Tablet Apple iPad Pro 11: pros and cons

On October 30, 2018, at the “There’s More in the Making” event, Apple presented two new iPad Pro models with screen sizes of 11 and 12.9 inches. Pre-order of gadgets was available. The devices went on sale on November 7, 2018.

Which of the two models is better to buy is up to the buyer. This article will tell you how to choose the most suitable tablet, what selection criteria to consider, which company is better. The article will answer the questions about how much the iPad Pro 11 costs, and will also help you get acquainted with all the details you need to know about the tablet design, specifications, specifications and release date, as well as where to buy it.

Users who are interested in tablets of more compact size and cheaper in price, perhaps, should pay attention to other models of the brand, or to budget devices based on Android. For those who are a fan of the price / quality ratio, it is worth taking a closer look at the new product.

New iPad Pro 2018 release date

The new tablet model was announced at Apple's October 30th event in Brooklyn and simultaneously became available for ordering on Apple's website. Transportation of tablets and the start of sales in stores are on November 7, 2018.

Cost and availability

A review of the new model revealed that instead of traditionally pushing prices down on its 2017 tablet model, Apple made a bold move by pricing this year's models so high that the old version now looks (almost) cheap compared to the new one. The average price for the 11-inch version of the device in 2018 starts at £ 769 / $ 799. The standard hard drive size is 64 GB of memory. The popularity of the models will be increased by the fact that Apple has provided users with the ability to increase the storage size up to 1 TB.

Here is the complete price list:

Compared to last year, Apple has seen a pretty impressive spike in prices. In 2017, the 10.5-inch model was priced at £ 619 / $ 649, while the 12.9-inch device was £ 769 / $ 799. At the same time, they did not come with any equipment, and they had their advantages and disadvantages, which entailed impressive changes.

Design

Apple completely redesigned the Pro series in 2018 to match the iPhone X series. The changes are extremely radical, a similar situation happened with the iPhone X in 2017. It's a pretty radical change and instantly turned the 10.5-inch iPad Pro (which is still on sale) into an old-fashioned look.

Running on iOS 12, the new model has moved away from the previous design used in the iPad and earlier models of the device, and the outline frames have been replaced with a thinner version. And while the device is still not full screen, Apple is rapidly approaching it.

The corners of the display are curved. But the back wall is now curved, on the contrary, less.The slightly boxy look of the tablet itself is a bit like the old iPhone 5.

Home button no longer takes up screen space. It's gone completely, and new tablets now use Face ID instead of Touch ID. All these characteristics mean that the front of the device is almost completely shielded. This gives the impression that the screen takes up more space on the front of the tablet. Apple also managed to find a place for the TrueDepth camera on the panel. Unlike the hardware used in the iPhone X and iPhone XS, the TrueDepth camera is not located on the top of the body. Instead, there is enough room along the edge of the case to allow the camera sensor to be mounted without capturing the main display area. This adds extra focus, depth, and sharpness to your photographs as you shoot.

The device is only available in two colors: silver and space gray.

Display

In addition to offering more screen real estate, the tablet also impresses with brightness and clarity. The new screen has a resolution of 2388x1668, which corresponds to Apple's standard 264ppi for medium to large tablet models. Wide color gamut, True-Tone and 120Hz ProMotion are also supported.

Liquid Retina screen

Apple's new Liquid Retina interface is similar to the iPhone XR, but the pixel density is the same as the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5in and much lower than the iPad mini 4 (which is designed to be brought closer to your face).

The 11-inch screen is another new diagonal screen size for Apple tablets made with similar technology. There are currently five different display options available: 7.9, 9.7, 10.5, 11 and 12.9. One can only imagine the confusion this can cause for inexperienced users.

The company promises that users will experience the benefits of the new screen: Apple offers the same pixel masking and anti-aliasing technology found in the popular iPhone XR models, with a new backlight design.

Dimensions

The new iPad is also slightly thinner than previous models. Its thickness is 5.9 mm.

iPad Pro 11 is incredibly light in your hand. It is comfortable to hold the device for a long time. The device is perfect for drawing on the go.

Important changes

Finally - and most importantly - Apple removed the Lightning connector. The new device has a USB-C input, in its place was a Lightning port. These changes mean more flexibility when used with third-party accessories, a data connection, and the ability to charge external devices with an iPad. For example, you can now charge your iPhone this way. The USB-C connector also makes it easy to connect iPad Pro to an external 5K display. However, reviews have shown that this will bring a lot of inconvenience to people using Lightning docks and headphones.

Speaking of headphones, the device also lacks a jack for them. Users will either have to buy headphones for a USB-C port, buy an adapter, or join wirelessly.

Additional functionality

The most interesting change in the iPad Pro 11 is Face ID, which is capable of recognizing a face in both the sun and the dark. Users are familiar with the property from the iPhone X series, but this model has expanded it slightly. The feature works in both portrait and landscape orientations, as befits a device that is used in multiple configurations more often than a phone. In addition to authenticating, the Face ID option also provides the same Animoji and MeMoji functionality as the iPhone X.

The new Apple Pencil can be used to unlock the tablet, after which the device will scan the user's face. This will be useful when using the machine in static mode.

The tablet can determine the user's geographic position using GPS.

The model has bluetooth 5.0. Previous devices in 2017 have version 4.2. Apple says wireless is faster.

Newer models continue to use four speakers for sound reproduction, this time with low and high frequency pairs. There is also a Gigabit-grade LTE connectivity as well as eSIM support for cellular network access.

The power supply for the device is an 18-watt USB-C adapter that Apple has been working on recently, but it looks like the adapter cannot be purchased separately from the device. The device holds a charge for a long time. The battery life before the next recharge is rated at 10 hours.

Performance

Looking at the prices for the new iPad Pro 11, we can conclude that the equipment of the device is impressive. The processor was changed from the A10X in 2017 to the A12X Bionic and is an improved version of the chip used in the iPhone XS, which was already ultra-fast. Apple claims the A10X is 2.5x faster than the old A8 chip (used in the iPad mini 4), while the A12X is 3x faster.

The new A12X Bionic is based on a 7-nanometer processor and consists of 10 billion transistors. The powerful 8-core chassis includes four performance cores and four efficiency cores. At the same time, the performance of a single core reaches 35 percent, and multi-core tasks run 90 percent faster. The tablet is perfect for both games and watching movies and cartoons. Apple claims the iPad Pro 11 runs faster than 92 percent of all laptops sold in the past year. The chipset also uses the latest generation of neural engines capable of 5 trillion operations per second.

The graphics processing of the Apple-enabled tablet consists of a 7-core GPU that's said to be a thousand times faster than before and suitable for active gaming. The developers claim the processor's properties are equivalent to those of the Xbox One S, while the tablet is 94 percent smaller than a game console.

The storage size of the tablet reaches 1 TB.

Camera

The rear camera is rated at 12MP, but, oddly enough, the optical image stabilization function has disappeared. The camera is equipped with Smart HDR, 4-LED True Tone flash, f / 1.8 aperture and autofocus function. The tablet is still capable of recording 4K video at up to 60fps, 120fps at 1080p and 240fps when set to 720p slo-mo video. The front camera now offers portrait mode and is rated at 7MP.

Below is an example of how the camera takes a picture:

Using iPad Pro

As with last year's iPhone buyers, those buying the new iPad Pro will have to retrain their fingers and learn a new sign language as the Home button no longer exists. (Of course, iPhone X-series users will be familiar with these gestures.) But it shouldn't take long, it'll only take a few days.

The new device features Face ID, which replaces the Touch-Button fingerprint scanner (which was powered by the Home button). Removing Touch ID also made it possible to use gestures that first appeared on the iPhone X, including swiping up to return to the home screen. There are many fans of Face ID on the iPhone XS, the feature is fast and reliable. But there is one potential problem with the new model because iPad is bigger than iPhone. For example, when the tablet is on the table, it can be inconvenient to launch Face ID. The user may have to move on their own instead of bringing the lighter iPhone to their face.

Apple Pencil 2

Accessory aficionados will be delighted to hear that the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) is launching alongside the tablet. The rounded shape of the previous Apple Pencil has been changed to flat. Now the stylus made of lightweight materials will no longer roll off the desk.

There is a new magnetic connector for the new, comfortable Apple Pencil, which neatly attaches to one edge of the iPad Pro 11, automatically connects to the device using sensors, and charges wirelessly.

The new charging method is far from the previous inconvenient way of having a pencil sticking out of the Lightning port while charging. Combining charging and storing information, the stylus should always remain charged, and not, as usual, need to be charged, as was the case in past models.

Double-tapping the flat edge of the second-generation pencil brings up special functionality in the application, but this will obviously depend on developer support.This will surely become a handy feature.

IPad Pro 11 specifications

Pros and cons of a tablet

• Apple display is made using Liquid Retina technology;
• new backlight design;
• added Face ID function;
• nimble productive processor;
• graphics processor.

• available in only two colors;
• no headphone port;
• price;
• inconvenient to use Face ID with a large diagonal;
• there is no optical image stabilization function.

Expecting inexpensive tablets from the way they position themselves, the best manufacturers of gadgets were not worth it. A quick glance at the device and its components makes it clear that despite its high cost, the tablet is worth considering. And, perhaps, the device will soon lead the rating of high-quality devices.