Powerful iPad a delight to use
SO YOU liked the iPad Pro, the super-powerful tablet from Apple, but felt the 12.9-inch version was way too big and the 9.7-inch model’s screen too small?
Well, the latest iPad Pro from Apple has a 10.5-inch display – 20% bigger than the 9.7-incher, but thanks to 40% narrower bezels, it’s squeezed into a frame only a smidgen bigger than the 9.7-inch tablet.
I’ve been testing the new model since it was announced a week ago. Could this be the ideal tablet size?
When the first iPad Pro was launched in late 2015, it marked the second stage in the life of the iPad.
The tablet had been seen as a way of consuming entertainment, from ebooks to music to movies, even though it did more than that. But it was the arrival of the iPad Pro that gave the lie to that idea, thanks to its increased power, a big screen and two brilliant accessories: Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil.
The keyboard turned the iPad Pro into a highly productive laptop substitute and the Pencil was the most Apple-y accessory, a slim, gloss-white stylus with a Lightning charging connector hidden under its magnetically attached lid.
It gave unprecedented levels of precision and versatility to apps involving drawing, photo manipulation and more.
The only thing was, the iPad Pro was big and heavier than other Apple tablets.
So on paper the new 10.5-inch model is very appealing. The weight is nearly identical to the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, just 5g heavier. And while the bigger display is immediately obvious, the bigger dimensions are not.
But the screen adjustment makes a huge difference. It’s bigger and much brighter. And this doesn’t just mean it’s easier to see the screen in bright light, the iPad Pro 10.5 supports HDR (high dynamic range) video. In video terms it means it can show detail in bright skies and dark shadows at the same time.
Everything I’ve looked at on this display looks punchy, smooth and detailed.
The new display also has a faster refresh rate than previous iPads. They refreshed 60 times a second, called 60Hz. This time the refresh rate doubles to 120Hz, making for velvety smooth video playback.
The refresh rate dynamically adjusts according to what’s needed, so if you’re just reading an ebook, which doesn’t need a higher refresh rate, it can drop it, increasing battery life.
The Apple Pencil also works better with this new display: unlike some styluses, the delight of the Pencil has always been that there’s never been a discernible lag between your Pencil-stroke and the onscreen response.
Now it’s even faster, with latency of just 20 milliseconds. It’s a smooth, intimate experience writing and drawing with the Pencil.
Okay, that’s enough about the screen. In terms of consumption, this iPad also has the four speakers first introduced in the bigger iPad Pro, offering exceptional audio playback – I’ve found it wider and more immersive than on other tablets.
A side benefit to the bigger screen is it means the Smart Keyboard boasts improved keys with better spacing. It’s delight to use, with decent travel under your fingers, and a pleasant feel to its typing surface. Its only downside is it’s not backlit, but it’s still easily the best tablet keyboard I’ve used.
The keyboard is not cheap at £159 (R2 580) or £169 for the larger 12.9-inch screen iPad Pro), but it’s a brilliant way to turn a tablet into a pretty good laptop.
The upgraded processor on the iPad Pro 10.5, called the A10X Fusion, means this is a super-fast tablet. Apple says it outperforms most PC laptops. I’ve only tried it briefly, but first impressions of iOS 11 are very strong.
The camera on the iPad Pro has been significantly improved. It’s now the same as the one on the the iPhone 7, an outstanding smartphone camera. Now, a large flat oblong really isn’t ergonomically ideal as a camera, though that big screen is a second-to-none viewfinder when it comes to composing shots. It means you will be holding a 12-megapixel snapper with a True Tone flash that has four LEDs, with optical image stabilisation to reduce judder as you shoot.
Other improvements include second-generation Touch ID so you can unlock the iPad Pro twice as fast as before, using your finger. It’s worth noting that every upgrade the iPad Pro 10.5 boasts has also been carried over to the newly refreshed 12.9-inch version, if you want the most screen real estate. It has all the same features, the only difference is size. And price, of course.
So, should you buy it?The iPad Pro 10.5 starts at £619, the 12.9-incher has an entry price of £769. Add on the Smart Keyboard (from £159) and Apple Pencil (£99) and you can be looking at serious money.
But if creativity is your thing, or if you want the eye-popping display and serious performance the iPad Pro now offers, it’s a tempting proposition.