9.7" iPad Pro's 'Excellent' Display is 'Major Upgrade' Over iPad Air 2

[840quadra]

I was really astounded how different my test photos looked between the two devices, in multiple locations, including in direct sunlight. If you work heavily with visual content, the display and pen support is a big enough reason for some of us to get one of these.

 

[SgtPepper23]

I'm having a hard time trying to justify this purchase. I want it only because i like the shiny new products Apple has, but since i'm no longer a student, i can't find a use that my 6s Plus or my laptop can't do. I used to use my iPad 2 as a notebook, even with its less than stellar performance when it comes to handwriting detection. Now, in its old and sluggish state, it serves almost exclusively as a media tablet, where I view Netflix or Plex. While i loved the tablet, i still prefer the laptop for all the work that i do!

 

[Analog Kid]

Finally, maybe a chance at substance rather than arguing over what should be worth $100 to somebody else...

Great LCD display? Certainly.
Better than OLED displays? No.
Best tablet display? No.

New standard for LCD displays, we all know OLED tops it and the Galaxy tab S still has the best tablet display ever and it was released in 2014.

So you are saying DisplayMate have tested zero OLED screens?

Can someone explain what makes OLED better? I'm looking at the measurements and it looks to me like OLED underperforms on everything except two specs: contrast in a completely dark environment (though iPP has better contrast in a lit room), and brightness when viewed 30 degrees off axis (though OLED loses color accuracy when viewed off axis). OLED then takes more power for half the brightness.

What is the fascination with OLED?

http://www.displaymate.com/iPad_Pro9_ShootOut_1.htm#Table
http://www.displaymate.com/OLED_Tablet_ShootOut_1.htm#Table

 

[sofila]

The Air 2 already had one of the best tablet displays on the market. The Pro, with Pencil support, keyboard support, better speakers, more base storage, the best screen available anywhere, etc. is well worth the minor price bump. If it's not, well then lucky you, Apple dropped the price of the almost 2 years old but still excellent Air 2!

fixed that for you

 

[Woodcrest64]

For kids and netflix, why not just get a used iPad Air or even iPad 3?

I'm debating that too. I was looking at Gazelle but they don't sell to Canada unfortunately. Could get one on craigslist but I'm skeptical getting it from there. Might even get a refurb iPad Air 1 from Apple.

 

[trifid]

Speaking to a friend who works at flagship Apple store, the new iPad "pro" sales not doing well at all. Lack of innovation and £100 price hike taking its effect. Shame

Which is very interesting considering iPad sales had consistently gone down in the past couple of years, and a price hike is probably not going to help especially with a device that doesn't have a clear killer 'upgrade' feature.

 

[sofila]

The Pro/non-Pro lineup for the iPads is clear. If you want Pencil and native keyboard support, and the best of all other features, you get the Pro. If not, you get the Air or the Mini. Nobody is complaining that the MacBook Pro is more expensive than the MacBook Air or that Apple is doing anything fishy there. Time to get over it.

Lineup for iPad is clear as long as you are sure that Air2 (or non pro, whatever we may call it) will be upgraded. If not your point, fairly reasonable, fails

 

[uwdude]

I agree with this article. Now that I have gone True Tone, it's hard to look at my iPhone display, it looks way too blue. And the colors really pop on the iPad Pro. It's an amazing screen, the sound is way better than my Air 2, and it's even faster than the Air 2, which wasn't slow by any means. You can just click click click and it keeps right up. And I didn't think I would like or care for the keyboard because I mostly use the iPad surfing and emailing on the couch, but the keyboard attached actually makes it stand up and be stable to type on, even on a non-solid surface like a pillow or whatever. And I found myself needing to sign an electronic document the other day with a signature, and voila the pencil worked in Adobe! This is a really nice upgrade even from the Air 2, don't doubt yourself, go get it!

 

[charlieroberts]

Maybe "major" but not "$100 major" IMHO. (Yes, YMMV). It's not like the Air 2 screen is horrible or that the difference is even iPad 2 to iPad 3 (retina) noticeable -- which at the time many iPad 2 owners didn't think was worth the cost of admission even though Apple did not increase the MSRP of the 3 over the original 2 MSRP. Apple should strive to produce continually better product. We should expect it, not be surprised by it.

That's my thought as well. We get a better product every single year since the first iPad. This year is no different, except for the price increase. Did we get THAT much better over every other upgrade to warrant the price increase? That's debatable. Personally, I see going to retina and touchID as better upgrades then what we got this year, but there are those that argue otherwise. To each their own I suppose.

An alternative way to look at it is going from the iPad Air to the iPad Air 2.
$0 for A8X CPU (triple core - 50% more cores than the iPhone chip), unique GPU with extra cores, much better display (better bonding of the screen to the glass), double the RAM, TouchID and Apple Pay (i.e. secure enclave), improved front and back cameras, 20% thinner and 10% lighter with same battery life, double the storage size (for $599 and $699 options).

The additions to the iPP are good, but not worth $100. It may be that you are happy to pay the extra, which is fine and a personal choice, but for me the additions are not 'worth' the incresaed cost.

While I agree with you, I also wish it wasn't 100$ more, I can't help but think about how spoiled Apple has made us.
While its pretty cool that they mostly leave their prices untouched in between generations, the fact that we expect it and demand it assumes Apple has the next upgrades just sitting there waiting for launch.
I assume a fair amount of testing goes into the development of a new iPad, no matter whether you think its a worthy successor or not.
If apple decides to increase the prices of an already struggling category I'd bet that they have a strong reason to. Be whatever it may. And I doubt greed is the reason, but you don't have to agree.

Finally, base storage also got boosted, so thats 100$ right there, even if all the other things don't mean anything to you. So if you wanted a 32GB iPad the price didn't increase at all. Rejoice.

 

[shareef777]

While I agree with you, I also wish it wasn't 100$ more, I can't help but think about how spoiled Apple has made us.
While its pretty cool that they mostly leave their prices untouched in between generations, the fact that we expect it and demand it assumes Apple has the next upgrades just sitting there waiting for launch.
I assume a fair amount of testing goes into the development of a new iPad, no matter whether you think its a worthy successor or not.
If apple decides to increase the prices of an already struggling category I'd bet that they have a strong reason to. Be whatever it may. And I doubt greed is the reason, but you don't have to agree.

Finally, base storage also got boosted, so thats 100$ right there, even if all the other things don't mean anything to you. So if you wanted a 32GB iPad the price didn't increase at all. Rejoice.

Oh there's most certainly greed at Apple HQ. There's no excuse for 16GB of storage in any device in 2016!

 

[rexboe]

I think it is only a 50 dollar increase on the 128 gb one. The Air 2 128 gb was 699. I think iPad stayed the same price to long had to be readjusted at some point.

 

[charlieroberts]

Oh there's most certainly greed at Apple HQ. There's no excuse for 16GB of storage in any device in 2016!

No matter how greedy they are, they understand that increasing the price on a product that has more and more trouble selling, and its main criticism is its high price compared to its peers will undoubtedly hurt demand.

That why they have REDUCED the price on the Air 2.
And of course you don't need me to tell you that you can indeed buy a bigger capacity iPad than 16GB.

So, it ends up looking like a spoiled kid,
-I WANT AN IPAD PRO WITH MORE THAN 16GB!!!!!
-Here you go.
-NOOOO ITS MORE THAN I WOULD LIKE TO PAY!!!
-Well... sorry? We do have a more affordable iPad.
-NOOOO I WANT THE NEWEST AND BEST IPAD AVAILABLE!
-We offer that iPad in a smaller capacity to meet your budget
-NOOOOO I WANT MORE CAPACITY, ITS SO UNFAIR!
...



I mean its 2016, there is no excuse for Car manufacturers to sell cars without AppleCar!
Well maybe some people prefer to pay less for their car than have AppleCar...

 

[bobbydaz]

i came to the 9.7 pro from an iPad 3. after 4 years and 3 models in between, i would characterize the quality difference as "barely noticeable"

thats not to say it isn't a fine display, and i'm sure there are measuring devices that highlight the improvements, but to the casual viewer i wouldn't say its anything to clamour over.

also, all these supposed colour space improvements, and yet the main thing people notice, be it a yellow, blue, purple or green colour cast (even with true tone disabled), are generally cited as "pickiness, acceptable manufacturing tolerances, etc..."

Barely noticeable? You must be kidding. Try watching a movie on your old iPad 3 in a bright room and see how useless it is. The low reflective display of the Pro is a big improvement over the 3.

 

[Oldfash33]

Turns out we have an extra iPad Air 2 due to work supplying one. I am thinking about selling mine and the spare and just buying one of these for an "upgrade" but even knowing the display is nice I'm still not sure its money well spent for me. Not saying it not worth the difference just saying I have basic uses for my iPad that really does not require the features the new iPad offers. Still, I'm considering the update.

Do it!

 

[LCPepper]

I love my iPad Pro...

Coming from an iPad Mini 4, it's heaven.

 

[trifid]

I mean its 2016, there is no excuse for Car manufacturers to sell cars without AppleCar!
Well maybe some people prefer to pay less for their car than have AppleCar

Flawed car analogy aside, it costs $5 to make 32gb default. Apple has been shipping 16gb for 9 years now, while the rest of the industry is at 32gb. Greed is greed, period. I wonder when people are going to stop defending or making up excuses for the indefensible.

 

[Oldfash33]

Very glad the screen is getting good reviews as I may have 'accidentally' Pressed buy on a 32gb gold one this afternoon...

Don't tell my wife...

Lol!!

 

[charlieroberts]

Flawed car analogy aside, it costs $5 to make 32gb default. Apple has been shipping 16gb for 9 years now, while the rest of the industry is at 32gb. Greed is greed, period. I wonder when people are going to stop defending or making up excuses for the indefensible.

Childish reasoning aside, just because something is cheap does not entitle you to it.

 

[Analog Kid]

Oh there's most certainly greed at Apple HQ. There's no excuse for 16GB of storage in any device in 2016!

As a corollary to Godwin's law, I would like to formulate Analog Kid's law:

"As a MacRumors discussion grows longer, the probability of a 16GB reference approaches 1."

 

[vertsix]

Can someone explain what makes OLED better? I'm looking at the measurements and it looks to me like OLED underperforms on everything except two specs: contrast in a completely dark environment (though iPP has better contrast in a lit room), and brightness when viewed 30 degrees off axis (though OLED loses color accuracy when viewed off axis). OLED then takes more power for half the brightness.

What is the fascination with OLED?

http://www.displaymate.com/iPad_Pro9_ShootOut_1.htm#Table
http://www.displaymate.com/OLED_Tablet_ShootOut_1.htm#Table

Colors, contrasts, efficiency, and now brightness too. Samsung's OLED displays are now brighter than Apple's LCD displays. The only downside is lifetime, but it's getting there with LCDs.

It just serves a much nicer viewing experience. Go to any store that sells smartphones and pick up an OLED smartphone, and do some tests with a few videos. You'll see.

The only LCD technology that can remotely compete with OLED in terms of colors is quantum dot, but even then it falls behind OLED in contrasts as they are literally infinitely worse.

 

[trifid]

Childish reasoning aside, just because something is cheap does not entitle you to it.

Childish reasoning? Is it unresonable to expect 32gb default after 9 years of 16gb and the rest of the industry at 32gb? Technology advances so quickly, SSD prices decrease exponentially, the normal trend is for a product to feature more and better technology as it becomes viable. $5 32gb is viable and expected to become default. You have no excuse, you can't excuse Apple and so you have to resort to personal attacks it seems.

 

[Oldfash33]

With a software upgrade could the Apple Pencil be used on the iPad Air 2?

 

[charlieroberts]

Childish reasoning? Is it unresonable to expect 32gb default after 9 years of 16gb and the rest of the industry at 32gb?Technology advances so quickly, ssd prices decrease exponentially, the normal trend is for a product to feature more and better technology as it becomes viable. $5 32gb is viable and expected to become default. You have no excuse, you can't excuse Apple and so you have to resort to personal attacks it seems.

Oh I did not attack you. I merely pointed out how your argument came across.

No, it is not expected to become default. Why should it? Would it be nice? yes.
Maybe after 9 years you have noticed an improvement on the capabilities of your iOS devices, maybe this improvement has been possible thanks to a business model that depends on people spending more than wholesale prices on memory upgrades.
Imagine how difficult it would be for apple to carry an iPad pro which was differentiated instead of by storage, by the presence or absence of features such as apple pencil support or quad speakers. Oh you don't need bluetooth? lets make a model without! So people can pay just for what they want! How about a less accurate screen? there you go, iPad pro non retina, but 128, just so you can have exactly what you want at the price you want it!

You keep saying things and I can't stop picturing a kid throwing a tantrum.
Deal with it, this is the price structure. Its like the people who get an uber at 4.9 surge pricing, and then complain about gouging...

I'm not apologizing for Apple, I buy whatever I deem worthy of my money, I wish things were cheaper as well. But I also have an understanding of how the world works.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

While I agree with you, I also wish it wasn't 100$ more, I can't help but think about how spoiled Apple has made us.
While its pretty cool that they mostly leave their prices untouched in between generations, the fact that we expect it and demand it assumes Apple has the next upgrades just sitting there waiting for launch.
I assume a fair amount of testing goes into the development of a new iPad, no matter whether you think its a worthy successor or not.
If apple decides to increase the prices of an already struggling category I'd bet that they have a strong reason to. Be whatever it may. And I doubt greed is the reason, but you don't have to agree.

Finally, base storage also got boosted, so thats 100$ right there, even if all the other things don't mean anything to you. So if you wanted a 32GB iPad the price didn't increase at all. Rejoice.

Apple hasn't spoiled us, cheap China labor and low inflation in electronics has. You say it's "pretty cool" Apple leaves prices untouched between generations, but do you understand that Apple has 30%+ margins, something most electronics makers only dream of. That includes R&D, labor, parts, etc., etc. So its easy to leave prices the same from generation to generation especially when component prices keep decreasing. For example the cost of a 32GB flash memory chip in 2010 when the iPad was released was appreciably higher than today. The savings balance out with newer parts that cost more. That is how Apple keeps prices stable.

But then you look around at other electronics companies with appreciably smaller margins and you see it's pricing as a given tech matures lowers as the device improves. For example a Sony 32" LCD 720p HDTV in 2006 cost about $800. Today you can get an LG 50" UHD TV for $800. And a 32" Sony HDTV -- about $170

I don't know why Apple bumped up the price on the 9.7 iPad, but for a struggling product and an update that is incremental I don't think Apple has made it's case. The 9.7 Pro is a great update. If it was $599 for 64GB like its 9.7" predecessor I'd be all in, and drop another $100 for the pencil too. But the 32GB is too chintzy to be of any use to me and I can't get my head around a $1,000 iPad. I really don't think Apple thought out the pricing strategy well.

 

[Analog Kid]

Colors, contrasts, efficiency, and now brightness too. Samsung's OLED displays are now brighter than Apple's LCD displays. The only downside is lifetime, but it's getting there with LCDs.

It just serves a much nicer viewing experience. Go to any store that sells smartphones and pick up an OLED smartphone, and do some tests with a few videos. You'll see.

The only LCD technology that can remotely compete with OLED in terms of colors is quantum dot, but even then it falls behind OLED in contrasts as they are literally infinitely worse.

I'm just not seeing that in the numbers. Look at the links I provided. Yes, OLED has better contrast in a dark room because black is off (infinite contrast), but as soon as there's ambient light the LCD outperforms the OLED. I also don't see where it's brighter-- it's getting close but LCD is still ahead.

The Galaxy S7 is closing the gap further, but it's a smaller display and still not quite as good as the new iPP.

Is there anything objective that you can point me to that supports this clamoring for OLED?