Apple’s (AAPL)
iPad is the most popular tablet in the world. As of Q3 2018, the iPhone
maker’s line of slates captured 27% of worldwide tablet sales, making
it the market leader by a wide margin, market research firm IDC reports.
But tablet sales have been slowing in recent years, and Apple isn’t
immune to market trends. The company’s Q4 2018 tablet sales were down 6%
years-over-year and 16% quarter-over-quarter.
Which is where the new iPad Pro 11-inch and iPad Pro 12.9-inch
come in. Designed for use by artists, photographers, videographers and
other professionals, hence the “Pro” monicker, Apple claims these
big-screen iPads are powerful enough to rival many of the laptops on the
market.
It
doesn’t hurt that a more expensive iPad will also drive up Apple’s
average selling price, and boy are these some seriously pricey iPads.
The iPad Pro 11-inch starts at $799, while the iPad Pro 12.9-inch starts
at $999.
These
slates, which sport sleek new edge-to-edge screen designs, are the best
of what Apple has to offer, and overkill in almost every sense of the
word. And while I love a big screen as much as the next person, these
slates aren’t meant for everyone.
Like holding a piece of glass
From
a design standpoint, the iPad Pro 12.9-inch, which is the version I
reviewed, and 11-inch, are virtually mirror images of each other. And
their most striking features are their displays. That’s right, like the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max, the new iPad Pros drop their Home buttons in favor of more screen real estate.
By
doing so, Apple managed to reduce the volume of the 12.9-inch model by
25%. For the 11-inch, Apple simply stretched the screen of last year’s
10.5-inch model, leaving the 11-inch with the same roughly footprint as
its predecessor.
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The iPad Pro has a fantastic edge-to-edge screen.
Of
course, the overall look of the slates are also completely different
from last year’s versions. Apple has done away with the tapered edges of
the prior generation of Pros and straightened them out. The result is a
tablet that, if you squint hard enough, bears a surprising resemblance
to the iPhone 4s.
The
11-inch Pro is more comfortable to hold than the larger 12.9-inch,
though. If I were sketching or editing a photo, I’d rather have the
bigger screen. Those screens, by the way, are absolutely stunning to
look at.
Both
models use the same Liquid Retina display LCD technology found on the
iPhone XR, which allowed Apple to curve the screens at the tablets’
corners. The displays are nearly edge-to-edge because they do have a bit
of a bezel around them. Before you jump down Apple’s throat, though,
the bezel makes practical sense as a way to hold the tablet without
interacting with the screen. It’s also where the LEDs that light up the
screen are located.
The
tablet’s top bezel is also where you’ll find the Pro’s new Face ID
camera. Yes, like the iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, you can now unlock the iPad
Pro with your face. And unlike the iPhone’s Face ID camera, the iPad
Pro’s can be used in multiple orientations, so you can hold the slate in
portrait or landscape mode and it will still work. It makes sense since
you change the way you hold a tablet fairly often depending on what
you’re doing.
The
Pros also come with Apple’s ProMotion display technology, which means
the screens’ refresh rates are set at 120Hz. That makes for a far
smoother, more appealing experience whether you’re swiping across home
screens or browsing the web. It really makes a big difference when you
see it in action.
Raw power
Both
iPad Pros come loaded with Apple’s all-new A12X Bionic. That’s one heck
of a chip for a slate, and, frankly, a little overboard for what most
people need.
Apple
says that the Pro’s 8-core, 7-nanometer processor is 25% faster than
last year’s chip in single-core performance and that GPU performance is
up a whopping 1,000% versus the original iPad. The company even claims
that the slate is more powerful than 92% of mobile computers on the
market including those packing Intel’s high-powered Intel Core i7 chips.
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The iPad Pro’s A12X Bionic processor is the most powerful chip Apple has put into a mobile device.
That’s one heck of a boast. And it holds up to a degree. Using the Geekbench 4 benchmarking tool,
which is designed to give you a relative idea of a processor’s
performance, the iPad Pro actually outscored my Core i7-powered MacBook
Pro in both single-core and multi-core tests. Now, that doesn’t
necessarily mean that the iPad Pro will annihilate the MacBook Pro in
every instance, but it gives you a good idea of how powerful the slate’s
chip really is.
The
thing is, is that there aren’t a hole lot of apps that will take
advantage of that kind of power. Sure, it’s great for quick photo edits
and some video editing, but for most people that power won’t be as
useful as it would be on a Mac or PC. This is, after all, still an iPad.
The slate’s processing power is incredibly impressive, but for now it’s
more of a hedge against the tablet slowing down over time, rather than a
means to use apps that are built for high-power iPads. That’s not to
say those apps will come, though.
Those accessories
In addition to the iPad Pro, Apple has also rolled out a new Apple Pencil.
The latest version of the stylus features one flat side that helps keep
it from rolling off your desk, something that was a problem with the
original Pencil.
More
importantly, though, that flat edge is home to a wireless charger. To
power up the Pencil, you magnetically connect it to the side of the iPad
Pro, and you’re set. Only one side of the iPad works, though.
Connecting the Pencil to the iPad also allows you to sync the stylus
with your tablet, so you don’t have to go through any real setup
process.
The
lower portion of the Pencil is also now touch sensitive, which means
you can double tap it to activate features and settings within specific
apps. For instance you can switch between a pen or pencil and then
double tap to quickly pull up your eraser.
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The iPad Pro uses a new Apple Pencil with wireless charging and touch-sensitive edges.
Unfortunately, you can’t use your old Apple Pencil with the new Pro, and you can’t use the new Pencil with the old Pro, which is a serious bummer.
The Pro also gets a new folio keyboard case called … the Smart Keyboard Folio. The new cover wraps completely around the Pro protecting both its display and back panel, something the old Folio didn’t do.
Typing
on it was also surprisingly comfortable. I wrote an article using just
the iPad Pro and didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything thanks
to the fact that the slate also supports multitasking.
Apple
has also switched the Pro from the company’s proprietary Lightning
connector to a universal USB C port. It makes a world of difference, as
it opens up the iPad to even more accessories, such as a secondary
display to mirror your work on the slate, or a camera. You can also
charge your iPhone from the slate, which is a pretty nifty trick if
you’re in a pinch.
Should you get it?
The
iPad Pro is a high-powered slate with a fantastic design and almost
extravagantly large near edge-to-edge display. The new Apple Pencil is a
wonderful accessory for the more artistically inclined, while the Smart
Keyboard Folio makes for a genuinely solid typing experience.
Above
all, this is the perfect expression of the iPad: Powerful, stylish and
capable. But for most people, that $799 or $999 price tag is likely too
high. If you don’t need the power, or can get by without the new stylus
or keyboard, and are more interested in a tablet for using basic apps,
watching videos and playing games, then I’d suggest going with the
6th-generation iPad for $329.
But if you love excessive performance and screen real estate, the Pro is really the only tablet for you.
