New iPad Pro Recommendations

Hey everyone,

Writing in from Canada. Was using a 2018 iPad Pro 11 inch that I bought off Facebook Marketplace in October 2024, but sadly last week it got wet from a water bottle that leaked in my backpack and wouldn't charge. Apple gave me a $230 for it in the form of a gift card.

I'm now looking at a replacement. Currently, Apple's selling a refurbished 128GB 2nd gen (2020) WiFi iPad Pro 11 inch A12Z for $650, and a 128GB 3rd gen (2021) WiFi + Cellular 11 inch M1 for $910. I'm afraid I'm climbing up the pricing ladder, since I really only use my iPad for sidecar, Goodnotes, and occasional video watching- nothing intensive and my workload will be the same as it was with my 2018 iPad.

I want to know if it's worth the price jump from the A12Z to the M1. For some reason, they haven't had stock of the WiFi only M1, but I checked the price and it's great at $750. Would it be worth the upgrade?

The problem comes because the 12.9 M1 has the Liquid Retina XDR display which I know I'll love, but I want to hear your input on whether or not that's worth it.

Cheers