First look: Apple launches iPad Pro in new 10.5" form factor with vibrant 120Hz screen
Just over a week after Apple took the wraps off of its new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, the new premium touchscreen tablet is now available and finding its way into the hands of consumers. AppleInsider offers a first look at Apple's new 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
Out of the box, the new iPad Pro feels familiar. In fact, it wasn't until we put it side-by-side with a 9.7-inch iPad Air 2 that we were able to perceive the slight size difference with the larger 10.5-inch display -- an achievement accomplished with a new, thinner bezel.
More immediately apparent, after the iPad Pro was powered on, is the stunning new display, which runs at a buttery smooth 120Hz. Just going through the initial setup process, we were immediately struck by how fluid the screen is with the framerate increase.
Left: 9.7" iPad Air 2. Middle: 10.5" iPad Pro with True Tone display. Right: 12.9" 2015 iPad Pro.
No video will properly capture the improvement seen with the new display -- you must simply experience it for yourself to fully appreciate it.
As with the previous iPad Pro, the external design is largely the same, including the unfortunate camera bump on the rear shell. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro boasts four speakers, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and Lightning port, and magnetic Smart Connector.
Also immediately noticeable upon startup: The 10.5-inch iPad Pro runs iOS 10. To really unlock the power of this tablet, customers will have to wait until this fall for the release of iOS 11 -- or deal with the bugginess of beta releases until then.
Having relied on iOS 11 on our iPad Pro for the last week, going back to iOS 10 is certainly a step backwards. iPad owners and prospective 2017 iPad Pro buyers waiting for the upcoming public release of iOS 11 will certainly be in for a treat when the revamped platform arrives later this year.
Announced last week, Tuesday was the first day the 2017 iPad Pro lineup began to make its way into the hands of consumers. In addition to delivered preorders, the new iPad Pro is also available at Apple retail stores.
AppleInsider will have much more on the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro in the coming days and weeks, including our full review. For the latest discounts and availability, please visit our 10.5-inch iPad Pro Price Guide.
Out of the box, the new iPad Pro feels familiar. In fact, it wasn't until we put it side-by-side with a 9.7-inch iPad Air 2 that we were able to perceive the slight size difference with the larger 10.5-inch display -- an achievement accomplished with a new, thinner bezel.
More immediately apparent, after the iPad Pro was powered on, is the stunning new display, which runs at a buttery smooth 120Hz. Just going through the initial setup process, we were immediately struck by how fluid the screen is with the framerate increase.
Left: 9.7" iPad Air 2. Middle: 10.5" iPad Pro with True Tone display. Right: 12.9" 2015 iPad Pro.
No video will properly capture the improvement seen with the new display -- you must simply experience it for yourself to fully appreciate it.
As with the previous iPad Pro, the external design is largely the same, including the unfortunate camera bump on the rear shell. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro boasts four speakers, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and Lightning port, and magnetic Smart Connector.
Also immediately noticeable upon startup: The 10.5-inch iPad Pro runs iOS 10. To really unlock the power of this tablet, customers will have to wait until this fall for the release of iOS 11 -- or deal with the bugginess of beta releases until then.
Having relied on iOS 11 on our iPad Pro for the last week, going back to iOS 10 is certainly a step backwards. iPad owners and prospective 2017 iPad Pro buyers waiting for the upcoming public release of iOS 11 will certainly be in for a treat when the revamped platform arrives later this year.
Announced last week, Tuesday was the first day the 2017 iPad Pro lineup began to make its way into the hands of consumers. In addition to delivered preorders, the new iPad Pro is also available at Apple retail stores.
AppleInsider will have much more on the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro in the coming days and weeks, including our full review. For the latest discounts and availability, please visit our 10.5-inch iPad Pro Price Guide.
Comments
I am only interested in one thing with this new iPad Pro: the 120 Hz display! (is it the same thing as 120 FPS?) That is one hell of display.
The striking features for me, having upgraded from an iPad Air 2 are:
1. Brightness, colour and deep blacks: The display looks stunning with photos and videos and significantly better than on my iPad Air 2.
2. Stunning stereo sound. The stereo effect is excellent, and the volume, bass and clarity are superb.
3. Speed and smoothness of the UI. Everything is really slick and smooth with not the slightest hint of lag. The CPU power and 120Hz display work really well together to achieve this.
I guess anybody upgrading from an iPad Pro will be less impressed but if you've got an iPad Air 2 or older iPad the upgrade is a real delight.
The only downside for me, is the extra weight - at 487g, the 256GB cellular iPad Pro is 9% heavier than my 128Gb cellular iPad Air 2. I hadn't appreciated this in advance but it's a minor inconvenience. Perhaps I'd better replace my old MacBook Pro 15" with a new one to compensate...
The iPad Pro is slightly bigger than the old Air too - not a massive increase and less noticeable than the weight difference your old case won't fit.
Another example is most TVs are 50 or 60 Hz, but they don’t seem to mess with a 24 FPS film—quite a different number. And some 120 Hz TV displays with certain settings active completely ruin the filmic look of a standard 24 FPS movie making actors appear to move in a hyper-robotic fashion and the picture can appear very digital and unreal or inhuman and fake (it could be another setting and reason, but I’ve never seen a 50-60 Hz TV do similar crap). Hence why I assume Apple throttles Hz for certain kinds of content. Thankfully they have the sense to do this. Judging by the out-of-box experience of some TVs I doubt other makers would be as smart.
Some displays try to smooth out FPS and Hz differences by creating frames to make up the difference, whilst this can work well for sports it causes the hyper real images during movies which you described above.
I upgrade my iPhone each year. Lately, the improvements are noticeable, but phones are so powerful I'm not blown away when the new model is released (as far as speed). Back during the iPhone 3/4/5 model refreshes, things seemed more dramatic to me with each upgrade. Going from the Air to the 10.5" pro feels like one of those mega upgrades, where you're fine with the old model, but when you experience the latest processor, memory, etc. all working in unison it's just a whole new interaction with the device.
Put a phone in it and make it the size of a Plus model iPhone and I'll buy it