Apple occupies the first place in the tablet market, according to the consulting firm IDC. With a market share of 37.8% in 2023, the Cupertino company surpassed the sum of its two closest competitors: Samsung (20.4%) and Lenovo (7.2%). Its latest bid to maintain its leadership is the new iPad Pro, a device that stands out for its thin and light design, its OLED screen and performance. premium.
For the first time, Apple has released a new generation of a processor in its high-end tablets before its computers. However, the renewed model has two major drawbacks: the difficulty of taking advantage of the enormous power of that hardware, due to the limitations of its software, and an exorbitant price for many users.
The best
A very thin and light tablet
If this iPad Pro stands out for something, it is because of its lightness. Apple boasts that it is its “thinnest product ever.” The thickness of the 11-inch iPad Pro is 5.3 millimeters and that of the 13-inch is only 5.1 millimeters—compared to 7.8 millimeters for the iPhone 15 and 8.3 millimeters for the iPhone Pro. EL PAÍS has tested the most advanced 13-inch model, which weighs 582 grams. It is about 100 grams lighter than its predecessor. It is easy to hold and very comfortable in hand. In addition, its lightness makes it easy to transport effortlessly in any bag or backpack.
A very good quality screen
The iPad Pro incorporates two OLED panels that work together. It is what Apple calls Ultra Retina XDR display and it stands out for its results: the lights are bright and the colors are vibrant. When browsing the web or watching series, everything is very sharp and the black colors look very real. Although many users highlight a very positive experience with the screen, some specific units are experiencing a lack of sharpness. From EL PAÍS we have asked Apple about the cause of this problem, which has not commented on the matter.
The power of the high range
Also notable is the performance of the iPad Pro, which incorporates the M4 processor, a new generation that has been released with this tablet and is not yet available on any of the Apple company’s computers. Performance is as fast as you’d expect from Apple’s most powerful tablet. The apps They run without any type of delay and the terminal responds well in terms of speed and fluidity in all cases: it has been up to par when running games, editing videos and photos, drawing or using several applications at the same time. In the tests carried out by this newspaper, the terminal has not overheated.
The front camera, in place
Apple has finally placed the front camera of the iPad Pro in the right place: in the center of the long side of the tablet. Something that is especially useful for making video calls. With the new iPad Pro, the user’s face is centered on the screen when the device is placed horizontally, whether on the keyboard base or in a case. While the quality of this 12-megapixel camera isn’t particularly impressive, it’s probably more than enough for most of your applications.
Worst
A limited operating system for so much power
The iPad Pro incorporates the iPadOS operating system, which is limited for the intensive and varied use that such a powerful and versatile device invites. The iPad Pro allows you to perform the actions that most users perform every day on a computer. But, in addition to the fact that, for certain tasks, a desktop operating system – such as macOS on Apple computers – is more intuitive, it would allow you to comfortably use all the apps. in its desktop version and would be more appropriate to take advantage of so much power. It is still early to know if Apple will announce improvements in app management or exclusive features of the M4 for iPadOS at its developer conference, WWDC, which will take place from June 10 to 14. These features would not be available until the release of iPadOS 18, a few months later.
An exorbitant price for many users
The renewal of the iPad Pro has been accompanied by a new increase in its price. If it was no longer a tablet for all budgets, now the 11-inch model starts at 1,199 euros and its most expensive version costs 2,789 euros. The price of the 13-inch iPad Pro is even higher: while the most basic model costs 1,549 euros, the most ambitious one exceeds 3,000 euros. It is a very powerful device, especially useful for some video editing or design professionals, who in certain work tasks can take advantage of the higher screen quality, lightness and agility of this tablet compared to laptops. However, outside of those very specific professional niches, it is likely that many other users will not take advantage of this large outlay and prefer to opt for an iPad Air – or another competing tablet – that is more affordable.
New accessories are expensive too
To get the most out of this tablet, we recommend the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil Pro. These accessories take the iPad experience to another level. The new Magic Keyboard is thinner and lighter than its predecessor and features a trackpad larger. It is very comfortable to write on it to answer emails or take notes. The Pencil Pro is also especially useful for taking notes and drawing. One of the most useful new features of this pencil is that, when you squeeze it, a palette opens that allows you to quickly change the thickness or color of the stroke, add images to a document or use different tools. But these devices are not cheap either. The keyboard costs from 349 euros and the pencil, 149 euros. To the price of the tablet it would be necessary to add almost 500 euros more to have the complete experience. The total is around a minimum of 1,700 euros, for the basic 11-inch model, which is equivalent to the starting price of the most powerful model of the 13-inch MacBook Air computer.
Incompatibility with accessories from previous models
For users who have previous models of iPads, a negative point of the new tablet is its incompatibility with some more popular accessories, which will force you to repurchase them for the new iPad Pro. In addition to the fact that it has a thinner and lighter design than its predecessors, the rear camera layout has changed and the magnetic charging technology has been redesigned. Therefore, previous keyboards and cases do not fit the new device. Something similar happens with the company’s famous pencils. The new high-end tablet is not compatible with the second generation Apple Pencil; although it is with other more recent models, the Apple Pencil USB-C.
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