BY KENNY YEO

I T WOULD be tempting to dismissthe Apple iPad Pro ($1,188 forthe basic 32GB Wi-Fi-only modeland topping out at $1,648 for the

top-of-the-line 128GB Wi-Fi and Cellu-lar model), at first glance as nothingmore than a giant iPad.

To be blunt, we were squarely of thisview – until we actually tried it out. TheiPad Pro is more than the sum of itsparts and is certainly more than meetsthe eye.

�� DESIGNThe design of the iPad Pro follows close-ly that of Apple’s other iPads. Howev-er, it remains remarkably slim at just6.9mm thick, or merely 0.9mm thickerthan the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4. Infact, 6.9mm is the same thickness as theiPhone 6.

Even with the expansive 12.9-inchdisplay, the iPad Pro weighs just 723g(the non-cellular model is lighter at713g), or the same as the first-genera-tion iPad which has a smaller 9.7-inchdisplay.

Like iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4, theiPad Pro is mostly devoid of physicalbuttons and switches. Beneath the dis-play is the home and Touch ID buttonand there’s a power button on the topand volume buttons on the side.

In terms of connectivity, the iPadPro has the same headphone jack andLightning connector as the tabletsthat came before it, so no surpris-es there.

And like the iPad Air 2 andiPad Mini 4, the iPad Pro has anall-aluminium body with chamferededges. It also comes in the same colours– silver, gold and space grey. Sadly,there is no rose gold option for now.

�� DISPLAY & MULTITASKINGThe iPad Pro is mostly about the dis-play. At 12.9 inches, the iPad Pro actual-ly offers 78 per cent more screen real es-tate than the iPad Air 2. And with a dis-play resolution of 2,732 x 2,048 pixelsand a pixel density count of 264 pixelsper inch, the iPad Pro’s display surpass-es the Retina MacBook Pro notebooks.In fact, the iPad Pro’s display is so largethat you can comfortably fit two iPadMini 4s within. Coupled with iOS 9’ssupport for multitasking, you can beginto appreciate just how much more pro-ductive you can be with the iPad Pro.

With iOS 9, Apple finally introducedsplit-screen multitasking to their iPadsbut it works for only compatible apps –so it works mostly with iOS 9’s nativeapps for now.

Apart from Split View, there are alsoother modes such as Slide Over, wherethe second app takes up a quarter of thedisplay; and Picture in Picture, where us-ers can minimise their videos so that itcontinues playing in a corner of the dis-play while running a main app.

The iPad Pro’s display is bright andshows images crisply. Text looks incredi-bly fluid, making reading on the iPadPro a pleasure.

But size aside, the two most majorimprovements to the iPad Pro’s displayare its upgraded multi-touch system andits variable refresh rate. The mul-ti-touch system has been thoroughly re-worked and the display now scans for in-put at a much higher rate, so that touchinput can be more quickly and accurate-ly captured and recorded.

�� SOUNDAnother thing that has been dramatical-ly improved is sound. The audio per-formance of previous iPads was nothingto shout about but Apple wants tochange that with the iPad Pro. Lookaround on the iPad Pro and you will no-tice that there are speaker grilles locat-ed at all four corners of the device. Thefour speakers are sealed with carbon fib-er caps to produce a deeper and fullerbass.

Regardless of the iPad Pro’s orienta-tion, the top two speakers are alwaysdedicated to produce the mid and highfrequencies and will automatically ad-just themselves to match the iPad Pro’sorientation.

It produces a respectable sound stageand convincing stereo effects – whetheryou hold it in landscape or portrait orien-tation. Apple claims that it is more than60 per cent louder than the iPad Air 2and iPad Mini 4 and it is just as loud, ifnot louder, as a MacBook Pro. Plus, itcan play at maximum volume with veryminimal distortion to the sound.

�� BENCHMARK PERFORMANCEPowering the iPad Pro is Apple’s newA9X processor that offers desktop-classperformance. Compared with the A8Xin the iPad Air 2, the A9X offers1.8 times the CPU performance andtwice the GPU performance.

On 3DMark, it recorded a score of

33,790, an improvement of 55 per centover the iPad Air 2 and more than80 per cent over the iPad Mini 4. It is al-so more than 50 per cent greater thanthe Sony Xperia Z4 tablet, which is pow-ered by a high-end Snapdragon 810processor; and more than 35 per centgreater than the Samsung GalaxyNote 5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+,which are powered by Samsung’s pow-erful Exynos 7420 processor. The iPadPro also scored more than 210 per centhigher than the Samsung Galaxy NotePro 12.2.

�� IMAGING PERFORMANCEIf you think taking photos with iPads isridiculous, it’s even more so with theiPad Pro. Even so, Apple hasn’t cut cor-ners here and has outfitted the iPad Prowith the same front and rear cameras asthe iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4. Thismeans an 8MP rear camera with af/2.4 aperture also records full HD vide-os at 30fps and slow-motion videos at120fps, as well as a 1.2MP front-facingcamera with a f/2.2 aperture.

The iPad Pro’s imaging performanceis pretty good if you have decent lightingbut it’s no match for smartphones. Imag-es are a little noisy but certainly usablefor most instances. Colour reproductionis also good and focusing is quick.

�� BATTERY LIFEThe iPad Pro has a fairly large 38.5Wh

battery, which is actually comparablewith many ultraportable notebooks andtablets such as the Apple MacBook andMicrosoft Surface Pro 3.

Our standard battery test for tabletsincludes the following parameters:Looping a 720p video with screenbrightness and volume at 100 per cent;Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivityturned on; constant data streamingthrough e-mail and Twitter.

Our tests found that the iPad Pro hasa battery life of around 4hr 17min,which is considerably shorter than boththe iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4. Clearly,either the iPad Pro’s display or theA9X processor is not quite as power effi-cient as it needs to be.

�� THE APPLE PENCILWith the iPad Pro, Apple is also intro-ducing two new accessories and one ofthem is the Apple Pencil ($148). Applecalls it “revolutionary” and we are in-clined to agree. It is the best stylus wehave ever used for any iPad.

With the exception of its slightlylong length, the Apple Pencil feels like apremium ballpoint pen in my hands. It’sslightly heavy but it feels nice to hold.

With the new multi-touch system, theiPad Pro now scans the display a stagger-ing 240 times per second whenever it de-tects the Apple Pencil in the vicinity. Myinput was quickly and accurately recog-nised and there was only a small amountof lag when I was writing quickly.

The Apple Pencil also features sen-sors in the tip that measures the amountof pressure, allowing you to draw wispylines or thicker, harder lines simply byadjusting the amount of force applied.Additionally, tilt sensors in the ApplePencil can calculate your orientationand angle to create shading effects, justas if you were using a traditional pencil.

�� THE SMART KEYBOARDThe other accessory Apple is introducingfor the iPad Pro is the Smart Keyboard($268), a cover and a portable keyboardfor the iPad Pro all rolled into one. TheSmart Keyboard connects magneticallyto the iPad Pro via the Smart Connectorand not via Bluetooth. It also draws pow-er directly from the iPad Pro through theSmart Connector, so it can be used on de-mand without worry of it running out ofjuice or its last charging state.

The Smart Keyboard has full-sizedkeys and the keys have a comfortableamount of travel, despite the Smart Key-board being just 4mm thick. The keys arealso completely covered by highly dura-ble custom-woven nylon fabric whichholds the keys in place and provides thespring-like tension for each key. The fab-ric is also spill and stain resistant.

In my use, I found that it feels liketyping on Apple’s new MacBook butwith softer keys. It’s a worthwhile in-vestment for those who intend to usethe iPad Pro as a productivity tool. Theonscreen keyboard is usable but there’sno beating the feeling of typing on aproper tactile keyboard.

�� VERDICTThe iPad Pro’s display is gorgeous, itsoverall performance is brilliant, plus itis really thin and light despite its size.It’s a beast of a tablet that will appeal toprofessionals such as artists and writers.

But it’s pricey and so are its accesso-ries. Battery life is a tad disappointingand multitasking works for only somecompatible apps for now.HARDWAREZONE.COM.SG

Apple’s newiPad Pro provesbig is beautiful

USEFUL BUTPRICEY: Apple introducedtwo new accessories with the iPadPro – the Apple Pencil and the SmartKeyboard (pictured), which are great to have but addsignificant cost to the system. PHOTO: HARDWAREZONE.COM.SG

A16 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2015 MYPAPER