. . . because I am a PC guy with a compact Dell XPS 13 for travel purposes, a MacBook Pro killer in a Lenovo Yoga 920 (UHD touchscreen, 2-in-1 convertible, two Thunderbolt 3 ports), and two desktops including a high-end gaming machine (Alienware Aurora R7). When traveling in Japan via rental car, I rely on my iPhone 6+ for GPS navigation and in combination with Google Maps and Google Earth, I use it to find tourist attractions, hotel/ryokans, and places to eat. I tried to convert my Dell XPS into a GPS-capable navigation device to take advantage of the large screen, and to backup the iPhone, but it failed miserably. What do the CEOs of Apple, Google, and Microsoft have in common? They do not get along, so neither do their devices or software.
PCs are primitive compared to cell phones in their lack of a cellular function and built-in GPS. I tried attaching a GPS dongle to my Dell except it won't interface seamlessly with Google Maps or Google Earth. You have to install a clunky GPS software which is primitive in features compared to the Google apps. This is fine if you have a boat or plane and need something to update your location, but it won't do what Google Maps can do: you can find even the most obscure tourist attractions in a foreign country, you can find your hotel for the night, and you can find nearby restaurants complete with pictures of the food and customer reviews. In one instance, I needed to find the nearest supermarket to my hotel and you just poke on the location with your finger and you have photos of the grocery aisles and even the selection of obentos in the food section! Use Google Earth and you can find out how your hotel looks so you will recognize it when you arrive.
So I finally bit the bullet and ended up getting this tablet. The GPS chip is only in the expensive WIFI + cellular version. Apple products are way overpriced if you ask me; at $1050, this IPad Pro 11" cost more than my Dell XPS laptop. I agree with one reviewer that market price on these units should be in the $300-400 range, no more. And there is NO WAY an iPad can do as many things as a laptop.
To wit: this IPad Pro 11" has a USB-C port, correct? So I connect the USB-C hub for my PCs and hooked up a 4 TB portable HDD figuring I could access the data on it. HAHAHAHAHA! Apple products won't have anything to do with anything remotely PC-ish such as external HDDs. My only option here is to buy multiple 256 GB IPad compatible flash drives, when for the price of one of these, you can easily buy a 2 TB portable HDD for a PC. I could use Cloud storage, but I need to access the data on a plane and I don't want to pay for the pathetically slow WIFI you get on a flight.
Why isn't there one device that has:
- Built-in cellular, WIFI, and GPS
- Has a large, 2-in-1 touchscreen so you can use it as a tablet
- And has upgradeable RAM and cheap storage space, yet works seamlessly with Google apps?
I will say this IPad Pro 11" is sweet compared to my dated iPhone 6+. It's slick and fast, has a large, gorgeous liquid Retina screen, has facial recognition, and has better battery life, but as a retiree, it's a luxury I don't really use much unless I'm traveling. But I had gone 10 years before I recently upgraded my PCs, and my IPhone 6+ is a good 4-5 years old, so I imagine I'll be hanging on to this $1K investment for quite awhile.
Sustainability features
This product has sustainability features recognized by trusted certifications.
Energy efficiency
Conserves energy compared to similar products.
As certified by
EPEAT EPEAT addresses the sustainability impacts of electronic products. An EPEAT registered product must meet required criteria and can meet optional criteria. The criteria depend on the type of product and can include energy efficiency, reduction of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-Gases), and end of life management. Products meeting 50% - 75% optional criteria are “Silver” and those meeting more than 75% are “Gold”.
Certification Level
GOLD Part of
Sustainability features
This product has sustainability features recognized by trusted certifications.
Energy efficiency
Conserves energy compared to similar products.
As certified by
EPEAT EPEAT addresses the sustainability impacts of electronic products. An EPEAT registered product must meet required criteria and can meet optional criteria. The criteria depend on the type of product and can include energy efficiency, reduction of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-Gases), and end of life management. Products meeting 50% - 75% optional criteria are “Silver” and those meeting more than 75% are “Gold”.
Certification Level
GOLD Part of
Compare Apple iPad products
| Price | From: - | From: - | From: $299.00 |
| Ratings | (5,291) | (2,969) | (6,464) |
| Display | 11 inch Liquid Retina display | 12.9 inch Liquid Retina display | 10.5 inch Retina display |
| Face/Touch ID | Face ID | Face ID | |
| Chip | A12X Bionic chip with Neural Engine | A12X Bionic chip with Neural Engine | A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine |
| Camera | 12MP photos | 12MP photos | 8MP photos |
| Video | 4K video recording | 4K video recording | 1080p HD video recording |
| Apple Pencil Compatibility | Apple Pencil (2nd generation) | Apple Pencil (2nd generation) | Apple Pencil |
| Smart Keyboard Compatibility | Compatible with Smart Keyboard Folio and Bluetooth keyboards | Compatible with Smart Keyboard Folio and Bluetooth keyboards | Compatible with Smart Keyboard Folio and Bluetooth keyboards |
| Connector | USB-C connector | USB-C connector | Lightning connector |
Reviews with images
Worthy of the upgrade from iPad Pro 10.5”
The Good:-Powerful and snappy performance-Face ID is more efficient and effective than finger ID-Speakers are louder and crisper-Lightweight-High resolution screen-Great for travel-New Smart Keyboard is better than previous generation as it protects the back of the iPad-New Apple Pencil 2 is better than previous generation since you charge on side of iPad-USB C is more universal of a connector-Beautiful design-LTE works wellThe Bad:-Expensive but powerful-No USB C to 3.5 mm headphone converterThe Bottom Line:I have both the iPad Pro 10.5 (512 GB LTE) and this new iPad Pro 11 (512 GB LTE version). I travel a lot and use my iPad almost exclusively when I’m away from my desk. I use my iPad to take hand written notes exclusively and use Excel and do picture editing. This new iPad 11 compared to the 10.5 is better in every way. Probably what’s saved me the most time is Face ID. It’s just way more efficient and effective for me (no more fumbling around with my thumb). The processor and graphics are much snappier than the previous version and there’s no lag on anything I do. The speakers on this iPad are louder and clearer so I use this to watch videos and listen to music in my hotel room. Overall, I would recommend this iPad Pro 11 as a worthy upgrade from the 10.5 if you’re a heavy user of your iPad.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2019
Style: Wi-Fi + CellularSize: 256GBColor: SilverVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2019
Style: Wi-FiSize: 64GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
MB
Excellent product, apple pencil 1 not compatible.
Reviewed in Canada on October 30, 2019Style: Wi-FiSize: 64GBColor: SilverVerified Purchase
Patricio Tavizon
Excelente
Reviewed in Mexico on October 23, 2019Style: Wi-FiSize: 64GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase
Anon
Great purchase!
Reviewed in Canada on February 10, 2020Style: Wi-FiSize: 64GBColor: SilverVerified Purchase
Amazon Customer
As promised in the description
Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2020Style: Wi-FiSize: 256GBColor: Space GrayVerified Purchase
