Got my things stolen and can’t remember what model to replace my ipad from, it was Apple Pencil 1st gen compatible. Thank you wizard
(2016) iPad Pro 9.7” OR (2017) iPad Pro 10.5”
Below the cut are my opinions on a replacement iPad, the information i used to figure out what model you had, and also Apple’s weird rose gold phase. rip the rose gold colorway, 2015-2020
iPad shopping advice—
I do not recommend buying a refurbished 2016 iPad Pro, while not technically obsolete, iPadOS 16 is no longer receiving active support— security updates are still being pushed out but Apple tends to only provide those for another one or two years unless a zero-day vulnerability is found. (iPadOS 16’s active support expired a year ago, for further context)
I can’t in good faith recommend buying a refurbished 2017 iPad Pro, it currently operates on the latest OS (iPadOS 17), however that’s likely to be its last core update in its lifetime— it turns 7 years old this year (a typical lifespan for an iPad is 5-6 years), iPadOS 17 has less than a year of active support left with iOS & iPadOS 18 slated for September 2024… however, the prices look good if you can find one from a reliable seller.
I have two recommendations for replacement*
Refurbished** iPad Air (2020) 256gb
Runs iPadOS 17 and will be receiving core updates for another 2-3 years minimum
Support for up to 5 Gbps over USB-C support (which means support for external storage devices)
Support for the Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) and Apple Pencil (USB-C)***
Smaller bezels; the home button is removed and TouchID is on the power button
Support for a external mirrored display
Support for Wi-Fi 6 & Bluetooth 5.0
5G LTE support if you’re into that sort of thing (cellular models do cost extra)
iPad 10th Gen (2022) 256gb
Runs iPadOS 17 and will be receiving core updates for the next 4-5 years minimum
Support for USB-C with speeds of USB 2.0
Front-facing camera is horizontal (which is the reason for the next point)
Support for Apple Pencil (1st Gen w/ Adapter) or Apple Pencil (USB-C)***
Smaller bezels; bigger screen, TouchID on power button
Support for an external mirrored display
Wi-Fi 6 & Bluetooth 5.2 support
Cellular models equipped with 5G support
*Only if you need an iPad before March or April of this year. For the first time since 2010, Apple skipped a year in iPad refreshes. Mark Gurman predicts that new iPads will be released by the end of March. The 6th Gen iPad Air is rumored to be receiving a pretty large facelift— likely slashing the price of the 5th Gen Air. The iPad Air is widely considered to be the best price-to-performance option from the iPad family.
**I recommend checking out open box pricing for the latest generation iPads before making a decision. If possible, hit up a BestBuy or Microcenter so you can look at open box devices in person. Only buy refurbished devices from trusted sources; I recommend Amazon Refurbished or Geeksquad Refurbished.
***the Apple Pencil (USB-C) does not support pen pressure on any iPad model. The Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) is the most feature-rich model to date, read more here.
as both these iPads run the same processor, here are the benchmarks from CPU Monkey for the A10X Fusion (IPP2017) vs. A14 Bionic (IPA2020)
And the insane amount of information I know about Apple’s rose gold phase that led me to what iPad you have:
Apple introduced the rose gold colorway in 2015 with the launch of the iPhone 6s, and the phasing out started with the release of the iPhone 8 in 2017, replacing rose gold with just plain gold. That’s the timeframe for our rose gold iPad— and there were only six iPads launched between 2015-2017. This assumption is further supported by the launch of the Apple Pencil in late 2015 and the eventual launch of the the smaller 9.7” iPad Pro in 2016, which came in the standard space gray, silver, and gold, but was also released in one extra color: rose gold. The rose gold colorway in the iPad lineup was exclusive to the smaller IPP 1 & 2 until 2020 (see “Other Apple products…”). Additionally, the visible sides of the iPad suggest it’s from the “tapered unibody” MacBook era— specifically the “rounded edges” or “squircle” era, when all iPads fit awkwardly into folio cases if they weren’t made by Apple. The iPad that received a rose gold colorway in 2020 is of the “squared edges” era, thus ruling it out entirely.
Other Apple products that saw a brief rose gold colorway:
Retired from the Apple Watch lineup in 2017
Retired from the MacBook lineup in 2018
Retired from the iPhone lineup in 2017
Retired from the iPad Pro lineup in 2018
Added to the iPad Air lineup in 2020 and then immediately replaced by pink following the next release
Apple recently has introduced the pink colorway into its products as it delves more into the colorful side of tech again. Things you can buy in pink from Apple if you want to stay on theme:
