In line with our expectations over the past few months, Apple has taken the wraps off its much-awaited and massive iPad Pro refresh with narrower bezels, no home button, USB Type-C, Face ID authentication, and a new Apple Pencil at their hardware event today in Brooklyn, New York.
Price and Availability
The new iPad Pro lineup is a substantial upgrade over the previous one and so is the new pricing. The base variant (64GB) of the 11-inch iPad Pro is priced starting at $799 whereas the base variant of the larger 12.9-inch variant will be available starting at $999.
Gadgets 360’s tweet says the the iPad Pro will start at Rs 71,900 in India for the 11-inch version, with the 12.9-inch model coming up to Rs 89,900. The second-generation Apple Pencil will have a price tag of Rs 10,900, which seems really steep. The other accessory, the Smart Folio keyboard cover will be priced at Rs 15,900 for the smaller iPad Pro and Rs 17,900 for the larger one.
The iPad Pro is available to pre-order right away but will officially go on sale in stores from November 7, i.e next week.
Design and Display
In line with all the leaks and rumors, Apple has unveiled the iPad Pro in two sizes – a new 11-inch variant (an upgrade over the previous 10.5-inch one) and the existing 12.9-inch variant.
Just like the iPhone X (or the latest XS or XR), Apple has tried pushing the screen on the iPad Pro to the edges and narrowed the bezels to give users an enhanced and immersive viewing experience. The new iPad Pro variants still feature a Retina display, with the ProMotion technology which adds support for up to 120HZ refresh rate. You will get True Tone support on here as well.
Specs & Features
Following the lead of the recently launched trio of iPhones, the new iPad Pro models are also powered by the latest A12X Bionic processor. It’s built on TSMC’s 7nm architecture, packing four performance and four efficiency cores, along with Apple’s next-gen Neural Engine and 7-core GPU for enhanced gaming performance.
With Apple moving away from the home button (and Touch ID) on the iPhones, we were already sure that Face ID would be integrated into the new iPad Pro. Apple has baked its TrueDepth camera system, with the IR camera, dot projector and flood illuminator, found on all latest iPhones into the top bezel to bring Face ID to the new iPad Pro variants.
In line with the iPhones, the new iPad Pro does not have a headphone jack.
The highlight of the Face ID here is that works both in portrait and landscape mode.
In the optics department, the iPad Pro features a single 12MP camera on the back and a 7MP selfie shooter to make it possible for you to capture your favorite picture-perfect moments even while keeping your productivity in check. You also get to view AR experiences on the huge, gorgeous screen on the iPad Pro via the rear camera.
The biggest rumor to be confirmed on stage at the event, however, would have to be the switch to USB-C over Apple’s own long-standing lightning port. Apple has justified this switch by saying that USB-C is becoming a universal standard and you can now use it to connect devices, monitors, and even charge your iPhone on the go.
On the connectivity front, you also get Gigabit-class LTE, eSIM technology, and Bluetooth 5.0, which means you will get the latest of everything. You can also get up to 10-hours of battery life from the new iPad Pro and that’s just awesome!
To recap everything, here’s a quick look at the key specs of the new iPad Pro models:
| Specs/Model | iPad Pro (11-inch) | iPad Pro (12.9-inch) |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9 mm | 280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9 mm |
| Weight | 468 grams | 631 grams |
| Display | 11-inch Liquid Retina, with ProMotion tech (2388 x 1668 pixels) | 12.9-inch Liquid Retina, with ProMotion tech (2732 x 2048 pixels) |
| Processor | A12X Bionic | A12X Bionic |
| Internal Storage | up to 1TB | up to 1TB |
| Rear Camera | 12MP (f/1.8), with 5x digital zoom, 4K video up to 60fps | 12MP (f/1.8), with 5x digital zoom, 4K video up to 60fps |
| Front Camera | 7MP (f/2.2), with 1080p video up to 60fps | 7MP (f/2.2), , with 1080p video up to 60fps |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, nano SIM, USB Type-C charging port, | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, nano SIM, USB Type-C charging port |
| IP Rating | N.A | N.A |
| Battery | 29.37Wh | 36.71Wh |
| Colors | Silver, Space Gray | Silver, Space Gray |
Apple Pencil 2
Cupertino has also upgraded the Apple Pencil and it now sports a cleaner, all-white design that looks so clean. It has been priced at $129 and will have to be bought separately, as usual.
The second-gen Apple Pencil can now be magnetically connected to the edge of the new iPad Pro models, which is also the Apple Pencil will pair and charge. There’s also a new touch sensor built onto Apple Pencil detects taps, allowing you to change brush size and interact with apps.
As you can obviously see, the iPad Pro has bagged a major upgrade and it’s looking quite good from the perspective of a creative and productive user. So, would you be getting the new ‘all-screen’ iPad Pro? Let us know in the comments below.
