Over the past year, I‘ve been receptive to the siren call of the newest iPads. I almost bought an iPad Air but I managed to resist, telling myself that new iPad Pro models would be released soon. About a month ago, Apple did just that.

They were released amidst a pandemic. Hence, I resisted a little longer; after all, I’m not exactly going anywhere.

Nevertheless, a few days ago I relented. “Fine, Apple, you win. I’ll buy your damn iPad Pro”, I murmured to myself with a smile.

Sadly, I’m a maximizer and tend to overthink large purchases such as this. So the question shifted from “should I get an iPad?” to “which one?”. iPad Pro 11” or 12.9”?

iPad Pro 11″ vs 12.9″

Both the iPad Pro 11” and its larger 12.9” counterpart have a raison d’être, as I’ll illustrate in a moment. So deciding which iPad Pro to buy was anything but trivial for me. Mind you, we are admittedly well past first world problem territory, but figuring out which one to buy was still a tough decision to mull over. You might be struggling to decide between the 11″ and the 12.9″ version yourself.

One is not clearly better than the other. It’s all a matter of your needs and usage and, at least for me, both have a lot of appeal.

Still, I made my choice and ordered one this morning, along with a second-generation Apple Pencil and an OtterBox Symmetry Series 360 Case. Once the “world resumes”, I might order a Magic Keyboard case too but for now, I’m home 24/7 and my Bluetooth wireless keyboard (a Logitech K380) will more than accommodate my needs.

Without further delay, I’m going to list the advantages of the iPad Pro 11”, those of the iPad Pro 12.9”, how they fare for my use cases, and finally which one I bought.

Why buy the iPad Pro 11″

• It works well as a second device. If you already have a laptop, the 11” complements it nicely.
• It’s very portable.
• When used as a tablet, it’s lighter and more comfortable to hold. It can even be held with one hand.
• Highly relevant to my case, but it fits in my existing satchel (a Tumi Organizer Travel Tote) that I absolutely love.
• It’s cheaper than the 12.9” model and its accessories are cheaper as well.
• It’s a better device for “regular” books that are not textbooks or technical in nature. In my case, acquiring this device would enable me to sell my existing BOOX Nova Pro 7.8 E-Reader. Though I like that e-reader, so maybe this point is not exactly a pro.

Why buy the iPad Pro 12.9″

• Its large screen is a beauty to behold.
• In split-screen mode, it allows showing two iPad sized apps rather than two oversized iPhone windows like the 11” version does.
• With the Magic Keyboard case, it can act as a replacement for my personal laptop if it were to die.
• It’s better at multitasking and productivity in general thanks to its larger screen. There are few apps that don’t benefit from the extra room (Instagram, I’m looking at you).
• It’s better at creative tasks. Drawing, photo editing, video editing, all benefit from the extra space.
• It’s easier on the eyes, particularly if your vision isn’t perfect.
• It has a full-sized keyboard should you decide to buy a keyboard case. The keyboard cases for the 11″ tend to have smaller keys and/or cramp their keys to fit in the limited amount of space.
• It can show programming and mathematics books in full size since the screen is not much smaller than the equivalent paper versions of the same books.
• In landscape mode, it offers enough space to take notes and read a book at the same time.
• There aren’t any cheap(er) iPad models in the same size range, unlike the 11″ which has comparatively sized cheaper alternatives in the iPad Air and even the basic iPad model. How is this a pro? It’s not a pro, per se, but it weighed massively on my decision making. If I invest a lot of money in getting an iPad Pro 12.9″ now, I can always buy a smaller second device for cheap, should I need a more portable tablet on the go. I could even opt for an iPad Mini at that point. However, if I were to buy an iPad Pro 11″ now and realize later on that I need a larger screen, I will be out of luck, as there are no affordable giant iPads. So I’d have to buy a second iPad Pro or deal with the hassle of selling my existing one and then buying the larger version.

My iPad use cases

Let’s briefly talk about the most common use cases for me. These are not very novel uses, so I expect many readers will have similar scenarios and needs.

Watching movies in bed: Provided you have a case propping it up, the iPad Pro 12.9″ is the better option here thanks to its larger screen. Mind you, the different aspect ratio between the two devices means that the advantage is not as pronounced as you might imagine.

Casual browsing in bed: If you are casually consuming content in bed, laying on your side or on your back, the 11″ iPad Pro is definitely more comfortable to use.

Casual browsing on the couch: The 11″ iPad is easier on your hands and the 12.9″ one is easier on your eyes. Since you can use your lap to help you balance the 12.9″ iPad, I think this is a draw.

Being productive on the couch: Following the same logic as the point above, this is either a draw or it favors the 12.9″ model, depending on your workflow.

Being productive at a desk: This isn’t even close. The iPad Pro 12.9″ takes the cake.

Traveling for business: Pandemic permitting, when travel resumes, I will most likely take my iPad with me. I think the 11″ is a better option on the plane and the 12.9″ will offer a better experience once you reach your destination (e.g., in your hotel room). So I’d say it’s a draw.

Having it on me everywhere I go: Conversely, the iPad Pro 11″ wins this one. You technically can bring the 12.9″ version everywhere too, but I bet in practice most people will be more likely to do so with the 11″ one.

Using it in waiting rooms or as I wait in the car: Both can be used for this purpose, but especially in waiting rooms, the 11″ one is a little more socially acceptable.

Casual consumption at a coffee shop or the library: For the same conspicuity reason, I think that for casual browsing and consumption at a coffee shop or the library, I’d prefer the more manageable 11″ version which is also less likely to stick out.

Productivity at a coffee shop or the library: The 12.9″ version with a keyboard (case or Bluetooth) is without a doubt the more “laptop replacement” of the two. For coding, blogging, journaling, etc. it’s definitely a better option and the 12.9″ size is not prohibitive to transport places.

Drawing: There are exceptions, but most artists seem to like the larger canvas offered by the 12.9″.

Editing photos and videos: Without a doubt, the 12.9″ is the best option here.

Reading and annotating technical books: I think that the 11″ is a better device to read novels on, but for the kind of technical books and papers I read (mostly programming and mathematics PDFs), the 12.9″ is large enough to offer a readable font without zooming in.

Taking notes: This might be a personal preference, but unless you are taking notes standing up, the iPad Pro 12.9″ with so much breathing room offers the advantage here.

Which iPad did I buy?

You probably guessed by now, but I couldn’t ignore all the advantages of the 12.9″ iPad Pro, so that’s what I ordered. The point about being able to buy a cheaper 10-11″ iPad if I really need something portable helped me seal the deal.

I went with the 256 GB Wi-Fi model since the difference from the 128 GB wasn’t huge price-wise. The 128 GB iPad configuration is fine as well for most people, but I wanted to somewhat future-proof it and avoid having to be too space-conscious in my use of it.

I really look forward to receiving it and talking more about apps, my usage of them, and the setup I’ll use to maximize its usefulness for productivity/coding.

Do you have an iPad Pro or are you contemplating getting one? If so, which version?

The post iPad Pro 11″ vs 12.9″: Which One Should You Buy? appeared first on Programming Zen.

I’m sharing those reasons and my findings about each here in the hopes that they might help other shoppers. This isn’t the world’s shortest post, but its length should prove very helpful if you’re in the same boat.

The following is a list of tablets that I considered at the beginning of my selection process:

• iPad Mini 2 / 3
• iPad Air 2
• Nexus 9
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5
• Amazon Fire HDX 8.9
• Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Tablet

Why buy a tablet?

Before being able to pick the right tablet, you should ask yourself why you want a tablet in the first place.

For me, a tablet is a device in between a laptop and a smartphone.

My personal workstation is a 15″ edition of a fully loaded MacBook Pro, which I chose specifically for its suitability as a development machine and other media intense activities. Its power comes in handy anytime I have programs such as Lightroom, Photoshop, or Xcode open or if I’m performing data analysis in Python. Its large retina screen is beautiful and easy on the eyes while programming.

Its sole downside is that it’s not overly portable. Lately I have been doing a lot of traveling in Western Canada (multiple trips per month). I usually travel with my work laptop (which is also a 15 incher). Carrying a second laptop for personal purposes wouldn’t be practical. Furthermore, I’m pretty certain that a 15″ laptop doesn’t fit on the tiny airplane trays on the backs of the seats aboard the relatively small airplanes I’m usually on for such trips. In short, I love my MacBook Pro but it’s cumbersome on the go and I needed something that I could easily take with me on the go.

While traveling, I have come to rely on my smartphone (a Samsung Galaxy Note3 phablet). Unfortunately despite its – huge by phone standards – screen, it’s still too small to get real work done without fatiguing my farsighted eyes. Are we seeing a bit of Goldilocks situation here?

A tablet seemed like a good middle ground.[1] Small and light enough to have it with you just about anywhere, yet large enough to easily use for productive purposes as well.

What would you use it for?

The second question I asked myself was what would I use the tablet for. I mean, yes, it’s going to be a portable computer of sorts, but what am I’m actually going to use it for in practice? As you go through this thought exercise yourself, be realistic and honest about your needs, so as to hopefully help you make the best choice possible.

For me, it came down to the following four tasks:

1. A learning device. I like to read Kindle and Safari books, take Udemy and Codeschool courses, watch TED talks, and so on.
2. An entertainment device (e.g., Netflix, YouTube, Social Media).
3. Writing posts and articles on the go.
4. Communication (e.g., Email, Facetime, Skype, Hangouts).

Even at home,[2] if I’m not in my office chair in front of a 32″ screen (a BenQ BL3200PT), since getting my new tablet, I find that I rarely reach for my laptop anymore.[3]

What screen size for a tablet?

Having established that a tablet was indeed a good idea, the question became what screen size. There are roughly four categories to keep in mind here:

1. Small (6–7″)
2. Medium (8–9″)
3. Large (10–11”)
4. Extra Large (12″+)

Considering that my smartphone’s screen is already ridiculously large (i.e., 5.7″), I could only justify getting a tablet if it was sufficiently larger than that. It simply wouldn’t make sense to buy a different device only to gain an inch or two diagonally. For books, taking online courses, and watching media larger tablets are also simply better.

These considerations helped me eliminate three candidates from the list – namely, the iPad Mini, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4“, and the 8” Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.

Before we move on to the rest of the list, I’ll devote a few words to those who don’t care all that much for larger screens. 8″ tablets are somewhat of a sweet spot ergonomically (at least for my medium sized hands). They also tend to have very sharp, pixel packed screens.

It’s easy to see why someone would opt for one of these three. The Galaxy Tab S 8.4″ has an absolutely gorgeous super-AMOLED display and a microSD slot for storage expansion. The iPad Mini 2 is currently on sale for a steal of a deal and is an all-around good tablet[4]. The Xperia Z3 is expensive, but it offers a top notch performance, great screen, and some snazzy features, including the ability to use it in a Jacuzzi, as it’s fully waterproof.

In my case however, when it came time to chose between “a little easier to handle” and “a lot more screen real estate” I opted for the latter. I readily admit that it’s a compromise. In the case of 12″+ tablets, the handling becomes too much of an issue for me so I didn’t give them any kind of serious consideration.

My thought process led me to narrow down the race to four medium/large tablets:

• iPad Air 2
• Nexus 9
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5
• Amazon Fire HDX 8.9

Stick to what you know and your ecosystem of choice

Another aspect to consider when selecting your new tablet is the ecosystem of devices you already possess. Do you own a PC or a Mac? Do you use an iPhone or an Android device (or something else)? Are you mostly using Apple services or Google services?

It pays off to be consistent and use devices that can easily synchronize and work together.

In my case, this principle didn’t offer much guidance. I use a Mac, but my personal phone is an Android device. I have two Apple TVs, but one TV also uses Google Chromecast. I have extensive experience with both OSes (iOS and Android), so there would have been no learning curve no matter which device I picked.

Assuming you are not an outlier like me, I’d recommend sticking to what you know and what you use already (unless you’re currently dissatisfied with it).

This discussion on the ecosystem around your tablet actually brings up the reason why I didn’t get the Amazon Fire HDX 8.9. It’s a gorgeous, light, powerful, and fairly well priced device, however, unfortunately much of its value comes from its integration with the Amazon ecosystem.

The apps that you buy for it come from the Amazon Appstore for Android, which has a good selection but nowhere near that of Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Fire OS (an Amazon centric version of Android) is also very well integrated with Amazon Prime’s free goodies options such as video and music streaming. As a Canadian Prime subscriber, unfortunately I don’t get to partake in any of those benefits (only faster shipping), so I passed on what I still consider to be a good device (I recently gifted the 7″ version to my father-in-law, for example, and he absolutely loves it).

I was down to just three contenders then. As you might have guessed, they were the ones mentioned in the tile of this post. It became a matter of iPad Air 2 vs Nexus 9 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5.

Aspect ratio and power

The choice between those three became somewhat unnerving. They were all excellent devices, and you couldn’t go wrong with any of them. With a fair bit of cash at stake however, I simply wanted the best option for me and a tablet I wouldn’t regret.

To make my choice a little easier I headed to the store and tried out the brand new iPad Air 2, as well as the out-for-a-few-months-now Tab S 10.5″. The Nexus 9 wasn’t available in retail stores yet unfortunately.

I found the iPad’s aspect ratio of 4:3 to be nicer to hold, browse, or read books with. The 16:9 aspect ratio of the Tab S was great for videos, but little else. The 10.5″ tablet felt too long in portrait mode. All in all, that meant a definite point in favor of the iPad.

The Tab S screen was stunning in person. Way more vibrant and contrasty than the, by all means great, iPad screen. It would have been squarely a point in favor of the Tab S had I not noticed significant screen burns. I opened a white page, and I could clearly see the ghost of the launcher’s dock icons. I tried several Tab S devices, in multiple stores and encountered this issue each and every time.

Now, don’t get me wrong. This is clearly nitpicking. But older iPads (e.g., iPad Air demo units) did not manifest the same problem. Suddenly the screen, a theoretical advantage of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5, became something to be slightly concerned about.

The mortal blow for the Tab S 10.5 came when I tried to display a technical PDF. The iPad Air 2 was extremely smooth in handling the PDF and could zoom and refocus on a particular area in no time. When I tried the same on the Tab S, there was significant delay. Interestingly, scrolling wasn’t that smooth either. The reading experience (potentially in part due to better software) felt considerably nicer on the iPad.

Benchmarks have shown that the iPad Air 2 is significantly faster than the Tab S. From my experience in the store, the difference is remarkable in real applications as well.

I must acknowledge not only the Tab S’ gorgeous screen (screen burn aside), but also give it Brownie points for having a microSD slot that allows one to add up to 128GB of data to your tablet. Considering that these cards are not too expensive, one could in theory have multiple cards when traveling for virtually unlimited media consumption on the go.

I’ll also must concede that, while not a fan of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface and bloatware, they do provide you with an extra GB of RAM (3 in total, versus the 2GB of the iPad Air 2 and Nexus 9) and the single best multitasking feature of any Android (or iOS) tablet out there. You can have two programs running at the same time on the screen and drag and drop between them. I find the feature extremely useful on my phone, and it would have been certainly all more useful on a large tablet.

Finally, Samsung offers a tablet app so that you can pilot selected phones (including my Note3) through an emulator running on your Tab S. Very handy!

It was tough to say no to the Tab S, but in the end I decided that I had to (above all, for its outdated performance compared to that of the brand new competitors).

iPad Air 2 vs Nexus 9

It all came down to a Battle Royale between these two tablets. The flagship Apple tablet and the flagship Google/HTC tablet running an unadulterated edition of Android Lollipop, the latest and best incarnation of Android.

The truth of the matter is that, by this point I had determined that there was no right or wrong answer. I could have flipped a coin and ultimately have been very happy with the outcome either way.

For the sake of my decision though, I came up with a list of pros and cons for each choice. They can be briefly summarized as follow:[5]

Advantages of the iPad Air 2 over the Nexus 9

• A larger/better/less reflective screen;
• Build quality and QA;
• The models cap at 128GB and not 32GB;
• Thinner aluminum body (but I don’t really care that much there);
• Slightly better battery life;
• Buttery smooth browsing with no lag;
• It has/will have the largest ecosystem of accessories on the market;
• A larger pool of tablet applications available (several apps are currently iOS only);
• New apps tend to ship on iOS first;
• (Opinion) Apps tend to be more visually pleasing and consistent;
• Less risk of dealing with malware (not a huge concern for me, but for some it might be);
• A simple operating system that just works;
• AppleCare+ in North America provides accidental coverage and it’s fairly cheap ($99);
• (Personal) It works well in tandem with my Mac.[6]

Advantage of the Nexus 9 over the iPad Air 2

• Less expensive;
• Easier to handle due to its more compact size;
• High-quality front facing speakers for media consumption;
• Support for multiple users;
• More powerful and customizable operating system (e.g., launchers, widgets);
• It has some apps which are not technically possible on iOS (e.g., RescueTime);
• Many apps are free on Android (if you can live with ads) while requiring a payment in the iOS version;
• (Personal) It works well in tandem with my Android phone;
• Better Google integration.

In the end I went for the iPad Air 2. Specifically a 64GB with Wifi+Cellular in Gold (what can I say, “I love gold”).

If by reading the same list you reached the opposite conclusion and buy a Nexus 9, I can’t fault you for doing so at all.

Before you make your final decision though, I’ll add a few final points:

• I understand their business model, but I still think it’s ridiculous that both companies opted to create 16GB base models at the end of 2014. Google in particular really dropped the ball by not adding a microSD slot. Had that been in place, it might have changed the outcome of my purchase.
• 16 GB is simply not enough on a tablet for most people. If you are opting for the Nexus 9, get the 32 GB model. If you are opting for the iPad Air 2, get the 64GB or 128GB model.
• If you travel or commute on a regular basis, do yourself a favor and grab the cellular version. Tethering with your smartphone can work in a pinch but it’s a pain in the neck to do on a regular basis (and it drains your phone battery very quickly).
• Consider making the purchase through a zero interest monthly plan with your cellular carrier, if any available. It’s much easier to pay, say, $320 upfront + $20/mo interest free for two years, than plunk down $800 + taxes (in Canada) all at once. On that note, I absolutely love my iPad even if, objectively, it does feel overpriced. If the model I chose were to cost $500 instead of $800, I would recommend getting one to anybody without hesitation.
• Get a really high-quality keyboard if you intend to reply to long emails or write with your new tablet. For example, for the iPad Air 2 you can get the BrydgeAir and essentially transform your tablet into a smaller, touch screen laptop. That way you can switch to whichever mode is more convenient (e.g., tablet mode for reading, laptop mode for writing). For the Nexus 9, Google will be releasing their own keyboard case, which looks worthwhile as well.

There you have it. If you are, or already have, pondered this same scenerio, let me know what you opted for and whether my write-up helped you reach your final decision. In the end, I really hope you enjoy your new tablet as much as I’m having a great time with mine.

The post Choosing a Tablet (aka iPad Air 2 vs Nexus 9 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5) appeared first on Programming Zen.