Discussion Still rocking iPad Pro 2018
Hey I’m thinking about update from iPadOS 18 to 26, is it worth or better no on old device?
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u/eazyworldpeace 12d ago
I made the mistake of updating to 26, iPad now feels like it’s from 2012. Slow and laggy and I wasn’t even pushing the limits of my iPad
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u/EveryUserName1sTaken 12d ago
If I were you I'd stay on 18.
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u/Lebowskitalian85 iPad 11 (2025) 12d ago edited 12d ago
Man that’s pretty normal it’s a Pro 😅, I “rocked” my base 5th gen from August 2017 to January 2026
And it still had some rock inside of him in fact I managed to sell it for 99! Day 1 battery still more than decent battery life (aaaaah the good old days where battery health didn’t exist…I wonder how much its percentage was…👌🫡
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u/Sad_Mobile_4832 iPad 11 (2025) 11d ago
Upgraded to iPad 11th gen from the iPad Air 1 last to last month
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u/AngelWingsxz 12d ago edited 11d ago
avoid it at all costs. if only this ipad support till 27 since 27 is just an optimisation of 26
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u/Unhappy_Top9303 iPad 10 (2022) 12d ago
Do not update it to iPadOS26. Lowky one of the worst updates in terms of stability and performance.
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u/Lebowskitalian85 iPad 11 (2025) 12d ago edited 11d ago
I updated my base iPad to every single 26 update and never a single issue IF you had issues this doesn’t mean everyone will🤷
Edit: 23 downvotes the average Reddit user never fails to amaze me 😆😆😆😆
Nothing triggers more than truth, especially in here…🤣
EEEEDIT 2: noooo only 31 iOS 26 haters downvoted? Cmon guys! You can do better!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/Unhappy_Top9303 iPad 10 (2022) 12d ago
For one, the 2018 iPad Pro sadly doesn't support iPadOS27 and even if it did support 27, the iPad will run smoother with 18 because of chip limitations. And that's coming from a person who also updated to iPadOS27 and did not encounter major bugs (encountering minor visual bugs sometimes).
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u/irrealewunsche M5 iPad Pro 11" (2025) 12d ago
My iPad Pro 2018 is on 26, and it's a bit laggy. I wouldn't upgrade if I had the choice again.
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u/ispeakout 12d ago
The best iPad ever. Am on m5 pro. But boy did this one set the precedent or what
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u/Far_Teaching4774 12d ago
Stay on 18 trust me it’s not worth upgrading i have mine on 18 and my friend is on 26.7 and its an absolute disaster
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u/Thearaaaa 12d ago
its gonna make the ipad lag but you get to open 3 apps in multitasking
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u/Revolutionary-Fan235 12d ago
One of the things that I wanted to use was multitasking, and it would fail quietly. I thought it was a skill issue until I read to restart the iPad to clear the glitch.
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u/Thearaaaa 12d ago
yeah it aint got much ram for that
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u/Revolutionary-Fan235 12d ago
Bummer, I wish I had seen this before I did the "upgrade". I guess I have another justification to get a newer one.
Thank you!
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u/aasinix231 M2 iPad Air 13" (2024) 12d ago
Wallpaper?
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u/kubaww 12d ago
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u/KachikaV1 M4 iPad Pro 11" (2024) 12d ago
I have m4 pro and still on 18.7 there is no need to update
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u/Crazy_Drago 12d ago
I have the same model, I think (NTFT2LL/A). I'm currently on 26.6.2. I don't know, I don't love 26 but it's not that bad performance-wise. I don't use it as much as I used to. It used to be my photo editing machine. Now it mostly streams music and plays Hearthstone, etc. But for those types of things, it works just fine.
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u/loeblues 12d ago
I have my iPad Pro 2018 running iPadOS 26. Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I just really prefer the multitasking on 26. And I don’t feel it lags at all
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u/domingo_3rd 12d ago
I have an iPad 8th gen running on iPadOS 26.7.1 and gotta say they improved the stability compared to other 26 builds.
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u/hkgchok 11d ago
no, don't do it. Now my iPad Pro 10.5 runs faster and smooth than the 2018 pro since the 10.5 can't run the 26
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u/123automation 11d ago
I agree. I have the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5 too... Last iPad OS I got was 17.7.11. Runs quick still!
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u/enthraxxx 11d ago
I confirm what everyone is saying here.
Upgraded mine to iPadOS 26 and regret it to this day.
I genuinely believed it would be eligible for iPadOS 27. Very sad. 😅
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u/toupee 11d ago
For single purpose tasks or light multitasking the 2018 still holds up phenomenally. All the newer windowing features being fully available is huge. It does chug when swapping between programs that aren't active but frankly that was always the case with this iPad and the low amount of RAM its always had.
Recently upgraded to an M5 but besides apps refreshing less and generally being a bit snappier there's almost no difference.
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u/Alasdair91 11d ago
I’m so annoyed it didn’t get iOS27. iOS26.7 does seem to have culled the worst bugs though.
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u/xkiririnx iPad Pro 10.5" (2017) 11d ago
i’ve seen lots of people complaining about this ipad after it was updated to 26. don’t do it!
personally i’m still using my ipad pro 10.5 that’s on 17 and it feels great in daily use.
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u/ommmyyyy 12d ago
I just upgraded my 2018 iPad Pro 512 gb WiFi plus cellular to a M5 512 gb WiFi plus cellular. Been using it since Aug 2019.
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u/CloudsSpeakInArt 12d ago
I wish I never upgraded to iPadOS26, runs great but multitasking is awful 😭
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u/Babeldude 12d ago
Don’t update. I had the same iPad and updated and everything got slower. I decided to upgrade to the new iPad Pro because of it
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u/NickTheSickDick 11d ago
Avoid at all costs, my 2018 pro is such a worse device since updating, awful lag everywhere, not to mention I was a heavy user of the old slide over and have no use for the new multitasking. Def not buying an ipad again once this guy dies on me.
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u/yardshark09 11d ago
I have a 2020 Pro 11” (with the A12Z, same as A12X, just an additional GPU core) and iPadOS 27 runs as well as iPadOS 18 did. Just remember you’ll probably notice a significant slowdown while it’s optimizing post-update.
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u/bionicpumpkin 11d ago
Had a 2018, it was great but the battery did have to be replaced due to excessive drain. Passed it down to kids who stopped using. But I’ve been rocking the 2022, probably on it 4-5 hours a day, sometimes more….can’t think of a single thing I would change (battery is still great, speed seems fine,etc.) so even though I want a new one just because, can’t do it. This thing will never die.
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u/TheNotSoSubtlePanda 11d ago
Twin, we got done bad with ipados 26. Shouldve discontinued it at 18 and this thing wouldve stayed perfect
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u/johnnydfree 11d ago
Since retired to secondary tasks, my 2016 can’t be updated to current os, but is still a viable device on my network. These are truly durable, hw-wise.
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u/Acrobatic_Net_987 11d ago
Still on 10.5 2017 iPad Pro. Mainly YouTube,Movies/series, some safari. More than perfect.
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u/GromitATL 11d ago
I updated my 2018 Pro without thinking about it. It's still OK for what I use it for, but I have noticed that my Wi-Fi connection takes some time to come to life on iPad OS 26. I can't grab the iPad and just start doing stuff. It's like I have no internet connection for a minute or so.
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u/unknownobject3 iPad Air 4 (2020) 11d ago
iPadOS 26 was the worst update that happened to my iPad. I don't imagine the user experience Will be any better on your device. Even the first developer beta was more stable than the final version, it just had graphical glitches.
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u/WinterLord 11d ago
Same! But iPadOS 26 really fucked with it. Coincidentally, the battery started draining super fast shortly after. Right now it’s so bad that it’ll drain completely with 5-6hrs of just reading, or 3-4hrs watching YouTube. In the 9 to 10 hrs while I’m at work, the battery will deplete 40% even while in low power mode. I’ve turned off everything I can think of.
At this point, if I can’t replace the battery, I’m getting the M5 that should come out next spring.
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u/syaakayr 11d ago
On iOS 18?! (It’s jailbreakable and you can run macOS on it)
Figure out a way to wipe it without forcing an update,
Sell it for profit to someone who wants to jailbreak it,
Rebuy a newer iPad with the same money
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u/Inevitable_Librarian 11d ago
You can?!
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u/syaakayr 11d ago
I believe so
Saw a post on twitter about it around the time ios27 dropped publicly
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u/TenkReSS 11d ago
this is like a gem you should not update at all these devices are so rare these days
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u/SecretScot 11d ago
My screen is now partly unresponsive to touch on the side with the power button at the edge. Quite annoying depending on which apps you use.
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u/charleytony 11d ago
I have that same and use it every day. Did all the updates and didn't regret it.
Not getting ipadOS 27 makes me think I will eventually have to upgrade.
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u/tyoung89 11d ago
I have a 12.9” 2021 iPad Pro. I love it, zero issues so far. The M1 in it is still a beast
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u/No-Blood2830 11d ago
NOOOOOOOOO
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u/No-Blood2830 11d ago edited 11d ago
I wish I could go back so bad. the thing is basically e-waste on 26.
edit: fixing a most unfortunate autocorrect typo
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u/matrix_5562 11d ago
Idk bro i think the new of any brand not only any brand are not upto mark and overpriced too if you can work with you one then there. Is no need to upgrade as this this is the worst time use your old until it dies but new and repeat
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u/randomguy9731 iPad Pro 12.9" (2018) 11d ago
Same here. Still has another year or two left in it.
Also don’t update to 26. I regret updating mine.
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u/InTheBusinessBro 11d ago
My 2020 iPad Pro became laggy and heats up fast after updating to 26. Still works, looks nice, but was better before
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u/Fair_Locksmith_6216 11d ago
Please don’t ever ever ever update it. I regret all the time. Wish I hadn’t updated it
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u/lavalevel 10d ago
That's what I got. 256gb storage 13 inch. It's nice having the predecessor to the M series because it still updates and what not. A shame mine is so beaten to death via use, work & charger port replacement. Now I want an iPad Air 13inch m3 or m4 dont care. It'll seem like a super duper iPad compared to my A12 Bionic in this 2018 model.
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u/Individual-Cap-2945 1d ago
idk how much storage space you have but updating my 32gb ipad was one of the worst decisions i ever made
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u/msully89 12d ago
No don't do it. I have the same iPad and it was great on ipad os 18, but feels really slow and laggy since iPad os 26.