There is no argument that the iPad Pro is Apple’s fastest iPad and biggest iPad ever to be produced, with very heightened target of substituting your laptop so as to assume the position of an actual productivity device. At 12.9 inches, 1.57 lbs, and with a deafening A9X processor, the iPad Pro with proud certainty has the looks like it could probably take over from your laptop on paper. This effectively brings us to a comprehensive review of the iPad Pro.
Basically a Really Big iPad
If you have probably climbed over the first excitement as to the iPad Pro’s size, it has the feel of working intuitively, just like any other iPad. iOS 9 works without hitches here and the apps you are already accustomed to using, operate very finely without issue for majority of the time part (we would touch on this later). For sure, this device is heavy when compared to the iPad Air 2, so we shouldn’t have that expectation of holding iPad Pro with just one hand for a time frame exceeding several minutes.
Almost those that saw me using the iPad Pro had a jolt as they were surprised by how big the tablet is. Most naturally, people had a good doze of attraction and were drawn to the Pro’s big and goodlooking screen as well as reactions have been positive on the general, though still reserve sentiments that it’s too big. Others fell in love with the device on the grounds of just how good video and comic books looked on the larger screen.
Not Quite a Laptop Replacement
Having “Pro” in its name, the iPad Pro for sure is aimed at luring professionals who thirst for a tablet to be productive, and no doubt you can practically execute a junk of work with it. Tasks in the mould of Web browsing as well as word processing work like are really pretty as to how lovely it operates. Yet in face of this superlatives, I will not forget to put in here the disappointment you could come across when you try to multitask with the same app side by side. Don’t think it possible to have two Safari windows or Word documents open simultaneously. Well there is that viable possibility that the iPad Pro could take the place of my aging MacBook Pro for a lot of the tasks when I probably pair it with a sweet Bluetooth keyboard, but then more realistically I still cling naturally to my laptop.
The big question here is: if you are not a professional, is it advisable to still get the iPad Pro?
Well, If you just have the taste for a tablet with a big screen to fulfill tasks like watching movies, playing games, reading articles and so on, the iPad Pro is big catch I will say. But If you really have thick work to be done, the laptop is still a fairer choice. One fact we can’t deny lying behind this is that iOS 9 is just beginning the transform of the iPad into a productivity machine, it definitely has not hit commendable heights yet. Many apps still aren’t compatible with split-screen multitasking and then don’t forget that the multitasking app selector is really frustrating, thereby compelling you to scroll without end to find the app you’re looking for.
For the fact that the iPad Pro is still fresh out of the block, a lot of apps have not been updated for the device. Yes, this tells us that some apps look soft and then the old iPad touch keyboard pops up with really big buttons. With supported apps, the new iPad Pro touch keyboard does well to exploit the increased real estate by helping you to a dedicated number row as well as vibrant up-and-doing character keys. No big prophecy if I say it could turn out to be the best on-screen keyboard you could have used on a tablet, but then we all know a physical keyboard is still the more effective choice about getting things done.
In the category of keyboards, for some time now I have been using the iPad Pro with the $150 Logi Create keyboard, and so far it has the feel of typing on a laptop, though there is yet a little bit of key flex. There is the absence of some awkwardly solid Bluetooth pairing sequence; simply dock the iPad into the case and its magnetic 3 pin connector pairs the keyboard automatically. It also sources it power from the iPad Pro so there is no need to worry about charging it. As to the effect of the battery life with the keyboard, let us say it is not that significant since Bluetooth works so well, but then having the backlight at full will take big spoonfuls of your iPad battery a little bit faster, though it shuts off when inactive. It is quite bulky though utilitarian looking but then if I am asked, I vehemently prefer the Logi Create for getting some real work done. I like the way it put in media and iOS-specific shortcut keys at the top, something Apple’s own keyboard doesn’t really have.
A Gorgeous Multimedia Experience
When you get to watch movies on Netflix, the iPad Pro is a gasping sensation. The screen is beautiful and gets too impressively bright. Colors pop and blacks has a good look, although not as black when compared with the OLED screens we find on the Samsung Galaxy tablets. One reality here you might find disturbing is that Movies and TV shows will have black bars at the top and bottom owing to the functional presence of iPad’s 3:2 4:3 aspect ratio. But then if you have been attached to reading comics and books, the aspect ratio has an applaudable performance and feels natural. No difficulty reading Text, where as there was the big requirement to zoom in on the smaller iPad Air 2 from time to time.
Reading just about anything comes way better when making use of the iPad Pro. Web pages get to display more content and text has this neat look with the Retina Display. On browsing the App Storem you could see a lot more apps on the screen at once. Also, there are apps, like Twitter, that don’t take really exploit a big hole from the increased screen real estate, which turns into some comical funny spaces. iOS 9 also doesn’t make the best use of the increased screen space on the home screen, as big huge gaps between icons as well as a lot of blank space in folder view.
The most significant physical deviation of the iPad Pro from its smaller siblings or predecessors aside its huge screen, are its four speakers, which sound pretty very good lovingly loud. I could be right to say this is the only iPad which could play music that without the emanating sound seeming like it’s coming out of a tin can, while having that stereo separation for sure brings in the reality of music listening much more fun. It also has the audibility to fill a room at maximum level.
A Powerful Gaming Machine
The iPad Pro’s A9X processor is a banger. It took care to handle every game I threw at it without complications and the entire tablet experience feels pretty smooth. Games loaded in no time and it never did I come across failing graphics heavy titles. Asphalt 8 had a phenomenal look on the big screen and it get way more absorbing with the huge tablet in my hands. I also played Lumino City, a gorgeous game built for touch. I got whole buckets of fun there, putting solutions to puzzles, showing the promising capacity of the iPad Pro as an absorbing gaming platform. Smash Hit, a game notorious for bogging down slower hardware, had a smooth experience rendering all the bits of broken glass with no big problem. The iPad Pro’s power is of a truth impressive.
For the best gaming experience, I think you could pair the iPad Pro with a Bluetooth gamepad for titles like Bastion. Platformers promised a more glooming experience with a gamepad and the iPad Pro’s intimidating size and weight brings in the reality that you will want to place the tablet on a table for extended gaming sessions.
While gaming can be great on the iPad Pro, I couldn’t help but wish there were more games kind of more precisely optimized for the bigger screen and for touch. There certainly are some big good points, but there are also a lot of ports and casual mobile games.
Battery Life
Apple has the assertion that the iPad Pro can go 10 hours on a charge, and in my testing, the claim is too far from it. I could get a full day of work done on the iPad Pro and I didn’t really get the charger. If we bring this into comparison with the iPad Air 2, the iPad Pro has a longer battery duration since it’s battery is 30% bigger (but then it also has a larger screen to power).
The Verdict
I will say that the iPad Pro is the best tablet Apple has ever made. If you have always reserved sentiments that the iPad Airs was too small, then the iPad Pro will definitely give you your missing joy. It is kind of thin and still relatively light. Its big screen brings bigger fun into creating, and consuming content than ever.
For those on the hunt just for a great tablet to watch movies and TV, the iPad Pro is answers it all . Its speakers are loud and neat sound coming with a larger screen which adds that dedicated relish to watching videos. Music has a great sound from its four speakers and is loud enough to fill a room. As a device for content consumption, the iPad Pro is excellent if you can get over its weight and size.
But most importantly if you are looking for the iPad Pro to substitute your laptop, it just isn’t powerful or capable enough yet. We can’t say iOS 9 is mature enough to take on the same level of productivity as a laptop would. Split-screen multitasking is a great start, but that big sense of disappointment sets in so that you can’t pull up two windows of the same app and the multitasking app selector is a big let down. But then there are the steady hopes that Apple can bring some features from OS X into iOS , so that this way it is worth becoming a device for work and play.