Can you replace your laptop with the 12.9 inch iPad Pro?

I have been using a 2019 Apple iPad Pro 12.9 inch for the last four months and I have found it to be a fabulous experience. I think I would even go as far as saying it is the best piece of tech I currently own. But, is it good enough to replace my laptop?

I have just finished my first year of University studying Journalism so as you can imagine, a laptop is essential for me to write stories and edit video/audio content for my classes. If only I could use it in my dreaded shorthand lessons but more on that another day.

Before I jump in let me run through the specs quickly so we know what we’re dealing with here. This is a 2019/early 2020 Apple iPad Pro 12.9 inch. It has 256gb of storage and is finished in space grey. I would like to refrain from sharing the price but as this is a review I may as well. This cost just north of £1,000 but I see it as a great investment. And no I didn’t use my Student 10% discount as I forgot and I am a buffoon.

Let’s continue

Having a laptop is very important to me as I am never just in one place. I tend to travel a fair bit, work in different spaces and like the idea of having a laptop to watch Netflix on in the evenings but can’t an iPad do all this?

Well, this is what I have decided to try and answer for myself. Yes, everyone has different needs so these reviews on YouTube don’t really help me as I am not a full-time YouTuber (no matter how many times John Coleman tells me to be one). So, this is why I wanted to see if an iPad could replace my laptop for good.

The short answer is…well, there is no short answer as it is yes and no. Therefore, I’ll go through the pros and cons below.

Pros

So, I’ll start with the positives as that’s always a good thing to do. What do I like about my iPad Pro? Well, I will start off by saying I am a huge fan of the screen on this thing. It is incredibly smooth to use. I cannot describe how good it is, you’ll just have to see for yourself. But I will say that I often find myself scrolling through Spotify or Twitter just to feel the smoothness. It’s not just how smooth it is but also how large the screen feels due to lack of bezels.

Another thing I like about my iPad is how it looks and feels. It is deceivingly light. It really feels no heavier than my iPhone which is a very pleasant surprise and the metal casing is spectacular to hold. But this is all stuff you can tell on first glance. Let me tell you what it’s like to live with.

I tend to use my iPad for notes, streaming movies, YouTube, emails, games and the occasional word document or photo edit. It does all these just fine and at times just feels like an extension of my phone which is no bad thing.

Connected to my iPad is Apple’s Smart Keyboard case for £199 which has had its fair share of hate over the years. No, it isn’t the new case as I bought this before that came out so it is the one with the controversial keyboard. It simply clips onto the back using magic elves who act as magnets and has never failed me.

At first, I will admit that I found it rather odd to use as it isn’t all that responsive but after a couple of days you get used to it. I definitely wouldn’t choose to use it to write an essay over my laptop but it's nice to have the option.

Another pro to this ‘pro’ device is its battery life. Apple has never really been known for great battery life in its phones but I have to say that it is great in iPads. Not it isn’t the greatest but I can go around 2–3 days before charging which I think is pretty good. Now in terms of charging, the iPad Pro uses USB-C which for me is excellent as so does my laptop, meaning I can use the same charger for both. While we’re on the subject of USB-C I would also like to say that being able to use my external hard drive with the iPad is very useful, especially when I am away from a computer.

Another great feature with the iPad Pro is the Sidecar feature which has really come in handy over the past few weeks as my lectures have shifted to online teaching for reasons we are all aware of. This nifty feature allows you to essentially use your iPad as a secondary screen with your computer which comes in handy when you need several programmes open at one's time. It does this via Bluetooth and WIFI and I will admit it tends to drop out because of my Yorkshire countryside wifi but it works fine for the most part.

I would also like to quickly touch on the in-built speakers. I have never had a device with so much bass. It even trumps my MacBook Pro when it comes to sound quality. I find myself using this over a speaker in my room sometimes and often have to shout to talk to others when I’m blasting Ken Bruce’s Pop Master in the mornings.

Some other things I like is Face-ID, the screen brightness (why don’t you just marry the screen already Ben?), the fact that it syncs with all my other Apple products and iPad OS is far better than IOS on the phone.

Cons

With every piece of tech, there are always cons. However, I have found the iPad Pro to have so few. But I would like to touch on a couple of things.

Firstly is the complete lack of a headphone jack. I would have thought this would come with a headphone jack being a Pro device which is meant to replace a small laptop but I guess I was wrong. This isn’t the end of the world for me as I can use Bluetooth headphones but it can be a nuisance sometimes and I don’t want to fork out £20 for an adapter when the device cost so much in the first place.

Something else which I would like to touch on is the price which I talked about at the start. It is a lot of money for a glorified iPhone and I understand this. But as a piece of tech and something which can be used every day and benefit my workflow, it isn’t all that bad but still bloody overpriced.

Another gripe of mine is that I got this device literally a month before the newer iPad Pro and keyboard came out. I don’t mind all that much as it was mainly just a camera upgrade and I don’t use the camera on this all that much but it hurt nonetheless.

Other than that, I really can’t think of anything else wrong with this device. Sure, I’d like wireless charging, force touch and a better front-facing camera but these are all things which will take time. Especially wireless charging for such a large device.

My Verdict

So, is this something you should buy instead of a new laptop? Well, for some people, yes for others no. In theory, I could do most things from my laptop on my iPad but I choose not to as the workflow on a computer is far quicker for me and video editing and writing for DriveTribe is far better on a computer.

For others, who just want a device which is light, portable, can stream media, do the occasional word document and undertake the occasional light video and photo editing then I’d say this is the perfect device for you.

I find that using both a laptop and an iPad simultaneously increases my workflow and productivity which I why I will probably always have both near me at all times. Over time iPad OS is bound to only get better and who knows? Maybe I’ll find myself moving more towards it but for now, a computer is the way to go if you want to get some serious work done.