At its Mac and iPad launch event in Brooklyn on Monday October 30, Apple unveiled another update to its flagship tablet line, the iPad Pro. The latest model switches the standard Lightning port in favour of a USB-C port, gains Face ID and drops the home button altogether. Here’s how the new iPad Pro compares to the current model and the much cheaper standard iPad.
What’s new?
Apple last updated the iPad Pro at Worldwide Developer Conference in June 2017, so it’s been 15 months since the Pro had an overhaul. This next generation, the third in the iPad Pro’s history, is its biggest jump yet and takes many of its design cues from last year’s iPhone X.
Apple announced two iPad Pros at the Brooklyn event. The current 10.5-inch screen has been updated to a £769 11-inch display in the same casing, while the £969 12.9-inch iPad Pro has kept the same screen size but in a smaller device. Both are also available with 64GB, 256GB, 512GB and thumping 1TB hard drives. The most expensive iteration? The 12.9-inch in 1TB + cellular, yours for £1,869. Unlike the current iPad Pros, which have slightly curved sides, these new devices have flat sides - about one millimetre thinner than the previous models – that are much more reminiscent of the iPhone 4 and 5.
The other thing you’ll notice about the new iPad Pros is the complete lack of a home button. As with the iPhone X, Apple has dropped fingerprint recognition for unlocking and instead opted for Face ID, which Apple says will work no matter what way up you're holding the iPad. This makes the new iPad Pro the only iPad in Apple’s lineup with Face ID, so if you’re using Face ID on your Android or iOS phone already and the prospect of using fingerprint recognition feels like stepping back in time, then you’ll definitely want to hold out for the iPad Pro.
Another departure with the 2018 iPad Pros is Apple’s switch from Lightning ports to USB-C. The Lightning connector has been standard on Apple phones and iPads since 2012, but the USB-C port – which is already standard on the current MacBook Pro – will mean faster charging times. The addition of USB-C also means that the iPad Pro can be used to charge your phone on-the-go.
The latest iPad Pro line also includes a hefty boost to the processor. The 2017 iPad Pro has an A10X Fusion chip while the processor in the new model is an updated A12X Bionic, which Apple promises is 90 per cent faster than older models when all the cores are being used.
Should I upgrade?
The iPad Pro, as the name would suggest, is Apple’s top-of-the-line tablet. Originally released in 2015, the iPad Pro was updated in 2017 with both versions of the tablet seriously impressing WIRED’s reviewers upon their release. If you already own one of these devices, some may argue there is little point trading in your old iPad Pro for a new one right now, unless you’re really tempted by the proposition of unlocking your phone with your face. However, the significant improvements in speed, design and sound performance with the new Pros might well be enough to get existing users upgrading.
And if you’re already in the market for a powerful tablet, then the latest iPad Pros are what you have likely been waiting for. The curved screen and reduced bezel makes this latest iPad a more pleasant proposition for watching TV or films, and we already know from the previous models that the iPad Pro line, paired with a keyboard, is a powerful and portable alternative to a laptop.
Read more: These are the best tablets for any budget in 2021
What about the standard iPad?
If you don’t need a tablet for your day-to-day computing, then shelling out for an iPad Pro might be overkill. Apple updated its standard iPad in 2018, and its compatible with the Apple Pencil and a more than capable device if you’re mostly using it for watching Netflix and browsing the internet.
Unlike the iPad Pro, the maximum memory capacity of the iPad is 128GB, and it only has an eight megapixel front-facing camera compared to the second-generation Pro’s 512GB hard drive. It’s also a tad smaller, and only comes in one 9.7-inch model, although at 469 grams the standard iPad weighs as much as the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
Starting at £319, the iPad is a decent tablet that doesn’t cost the Earth. The non-laminated display means that this iPad certainly won’t feel quite as slick as the latest iPad Pro, but if you don’t want to pay full whack for a tablet that’s more for watching than working, then you can’t go far wrong with the iPad.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
