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…
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 i Pad 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.
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.
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.
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.
