Apple iPad Pro Tablet

Big – Bigger – iPad Pro! The iPad Air is huge and for the first time has the stylus functionality. The Apple Pencil is mainly designed for creative users. The Californians have also equipped the tablet with the fastest SoC you can currently get in a tablet. Our review will show which customer group the iPad Pro is designed for.

At 12.9 inches, the iPad Pro is just huge. Even users of other large tablets like the Microsoft Surface Pro or a Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 will notice the difference. The tablet is still surprisingly slim and Apple has equipped the device with the Apple A9X SoC, a component that can beat all the others.

But it is not just a larger version of the iPad Air 2; for the first time, the Pro model is equipped with a digitizer layer and supports the optional Apple Pencil (109 Euros/~$119). The additional Smart Connector is supposed to transform the iPad Pro into a professional business tool, at least if you get the corresponding accessories. Unfortunately, the matching keyboard was not available in the Germany/Austria/Swiss region at the time of the review. The tablet itself starts at 899 Euros (~$982; Wi-Fi, 32 GB). With a price tag of 1079 Euros (~$1179) the 128 GB version is quite tough on the wallet and the LTE model retails for 1229 Euros (~$1343; 128 GB). The latter is our review configuration.

There are not many competitors with this form factor and additional pen input. Examples would be the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and the older Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 as well as the Dell Venue 11 Pro.

Apple iPad Pro

Processor

Apple A9X 2.26 GHz , M9 Motion Coprocessor

Graphics adapter

Apple A9X / PowerVR Series 7XT

Memory

4096 MB 

Display

12.9 inch 4:3, 2732x2048 pixel, capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes

Storage

128 GB eMMC Flash, 128 GB 

, 99.9 GB free

Connections

Audio Connections: 3.5 mm stereo jack (microphone and headphones), 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Sensors: Ambient light, 3-axis gyroscope and accelerometer, digital compass, GPS, Glonass, iBeacon micro location, Touch ID, Lightning port, Smart Connector

Networking

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.2, GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900 and 2100 MHz), LTE Cat. 4 (bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 38, 39, 40 and 41)

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 6.9 x 305.7 x 220.6 ( = 0.27 x 12.04 x 8.69 in)

Battery

38.8 Wh, 10307 mAh Lithium-Polymer, 3.77 V, Battery runtime (according to manufacturer): 10 h

Operating System

Apple iOS 9.0

Camera

Webcam: 1.2 MP (f/2.2, 720p video), main camera: 8 MP iSight camera (f/2.4, autofocus, Full-HD video)

Additional features

Speakers: four stereo speakers, Keyboard: virtual, Power adaptor, USB-Lightning adaptor, SIM tool, 12 Months Warranty

Weight

723 g ( = 25.5 oz / 1.59 pounds), Power Supply: 124 g ( = 4.37 oz / 0.27 pounds)

Price

1229 Euro

Pro

+ great design and build quality

+ very good stylus (optional)

+ rapid SoC

+ excllent display

+ great speakers

+ very good runtimes

Cons

- scaling of iOS

- weak and hot power adaptor

- long loading times

- no NFC

- only LTE Cat. 4

- expensive accessories