iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard vs Macbook Pro | Which is the Best Mobile Device? | iPad Magic Keyboard
I have a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard, both portable devices with a display, keyboard and mouse: one with full desktop apps, the other with different use cases and built-in connectivity. Speed and size aside, which is the best mobile experience?
I recently bought this MacBook Pro, my first Mac in seven years (I probably bought it because I was bored); for the last year and a half I’ve used my iPad Pro for just about everything, including work logins, personal browsing, shopping and even video creation. Since I started using the MacBook, they compete for my time on the couch. This is a comparison of the best mobile device assuming you have another computer: on the couch, in a coffee shop, or traveling “like when we used to do in the before times.”
Keyboard
Both have the Magic Keyboard, with the same typing experience: good key travel, a solid feel and a pleasing sound and layout. Apple spent eight or nine months replacing the universally panned butterfly keyboard everywhere, and I really like the feel of both: I don’t get tired, and switching between them needs no mental adjustment. The MacBook has an Escape key and a Touch Bar (I don’t think I’ve seen anyone say how much they love it; most live with it), which makes it easier to adjust things like brightness and volume than on the iPad Magic Keyboard, which lacks those.
Trackpad
The iPad Magic Keyboard’s trackpad is a bit more cramped than I prefer, and has a physical mechanism instead of the MacBook’s Force Touch “fake click,” though you can click it anywhere. Both are multi-touch. I haven’t gotten used to the gestures introduced in Mavericks, but I think I like the iPad’s better: a three-finger swipe goes home or to multitasking, while on the Mac it goes to Exposé (fine, but it would be better to just clear the windows and show the desktop).
The iPadOS cursor is a round orb that changes shape and snaps to areas of the interface; on the Mac, it’s the pointer you know. It felt laggy at first on the iPad, but once I got used to it, I enjoyed it. For heavy text manipulation beyond surfing and casual email, the Mac cursor is better. Scrolling feels much smoother on the iPad: super buttery when scrolling webpages or swiping between home screens. I thought it was the 120 Hz refresh on the iPad Pro, but I get the same feeling on the base 7th-gen iPad: something is different between iOS and macOS scrolling.
Display
Both have great displays (Apple’s “Retina” at normal viewing distance), good color calibration, True Tone and Night Shift; I think the iPad gets a little brighter. For me, a tie except for one thing: touch. Apple’s old argument that a touch screen on the Mac isn’t ergonomic went out the window with a keyboard dock for the very first iPad. How can it be fine to use a keyboard dock with an iPad (before mouse support), but too stressful to have a touch screen on a Mac? There are instances where it’s easier, faster or more comfortable to reach up and adjust something with your finger. Maybe there’s a technical reason, and with Apple silicon we could see a touch-screen iMac.
Multitasking
Many say the Mac is better at multitasking and the iPad can’t replace it until that changes. The iPad has split view, slide over and picture-in-picture, but the Mac has real multitasking. I’d argue the iPad works better as a mobile device, because robust multitasking brings heat, fans and battery drain. The iPad runs very cool nearly all the time, getting a little warm rendering video, but the Magic Keyboard doesn’t. I can put it through its paces on my lap (Netflix in picture-in-picture, browsing and note-taking) without feeling heat or fans. Rendering video on the MacBook on my lap “will toast my legs.” You also don’t need background tasks (iStat Menus, cloud sync tools, update checkers) on a mobile device, and without a fan kicking on, you get better battery life.
Connectivity
For a mobile device, internet is important. On both, you can tether to your phone, but built-in cellular is much more convenient: no weird Bluetooth issues, remembering Wi-Fi passwords or flaky connections; it’s always on, sleep to surfing instantly. There’s an added cost, but to me it’s worth it (I’m home 99% of the time, but I can use it if I leave).
On your lap
The Mac works better on your lap based on weight balance: a heavier base and lighter screen keep it steady with less chance of falling forward. With the iPad on Magic Keyboard on your lap, you have to be more aware and careful (a disaster nearly happened to me, as in my five best and worst things video).
Camera, screen angle, audio
- Camera: the MacBook’s thin, light screen means a thin, light camera: the 720p MacBook camera “cannot hold a candle” to the iPad’s. Video calls away from your desk are much better on the iPad, even if it doesn’t look like you’re looking at them (you may need to adjust the angle to see them well).
- Range of motion: the iPad Magic Keyboard has a decent range, though reviewers said it wasn’t enough; the MacBook edges it out.
- Audio: both have good or great speakers, but only the MacBook has a headphone jack. Bluetooth is great for some things, but a wired set can be best for editing audio, where latency matters. I use AirPods for almost everything, so it’s not a deal-breaker for me.
Detachable
Only the iPad can detach from the keyboard, which gives a completely different experience: cuddle up with it and watch a movie, show someone something on the web, and, with touch, artists and creatives can draw, write and edit more naturally. It pops on and off super simply.
Verdict
As a secondary mobile device, I think the iPad has more of the qualities I want: built-in cellular, a great video call experience, a simpler interface and, in my experience, better battery life. Some people can’t give up a full laptop and have reasons for a full desktop experience on the go. For me, the iPad works well as my primary device, if not my only one. If you like using your iPad on the go and want to make it more laptop-like, see my video on that.
Links
- 16” MacBook Pro
- iPad Pro 12.9” 2020
- Magic Keyboard for 12.9” iPad Pro
- Follow Me on Twitter
- • Turn the iPad into a Laptop
- • Should you get a Magic Mouse for the iPad Pro
- Newer Camera Slider
- Rode VideoMic NTG
- iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Gen
- DJI OSMO 3 Gimbal
- Tascam DR-10L Audio Recorder with Lav
In this video
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