The iPad Pro is the latest tablet from Apple, seeking to push the boundaries of tablet performance and size. As the first tablet with a screen larger than 9.7 inches, the iPad Pro leans into its wow factor for marketability. But what does this new product offer and does it prove to be a gamechanger?
This new product boasts a huge amount of processing power, stacking up against the capabilities of leading laptop brands. This has turned a lot of heads, where its utility is flexible and performance comparable to Windows PCs.
Additionally, with a screen size of 12.9 inches the Pro is one of the biggest tablets available. It offers big advantages when viewing multimedia and creating documents and presentations, although the iPad Pro is a lot less portable than the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3.
Here we explore everything you should know about the iPad Pro to measure whether it’s a sound laptop alternative. Hopefully by reading our guide you can gain a clear understanding of what this new tablet offers and if it can meet your specific requirements.
iPad Pro: tablet or laptop?
But what is the iPad Pro? Is it a genuine laptop replacement? Or is it nothing more than a larger tablet from Apple?
It depends what you see a tablet as. For some, it’s a device that sits on the sofa with you. Sometimes you might also consider getting a keyboard for it so you could do some writing on the go. However, for others it’s a laptop that packs a detachable screen for portability.
It’s clear that Apple has marketed the iPad Pro as a laptop alternative. But it’s gone further than that. First and foremost, it serves as a multimedia hub. By incorporating design tools and packing a decent work processor, it delivers a range of features and high-quality capabilities typically seen only on a laptop.
As we will later discuss, the display also offers much more than the expected quality and resolution of previous tablets. All in all, the iPad Pro seems to be aimed at creative professionals and business users looking for versatility. For those wanting a balance between the capabilities of a laptop and the portability of a tablet, the iPad Pro seems a good contender.
Display
The display on the iPad Pro is stunning. With a resolution of 2732 x 2048 at 264 pixels per inch, it was the highest-resolution display on any iOS device at release. The Liquid Retina XDR display is great for hosting HDR (High Dynamic Range) content and provides brilliant contrast.
But all the technical details mean nothing until you see it. Photos, videos, even text look clear and crisp, making for true-to-life imaging.
The only knock you could make on the display is that it doesn’t include the 3D Touch technology Apple introduced with the iPhone 6S. Arguably, this feature could have been more useful on a tablet meant for multitasking than it is on a phone.
Processor
The tablet’s processing power is even more notable than the display. Apple built its latest chip into the iPad Pro – the A9X – which seems to outshine other models.
In fact, Apple claims the A9X has twice the CPU and graphics performance than its previous processor. This makes it an ideal product for heavier applications and demanding design tasks like 3D modelling. Overall, the iPad Pro appears to rival most portable PCs in terms of power.
Moreover, it has four strategically placed, self-adjusting speakers that wowed us with their sound during testing. So whichever way you turn your iPad Pro, the sound adjusts with it to provide an immerse experience.
According to Apple, you should get 10 hours of battery life. In my test, following The Verge’s standard battery test for tablets, I got just about 9.5 hours. In less formal tests, the Pro would last nearly a full work day without charging. For example, we shot a video of the iPad Pro while cycling through multiple applications, and its battery seemed to last much longer.
Overview of the iPad Pro features
There are a multitude of other impressive tech features to consider. Below we have highlighted the standout aspects:
- Larger 12.9-inch Retina display with 2732 by 2048 pixels
- Available in gold, silver and space gray
- Improved touch screen with optional keyboard and stylus
- 8 megapixel camera with the ability to shoot in 4K
- Powerful Apple A9X chip (64 bit) with 4GB memory
- Only 6.9 millimeters thick and 712 grams in weight
- Average battery life of 10 hours
- Release on November 11th 2015 in a 32GB- and 128GB model
iPad Pro conclusion
Ultimately, the iPad Pro can’t do all the things a MacBook Pro can do. It lacks the comprehensive detailing and features found in a laptop desktop system, and proves incompatible with various key business applications. Plus, to make use of the iPad Pro’s capabilities in laptop mode, you must separately buy Apple’s smart keyboard. So, despite the hopeful predictions, the iPad is still not quite the computing saviour it wanted to be.
However, it is a worthy runner-up to a laptop. The iPad Pro’s sleek design is perfectly thin and lightweight for its capabilities, offering a great degree of portability for professionals on the go. Not to mention this new product is powerful and fast, housing a large and clear display for streaming videos and viewing photos. Most importantly, it never lagged when multitasking or switching between apps.
In summary, it’s not better than a laptop but requires far fewer sacrifices than expected.