPad Pro 12.9” (along with ~$3,000 of other gear) last week. ☹️

I ❤️ the iPad Pro so much and use it heavily in both my work and personal life, so replacing it as soon as possible was a must!

Stolen iPad:

  • 12.9” iPad Pro
  • Gold
  • 128GB
  • WiFi

Replacement:

  • 9.7” iPad Pro
  • Rose Gold
  • 128GB
  • Cellular
    There wasn’t a 256GB option when I got the 12.9” at launch, but after using that device for the time I did, I found 128GB to be a good size for me, and I didn’t feel the need to get the newly available 256GB option.

Why the change? There are a couple of reasons:

  1. After dealing with a bunch of different MiFI devices, I decided that ultimately, having cellular built in was a more convenient option. And, with the Apple SIM that comes in the iPad now, I can switch carriers around as needed for signal strength purposes or travel. One other really important factor with cellular is that an always on connection makes Find My iPhone much more useable. My stolen iPad never showed up on WiFi so I couldn’t make use of the feature unfortunately.
  2. The 12.9” screen is absolutely wonderful for split view, watching video, and when using it as a surface for hand written notes using the Apple Pencil. The problem is that using a device that size can be a bit unwieldy. It’s not really possible to type on the device if you are standing, but you can quite easily with the 9.7”.
  3. A byproduct of getting the the 9.7” option is that it’s a little bit cheaper than the 12.9” configuration. This made the jump to the cellular model a bit easier to stomach. Plus, this gave me a little extra money to go toward replacing some of my other stolen stuff.

Both of the devices are really great, but they each have tradeoffs, and most of the tradeoffs are directly related to their physical size. I don’t regret my decision so far, and do find myself pulling out my iPad more often now that it's a bit easier to wrangle. With the 12.9” I would default to my iPhone unless I was in a situation that lent itself to using the large device (e.g sitting somewhere with a flat surface in front of me). With the smaller iPad Pro I can now use my iPad in more situations. Either way you go (9.7” or 12.9”), you are getting a kick ass powerhouse of a computer!