Expert’s Rating
Our Verdict
There ’s no doubt that the iPad Pro 11 in is an awe-inspiring tablet , sodding with its new slim - bezel intention as well as a range of hardware upgrade . Really there ’s little to dislike but do comport in intellect that you ’ll want the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard to make the most of the iPad Pro . When you add the cost up , you might be serious off with a Mac depend on your use case .
Best Prices Today: Apple iPad Pro 11in (2018)
TheiPad Pro for 2018brings with it arguably the tablet ’s biggest ever design refresh , along with some new technical school . But is it deserving the eminent Leontyne Price tatter ? Find out in our full review .
Premium Price
This propagation of iPad Pro is more expensive than the one before , with prices start out at £ 769/$799 for the 11 in model we ’re reviewing here . You canorder direct from Apple .
you could pass over up to theiPad Pro 12.9inif you want a larger screen but it starts at£969/$999 .
Since the launching of the 2018 Pros , Apple has discontinued the elderly 10.5 in theoretical account from 2017 and unveil a£479/$499 iPad Air . Resurrecting the Air brand for iPad , it ’s a cheaper alternative to the iPad Pro that still has first - coevals Apple Pencil living and features the same generation of central processing unit as the Pros – albeit the somewhat less knock-down A12 , rather than the soup - up A12X , and back by less RAM .
We ’re talking incoming - story price , of course , so you may expend a plenty more money if you postulate more storage or want to add cellular data point . Most users wo n’t need the latter but you do have to ask yourself if 64 GB is enough . After all , this is a equipment train at professional so it ’s likely you ’ll need to startle to 256 GiB .
What you also need to factor in is the optional accessories . Normally these would n’t matter too much but with the iPad Pro , you wo n’t get the most out of it without them . First up is thenew Apple Pencil ( 2d - generation ) , whichcosts £ 119/$129 , while the Smart Keyboard Foliois £ 179/$179 .
Adding these to the cost of the iPad Pro contribute the aggregate to at least £ 1,067/$1,107 , which is n’t far off the toll of aMacBook Air .
See below for a full iPad Pro damage table :
Design & Build: The full works
The iPad , in its many forms , has expect pretty much the same since even early releases . However , 2018 was the year of change for the tablet , which received its biggest makeover yet .
One ground is to provide a large screen , so you get 11 in here in a gadget that ’s as compact as the older10.5 in Promodel . ( The larger 12.9 in role model stays the same but the body is modest . ) thin bezel means there ’s no way for the iconic Home release , however .
This mean you ’ll have to forget about Touch ID and get used to Face ID , unless you stick to old - school security methods . You ’ll also need to use iPhone XS - comparable gesture to pilot since you ca n’t slay the Home push to , well , give home .
If you ’ve been using any X - series iPhone handset then these changes wo n’t feel especially striking and even if you have n’t , the feeling of disaffection will quickly lessen after a few days of learn the new scheme . We ’ll talk about the unexampled gestures and Face ID in more depth subsequently .
The aluminum flesh now has a hearty border , similar to old iPhones such as the 5S. This might seem odd but because the iPad Pro is so slender at just 5.9 millimeter it does n’t seem dated and we quite like it . It ’s efficaciously the same weight as the iPad Pro 10.5 at 468 g.
Other design ingredient to be aware of admit the camera stick out a slight , the Smart Connector being moved to the back and a bragging change from Lightning to USB - C for the port . There ’s also a magnetic connection on the side which is for the Modern Apple Pencil ( more details on that later ) .
If you need to keep your iPad calculate smart , see our daily round - up of thebest iPad Pro ( 2018 ) event , which includes options for both 11 in and 12.9 in size .
Specs & Features: Power to the people
A new iPad Pro is never just perish to be a figure overhaul so let ’s bet at the spec upgrades and features , whether you ’re think about upgrading from an sometime model or getting your first one .
Here ’s an overview of the specification :
What is Liquid Retina anyway?
Apart from the fresh projection screen size of 11 in , up from 10.5 in , there ’s a new technical school in town which Apple call Liquid Retina . This was first introduced on theiPhone XRand essentially intend it ’s LCD and not OLED , not that any iPad has used the latter before .
Apple says this is to allow the screen door to “ surveil the curves of the twist , while a novel backlight design earmark the display to unfold into the corners ” .
Panel engineering specifics away , the display is highly smart , crisp ( the usual 264ppi density ) and colourful as you would carry . You get features like TrueTone and ProMotion so it ’s responsive in more ways than one .
Gestures
Possibly more significant than the eyeglasses of the screen are the style you ’ll now use it considering there ’s no habitation button . As we said in the first place , iPhone X - series users will find it a breeze but here ’s the hatful if you ’re raw to this era .
abstract up from the bottom of the filmdom will do various thing reckon how far you swipe . you could go back home , summon the Dock or consider you ’re open apps . You ’ll also need to swipe down from the top of the concealment on dissimilar sides to approach telling or the Control Centre .
Even if this is totally new for you , it wo n’t take long to get accustomed and you ’ll get a shortsighted tutorial during apparatus . if you ’d like a little more depth , here’show to utilise the iPad Pro 2018 .
Face ID
With new gestures also comes look ID for the first sentence on an iPad ; fundamentally using the front face TrueDepth tv camera to sign in rather than your fingermark . This is prosperous to set up but has a few quirks in use .
count an iPad is used in a very different way of life to an iPhone , Apple ’s engineer have had to put a lot of work into constitute Face ID functional at a neat distance and in unlike orientations .
It works well a lot of the time but it ’s not as true when compared to using it on an iPhone . For starters , holding the iPad Pro in landscape is likely to result in your hand cover the television camera . You ’ll be tell but it ’s still bothersome .
hold the tab in portrait but upside down mean you ’ll be prompted to calculate down at the camera to expend Face ID . Sat in the fresh Smart Keyboard Folio vitrine we found we were too far by despite seat around half a metre from the camera .
You also ca n’t utilize it if the iPad is mat on a desk , like the iPhone but it ’s more effort to pick it up to lumber in so a passcode is easy here .
Apple Pencil
This is an optional accessory but it ’s arguably one of the biggest upgrades that comes to the iPad Pro .
The ridiculous Lightning connector on the end wrap up by a cap you probably lost are gone , replaced with what appear to be nothing . The new Apple Pencil now attaches to the side of the iPad Pro with attracter and also charges this elbow room , although the technical school being used is undisclosed .
It ’s a vast improvement and we like the fresh matt finish and the flat boundary not only help it fit the side , but makes it more ergonomic in the hand . Furthermore , there ’s a unexampled dual water faucet feature so you could shift between cock or various things depending on the app you ’re using ( if the developer has enable it ) .
reckon on your personal usage , you might find the Apple Pencil a huge boon . Our only really ill is that you ca n’t apply it for the new gestures required for navigation , or even to solicit on the picture in the top corners to spread thing like the Control Centre .
mention : Theoriginal Apple Pencildoes not exercise with the iPad Pro 2018 , and the 2nd - gen is n’t compatible with any other iPads . ReadWhich iPads work with which Apple Pencils?for more explanation .
The storm has passed
If you ’ve become intimate with the Lightning port , then it ’s time to learn about USB - C ( version 3.1 gen 2 ) . Although it seemed an unconvincing variety to make , Apple has made the switch , with professionals such as photographers in creative thinker .
While it means you may connect the iPad Pro to various devices – tv camera , monitors , keyboards and even musical instruments – it does n’t simply intend it will work out with any USB - C twist . You ca n’t , for example , just plug away in a hard drive and await to use it like normal . But you may import images with an Coyote State card reader . ( Here’show to connect a photographic camera to an iPad Pro . )
you’re able to also utilize the USB - C port wine for headphones , but there ’s no adapter in the box seat to regular 3.5 mm and non - Apple adapter may not work . There are a compass ofUSB - C adaptersyou can buy including to Thunderbolt 3 , USB - A and a digital AV multiport arranger .
A really nerveless feature is that you may use the iPad Pro as a power bank withreverse charging . So if your phone or other gadget runs out of power then you’re able to charge it up wherever you are . It ’s not restricted to Apple devices , either ; you ’ll just take the right cable .
Smart Keyboard Folio
The other optional , but semi - necessary , accessory is the keyboard instance . It ’s expensive but you ’ll want one if you want a laptop computer - same experience .
This time around it ’s a full folio pillow slip so covers the front and the back of the iPad . There ’s more aegis then , but it adds heaviness and weight . If you ’re buying a high - spec model and will need the keyboard , then you might need to conceive whether the MacBook Air is a right leverage .
We discover the case is good quality and fits , as you would look , absolutely . typewrite is a surprisingly courteous experience , although can take a bit of getting used to . Our main ill is only have two view angles to choose from .
Top tip : Press and adjudge the Cmd headstone to see what shortcuts are usable at any give way moment .
The engine room
We ’d ordinarily talk about magnetic core specs earlier in a followup but other changes are more impactful . The headlines here are the new central processing unit and an optional 1 TB of storage .
With most newfangled Apple products comes with a Modern chip , and the iPad Pros get the A12X Bionic which is nickname the ‘ smartest and most brawny chip ever ’ , naturally . It ’s an octa - core processor with a seven - burden GPU . Apple allege it ’s two times faster than the A10X inside the 2017 iPad Pro .
The other big newsworthiness is that there are now four store capability . The abject at 64 GB probably wo n’t be enough for most professional so you ’ll need to startle to 256 Gi or 512 GB . There ’s even a 1 TB option for the first time which is a lot of storage should you have the cash to splash .
That top - end computer memory also come with more computer storage – 6 GB of RAM instead of 4 GB . This is the model we ’re testing in the following benchmark .
Battery life
Although specs change , Apple makes the same common call about battery life . That ’s up to 10 hours of browsing the web , watching video or mind to music over Wi - Fi . you may take an minute off for using cellular data .
In our Geekbench battery trial , the iPad Pro 11 in lasted a very respectable nine hour and 32 minute . The iPad Pro 12.9 has a large battery so can go around an hour longer . These are both slightly behind rivals like the Surface Go , which is tour is knot off the splendid Snapdragon Windows twist that can last in excess of 20 hours loop video .
Although there ’s a change to USB - C for saddle , there ’s nothing in the way of libertine charging . The iPad Pro 11 will reach 22 per centum with a 30 minute charge jump from 0 using the provide 18W charger . It will then take a good few hour to contact 100 percent .
If you happen to have a MacBook Pro charger , then its 87W adapter will do a better job . We ’ve essay it with other non - Apple battery charger and piece of work , which is ready to hand if you involve to borrow a charger .
The best of the rest
That ’s the main element of the iPad Pro 11 in reexamine , but there are a few other ingredient left to lecture about before we sum up .
As usual , there ’s a 12Mp rearward camera which is decent should you necessitate to do tablet photography or AR within some apps – optical image stabilisation is gone , though . The front 7Mp TrueDepth photographic camera is n’t just for Face ID ; you could use it for video calls or selfies and it now has Portrait fashion as well as Animoji and Memoji .
Not having a phone jack is a little plaguey , but when it comes to built - in audio recording there are still four loudspeaker system despite the iPad Pro being so sparse . A redesign was in order and they still sound excellent , with sound recording being address appropriately depending on orientation .
Should you involve cellular connectivity , the iPad Pro has both a Nano - SIM card slot and an eSIM . The latter intend you may just buy a data point package whenever you need it from within Io , which is a neat mind .
iOS 12 is the last thing to mention and there ’s not much to say – cut back up if you miss thesection on new gestures . Key new features admit Shortcuts and Group FaceTime but say our fulliOS 12 reviewfor a more in - profoundness look at the bone .
The iPad Pro will also be able-bodied to install and runiOS 13when that ’s released in September 2019 – indeed , if you buy after that pointedness it will come with iOS 13 preinstalled . you may get the update nowin beta mannequin .
Verdict
There ’s no dubiety that the iPad Pro 2018 is a stunning gadget in various style . That admit the price .
It brings a hatful of change with it that ’s mostly confident . We love the new pattern with it svelte shape and impressive CRT screen - to - body ratio making older devices look instantly dated . Even if you ’re new to the gesture era with no Home button , you ’ll quickly get used to it .
Specs and performance are fantabulous across the board . Not everyone will care the change to USB - C , but it has some really utilitarian welfare let in reverse commove and being capable to easily impound a monitor lizard .
The question , as is often the case , is whether you may afford the lozenge . For professional , 64 GB probably is n’t enough and you really require the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio to make the most of the iPad Pro .
Add all this up , coming to over a grand , and you might be honorable off with a different Apple product – perhaps a MacBook , iMac or simply a crummy iPad .
