Apple just unveiled the 10.5-inch iPad Pro we’ve all been waiting for. It delivers a faster 120Hz display for smoother motion and enhanced Apple Pencil performance, but Apple’s latest A10X Fusion processor for the best performance on an iPad to date.
Apple says the 9.7-inch iPad is its most popular model, so to make it even greater, it took the form factor we’re all familiar with and squeezed in an even larger display. It’s the perfect size to offer a full-size onscreen keyboard, and a full-size Smart Keyboard.
It’s not just bigger; it’s also the best iPad display we’ve ever seen. It supports True Tone and a wide color gamut, with 600 nits of brightness. It’s also the first iPad display with support for HDR video and a new feature called ProMotion.
Photo: Apple
ProMotion uses hardware and software to dramatically improve display performance. The new iPad Pro’s display can deliver a 120Hz refresh rate — twice that of previous iPads — for smoother and more responsive motion and enhanced Apple Pencil support.
What’s more, ProMotion can dynamically adjust its refresh rate depending on what you’re looking at. You’ll get a 120Hz refresh rate when you need it most, but as little as 24Hz when faster motion isn’t necessary. This prevents wasted battery life.
The new iPad Pro is powered by Apple’s new A10X Fusion chip, with six processing cores for up to 40 percent faster CPU performance, and 12 graphics processing cores for up to 40 percent faster graphics. It’s by far the fastest and most powerful iPad yet.
It also delivers the same great cameras from iPhone 7. That means you get a 12-megapixel sensor with features like optical image stabilization and 4K video recording on the back, and a 7-megapixel camera with Retina Flash on the front.
Photo: Apple
iOS 11 will also offer some new features specifically for iPad, including a new dock. You can add as many shortcuts as you want, and swipe up from the bottom of the display to reveal the dock inside any app for faster app switching.
You can also drag apps out of the dock to bring them into Slide Over or Split View, and when using two apps side-by-side, you can drag and drop content from one to the other for incredibly fast document and file sharing.
The 10.5-inch iPad Pro starts at $649 with 64GB of storage, while 256GB and 512GB models are available for $749 and $879 respectively.
Apple has also updated the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It looks the same, but now boasts that incredible ProMotion display, the A10X Fusion chip, and the iPhone 7’s cameras. It also comes in the same storage options: 64GB for $799, 256GB for $899, and 512GB for $999.
Both the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro are available to order today, with shipping scheduled to begin next week. They will ship with iOS 10, but of course, iOS 11 is coming as a free upgrade this fall.
