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Tech · Apple · 2021

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation, M1)

The 120Hz screen and Face ID are why you pay more for it than the Air. The M1 is the same.

Used iPads on eBay: where M1 pays off and where it doesn't — #2

Overall

8.5

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Performance (9.2), weakest on Value (7.6), a 1.6-point spread. The 8.5 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation, M1) — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation, M1): Performance 9.2, Value 7.6, Durability 8.4, Ease of use 8.4, Design 9.0.PerformanceApple iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation, M1) — Performance 9.2 out of 109.2ValueApple iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation, M1) — Value 7.6 out of 107.6DurabilityApple iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation, M1) — Durability 8.4 out of 108.4Ease of useApple iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation, M1) — Ease of use 8.4 out of 108.4DesignApple iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation, M1) — Design 9.0 out of 109.0Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Display
11-inch Liquid Retina (LCD, ProMotion up to 120Hz)
Chip
Apple M1
Memory
8GB (16GB on 1TB and 2TB)
Unlock
Face ID
Port
Thunderbolt / USB 4
Pencil
Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
Storage
128GB to 2TB

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • Drawing or note-taking where the 120Hz screen makes the Pencil feel immediate
  • You move large files and want the Thunderbolt port's speed
  • Four speakers and Face ID are worth the premium to you

Skip it if

  • You expected mini-LED; only the 12.9-inch model of this generation has it
  • The Air's M1 already covers what you do; the chip is identical

People confuse this model with the 12.9-inch M1 Pro all the time, and eBay listings don’t always say which one they are. The 12.9-inch has the mini-LED XDR display; the 11-inch has a conventional LCD with ProMotion. Both are excellent, but if a seller describes the 11-inch’s screen as XDR, ask again.

ProMotion is the reason to pick this over the Air. Scrolling at 120Hz and Pencil latency both feel noticeably more direct, and reviewer consensus is that it’s the single upgrade owners notice every day. Face ID and four speakers come with it.

The M1 is the same chip as the Air’s, so performance alone isn’t the reason. Starting storage is 128GB, though, and the higher tiers go up to 2TB with 16GB of memory, which matters if you edit large photo libraries on it.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.