As I mentioned previously, I own both the 7th Generation iPad and the 2020 iPad Pro, which I call the Regular iPad and the iPad Pro respectively.
As I mentioned previously, the Regular iPad was only meant to be an interim device and that I planned on giving the regular iPad to my mum as soon as I acquire the iPad Pro and as soon as I can travel to see her. However, the more I use it, the more I am getting attached to the Regular iPad (sorry, mom!). I also mentioned in my Regular iPad Reviewhttps://ellaland.blog/2020/06/18/7th-gen-ipad/ that I preferred the Regular iPad to my iPad Pro. And it got me thinking, that it can be handy to keep the Regular iPad around especially for travel.
I know that we are all currently on lockdown and unable to travel for leisure for the foreseeable future, but this just got me thinking that as soon as the borders open and this Pandemic controlled, I want to travel! That’s one of the few things that keeps me from going insane in this troubled times! So I gotta get myself and my stuff ready for the day when we all could travel again!
Enter the Regular iPad.
But this is not a post as to why I prefer an iPad over a laptop (good topic for another post tho!), this is a post about why the Regular iPad is better than an iPad Pro when traveling.
Having an iPad or any tablet for that matter is a beautiful thing when traveling. I find that this is very convenient, especially for long trips. Having a tablet is like having your entertainment system and your laptop with you on the go. It allows you to listen to music and audio books, stream and/or watch videos, download photos and it is definitely a lot less bulky than a laptop and its charger. More often than not, the battery life is better too. Ever since owning the iPad 1 in 2010 and taking it to my first Eurotrip in 2011 in lieu of a laptop, i have never travelled anywhere else be it a long or a short trip, without an iPad.
So without further ado, here’s why.
• Specs – While the specs of the Regular iPad pales in comparison to the iPad Pro, the Regular iPad is no slouch. In fact, its power can easily bring to dust any non-Apple tablet competitor
• iOS Capabilities – The Regular iPad shares the same iOS compatibility as the iPad Pro and this means that the regular iPad will be able to run all apps in the Apple Store that runs on the iPad Pro. It may be a little bit slower in processing some of the apps (hello there, LumaFusion) that runs butter-smooth on the iPad Pro, but it will still be able to run them. There are no iPad Pro-Specific apps available on the App Store to date.
• Use case – The way I use the iPad Pro on a regular basis, I don’t really need the iPad Pro power. It’s mostly media consumption (music, video streaming, ebook reading, etc) checking in on email and social media, video calls and connectivity, light gaming and light typing. For all of these, the Regular iPad handles it like a dream.
• Entertainment Device – The Regular iPad handles web-browsing, video and music streaming and even ebooks like a dream. I have never noticed any lag. Just grab your favourite headphones (and you are not limited by connectivity options!) and find a comfortable spot!
• Ports – The Regular iPad is one of the last versions of iPad that has multiple ports. It has a dedicated earphone or headset jack and a lightning port for charging. This is extremely convenient and I will explain more below why.
• Lightning Port – Unlike its Pro sibling, the Regular iPad sports the lightning port, which means it can still share my iPhone chargers, as I carry an iPhone XS (personal phone) and an iPhone 11 (company-issued), which still both use lightning ports. When traveling I do not need to carry multiple cables. This is one weight off my bag. Even when I’m not traveling this is very convenient all in all. An added perk of it is that my phones and iPad can share the iPhone-issued earphones with the lightning connector on its end.
• Audio Jack – As I mentioned earlier, the Regular iPad is one of the last iPads that has an audio jack. This is very convenient, traveling wise because when you are on the road or a plane for long periods of time, or traveling with long layovers, earphones or headphones are almost an essential part of it, for watching movies or listening to music or audiobooks. It’s kind of annoying that the iPad Pro does not have a dedicated headphone jack for this particular purpose. Sure you can use Bluetooth headphones but then, this is another device or gadget i need to worry about when it comes to battery life, and there’s nothing worse when you are stuck on the plane or airport with no charging station in sight and your earphones or headphones run out of juice or suddenly breaks down for no reason. I like the convenience of headphones with he 3.5mm audio jack, as this is very convenient all in all, in the event it breaks down, a replacement can be bought for a dime a dozen virtually everywhere.
• Extra memory space – if you have modern cameras, you can connect your cameras to the Regular iPad app wirelessly through this is especially true if you have the 128gb version, but in a pinch, the 32gb version will work too.Also, this can be remedied by getting one of those, USB to lightning port flash drives.
• Weight – this might be psychological, but i feel like the Regular iPad, with its back cover, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard cover attached, is a lot lighter than the iPad Pro with its Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio attached. It is definitely lighter than the ‘Pro and Magic Keyboard combo, I can tell you that. And it is worth stressing that when traveling, the lighter the load, the better!
• Look – The Regular iPad definitely looks less sleek and more outdated than its Pro siblings, but when traveling this is actually an added bonus, as it is a lot less “hot” in the eyes of potential thieves!
• Build – Again, this may be a psychological feeling, but i feel like the build of the Regular iPad is a lot more sturdy, durable and less fragile than its very sleek, very expensive to replace Pro sibling. I feel like the Regular iPad can take more of the rough and tumble of a suitcase life. And hey, if something goes wrong, the regular iPad is a lot cheaper to repair and/or replace!
• Price Point – As discussed above, the Regular iPad is more budget friendly than the iPad Pro line, and aside from the perk that it is cheaper to repair or replace, it is also in fact cheaper to acquire. It’s accessories are also cheaper than the Pro line. This includes the Apple branded Pencil and Smart Keyboard Cover, which are both cheaper than the ones compatible with the iPad Pros. Also, because it has a dedicated audio jack, you don’t need to purchase Bluetooth headphones or adapters which will definitely cost more than buying just any old regular earphones. The more you save on your travel iPad, the more spending money you’ll have on actually traveling!
• Accessories – the Regular iPad is compatible with the First Generation Apple Pencil as well as the Smart Keyboard Cover, both apple branded devices. This means that you can do drawing and typing the way you would on an iPad Pro, just not with the 2nd Gen accessories.
• Third-Party accessories. There are lots of third party accessories that are compatible with the Regular iPad and with Bluetooth you can connect any Bluetooth device that you would normally do on an iPad Pro. I actually love using the Logitech Slim Folio Pro, designed for the 2018 iPad Pro, with the Regular iPad and it works like a dream!.
However, the Regular iPad is not perfect. There. are some downsides/ sacrifices to the conveniences I mentioned above:
• Power – of course, it doesn’t have the Pro Power that the iPad Pro enjoys. I have mentioned earlier that this is not a problem for my own use-case, but it’s worth mentioning, especially if you plan on doing any heavy video editing on the road. If so, the Regular iPad is not for you.
• External hard drive compatibility. Unlike the Pro line, you can’t connect an external hard drive to the Regular iPad. This is one limitation that was almost a deal breaker for me, as i would want to have the convenience and sense of security that I could free up memory space in my cameras when traveling by downloading the photos directly to an external hard drive through the iPad. I seriously thought this through but I decided that the other conveniences outweighs this limitation (just barely though),but as a workaround, you can bring extra memory cards or the usb stick as mentioned above. Also, this is not a huge leap for me, as I always bring a lot of spare memory cards for my cameras everytime I Travel.
I guess I;ve made my case as to why the Regular iPad is a perfect travel companion – and also successfully convinced myself to keep the Regular iPad for myself!
Are you planning on a special travel getaway after this whole pandemic lockdown, or at least dreaming about going on one? If so, are you making crazy prep work like i am? Let me know! I would definitely love to hear that I am not the only one. So please comment down below and let me know!
Until then,
Stay Wild, Moon Child!
XXOO The Gypsy
EllaLand 