Apple iPad Pro 10.5in
A brilliant entertainment device and ideal travelling companion for creative professionals
SCORE PRICE 64GB, £516 (£619 inc VAT) from apple.com/uk
The obvious question for anyone considering the 10.5in iPad Pro rather than the 12.9in edition is this: does the reduction in screen size lead to other compromises? The short answer is no. The 10.5in iPad Pro is essentially identical to its bigger brother. Despite being slightly thinner, at 6.1mm, it feels as robust.
Apple squeezes the same powerful six-core Fusion A10X processor inside, along with a generous 4GB of RAM. This pushed it to 3,930 in the single-core Geekbench 4 test and 9,380 in the multicore version, putting it on a par with an eighth-gen mobile Core i5. Gaming performance is even stronger than the 12.9in model: due to the lower screen resolution of 2,224 x 1,668, it scored a table-topping 58fps in the GFXBench Manhattan test. A smaller screen also contributes to its battery life of 12hrs 59mins, 41 minutes more than the 12.9in model.
As this is a “Pro” iPad, it benefits from a laminated, anti-reflective screen that supports the DCI-P3 widecolour space and Pro Motion 120Hz technology. Despite a lower pixel resolution than the 12.9in model, this gorgeous screen has the same 264ppi pixel density, which ensures that the UI has a consistent appearance across all the iPad models except the mini 4.
The laminated screen and Pro Motion tech also make the Apple Pencil a joy to use, which highlights the capabilities of this tablet as a tool for creatives. Its Smart Keyboard is fractionally cheaper than the 12.9in model’s at £159, but the smaller screen makes this less viable as a laptop replacement. It’s still capable for productivity tasks, aided by the multitasking enhancements in iOS 11 and 12, and so could conceivably still replace a laptop – although Windows users would be better served by the Surface Go. It has other competition, too. If you seek a content consumption device with some creative aspirations, the Huawei MediaPad M5 Pro is worth a look. This includes a 4,096-layer pressure sensitive pen and costs a chunky £200 less, but lacks the iPad Pro’s processing grunt and superlative screen. At £619 for the 64GB model, rising to £969 for 512GB, before you add the £89 Apple Pencil or £159 Smart Keyboard, the 10.5in iPad Pro is the domain of creative professionals and well-heeled consumers – but if you can afford it, it’s a great bit of kit.