Can using an external SSD improve the battery life of the iPad Pro

1. Power Consumption: External SSDs generally consume more power than USB thumb drives due to their more sophisticated design and faster performance capabilities[4]. This increased power draw can lead to a decrease in the iPad's battery life, especially if the device is not designed to efficiently manage power delivery to external devices.

2. iPad Pro Power Delivery: The iPad Pro models with Thunderbolt support can deliver up to 15W of power, which is sufficient for most external SSDs[2]. However, this power delivery still impacts the overall battery life, as the iPad must allocate some of its power to the external device.

3. Battery Life Impact: Tests have shown that using external drives can significantly reduce the battery life of an iPad. For example, some external SSDs can reduce battery life to around 3 hours compared to over 5 hours without any external devices connected[1]. This reduction is due to the additional power required to operate the external drive.

4. Comparison to Internal SSDs: In devices like laptops, using an internal SSD can improve battery life compared to traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) because SSDs are generally more power-efficient[6][7]. However, this benefit does not apply when using an external SSD with an iPad, as the external connection and power delivery dynamics are different.

In summary, while external SSDs offer advantages in terms of storage capacity and speed, they do not improve the battery life of an iPad Pro. Instead, they can lead to a reduction in battery life due to increased power consumption. To minimize this impact, users should consider the power requirements of their external devices and manage their usage accordingly.