Intro
So I have had my iPad Pro for about 2 weeks and wanted to give my review of what I think about it and what I dislike. TLDR: The iPad Pro is simply second to none if you dont need a traditional laptop.
Design
The iPad itself is gorgeous from the polished chamfered edges to the gorgeous new display, every little detail comes together to make the iPad a joy to just gaze at. The weight has not been a large issue, the one time even noticed it was when I was holding it in portrait mode with one hand.
Display
The new display is simply lovely, I wont bother trying to convince you Promotion is awesome, you'll need to see it yourself to believe it. Truetone is a lovely feature and I feel like my eyes are more relaxed when using the iPad now compared to my iPhone and the screen just looks more natural.
Speakers
The four stereo speakers on the iPad Pro sound incredible. Never before has any other device I owned sounded that awesome, even at full volume there isn't even noticeable distortion and instruments and vocals sound crystal clear.
Smart Keyboard
The Smart Keyboard is a a very comfortable keyboard that works well and isn't thick and bulky like some other options but it also lacks backlighting, something that irks me for as much as it costs. If you plan on getting any work done you will need this accessory.
Pencil
The Pencil is interesting, I have not used it a lot since its main purpose will be for class notes, what I have written though is excellent, the Pencil is comfortable and I am able to write surprisingly small given the size of the tip. Drawbacks I have noticed is the Pencil is a little slippery when writing and I found myself having to readjust my hand quite often, although a simple Pencil grip can solve this. The second issue would be battery life, even in standby I noticed the Pencil lost a lot of battery even not in use, luckily it charges insanely fast I'd peg it at 6-8 minutes for a 0-100 charge.
Performance
The A10X in the new iPad Pro is mind boggling powerful. Apps open without delay, Safari opens websites without hesitation and scrolling is perfectly smooth all the time. iOS 10 is a joke on this iPad and iOS 11 will only scratch the surface of what this new chip is capable of. Honestly I am sitting here waiting for iOS 12, that will really bring out the potential of this new iPad.
Battery Life
Even with the Promotion display and A10X monster this iPad Pro is easily able to hit 10+ hour SOT. Sitting here writing this review the battery is 60% with 6 hour 37min SOT. I think in the past two weeks, the lowest its ended with was 30% battery, and that was with 9 hour SOT. Keep in mind though my summer workflow isn't very intense with most of the usage being Safari, Reddit, Twitch and Podcasts app. I also utilize auto brightness and in my room with the light on, the iPad only goes to about 45% brightness, so while the battery life is indeed awesome your mileage will obviously vary. As for charging, I have not bought the USB C fast charge because for me the iPad is easily getting me through a day and the 12 watt charger works fine overnight.
iOS
I love iOS and am not going to detail really explaining it in depth, other then to say it work for some and not for others, and you know who you are. iOS on this 12.9 Pro is really on another level though as far as web browsing and productivity is concerned, even with Splitview you don't feel cramped working in apps. I will say however that iOS still has random glitches and I wish Apple would put some effort into fixing these issues. For example you can be in a app and using it and randomly the entire display will become unresponsive until you sleep wake the iPad again. This issue may be minor but nonetheless irritating if it happens and your in the middle of scrolling though a article or typing a paper. So while iOS 11 may be bringing some great new features to iPad, I really hope Apple can put some effort into these random device "lockups" and "freezes". My iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch have all had this issue one time or another.
Conclusion
The iPad Pro 12.9 is a amazing device but only if your workflow is possible in iOS, luckily mine is and this iPad has replaced my 2012 MacBook Pro with flying colors. The iPad Pro is significantly lighter and smaller, while providing a lot more performance and much improved battery life with a screen about the same size.
So I have had my iPad Pro for about 2 weeks and wanted to give my review of what I think about it and what I dislike. TLDR: The iPad Pro is simply second to none if you dont need a traditional laptop.
Design
The iPad itself is gorgeous from the polished chamfered edges to the gorgeous new display, every little detail comes together to make the iPad a joy to just gaze at. The weight has not been a large issue, the one time even noticed it was when I was holding it in portrait mode with one hand.
Display
The new display is simply lovely, I wont bother trying to convince you Promotion is awesome, you'll need to see it yourself to believe it. Truetone is a lovely feature and I feel like my eyes are more relaxed when using the iPad now compared to my iPhone and the screen just looks more natural.
Speakers
The four stereo speakers on the iPad Pro sound incredible. Never before has any other device I owned sounded that awesome, even at full volume there isn't even noticeable distortion and instruments and vocals sound crystal clear.
Smart Keyboard
The Smart Keyboard is a a very comfortable keyboard that works well and isn't thick and bulky like some other options but it also lacks backlighting, something that irks me for as much as it costs. If you plan on getting any work done you will need this accessory.
Pencil
The Pencil is interesting, I have not used it a lot since its main purpose will be for class notes, what I have written though is excellent, the Pencil is comfortable and I am able to write surprisingly small given the size of the tip. Drawbacks I have noticed is the Pencil is a little slippery when writing and I found myself having to readjust my hand quite often, although a simple Pencil grip can solve this. The second issue would be battery life, even in standby I noticed the Pencil lost a lot of battery even not in use, luckily it charges insanely fast I'd peg it at 6-8 minutes for a 0-100 charge.
Performance
The A10X in the new iPad Pro is mind boggling powerful. Apps open without delay, Safari opens websites without hesitation and scrolling is perfectly smooth all the time. iOS 10 is a joke on this iPad and iOS 11 will only scratch the surface of what this new chip is capable of. Honestly I am sitting here waiting for iOS 12, that will really bring out the potential of this new iPad.
Battery Life
Even with the Promotion display and A10X monster this iPad Pro is easily able to hit 10+ hour SOT. Sitting here writing this review the battery is 60% with 6 hour 37min SOT. I think in the past two weeks, the lowest its ended with was 30% battery, and that was with 9 hour SOT. Keep in mind though my summer workflow isn't very intense with most of the usage being Safari, Reddit, Twitch and Podcasts app. I also utilize auto brightness and in my room with the light on, the iPad only goes to about 45% brightness, so while the battery life is indeed awesome your mileage will obviously vary. As for charging, I have not bought the USB C fast charge because for me the iPad is easily getting me through a day and the 12 watt charger works fine overnight.
iOS
I love iOS and am not going to detail really explaining it in depth, other then to say it work for some and not for others, and you know who you are. iOS on this 12.9 Pro is really on another level though as far as web browsing and productivity is concerned, even with Splitview you don't feel cramped working in apps. I will say however that iOS still has random glitches and I wish Apple would put some effort into fixing these issues. For example you can be in a app and using it and randomly the entire display will become unresponsive until you sleep wake the iPad again. This issue may be minor but nonetheless irritating if it happens and your in the middle of scrolling though a article or typing a paper. So while iOS 11 may be bringing some great new features to iPad, I really hope Apple can put some effort into these random device "lockups" and "freezes". My iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch have all had this issue one time or another.
Conclusion
The iPad Pro 12.9 is a amazing device but only if your workflow is possible in iOS, luckily mine is and this iPad has replaced my 2012 MacBook Pro with flying colors. The iPad Pro is significantly lighter and smaller, while providing a lot more performance and much improved battery life with a screen about the same size.
