Apple iPad Pro (2018) in the test: Just put the notebooks in your pocket?

iPad Pro 12.9, Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2 in everyday life

Almost any edge of the screen, power for the moon and back: Apple is approaching more and more with the iPad Pro series ideal for a tablet computer. In the test, the iPad Pro 2018 with face recognition screen and wet retina display gives such a good impression that one might wonder: Do I still need a laptop? We also share our experience with accessories such as the iPad keyboard and the new Apple Pencil 2 in this long-term test. The control unit is a maximum configuration of the iPad Pro 12.9.

contents

1. Face recognition, design and ergonomics
2. Connections: advantages and disadvantages of USB-C
3. Connect the iPad Pro to external monitors
4. Show: iPhone in big
5. Power abound
6. Edge display: This can be Apple Pencil 2
7. iPad Pro Accessories: What can a smart keyboard do?
8. That's what I noticed

9. conclusion
   and alternative

Apple introduced two new iPad Pro models along with the new MacBook Air and Mac mini at a special event in New York. Although fans of Mac mini and MacBook Air had to wait a long time for a hardware update, the iPhone inventor gave the new iPad Pro models the longest and longest scene. This shows the importance of iPad Pros for Apple. It must be no less than the future of the computer. Is there something about it? But first: What is there?

Face recognition, design and ergonomics

As soon as a design decision is taken, Cupertino will keep on it for as long as possible until technical progress makes the transition to design indispensable. Our test device can be seen at first glance that it was created here because Apple breaks in many places with the design of all other iPad models. Sure, because the iPad Pro 2018 is the first (and certainly not the last) Apple tablet without a button at home. Removing the single key opens the way for the margins of the narrow screen, which now have the same size on each page. With the iPad blind grip, this sometimes makes it a little difficult to decide where and where it is down.

The sensors and cameras that are necessary for facial recognition The face identifier sits on the narrow top of the tablet such as the iPhone. During the development, it was feared that the Apple tablet could be unlocked only through face recognition if you think it is like an iPhone. clear: Face ID works both in upright and in horizontal view with the usual reliabilityBecause there is a great risk of hiding the True Depth camera while holding the iPad in a horizontal orientation and your face can not be detected, iOS indicates with a graphic arrow on which side the camera is located.

The narrow edges of the screen pose the risk of covering the screen with the palm of your hand or your fingers. Incorrect entries appear, as we noticed. However, the "magic piece of glass," like Apple likes to call its tablets, quickly makes a piece of a shiny glass piece that screams earthy for a microfibre cloth. Because the new iPad Pro is so beautifully symmetrical, the fingerprints are evenly distributed across the whole case. After all.

Where was the top and bottom again? The orientation at the back of the review copy is also useful. Here you will find the three magnetic pins for connecting accessories. The Apple Keyboard Cover can be found here, and soon includes third-party keyboards. The practical so-called smart link is that the power and data flow at the same time. Therefore, you do not need to connect the Bluetooth keyboard. Of course, other tablets, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, also have this connection trick.

A taste of the first MacBook with face identifier? With iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard Keyboard, pressing twice will be enough to unlock your tablet through the Face ID.

Connections: advantages and disadvantages of USB-C

Totally new to the world of the iPad is the USB Type C connector. The Lightning Port is now a thing of the past for the Pro models. This opens up new worlds and can help keep the flood adapter under control. For example, we connected a USB C-Hub from LMP to iPad Pro for trial purposes and then connected the tablet to an external monitor via the HDMI port. However, anyone who thinks they can save on iPad Pro simply by choosing the cheapest 64GB storage option on the modulator and adding more SD streaming is wrong. Because iOS and iPad do not want to recognize external storage media.

Without an adapter, the iPad Pro with the iOS 12.1 installed now detects when a camera with a memory card is connected to the USB-C port. Then Photo-App opens automatically and you can insert the camera photos. Sounds good. Apple's way, however, does not provide an alternative. Inside, you can import photo files, sometimes RAW file sizes, which, in order to make things worse, are synchronized with iCloud wirelessly to the next opportunity, only with the Photo application. There is no alternative, such as Photoshop or Lightroom.

Apple, as they told us in a meeting with the manufacturer, sees in this case the bypass through the Siri Shortcuts macro, for example, for an introduction of camera cameras in Adobe Lightroom before. The photos are loaded automatically into the Apple photo app, copied from Lightroom and then deleted from the photo application. This is awkward and very tasty "from the back of the chest to the eye"Perhaps Apple will find a more stylish solution over time.

The USB-C port (USB 3.1 Gen 2) supports data transfers at speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps). You can charge other devices with a maximum power of up to 7.5 W and even connect a 5K screen directly to iPad Pro. The problem: such a monitor is not currently available on the market. All 5K screens that are known to us are based on a Thunderbolt connection, including the LG UltraFine 5K screen developed jointly by LG and Apple. Maybe Apple will take care of it soon. Corresponding rumors for a new Apple screen already exist. Of course, the iPad Pro can also control a 4K screen like the Eizo EV2785 and other screens we tested. The question is – why?

Connect the iPad Pro to external monitors

Most apps simply mirror the iPad Pro 1: 1 on an external screen. There they appear on multiple screens and then with thick side edges. Today we are mainly the same Apple apps that allow for the separation of content. Key example. Once you create a presentation, an external screen can display it in full format, while in iPad Pro you can see a preview of the next slide, of the time spent and other controls. Remedy could provide an update to the popular Duet display. The application makes it possible to use the iPad as a full screen, but it does not yet work with the new iPad Pro models.

Duet screen: Use the iPad or iPhone as the second screen article He tried a second screen With the paid App Duet look, you can use the iPad or iPhone screen as the second Windows or MacOS screen. We tried the app. Watch now

We are zwiegespalten. On the one hand, we welcome the USB-C port, as there are now many accessories without access. You can even connect your Apple tablet to the Internet via Ethernet! On the other hand, there are now in the Apple universe, the Lightning Port (iPhone), the Thunderbolt (MacBook) and now USB Type C on the iPad Pro. In our opinion, this is inconsistent.

By the way: You are looking in vain for a headphone jack for the new iPad. On the one hand, this is annoying because, under certain circumstances, an adapter is required. On the other hand, some modern headphones such as the Sony WH-1000X M3 already have a C-type USB connector and the Bluetooth headphones are already on the rise. However, if you have recently purchased a headache for the iPhone because it just does not want to rely on a wireless solution alone, it seems a little in the tube.

Show: iPhone in big

Apple has long been jumping from the LCD to OLED on its iPhones. On the other hand, we have to wait for the first iPad with an organic screen. The iPad Pro features a "Liquid Retina" LCD screen, along with the True Tone and ProMotion techniques known from the iPad Pro 10.5. Behind the latest marketing term is a variable rate of renewal, which can reach up to 120 Hertz. This results in a very impressive image display, such as when browsing open applications in multi-task view. If the high refresh rate is not necessary, it falls again to save energy.

The 2.732 x 2.048 pixels resolution (264 ppi pixel density applies to the 11 inch model and the sample sample) results in a very sharp image. We can not distinguish isolated pixels, such as paging when small fonts appear. The viewing angles are pleasantly large. Even if you look at the screen from a very sharp angle, there will be no embarrassing color inversions or significant reduction in brightness.

Although the iPad does not have a matte screen, like some laptops, it has anti-reflective coating. As a result, most of the content can be read from the wall, even outdoors. Only with sunlight makes it difficult to impossible. The iPad is also suitable for outdoor work.

Power abound

Apple gave us an iPad Pro 12.9 in the maximum configuration for this test. This is the mobile version (optional physical or eSIM) with the huge memory of a terabyte. For this top version you will have to pay 2,100 euros in the Apple Store! Of course it's a bit cheaper. The Price iPad Pro can be pressed when you place the smaller 11-inch version in the basket. It then starts at 879 euros. The cheapest 12.9-inch version (Wi-Fi, 64 gigabytes of storage) costs 1,100 euros.

Considering the high prices, it is reassuring to know that the iPad Pro also has sufficient power reserves in perspective. In addition, the new version of the eight-core A12X Bionic processor is surprisingly quick – and this is even lower. Apple says the SoC has more power than 92% of all laptops sold in 2017. This includes MacBooks and Intel Core i7 Notebook PCs. The performance of the graphics should be at the level of an Xbox One S. It is very ugly that, for example, Red Dead Redemption 2 does not exist as an iOS application to verify this Apple statement.

In general, even a deeper search in the App Store for hungry performance applications does not promote anything in the light that would significantly put the A12X in anxiety. We are confident – even in four years, much of App Store applications can still run easily with the iPad Pro. If the screen margins have even become smaller then?

How well the hardware and installed iOS 12.1 does, shows no example of everyday life with iPad Pro. The new Apple pencil 2, below, offers a nice extra feature. With the screen turned off, just touch the screen with the edge to automatically open the note application. We know that in a similar way from Microsoft's Surface Pro series. However, while Surface Pro pauses for a few minutes to open OneNote, the Note application is open and ready for use within one flash of an eye. Powerful.

The Geekbench 4 reference program certifies the iPad Pro 12.9, among others, six gigabytes of RAM. Impressive are single and double core test values. On average, the iPad Pro achieved a score of 5.010 or 18,210 units. On the first run, the review sample turned even the 20,000 mark with a 19,999 multi-feature rating. In short, the iPad Pro delivers ultimate performance.

Edge display: This can be Apple Pencil 2

First the bad news – Apple's old pencil does not work alongside the new iPad Pro. It can not, because it could not be connected to the tablet because of the lack of a lightning door. The good news is that Apple's new pencil can do much better, and this strange loading process, with the pen that sticks out of the iPad, is over. It continues with the search for the stylus. While the old iPad Pro 10.5 and 12.9 did not have the ability to place the Sift in the case, the powerful magnets now do the job.

Whenever you magnetically connect the pencil of 18 grams in the slightly colored surface to the top edge (where was the top again?), It will be charged wirelessly. The initial coupling process also starts in this way. Since Apple's new pencil does not have an outlet, it no longer needs cover at the end. Still a little less, he was lost with us all the time.

Writing and drawing with the pen on the iPad screen is still enjoyable thanks to a barely perceptible latency. You only have to make sure that the screen was released from all fingerprints before designing. Otherwise, the "hook" pen when flying over the fat film.

The new stylus has now been given an invisible button. It is located in the lower area and can be activated with a double tap. You are currently switching through a dual main tool tap to drawing programs or notes. In iOS settings you will find some options that are still scalable. You can disable the double tap, but you can not assign a separate program. We believe that Apple's new pencil for a substantial growth. It still does not belong to the scope of delivery and must be purchased separately for the price of 135 euros. Apple's first pencil was and still is for the price of 99 euros.

iPad Pro Accessories: What can a smart keyboard do?

Under the name of Smart Folio Folio, Apple sells its own keyboard cover that is exactly right for iPad Pro. This now protects the back of the tablet, hence the pseudonym "Folio". Again, there is a strong sign. The keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro costs 219 euros and 199 euros for the 11-inch version. The Smart Keyboard of iPad Pro 10.5 runs at 179 euros.

The keyboard is usually fragile, it is almost imperceptible to penetrating water. The typing sensation at 65, unfortunately not illuminated keys, is somewhat weird and remotely resembling MacBook keyboards with throttle switches. The iPad buttons provide a very crisp pressure point, which is remarkable with the proper editing on a powerful button. After a small installation, it's great to type in. From an ergonomic point of view, the hand is missing. Therefore, the longer texts could be a martyrdom. A trackpad does not even offer the Apple keyboard.

But the iPad almost always finds its way into the right place when it is placed on the folio of the keyboard, thanks to uniform magnets, and then keeps it well. We warmly welcome that there are now two different angles of inclination. Of course, this is a joke compared to the infinite angles of a Surface Pro. It will not take too long for third-party vendors such as Logitech to offer keyboards and cases for the iPad Pro.

That's what I noticed

• IPad Pro supports the same gestures as iPhone X, XR, and XS. However, Apple Pencil does not perform the move to go to the startup screen (drag from bottom to top).
• The lower third of the iPad Pro sounds when you touch with the Apple Pencil significantly hollow, as in the rest of the area.
• Battery life is about ten hours. As with all iPads.
• The four speakers distributed around the case improved again. They are by far the best tablet speakers we've heard so far.

Note: Looking for a long-term test, which is gradually expanding. If you do not have any information or if you have a very specific question about the iPad Pro that has not been answered yet, please let us know via the comments box!

πίνακες

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