This article highlights the differences between IPad Pro 2021 12.9in vs IPad Pro 2018, especially for users of the earlier version, to decide if there are significant advantages to upgrade. The IPad Pro 2021 12.9″ maintain its robust, premium build quality as the 2018 edition, but it also have several upgraded features that provide strong reasons to justify an upgrade.
Compare Physical Specifications [tie_index]Compare Physical Specifications[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Gen (2018) | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 5th Gen (2021) |
| Release Date | Nov-2018 | May-2021 |
| Physical Specifications | ||
| Dimensions | 280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9 mm 11.05 x 8.46 x 0.23 in | 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4 mm 11.05 x 8.46 x 0.25 in |
| Weight | 631 g (Wi-Fi) (1.39 lb) 633 g (LTE) (1.4 lb) | 682 g (Wi-Fi), 684 g (5G) (1.50 lb) |
| Glass | Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating | Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating |
| Materials | Back: Aluminum | Back: Aluminum |
| Colors | Silver, Space Gray | Silver, Space Gray |
The iPad Pro 2021 12.9in vs iPad Pro 2018 is about 0.5mm thicker and 51grams heavier for the Wi-Fi, which we opine is acceptable considering the improved specifications, as we shall see below. The IPad Pro 2018 casing will not fit the new IPad Pro 12.9in 2021, because of the thickness. Conversely, IPad Pro 12.9in 2021 casing could fit the older IPad as shown in the Spigen casing below.
Spigen IPad Pro 12.9 2021 Casing (Left) for IPad Pro 12.9 2018 (Right)The larger camera opening for the IPad Pro 12.9in 2021 can accommodate the single camera on the 2018 IPad.
Compare Rear Cameras [tie_index]Compare Rear Cameras [/tie_index]
The original IPad Pro 12.9in 2018 has a single 12MP wide camera with f/1.8 with a 1/3″ camera sensor.
The new IPad Pro 12.9 has the same f/1.8 wide camera but also a new f/2.4 10MP Ultrawide camera with a 125 degrees field of view. According to some users’ feedback, both cameras work at the same time to give you a better picture and is a significant improvement over the 2018 IPad.
The new IPad Pro 12.9 also has the 3D LiDAR scanner, where LiDAR is an acronym for “Light Detection and Ranging” which is for augmented reality (AR). How it works is to “measure distances by illuminating the target with laser light and measuring the reflection with a sensor”. The LiDAR scanner can map out your surrounding or any 3D object and feed that into apps and programs for further uses. This is a new feature found on the newer IPad model since 2020 and is not available on the 2018 IPad.
| Tech Specs | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Gen (2018) | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 5th Gen (2021) |
| Rear Camera | ||
| Rear camera Specs | 12 MP, f/1.8, 29mm (standard), 1/3″, 1.22µm, PDAF |
|
| Camera Features | Digital zoom up to 5x Five‑element lens Quad-LED True Tone flash Panorama (up to 63 megapixels) Sapphire crystal lens cover Backside illumination sensor Hybrid IR filter Autofocus with Focus Pixels Tap to focus with Focus Pixels Live Photos with stabilization Wide color capture for all photos Improved local tone mapping Exposure control Noise reduction Smart HDR for photos Auto image stabilization Burst mode Timer mode Photo geotagging Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG | 2x optical zoom out Digital zoom up to 5x Five‑element lens (Wide and Ultra Wide) Brighter True Tone flash Panorama (up to 63MP) Sapphire crystal lens cover Autofocus with Focus Pixels (Wide) Smart HDR 3 Wide color capture for all photos Lens correction (Ultra Wide) Advanced red-eye correction Photo geotagging Auto image stabilization Burst mode Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG |
| Video Recording | 4K: 30/60 fps 1080p: 30/60fps 720p: 30 fps | 4K: 24/25/30/60fps 1080p: 25/30/60/120/240fps 720p: 30 fps |
| Video Features | Quad-LED True Tone flash Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 240 fps Time‑lapse video with stabilization Cinematic video stabilization (1080p&720p) Continuous autofocus video Noise reduction Playback zoom Video geotagging Video formats captured: HEVC and H.264 | 2x optical zoom out Audio zoom Brighter True Tone flash Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps Time‑lapse video with stabilization Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) Continuous autofocus video Playback zoom Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264 Stereo recording |
The above comparison table between the IPad Pro 2021 12.9in vs IPad Pro 2018 have highlighted the differences between the two models. In particular, stereo recording is available and uses the 5 microphones on the IPad Pro 12.9in 2021. The locations of the 5 microphones are three on the top, one on the left side edge, and one on the rear camera.
Compare Hardware & OS [tie_index]Compare Hardware & OS[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Gen (2018) | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 5th Gen (2021) |
| Hardware & OS | ||
| Operating System | Apple iOS124, upgradable to iPadOS 14.6 | iPadOS 14.5.1, upgradable to iPadOS 14.6 |
| System chip | Apple A12X Bionic (7nm) | Apple M1 16‑core Neural Engine |
| Processor | Octa-core 4×2.5 GHz Vortex 4×1.6 GHz Tempest | Octa-core 4 performance cores 4 efficiency cores |
| GPU | Apple 7-core GPU | Apple 8-core GPU |
| RAM/Storage | 4GB/64GB, 4GB/256GB, 4GB/512GB, 6GB/1TB | 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB, 8GB/512GB, 16GB/1TB, 16GB/2TB |
| Storage expansion | No | No |
| Sensors | Face ID Gyro Accelerometer Barometer Digital Compass Ambient light sensor | Face ID Gyro Accelerometer Barometer Digital Compass Ambient light sensor |
| Speakers | 4 stereo speakers | 4 stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm Earjack | No | No |
| Microphone | 5 | 5 |
| Stylus | Apple Pencil (Gen 1) Bluetooth, Lightning | Apple Pencil (Gen 2) Bluetooth, wireless charging |
| Detachable Keyboard | Yes | Yes |
The biggest gain for the hardware is the upgraded RAM and storage specifications. In the past, Apple phones and tablets used to have lower RAM when compared to the Android phones. This has now changed especially for the tablets which equipped with 16GB RAM and 2TB of storage, which is useful for storing downloaded Netflix videos, thousands of Kindle eBooks, photos and music.
Another major advantage is the upgrading from Apple Pencil Gen 1 to Gen 2 that support wireless charging by simply attaching it to the side of the IPad Pro 12.9in 2021. The Apple Pencil Gen 2 was available since the IPad Pro 2020 launch and so it is not new for this year. The specifications of the Stylus can be found in the table below under Battery life.
Compare Display[tie_index]Compare Display[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Gen (2018) | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 5th Gen (2021) |
| Display | ||
| Screen Type | Liquid Retina display LED-backlit Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology | Liquid Retina XDR display LED-backlit Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology |
| Screen Size | 12.9 in | 12.9 in |
| Resolution | 2732 x 2048 pixels, 4:3 ratio 264 PPI | 2732 x 2048 pixels, 4:3 ratio 265 PPI |
| Screen-to-body | NA | 85.40% |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz adaptive | 120 Hz adaptive |
| Brightness | 600 nits | 600 nits max brightness 1000 nits max full-screen brightness; 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR) |
| Contrast | NA | 1,000,000:1 |
| Color Gamut | DCI-P3 | DCI-P3 |
| Features | ProMotion technology Oleophobic coating | ProMotion technology True Tone Anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity Oleophobic coating |
The IPad Pro 12.9in display has slight improvements over the 2018 model in terms of the brightness. It also has an anti-reflective coating which we believe comes with the glass manufacturer. Apple did not state explicitly which brand of glass is used, however, below are some articles related to the different types of glass available.
Read more:
Compare Corning Gorilla Glass Type
Compare Apple Ceramic Shield and Gorilla Glass Victus
Compare Connectivity[tie_index]Compare Connectivity[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Gen (2018) | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 5th Gen (2021) |
| Connectivity | ||
| SIM Type | Nano eSIM | Nano eSIM |
| Cellular Network | LTE/HSPA/GSM/Edge | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) LTE/HSPA/GSM/Edge |
| Wi-Fi | Wi‑Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac); 2.4GHz and 5GHz; simultaneous dual band; speeds up to 866 Mbps | Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax); 2.4GHz and 5GHz; simultaneous dual band; speeds up to 1.2 Gbps |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, EDR | 5.0, A2DP, LE, EDR |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Connector | USB-C 3.1 Magnetic | USB-C 4 (Thunderbolt 4) DisplayPort, Magnetic |
The 5G connectivity and USB Type C Gen 4 (Thunderbolt 4) ports are also strong reasons to upgrade to the latest 2021 IPad.
Compare Battery and Stylus[tie_index]Compare Battery and Stylus[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Gen (2018) | Apple iPad Pro 12.9 5th Gen (2021) |
| Battery | ||
| Battery Capacity | 9720 mAh (36.71 Wh) | 10,840 mAh (40.88 Wh) |
| Battery Type | Li – Polymer, non-removable | Li – Polymer, non-removable |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 h | Up to 10 h |
| Charging Time | 2h 15mins | 2h 15mins |
| Wired Charging | Fast charging 18W | Fast charging 18W |
| Wireless Charging | Yes | Yes |
| Stylus | ||
| Stylus | Apple Pencil (Gen 1) Bluetooth, Lightning | Apple Pencil (Gen 2) Bluetooth, wireless charging |
| Stylus Size | 175.7 x 8.9mm diameter 20.7 grams (0.73 oz) | 166 x 8.9mm diameter 20.7 grams (0.73 oz) |
| Stylus Battery Life | NA | Up to 12h |
The IPad Pro 12.9in 2021 has slightly larger battery capacity but it does not change the battery life specs, probably because it is negligible and subjective, depending on how the IPad is being used.
Summary[tie_index]Summary[/tie_index]
This article has listed several strong reasons to upgrade, including
- Wide and ultra-wide camera
- LiDAR scanner
- 5G Support
- Apple Pencil Gen 2 Support
- High RAM (16GB) and Storage (2TB) option
If the above is still not good enough to upgrade, then we feel the rest of the minor differences will change the decision.
Read more
Compare Surface Pro 8 vs iPad Pro 12.9
Compare Microsoft Surface Go 3 and Apple iPad Air 4
iPad Mini 6 vs iPad Mini 4
