I’ve been following the reviews on the new iPad Air particularly as someone that uses the 10.5” iPad Pro and wanted to put down my thoughts on which one might be best.
First off the screen size and accessory support is exactly the same. That means you can use the same smart Keyboard Cover and first generation Apple Pencil.
For me there are only two important points to help you make your decision.
The speakers are different between the two models. The 10.5” has the same 4 speaker technology that came with the previous 12.9” iPad Pro and it sounds really great. If listening to music or watching movies on device is important to you then get a 10.5” iPad Pro.
Now let’s look at performance. The 10.5” has the A10X, which in my experience still keeps up with anything I’ve thrown at it. That’s editing podcasts, video and my blogging. I don’t notice any slow down and it’ll be good for at least the next 5 iOS versions. The Air has the A12 Bionic that’s in the iPhone XS series. This isn’t the same as the A12X in the more expensive Pro series. It’s a fast chip and it’ll be good for years to come. If you’re going to use your iPad for a lot of music production or video production you might want to consider the iPad Air (that’s if you can’t stretch to the Pro).
For most people the Air will be the default iPad to get but if you can pick up a refurbished iPad Pro 10.5” don’t write it off, it might serve you better and save you some cash.
