iPad 10.5 inches or 11 inches for PDF reading?

jocampo · 11-18-2018, 03:40 PM

I currently own the 10.5" iPad Pro. Thinking about buying the new 11" model. I use it exclusively to read technical PDF books.

I wonder if someone already upgraded from 10.5 to 11 and see how it compares in terms of portability and if there is a significant difference in terms of font size between the two.

To make things more interesting ... I bought (and still have at home) the 2018 12 inches iPad Pro. The PDFs look fantastic in portrait mode, but it is certainly not as portable as my 10.5, which I initially wanted to sell. So now I am thinking about exchanging the 12 inches for the 11 inches? Would that be a better move? Or should I just stick to my 10.5 instead?

Thanks in advance.

jocampo · 11-19-2018, 11:22 AM

ohhh Wow... no replies? no one has upgraded from 10.5 to 11?

pwalker8 · 11-19-2018, 05:42 PM

I've stuck with my 12" pro rather than downsize. Give it some time, perhaps someone will respond. Some people only check once a week or so.

jocampo · 11-20-2018, 11:40 AM

I returned my 12.... bought the 11 ... and kept the 10.5 :-) .... I do not have time to wait neither have a lot of patience, it is not one of my virtues.

The differences in terms of font size are minimum... almost negligible. In fact... I found this curious: there is a light gray line on the top and bottom of the PDF application, making it the exact same size as the 10.5 inches. This makes me believe, most apps are not scaling well or not updated yet.

The problem with the 12 is that it is not as portable as I would want. And having my 15 inches Samsung notebook, does not help in that regard either. The 10.5 is a better complement.

I will probably return my 11 inches iPad Pro tonight.

pwalker8 · 11-21-2018, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jocampo

I returned my 12.... bought the 11 ... and kept the 10.5 :-) .... I do not have time to wait neither have a lot of patience, it is not one of my virtues.

The differences in terms of font size are minimum... almost negligible. In fact... I found this curious: there is a light gray line on the top and bottom of the PDF application, making it the exact same size as the 10.5 inches. This makes me believe, most apps are not scaling well or not updated yet.

The problem with the 12 is that it is not as portable as I would want. And having my 15 inches Samsung notebook, does not help in that regard either. The 10.5 is a better complement.

I will probably return my 11 inches iPad Pro tonight.

I have two iPads, the big iPad Pro and a iPad mini. The iPad mini is for lunch time reading, while the iPad pro is my primary reading device. I normally wear a Scott e-vest, which has pockets especially designed to hold an iPad. Maybe not the most stylish item of clothing in the world, but I'm a function over form guy and like lots of pockets.

I mostly read magazines via PDF. I think 12 inch is the smallest were I can comfortably read a page in Goodreader without having to resort to reading glasses. Different strokes for different folks. I also read magazines via the Zinio app. Both seem to be about the same, though I would say that Zinio is slightly easier to read.

HarryT · 11-21-2018, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jocampo

I returned my 12.... bought the 11 ... and kept the 10.5 :-) .... I do not have time to wait neither have a lot of patience, it is not one of my virtues.

The differences in terms of font size are minimum... almost negligible. In fact... I found this curious: there is a light gray line on the top and bottom of the PDF application, making it the exact same size as the 10.5 inches. This makes me believe, most apps are not scaling well or not updated yet.

The problem with the 12 is that it is not as portable as I would want. And having my 15 inches Samsung notebook, does not help in that regard either. The 10.5 is a better complement.

Yes, I too got rid of my iPad Pro 12.9" and bought the 10.5" when it came out a year ago. The 12.9" is a great screen, but the device is (for me) just too big. I find the 10.5" to be the ideal compromise between screen size and portability. It's big enough to comfortably read my academic PDFs on, but small enough to easily carry around.

DaleDe · 11-21-2018, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jocampo

I returned my 12.... bought the 11 ... and kept the 10.5 :-) .... I do not have time to wait neither have a lot of patience, it is not one of my virtues.

The differences in terms of font size are minimum... almost negligible. In fact... I found this curious: there is a light gray line on the top and bottom of the PDF application, making it the exact same size as the 10.5 inches. This makes me believe, most apps are not scaling well or not updated yet.

The problem with the 12 is that it is not as portable as I would want. And having my 15 inches Samsung notebook, does not help in that regard either. The 10.5 is a better complement.

I will probably return my 11 inches iPad Pro tonight.

It is not a matter of scaling. The 11 inch has a different aspect ratio. It is better for European PDF files but US PDF cannot take advantage of the height without distorting the image. The width of the two is exactly the same but the height is different. It is likely that images will need a special release for 11" to handle the new aspect ratio. This is the only device like this since the iPad first came out. Landscape 2 pages are likely to improve on this model.

Dale

rpvreviews · 12-02-2018, 12:55 AM

Today I tried the 11" and 12.9" ipad pro. The 12.9 is significantly bigger and is great for pdf, but definitely heavier. If you compare tablets 3-4 years ago the 9.7" was more heavier than the current 12.9". The first ipad was heavier than the 12.9 ipad pro!

rfog · 12-05-2018, 01:51 PM

I have a 10.5 and a 11 and both have the same screen size more or less, because the increase in size is lost by the round corners and the bottom line to deploy the taskbar...

HLS · 12-17-2018, 07:54 PM

I have the 10.5 ipad pro and i use it almost exclusively except reading but i read when I have an audiobook companion. I really want an ipad mini for I find the big tablets not a good reading experience.

11-18-2018, 03:40 PM	#1
jocampo Layback feline Posts: 3,034 Karma: 6980745 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: USA Device: Oasis 2nd gen, Sony DPTS1, iPad Pro 10.5"	10.5 inches or 11 inches for PDF reading? I currently own the 10.5" iPad Pro. Thinking about buying the new 11" model. I use it exclusively to read technical PDF books. I wonder if someone already upgraded from 10.5 to 11 and see how it compares in terms of portability and if there is a significant difference in terms of font size between the two. To make things more interesting ... I bought (and still have at home) the 2018 12 inches iPad Pro. The PDFs look fantastic in portrait mode, but it is certainly not as portable as my 10.5, which I initially wanted to sell. So now I am thinking about exchanging the 12 inches for the 11 inches? Would that be a better move? Or should I just stick to my 10.5 instead? Thanks in advance.

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11-19-2018, 11:22 AM	#2
jocampo Layback feline Posts: 3,034 Karma: 6980745 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: USA Device: Oasis 2nd gen, Sony DPTS1, iPad Pro 10.5"	ohhh Wow... no replies? no one has upgraded from 10.5 to 11?

11-19-2018, 05:42 PM	#3
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,195 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	I've stuck with my 12" pro rather than downsize. Give it some time, perhaps someone will respond. Some people only check once a week or so.

11-20-2018, 11:40 AM	#4
jocampo Layback feline Posts: 3,034 Karma: 6980745 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: USA Device: Oasis 2nd gen, Sony DPTS1, iPad Pro 10.5"	I returned my 12.... bought the 11 ... and kept the 10.5 :-) .... I do not have time to wait neither have a lot of patience, it is not one of my virtues. The differences in terms of font size are minimum... almost negligible. In fact... I found this curious: there is a light gray line on the top and bottom of the PDF application, making it the exact same size as the 10.5 inches. This makes me believe, most apps are not scaling well or not updated yet. The problem with the 12 is that it is not as portable as I would want. And having my 15 inches Samsung notebook, does not help in that regard either. The 10.5 is a better complement. I will probably return my 11 inches iPad Pro tonight.

12-02-2018, 12:55 AM	#8
rpvreviews Enthusiast Posts: 31 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2018 Device: Boox Note 10.3; Various Kindles in past	Today I tried the 11" and 12.9" ipad pro. The 12.9 is significantly bigger and is great for pdf, but definitely heavier. If you compare tablets 3-4 years ago the 9.7" was more heavier than the current 12.9". The first ipad was heavier than the 12.9 ipad pro!

12-05-2018, 01:51 PM	#9
rfog Guru Posts: 694 Karma: 2383012 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Schiedam (The Netherlands) Device: Lots of eInk devices and iOS stuff	I have a 10.5 and a 11 and both have the same screen size more or less, because the increase in size is lost by the round corners and the bottom line to deploy the taskbar...

12-17-2018, 07:54 PM	#10
HLS Wizard Posts: 2,028 Karma: 15107670 Join Date: May 2017 Device: Sage, Scribe, Boox Note 2 Plus, iPad Pros and Samsungs S6,S7,S8	I have the 10.5 ipad pro and i use it almost exclusively except reading but i read when I have an audiobook companion. I really want an ipad mini for I find the big tablets not a good reading experience.