The first set of reviews of the 10.5-inch iPad Pro are out, and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. They all do point, however, that this new iPad Pro from Apple will be more useful once iOS 11 is released later this year.
The reviews do reveal some interesting tidbits about the 10.5-inch iPad Pro which Apple did not mention when it unveiled the tablet at WWDC last month. Firstly, it comes with 4GB RAM, which is twice the amount of RAM that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro used to come with.
Apart from the slightly bigger screen, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro’s Retina Display features a higher and variable 120Hz refresh rate. The bump in refresh rate might not seem like a big deal at first but makes a huge difference in real life use. Animations appear smoother, the whole iOS UI feels more fluid, and the display just overall gives a much better experience than previous Retina Displays used by Apple on its iPad. In fact, Ars Technica calls the Retina Display on the 10.5-inch iPad Pro have as much of an impact on usability — in a good way — as when Apple first debuted its Retina Display.
As for how it is to use a 120Hz display, I can say that it’s undeniably slick and it makes animations and transitions look great; it’s also easier to read text and scroll simultaneously, since the “ghosting” effect you get at 60Hz is much-reduced. None of the display improvements that Apple has made post-Retina—an ever-longer list that now includes the DCI-P3 color gamut, True Tone, and ProMotion—have had quite as big an impact as those sharper screens did, but the 120Hz refresh rate comes close. The sooner this trickles outward to the iPhone and Apple’s various Macs, the better.
Despite the use of a more efficient processor and a display with variable refresh rate, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro battery life is just a wee bit better than its predecessor. The difference is very small, but one that still exists.
Before you jump to buy the iPad Pro, remember that it still runs on iOS 10.3, and it is only when iOS 11 drops later this year that the tablet’s full potential will be utilised.
Long story short, the Pro 10.5 acts the way you’d want an expensive tablet to. Nearly everything feels effortlessly fast — now we just need the software to catch up to the hardware. This Pro ships with iOS 10.3, which isn’t technically bad, it’s just that iOS 10 didn’t add many truly valuable iPad-specific features. That’s about to change. Apple calls iOS 11 a “monumental leap” for the iPad, with additions like a customizable dock for quick access to apps and the ability to drag and drop content between two apps running side-by-side. These may sound like minor changes, but they seem essential for anyone actually trying to get work done on an iPad Pro.
At $650, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro is an expensive gadget and one that you will only be able to utilise properly once iOS 11 is released later this year. Thus, unless you are in a hurry, buying the iPad Pro right away makes little sense since a few months down the line, you are likely going to find better deals on the tablet.
What do you think about the 10.5-inch iPad Pro? Do you plan on buying one?
