So you’re staring at the two slabs of aluminum in the Apple Store, or more likely, you’ve got fourteen tabs open trying to justify the price jump. It’s the classic dilemma. Do you go for the 11-inch "goldilocks" size or the 12.9-inch (now basically 13-inch in the M4 era) behemoth?
Most people will tell you the choice is about portability. They’re kinda right, but also totally missing the point. If you actually plan on getting work done—like real, multi-window, "I have three spreadsheets and a Slack thread open" work—the difference between these two isn’t just two inches of glass. It’s a completely different software experience.
Honestly, the iPad Pro 11 vs 12.9 multitasking debate is where the "iPad is just a big phone" argument either dies or gets proven right.
The Screen Real Estate Trap
Here is the thing: the 11-inch iPad Pro is a fantastic tablet. It’s light. You can hold it with one hand while drinking coffee. But for multitasking? It’s cramped.
When you trigger Split View on the 11-inch model, the iPadOS treats the apps as "compact" versions. Basically, you’re looking at two iPhone apps side-by-side. You lose sidebars. You lose those handy navigation columns in Mail or Files. You’re constantly tapping to reveal menus that would just be there on a larger screen.
On the 12.9-inch (or the newer 13-inch M4), the math changes. Because the screen is roughly the size of a standard sheet of paper, the iPad has enough horizontal pixels to display "regular" iPad apps in Split View. You keep your sidebars. You keep your context.
Why aspect ratio matters more than you think
It’s not just about the diagonal measurement. The 12.9-inch model uses a 4:3 aspect ratio that feels massive. When you’re in Stage Manager, that extra vertical height is a lifesaver. You can actually see the dock and your "recent apps" strip without the main window feeling like a postage stamp.
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On the 11-inch? If you turn on Stage Manager and keep the dock visible, your actual working window becomes tiny. Most users end up hiding the dock and the side strip just to see what they’re typing. It defeats the purpose of "at-a-glance" multitasking.
Stage Manager: A Tale of Two iPads
Apple introduced Stage Manager to make the iPad feel like a "real" computer. It’s... polarizing. But your hardware choice dictates whether it's a tool or a chore.
- The 12.9-inch Experience: You can comfortably overlap three windows. Maybe a Safari window, a Notes app, and a small floating Calculator or Music window. It feels like a messy but functional desk.
- The 11-inch Experience: It’s more of a "one-and-a-half" window system. You might have one main app and a tiny sliver of another. Anything more and you’re just playing Window Tetris.
I’ve spent months switching between these. On the big iPad, I actually use Stage Manager. On the 11-inch? I almost always revert to the old-school Split View and Slide Over. It’s just simpler when you don’t have the room to let windows breathe.
The External Display Factor
Here is a detail a lot of folks overlook. Both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch Pros (M1 generation and later) support full external display scaling.
This is the great equalizer.
If you spend 80% of your time docked to a 27-inch monitor at a desk, the 11-inch is arguably the better buy. You get the ultimate portability for the coffee shop, and the moment you plug in that USB-C cable, you get a massive desktop-class multitasking canvas anyway.
But a word of warning: If you have an older iPad Pro—specifically the 2018 or 2020 models with the A12X or A12Z chips—you can run Stage Manager on the iPad screen, but you cannot do the extended external display thing. You’re stuck with screen mirroring (with those ugly black bars on the sides). If multitasking is your goal, you need an M-series chip. Period.
The Keyboard Context
You can’t talk about multitasking without talking about the Magic Keyboard.
The 12.9-inch Magic Keyboard is essentially a laptop keyboard. It’s full-sized. Your hands don't feel like they're doing a claw impression. Multitasking often involves a lot of command-tabbing and keyboard shortcuts, and having room to move makes a difference.
The 11-inch Magic Keyboard is... tight. Apple had to shrink some of the keys on the edges (like the brackets and the backslash). If you have larger hands, you will feel the squeeze. It's still the best keyboard for that size, but for a 4-hour session of bouncing between apps, the 12.9 wins on ergonomics alone.
Which one should you actually get?
It’s easy to say "bigger is better," but that’s a lie for some people. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard weighs more than a MacBook Air. If you’re carrying that plus a laptop, you’re basically carrying two computers. That’s a workout, not a workflow.
Go for the 11-inch if:
- You multitasking is "light"—mostly just checking a reference doc while writing an email.
- You value being able to use the iPad as a tablet (reading in bed, drawing on the couch).
- You have a primary computer and the iPad is your "secondary" companion.
- You use an external monitor at your desk.
Go for the 12.9-inch (or 13-inch) if:
- The iPad is your only computer.
- You spend hours in Split View or Stage Manager.
- You’re a creative pro (DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut, or Lightroom) who needs sidebars visible.
- You don't mind the "lap-ability" being a bit more cumbersome.
Real-world next steps
Don't just take my word for it. Here is how you can actually test this before dropping $1,000+:
- The Sidebar Test: Go to a store, open Safari and Files in Split View (50/50). On the 11-inch, notice how the sidebars vanish or the text gets tiny. On the 12.9, notice how they stay.
- Check your Bag: Literally measure your favorite daily carry bag. The 12.9-inch is a tight fit for many "small" tech slings that swallow the 11-inch whole.
- Consider the M4: If you’re looking at the latest 2024/2025 models, the 13-inch is significantly thinner and lighter than the old 12.9. It actually closes the "portability gap" more than ever before.
Ultimately, the 11-inch is a tablet that can multitask. The 12.9-inch is a multitasking machine that happens to be a tablet. Choose based on how many windows you actually need to see at once to keep your brain from melting.