The New Apple iPad Pro: A Smaller, Bigger iPad

Apple held a big press event today at its California headquarters where they announced updates to the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV. One of the stars of the show is a new Apple iPad Pro. Here’s what you need to know.

When the iPad Pro first came out last year, opinions were divided: Should iPads have stylus? Does an iPad have to be this big? Which OS to run, iOS or OS X (yes, yes and iOS for god’s sake). Overall, though, it’s been solid, albeit expensive, in addition to Apple’s growing tablet lineup.

The new iPad is called… iPad Pro?

However, since the first day Apple showed off the new features of the iPad Pro – four directional speakers, Apple Pencil stylus support, 4 GB of RAM, a crazy fast new SoC – Fans of the company want Apple to bring some of these iPad Pro-exclusive features to some of the smaller iPads. Showing that the company truly listens to the demands of its customers, Apple has done just that.

Wasn’t the iPad Pro introduced last year? It was. It was also re-introduced in California today. Taking a page from its MacBook Air and Pros, Apple now has two iPad Pros that are in many ways the same – but two completely different form factors. Last year’s iPad Pro, still the standard bearer of the Pro tablet lineup, uses a 12.9-inch display. Today’s iPad Pro uses the same 9.7-inch screen size that has defined the iPad since its launch. It also matches the physical dimensions of the iPad Air: same size and same weight.

However, it does get a bit of a face-lift – while the other iPad Pro comes in Silver, Space Gray and Gold, the new iPad Pro gets those colors and Apple’s new Rose Gold aluminum.

9.7-inch Apple iPad Pro: Features and Features

When it comes to internals, the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro is almost identical to its larger 12.9-inch sibling. Inside you’ll find an Apple A9X processor, which is the brain of the entire operation. Apple’s smaller iPad Pro turned it down a bit, but it’s likely to save battery life and prevent overheating. The GPU seems to run about 16% faster, while the largest iPad’s A9X runs about 4% faster. This second discrepancy is probably due to the difference in screen resolution.

While iPads Pro come in different sizes, Apple was sure to keep them at the same pixel density (how many pixels can fit in an inch diagonally). This means that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a resolution of 2048 x 1536 just like any other iPad with Retina display. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro meanwhile has a resolution of 2732 x 2048 – but both screens have a pixel density of 264 ppi, meaning text on each screen should look pretty much the same. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro also has a more advanced display than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro: it supports a new, wider color gamut (meaning it can reproduce more colors) and a new display technology called True Tone display.

The 9.7-inch Apple iPad Pro sits in front of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The Apple Pencil stylus shown here on the left works with both tablets. Credit: Apple

True Tone was first introduced with the iPhone 5S: on the iPhone, it is a set of two different colored LEDs; When your iPhone takes a flash picture, it first analyzes it to determine what kind of color mix it will illuminate the scene, then flashes the LEDs accordingly. The True Tone display similarly analyzes the room you’re using the iPad in and changes the white balance of the display to match the light source you’re using. This means that whites will always look pretty white, whether you’re in the sun or in a cell under fluorescent strips.

Both iPads have 4GB of memory and come with 32GB, 128GB or 256GB storage. The 256GB tier was just added today and done retroactively on the larger iPad Pro. But the newer iPad Pro has a better camera, which makes sense – you’re more likely to use the camera on a smaller tablet, so it naturally becomes more important that it’s good. In this case, it opts for the iPhone 6s’ awesome new camera, i.e. it offers 12MP images with f/2.2 aperture (the other iPad Pro has an 8MP shooter with f/2.4 aperture). The new camera also has better, faster focusing and can shoot 1080p and 720p slow motion as well as 4K video at 120fps and 240fps respectively. It also has a flash, a first in the iPad series. The front camera has been upgraded to a 5MP shooter, which is a noticeable improvement over the 1.2MP camera of other iPads.

A key improvement found on both iPad Pros is Apple’s clever new four-speaker setup. Tablets have two speakers at each end; Whether you hold it in portrait or landscape orientation, iPad can intelligently change the output of the speakers to ensure the same sound every time.

Both Apple iPad Pro tablets with Apple Smart Keyboards. Credit: Apple

If you get an LTE model, there are a few changes here as well. The latest iPad Pro supports 23 LTE bands, compared to 20 of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. This means it should have better compatibility with more operators worldwide and potentially offer faster data access. The new iPad also includes support for Apple’s built-in SIM technology; While it’s still early for e-SIM, a future iOS update may allow you to switch data carriers simply by visiting a web page. Apple includes a disclaimer for the smaller iPad Pro stating that e-SIM may be disabled if you purchase directly from a carrier; it is also not available in any form in China.

9.7-inch Apple iPad Pro: Price and Release date

Unless it’s launching an entirely new product category for itself, Apple has a long tradition of announcing products and making them available for purchase soon. Today is no exception. You’ll be able to pre-order the 9.7-inch iPad Pro starting this Thursday, March 24. They will ship on March 31 and will also be available in Apple Retail stores from then on.

And now the price – with all these new features, Apple has definitely raised the price of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro compared to the iPad Air 2, right? Yes and no. The iPad Air 2 was available at a starting price of $499 with a 64GB model for $599. The price of this iPad has since dropped by $100, and the new iPad Pro will enter the lineup at $599, but with 32GB of storage. The 128GB model will cost $749 and the 256GB model will cost $899. Adding LTE to any iPad costs an additional $130. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is available today in all capacities, including the newly announced 256GB version. This model will cost $1,229.

An artist draws with a Pen stylus on a 9.7-inch Apple iPad Pro. Credit: Apple

Apple also announced new iPad accessories today: an updated Lightning to SD card camera reader for $29, a Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter for $39, an Apple 29W USB-C power adapter for $49, a 3-foot Lightning to USB – C cable $25 and 6 feet Lightning to USB-C cable $35. A polyurethane Smart Cover for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is $49 and a Silicone Case is $69, while the new 9.7-inch Apple Smart Keyboard keeps the larger model priced at $149.