Apple iPad Pro Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, Wi-Fi, 64GB) - Space Gray Review
The 2018 iPad Pro looks premium but acts its age. With only 64GB of storage and an old chip, it's a tough sell at $250 unless you just want a pretty screen for videos.
Overview
Look, here's the one thing to know about this 2018 iPad Pro: it's a beautiful screen wrapped around a six-year-old brain. For $250, you're getting a premium-feeling tablet that's still great for watching videos and browsing the web, but that 64GB of storage and aging A12X chip are major anchors. It's a classic case of 'looks like a pro, works like a basic iPad.'
Performance
The performance is exactly what you'd expect from a tablet from 2018. The A12X chip is fine for daily tasks, but it lands in the 9th percentile for CPU power today. That means apps open fine, but you'll feel the age if you try to juggle too many things or use more demanding creative apps. The 4GB of RAM is a real bottleneck, and as one frustrated 1-star reviewer pointed out, it can lead to annoying freezes that require a restart. The GPU is even weaker, sitting in the 13th percentile, so don't plan on any serious gaming.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong feature (93th percentile) 95th
- Strong screen (73th percentile) 72th
- Strong social proof (66th percentile) 69th
Cons
- Below average cpu (9th percentile) 9th
- Below average gpu (13th percentile) 12th
- Below average storage (29th percentile) 27th
- Below average ram (32th percentile)
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | 1.6 GHz |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 4 GB |
| Storage | 64 GB |
Display
| Size | 11" |
| Resolution | 2388 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi | WiFi 4 |
Features
| Stylus Support | Yes |
Physical
| Weight | 0.5 kg / 1.0 lbs |
| OS | iPadOS |
Value & Pricing
At $250, the value is a mixed bag. You're paying for the Apple logo and that excellent screen, but you're sacrificing everything else. If your budget is absolutely maxed at $250 and you must have an iPad, it's an option. But for most people, that money goes further elsewhere.
vs Competition
This iPad Pro is stuck between two worlds. Compared to a modern basic iPad, it has a worse screen but a similar old chip. Compared to its real rivals, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ or a Lenovo Idea Tab Pro, it gets crushed on specs. Those Android tablets offer more RAM, more storage, and better performance for similar money. The only reason to pick this is if you're locked into iOS for specific apps and can't spend more.
| Spec | Apple iPad Pro Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, Wi-Fi, 64GB) - Space Gray | Apple iPad Pro Apple 11" iPad Pro M5 Chip (Standard Glass, 512GB, | Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Samsung 12.4" Galaxy Tab S10+ 256GB Multi-Touch | Microsoft Surface Pro Microsoft - Surface Pro - Copilot+ PC - 13” OLED | Lenovo Yoga Tab Series Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus | Xenarc Xenarc 10.1" RT101-PRO 256GB Tablet (Wi-Fi, 4G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 1.6 GHz | Apple M5 | MediaTek 9300 | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 | Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3, QCM8650 | 8-Core: Up to GHz |
| RAM (GB) | 4 | 12 | 12 | 32 | 16 | 8 |
| Storage (GB) | 64 | 512 | 256 | 1000 | 256 | 256 |
| Screen | 11" 2388x1668 | 11" 2420x1668 | 12.4" 2800x1752 | 13" 2880x1920 | 12.7" 2944x1840 | 10.1" 1920x1200 |
| OS | iPadOS | iPadOS | Android 14 | Windows 11 Home | Android 14 | Android 13 |
| Stylus | true | true | true | false | false | false |
| Cellular | false | false | false | false | false | true |
Verdict
I can't recommend this for most people. The 64GB storage and 4GB RAM are deal-breakers for any kind of pro use, and the aging chip means it won't age gracefully. If you're a student or casual user who just wants a nice screen for Netflix and light browsing, and you find it under $200, maybe. But for anyone else, save up a bit more for a newer base model iPad or look at the better-spec'd Android competition. This 2018 Pro is past its prime.