New iPad Pro Tested: The Best and Worst of Apple’s Most Powerful Tablet | Your technology | A country

Apple ranks first in the tablet market, according to consulting company IDC. With a market share of 37.8% in 2023, the Cupertino-based company has surpassed the sum of its two closest competitors: Samsung (20.4%) and Lenovo (7.2%). The latest attempt to maintain its lead is the new iPad Pro, a device that stands out for its thin and light design, OLED screen and performance. bonus.

For the first time, Apple released a new generation of processor…

Apple ranks first in the tablet market, according to consulting company IDC. With a market share of 37.8% in 2023, the Cupertino-based company has surpassed the sum of its two closest competitors: Samsung (20.4%) and Lenovo (7.2%). The latest attempt to maintain its lead is the new iPad Pro, a device that stands out for its thin and light design, OLED screen and performance. bonus.

For the first time, Apple released a new generation of processors in its high-end tablets before it launched in computers. However, the updated model has two major drawbacks: the difficulty of harnessing the enormous power of this hardware due to its software limitations, and the exorbitant price for many users.

The best

Very thin and light tablet.

If there’s one thing this iPad Pro stands out for, it’s how light it is. Apple boasts that it is the “thinnest product ever.” The 11-inch iPad Pro is 5.3 millimeters thick, while the 13-inch is just 5.1 millimeters, compared to 7.8 millimeters for the iPhone 15 and 8.3 millimeters for the iPhone Pro. EL PAÍS tested the most advanced 13-inch model, which weighs 582 grams. It is approximately 100 grams lighter than its predecessor. It is easy to hold and very comfortable in the hand. Plus, its lightweight design makes it easy to transport in any bag or backpack.

Very high quality screen

iPad Pro has two OLED panels that work together. It’s what Apple calls an Ultra Retina XDR display, and it stands out with its results: the backlight is bright and the colors are rich. When viewing web pages or TV series, everything is very clear and blacks look very realistic. While many users report a very positive experience with the screen, some specific devices lack sharpness. At EL PAÍS we asked Apple about the cause of this problem, but it did not comment on the issue.

High Range Power

Also noteworthy is the performance of the iPad Pro, which is equipped with the next-generation M4 processor, which was released with this tablet and is not yet available on any of Apple’s computers. Performance is as fast as you’d expect from Apple’s most powerful tablet. Programs They work without any lag and the terminal responds well in all cases in terms of speed and smoothness: it performs at the required level when running games, editing videos and photos, drawing or using several applications at the same time. In tests carried out by this newspaper, the terminal did not overheat.

Front camera in place

Apple has finally placed the iPad Pro’s front-facing camera in the right place: in the center of the long side of the tablet. This is especially useful for video calls. The new iPad Pro puts the user’s face in the center of the screen when the device is held horizontally, whether on the keyboard tray or in the case. While the quality of this 12MP camera isn’t particularly impressive, it will likely be more than enough for most of your applications.

Worst

Limited operating system for such power

iPad Pro is equipped with iPadOS, which is limited to the intensive and varied use that such a powerful and versatile device requires. iPad Pro lets you do the things most people do on a computer every day. But in addition to being more intuitive for certain tasks, a desktop operating system like macOS on Apple computers will allow you to use all your apps comfortably. in the desktop version, and it would be more appropriate to take advantage of such power. It’s too early to tell whether Apple will announce improvements to app management or M4-exclusive features for iPadOS at its WWDC developer conference, which runs from June 10 to 14. These features won’t be available until iPadOS 18 launches a few months later.

Exorbitant price for many users.

The iPad Pro update was accompanied by a new price increase. If it wasn’t already a tablet for every budget, the 11-inch model now starts from 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 model exceeds 3,000 euros. It’s a very powerful device, especially useful for some video editing or design professionals who can take advantage of the tablet’s higher screen quality, lighter weight, and maneuverability over laptops for certain workloads. Outside of these very specific professional niches, however, it’s likely that many other users won’t take advantage of this big outlay and will choose to opt for the iPad Air – or another competing tablet – that’s more affordable.

New accessories are also expensive.

To get the most out of this tablet, we recommend the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro. These accessories take iPad’s capabilities to the next level. The new Magic Keyboard is thinner and lighter than its predecessor and has trackpad more. It is very convenient to write, respond to emails or take notes. 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, allowing you to quickly change the thickness or color of the stroke, or add images. into a document or use other tools. But these devices are not cheap. The keyboard costs from 349 euros, the pencil – 149 euros. You would have to add almost 500 euros more to the price of the tablet to get the full experience. The total is a minimum of €1,700 for the base 11-inch model, which is equivalent to the starting price of the most powerful 13-inch MacBook Air.

Incompatible with accessories from previous models.

For users who have previous iPad models, the downside to the new tablet is that it’s not compatible with some of the more popular accessories, which will force them to be repurchased for the new iPad Pro, in addition to being 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 will 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 this also applies to other later models, the Apple Pencil USB-C.

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