Although Apple’s iPhones might face stiff competition from their rivals over the years, the same is not true when it comes to the tablets from Apple. A notable example happens to be the innovative iPad Pro 12.9 which stays ahead in the competition at present. It has inherited the slim design and large display of the previous iPad Pro and has made lots of improvements in terms of the hardware and software. The iPad Pro 2018 still doesn’t disappoint. when it comes to playing games and streaming content, creating musical masterpieces or skillful sketches, or simply handling other types of work documents.
However, despite all these astounding features, the iPad Pro 12.9 comes with a comparatively high price tag that ought to be given some thought by the company. In the following paragraphs, we are going to provide a comprehensive Apple iPad Pro review that should help to justify its popularity right now.
You might be interested in the 2021 Apple iPad Pro Review – Here
Availability and Price
This device is now available in almost every region out there. As mentioned earlier, this unit is not cheap by any means and it happens to be the most expensive handheld gadget from Apple to date.
You can choose from 4 different internal memory sizes, namely, 64 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB. After making a decision on which one you like, you might go for cellular data apart from the Wi-Fi connectivity, but for that, you will need to shell out additional cash all the same.
The price of the cheapest version, the 64 GB iPad Pro 12.9 along with Wi-Fi is going to be $999, and it will hit $1,899 for the one with internal memory storage of 1 TB with cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity.
However, that’s not all! In case you are purchasing the device, it is quite natural for you to buy the peripherals too. The Apple Pencil is going to cost $129, while the price of the Apple Smart Keyboard is $169.
If you can afford it, you might end up spending $2,197 on the highest-end version of the iPad together with the Smart keyboard and the Apple Pencil.
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The Design
Even though the Apple iPad Pro 12.9 is not the largest tablet on the planet at present, it is nevertheless quite big in size. It features a wide body at 280.6 mm x 214.9 mm x 5.9 mm and is a bit thinner than a normal smartphone out there. Consequently, it is going to feel like a slim rectangle of metal having rounded edges plus a minimalist design.
The tablet is somewhat heavy at 633 g for the cellular version and 631 g for the Wi-Fi model; however, it does not feel much hefty in spite of being such a big device.
There is a large speaker array along with the power button on top of the tablet (while you are holding it in the portrait orientation), and there is another assortment of speaker perforations along with a USB-C port on the bottom. On the left side there is a microphone perforation and on the right are a couple of volume buttons, a magnet for holding the Apple pencil plus a SIM port.
The Display
The display is quite big that makes it ideal for different types of activities such as playing games and creating artworks. The screen makes use of the innovative Liquid Retina Display of Apple which happens to be a sort of LCD that is intended to be as colorful and sharp similar to an OLED display. The display shows the colors very well which is bright as well as vivid.
Perhaps the most notable feature of the iPad Pro 12.9 happens to be the True Tone display that measures the setting and the ambient lighting you are in and changes the white balance of the display accordingly. This implies that the screen is going to appear great whether you are using it in your dark living space, in the open air outdoors, or in a coffee shop. In fact, there is no need to play with the brightness levels or the screen settings in order to come across the correct balance.
Battery life
The battery life is perhaps the biggest drawback of the iPad Pro 12.9 and this is a phenomenon that we have noticed in all the gadgets manufactured by Apple over the years. Even though it happens to be a 9720 mAh battery, we definitely expected a better one on a productivity tool like this.
If you use the device for a long period of time, the battery gets exhausted significantly. It does not appear that the battery is going to last the entire day in case your job requires it to do so (for instance, if you are a video editor or a graphics designer who has to work for extended hours).
The battery will not disappoint you in case you are using it casually (for example, going through some emails while you are on the go). However, don’t forget the term “Pro” in the title which implies that this tablet is meant for people who require it for something more than just using it casually.
The device is not exactly snappy to get charged up as well given that it might take around 2 and a half hours to become charged to 100% from 0%. This is definitely quite slow, and therefore, it will be a good idea to stay plugged in while working.
The Camera
When it comes to the camera, the Apple iPad Pro 12.9 isn’t exactly the best out there. The rear camera comes with several useful features like timer shots, 5x digital zoom, plus a panorama mode that might come of use from time to time.
Even though the pictures might not be of the highest quality, they are okay for your functional shots of the sort you would need to take for college or work. The zoomed-in photos appear to be somewhat grainy and not much light is picked up for the indoor shots as well. However, for your basic needs, the camera will be just fine whatsoever.
You will come across a 7 MP f/2.2 TrueDepth camera on the front of the gadget which can be used for front-facing photos as well as for the Face ID of the device. It is not the best camera out there by any means, and you are okay to use it only for video calls and stuff similar to that.
The front-facing camera features the portrait mode which has some nifty filters that might prove to be useful (for example, the Studio Lighting Mode for brightening the facial features and emphasizing colors along with the Stage Lighting Mode for somewhat professional-looking photos against a dark background).
However, the size of the gadget has proved to be an obstacle for taking the best selfies out there. If the tablet is held in such a position that we can get to the shutter we will end up being excessively high up in the shot. On the other hand, if the device is tilted for balancing that out, the picture will be a rather unappealing angle.
Apple Pencil
This extra peripheral for the iPad is optional and is an essential piece of technology in case you are using the device for note-taking or artwork. In fact, it unlocks an entire assortment of shortcuts and features that might really surprise you. While using the painting are sketching apps, the display will take up each somewhat quicker and with better location precision as compared to a finger. The pencil lines or brushstrokes are more accurate and the line becomes thicker while you press down the pencil harder. This will definitely help to make the device behave similarly to a normal canvas.
However, there are certain things that cannot be done by this innovative Apple Pencil; it will not be able to use it for swiping up and down on the borders of the screen for bringing up any previously used app or for opening the toolkit. However, it is more than useful and there is no possibility of opening any other screen accidentally while painting close to the edges.
The Pencil will lock to the top of the gadget by means of a magnet where it will be charging wirelessly as well. This device will be a vital piece of kit in case you happen to be an artist or a person of the creative type. It will open up new ways of using the device in the long run.
If you’re looking for a tablet specifically for drawing, then this is definitely a great pick.
Smart Keyboard
Another additional product is the presence of the Smart Keyboard which will snap to the rear portion of the iPad magnetically. Therefore there is no need to worry about using the tablet having a case with claspings that can block the view of your display. Moreover, the Smart Keyboard is lightweight and thin which will not add much mass in any manner.
It will be useful for typing out messages quickly since using on-screen keyboards can be sometimes quite slow. The Smart Keyboard might save plenty of time for those who like to go for word processing or any other similar typing activities.
However, typing on this keyboard can be somewhat loud and it is even more annoying than that of a normal keyboard out there.
Now you can also get the new Magic Keyboard for the 2018 iPad Pro
Gaming, Movies, And Music
The innovative speaker set up on this tablet from Apple might be one of the best observed on handheld devices at present. The audio quality which comes with a unique 4-speaker array is really astounding; the bass is booming, the treble is crystal-clear, and the maximum volume can be quite loud.
This type of sound quality implies that the Apple iPad Pro will be fantastic when it comes to listening to music that is playing on the device. You can also use it in the form of a smart speaker ideal for playing games and watching movies.
Nevertheless, the tablet’s 4:3 display ratio implies that while streaming different media types TV programs that come in a 16:9 ratio or feature films that come with a ratio of 21:9, you can often see some chunky black bars appear at the top and the bottom of your screen.
This is not a problem while playing games on this device since most of the games will be using every single inch of the screen area available. Moreover, while playing the games, you’ll find them to be enhanced by the innovative A12X Bionic chipset which guarantees an absence of any lag plus smooth graphics.
Performance
The Apple iPad Pro 12.9 is probably the fastest handheld device right now and it has performed impressively across a wide range of applications. It functions the A12X Bionic chipset technology from Apple and includes 4 GB RAM unless you purchase the 1 TB memory version. In that case, you’ll be getting 6 GB RAM.
Because of this incredible A12X Bionic chipset technology, we can observe the benefits of this tablet every single time we use it. Rendering plus video editing become significantly quicker as compared to any other handheld gadget out there. Games come with improve performance with superb graphics and it is possible to operate 2 apps in the split-screen mode without any drop in the performance levels.
The Pros
• A stunning 12.9-inch display
• USB-C port will replace Lighting
• Performance better than that of a laptop
The Cons
• Somewhat pricey
• Inadequate battery life
• Begins with 64 GB storage capacity
Our Verdict
Apart from being a tremendous tablet, the Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) once upon a time was the best iPad. Hopefully, after going through this comprehensive iPad Pro review, it must be now clear to you that this device is definitely worth the cost, but if you’re looking for something even better and faster you should check out the iPad Pro 2020. With the comparatively big screen, useful peripherals, and a fast processor, this tablet will certainly live up to the expectations. However, as mentioned earlier, it comes with one significant drawback which is its price. Just by adding a little, you can get the new iPad. Nevertheless, this high cost helps to pay for some top-notch features which will come of use to you in the long run. In a nutshell, this iPad Pro 12.9 is a wholeheartedly recommended tablet.
We hope this was helpful. Let us know in the comments below what do you think about iPad Pro.
If you’re interested in the updated version or 2020 version you can read it here – The Ultimate Apple iPad Pro 2020 Review
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