The Ultimate 2019 iPad Comparison By Austin Evans

- Hey guys, this is Austin. After years of outdated iPads, there are now fresh models up and down the Apple store, which of course, begs the question, should you buy an iPad in 2019? Apple got a lot right with the first gen iPad. The overall size and form factor, well definitely evolved, they're still actually not that far away from the iPads that we have today. For example, look at battery life. Back when the iPad first launched, it had a pretty impressive 10 hours on a charge. Fast forward nearly 10 years later and surprise, surprise, every single iPad you can buy today still has that exact same 10 hour rating.

Things got a lot thinner with the iPad 2, where basics we expect such as cameras were added and it wasn't until the third generation iPad that we got the much needed retina display which was far, far better than what you had on the original 2 iPads. Beyond that though, there really wasn't a lot of evolution on the iPad front, that is until 2012 with the introduction of the iPad Mini. This shrunk things down to the form factor that believe it or not, we basically still have today with the current iPad Mini. There were quite a few updates over the next few years including the introduction of the iPad Air. But the big news really was the iPad Pro in 2015.

This brought for the first time, a physical keyboard, a much larger 12.9 inch screen as well as the introduction of the Apple Pencil for the very first time. Now the iPad lineup is actually the broadest that it's ever been. You have options all the way from $330 to an eye-wateringly expensive $1,900 for the maxed out version of the iPad Pro. First of all, we have the iPad iPad, which is I guess, the best name for the base model of the iPad. Now sure, you lose out on some of the high-end features, but only $330, this really is my go to answer when most people ask, what's the iPad I should go for? Next up in the line is the newly refreshed 2019 iPad Mini.

Now for a while, this was still being sold, but it was way, way out of date. Now thankfully, while it hasn't seen the biggest hardware update, it has seen a major internal upgrade, which really does bring it back up to that 2019 spec that you expect when you're paying $400 for an iPad. At $500, there's the iPad Air. Now this is also refreshed for 2019. It has very similar specs to that iPad Mini.

You can really think of this as an upgrade from the iPad iPad, sure it's a little bit more expensive, but you're getting a better display. You're getting support for things such as the smart keyboard and you do get those more modern specs. Last, but definitely not least, we have the big guy. The iPad Pro, now available in not only an 11 inch, but a 12.9 inch size. First of all, you get the best displays on any iPad here.

And there are a lot of other major advantages. You've got the much better Apple Pencil support. You've got USB-C, you've got great speakers. Really this is the top of the line, but it definitely costs top of the line prices. It seems like a great time to buy an iPad right? We've got brand new options pretty much from top to bottom.

But of course, the real question is why does the iPad still exist and which one should you even consider buying here in 2019? Let's start with the $330 iPad iPad. Now we did an entire video all about this when it came out last year, but as of right now, it doesn't look like it's going to see any kind of major update for 2019. That's not exactly a bad thing though. For most people, this is the iPad that I actually recommend. And there are a lot of reasons for that.

Now because I wanted to have a little bit of a bigger scope to this video, I sat down with a few people around the office and I asked them how they used their own iPad iPads. iPad iPads. - So far I have not run into any limitations with using the iPad, you know, the lower end version of it. I feel like I'm not losing anything, but it's just if I had an iPad Pro, it would be, maybe I could have more capabilities. I haven't really lost anything.

- I was using that to control the audio for the setup. It's way easier to name the files, the inputs, routing, everything like that on the iPad app versus the touch style on the actual audio recording device. We also use logic to do a backup recording so there's a logic app that I can control the thing from across the room. So most of the time, I use that iPad for just light audio control in our studio. - I've been recently using the beat making program FL Studio and a lot of the plugins, the playlist and different aspects of the program get really congested on the screen, so just being able to drag and drop one of those things onto the screen just so I have another thing to look at, it's really helped me out a lot.

So that's I'm mainly using it, not as the main power driver, but to assist my MacBook Pro. - The basics are all here. The screen is decent, although there is a screen gap which you find on those higher end models. And the hardware itself is very similar, as well as you do have the exact same pencil and crayon support from the Mini as well as the Air. Performance really is the only downside.

Here you'll find the Apple A10 processor with two gigs of RAM, as opposed to the Apple A12 with three gigs of RAM on the higher end Air as well as on the higher end Mini. Now it sounds like a lot on paper, however, in reality, it's not a big deal. So even if you're trying to take your iPad and turn it into a laptop replacement, unless you're doing like hardcore gaming or a lot of very memory intensive programs, the iPad iPad actually works totally fine. And especially if you're using it as a content consumption device, which I assume most people are doing when they're spending $330 on an iPad, it really works completely fine. I think a lot of people get way wound up in all the specs.

And while it's nice to have a more powerful device, this is still absolutely no slouch. This is actually a surprisingly straightforward decision. If you're buying an iPad, you should pick up the base model unless you need some of the other higher end features. So sure, if you want a bigger display or smaller display, the Mini and the Pro are both available. If you want the absolute best screen, you want the absolute best keyboard experience, then you can consider upgrading.

But for most people, the basic iPad iPad is absolutely the best move. For 330 bucks, it's actually even pretty reasonably priced. - It's been almost four years since the iPad Mini has seen an update, but now in 2019, it's finally offered with more modern specs. Powered by the A12 bionic chip found in this generation's iPhone XR and XS, the Mini is definitely more capable than it's ever been. But performance only tells half the story.

Unsurprisingly, form factor and size is why you'd even consider the Mini in the first place. Phones have gotten bigger, this is the iPhone XS Max which is the same vertical length as the iPad Mini screen. But not only that, laptops have gotten much more powerful and thinner and tablets like the higher end iPad Pro have not improved, but have also become more expensive and niche. This new iPad Mini with its updated specs sits right in the middle of all of that. And I think it's honestly the one that people should consider buying the most.

First, while it's not as heavy hitting or fully featured as the flagship iPad Pro, you're not compromising much with the 2019 Mini, it runs that same full tablet iteration of iOS, just scaled down to a 7.9 inch screen. It has the same multitasking with the same app management, and even has the same home screen and dock. It's actually comical how small and cramped it is at points, but still very useful. The iPad Mini size also makes it easier to hold and operate than larger iPads if you tend to move around a lot in your day. Hey look, I move around a lot in the day.

I move from my chair to my other chair. Here in the office, when we're going over video scripts before a shoot, having something that I can easily take around with minimal thought and even have it fit in my back pocket has become super handy. And if you grab the LTE version like I did for $130 more, having an always connected tiny iPad just opens up tons of use cases which also means I'll be more inclined to keep using it instead of shoving it in my junk drawer after three weeks like every other iPad that I've owned. I especially like that the iPad Mini is still small enough to type with your thumbs, it's such a little usability thing that goes a longer way than I expected. But the real icing on the cake for me, is that it is only $70 more than that iPad iPad, but with updated specs and a better looking screen.

That to me is perfect, especially if you're down with the size or even if you're not, but are willing to compromise. - The next step up the ladder is the new iPad Air. And well new might be a slight exaggeration, because this is essentially a mix of a bunch of different parts from previous generation iPads. For example, the design is almost identical to the 10.5 inch previous generation iPad Pro. Now because of this, even though the iPad Pro, the iPad Air and the iPad iPad all have very similar form factors, they have three different screen sizes.

The iPad iPad is 9.7, this is 10.5 and the iPad Pro is 11 inch. The only real difference here is just how big the bezels are. While the screen size isn't a big difference, the panel itself is nicer here than on the iPad iPad, mostly thanks being laminated to the glass. And it does share the exact same pencil support. So if you plug in a first generation Apple Pencil, it will work just as well, although while I guess this is working just as well.

(laughing) What is a bigger deal is the smart connector. Now with this, you can use the exact same keyboard from the 10.5 inch iPad Pro, and what this means is that it is very easy to have a fully wired keyboard on your iPad. Now sure, there are definitely Bluetooth options. And realistically, they're going to be a lot cheaper and give you more functionality. But I like how thin this is.

I like the idea that you don't have to worry about syncing, about charging, anything like that. The only problem though, is that $160, this very much pushes the iPad Air into Pro territory. And this kinda comes down to what you actually want to do with your iPad. If you're just using it as a content and consumption device, the software keyboard is totally fine. But for me, I actually want to get some more real work done.

So I'm sitting around and I wanna do email, I wanna be able to write up documents, and a keyboard is absolutely essential here. Which really does mean that this is not a negotiable thing when it comes to me using an iPad. So, it's great to have it, but yeah, $160 is a lot for what's essentially a smart cover with kinda basic keyboard attached. Inside, the Air shares the exact same Apple A12 processor from the iPhone XR, the iPad Mini and it is plenty powerful for a system like this. Now sure, if you put it side by side with the iPad iPad, it is more powerful, but in real world use, you're not really going to notice a massive difference.

Even that A10 still feels very snappy by 2019 standards. But really, all of this comes down to what you want to do with your iPad. If it is that content consumption device, right? The extra power is always nice, I'm never going to complain about something that is too fast, but when you're considering that this is almost $200 more expensive, you really need to be able to get something for that and the specs are a big part of it. And if you're not really using those specs, it kind of makes it a little bit of a harder sell. And that kinda comes around to my big issue with the iPad Air.

It is a good iPad and in vacuum, if I don't drop it, it is a solid choice, but on the lower end, I actually do prefer iPad iPad and the iPad Mini, and on the higher end, the iPad Pro is tough to beat. At least if you have the budget for it. Now when the first version came out, I tried to replace my laptop with it and well, it definitely wasn't quite ready. Fast forward a few years though, and things have come a long way. First of all, the hardware on the iPad Pro is excellent.

Now sure, if you try to jerry rig everything in it, it might not survive, I've been using this for six months and I've had very little of any kind of reliability or durability issues, it still feels fine. Just don't try to break it in half. The screen is also a decent step up over lower end models. A bigger difference is with the panel itself. So the iPad Pro is the only iOS device right now that does have a promotion display, which means it does run at a full 120 hertz.

That's not something you can really see on camera too much, but in person, it makes a big difference because it runs at double the refresh rate. Not only does content look a lot smoother, but importantly it all feels so responsive. I mean sure, the iPads are quick, but the iPad Pro is in another league. Another advantage of going up to the iPad Pro is the addition of face ID. And nothing against touch ID, it's still a great way of using a device, but face ID in my opinion, just works a lot smoother.

The only other side of things is a little bit more complicated. So on one hand, the iPad Pro is the only iPad model that does not come with the headphone jack. On the other side though, it has by far, the best speakers. What surprised me most about the iPad Pro is how much I like this second generation pencil. Now the first generation pencil is still being used on pretty much all the other iPads, but honestly, this is such a superior design.

First of all, it attaches magnetically which makes a huge difference. The old one not only was round, but it also had a stupid little charging cap, we had to plug it into the lightning port. It just didn't make any sense. I feel like this is such a better way of doing it. Just wirelessly charging it from the iPad.

And because of that, I don't have to really think about carrying it or anything, I actually find myself properly using the pencil a lot more. And no, there isn't that track pad or mouse support but with the pencil, I find I can do a lot more precision stuff like selecting text a lot easier than using my fat fleshy human finger. Is that a weird way of describing my finger? Now this is very much going to depend on who you are and what tech you already own, but I'm a big fan of the USB-C port on the iPad Pro compared to lightning on the other iPads. It really does unlock a lot more pro level features. One of which is just that I can use the same charger to charge my computer, charge my phone, charge my iPad, that is a huge deal.

I have having to carry around a ton of different chargers in my bag. Now something I actually do a fair bit is plug this into my LG USB-C monitor back at my house. Now, it's a full 4K monitor and it will mirror the display which is nice, but on top of that, it will charge the iPad at the same time. I do have a couple of things such as a keyboard as well as a pair of speakers connected to the monitor. So with that single cable, just like I can with the laptop, I can get a lot more use out of the iPad.

Which brings us to iOS. So I actually do really like a lot of iOS, right? I think the iPad would not be the kind of tablet that it is if it was running say like, full macOS. But that being said, when you slap a pro badge and a $700 price tag on this, there are a lot of expectations that I have and iOS is not too far off, but there's just enough things that really drive me crazy with it. - For the most part, I would be able to replace a laptop completely with this if it wasn't for a few caveats with apps. Something like the YouTube Creator app, which I use a thousand times a day.

I don't get the full experience on it. Which is something I do need. So things like uploading captions to videos. Uploading thumbnails, they don't quite work as well as being on a dedicated computer with the full webpage. - Who need Final Cut? That's it, that's literally the only bottleneck I have with this thing, is that it doesn't have Final Cut.

And I'm assuming that if they ever put Final Cut on here, Final Cut Pro, they'd have to introduce mouse support, either in the app or natively on the iPad. And if I could just connect, like keep a magic track pad in my backpack and just connect it to this bad boy, and use it like a laptop with Final Cut, I'd be so set. - But a lot of things still don't quite work on the iPad or require a third party apps and it doesn't all quite talk together. I mean, would it be that hard to just give me like a downloads folder and couple of tools to move files around? I mean, that would go so far to making the iPad a proper laptop replacement. Now this is the kind of stuff I can live with on the lower end iPads, you know, it's a much cheaper device.

It's not quite geared to replace your laptop, but on iPad Pro, I expect more and it's not quite delivering just yet. And it's pretty much all software because the hardware is totally here. Okay, we have made it. So the conclusion here really is that this is a great time to buy an iPad, especially if the rumors of iOS 13 being a major update are true. For most people, I really do think that the $330 iPad is your best bet.

It has a nice size screen, it's powerful enough and you do have the ability to use accessories such as a Bluetooth keyboard or that Apple Pencil. Now you would think that the iPad Air is the default answer for most people, but realistically, I feel like it's in this weird middle ground. On one hand, you've got the cheaper iPad iPad which basically does everything the same. And on the other hand, you have the much more expensive iPad Pro which generally is a major step up. It is definitely not for everyone, but if you want to turn an iPad from a content consumption device to something you can actually get real work done on, the iPad Pro is a legitimate step up.

Especially once they add a file manager or a better browser or file extensions that totally work.

Source : Austin Evans