iPad Pro iPad Pro vs Air 2... and other thoughts (mini review).

[WilliamG]

Just got back with my iPad Pro. I have been on the fence about it for a while now, but decided the only way to really know was to experience it.

I ordered online last night for in-store pick-up in Seattle, which I did.

I also picked up the Smart Cover and silicone case, both of which are painfully overpriced, but... had to be done. I also picked up the Logitech Create Keyboard case, to see which I'd prefer.

First impressions:

Yes, it's bigger than the Air 2. Of course it is. But, somehow, it's not overly so, like a perfect balance between big and not-too-big.

Touch ID: Apple hasn't said much about Touch ID, that I've seen - on the Pro, but I have noticed that it *seems* to be the exact same 2nd-gen fingerprint scanner as on my 6s Plus. It's very fast, miles faster than on my Air 2. Whether this is processor related or something else under the hood, it unlocks at the exact same speed as my speed-demon 6s Plus when both screens are off.

Screen: The screen is gorgeous. First, ZERO backlight bleed. I recognize this can vary from display to display, but Apple has achieved - for me - a zero-bleed screen. Even better - whites are white. No color tint, no book-spine issue. This is the best screen I've seen on an Apple device. It's stunning.

Sound: I fired up Plex on both my Air 2 and iPad Pro, and put on the classic Transformers, with everyone's favorite Shia LaBeouf. The sound difference is massive. Absolutely massive. For those irritated to all heck with the Air 2's vibration through the screen (even in a case!), the Pro will satisfy you because unless you crank the volume, you won't feel anything through the screen. The different in bass level and sound separation is massive. While the Air 2 does have a pair of stereo speakers, they're both in the same housing and... oh whatever. The Air 2 has crap speakers. The Pro does not.

The Smart Cover and silicone case are great. I really like them a lot more than I would, despite being a two-piece solution. The cover does not buckle on the screen at all, and stays closed even with the iPad turned face down.

The Logitech Create Keyboard is... OK. It's quite thick, a little unwieldy, but it does have two backlight levels and the keys feel nice and - most importantly - full size. There were no Apple keyboard cases or Pencils available or I'd have picked them up too.

So, as first impressions go, I'm in love with this thing.

Take that from someone who has no intention of being a "pro" user with it.

 

[Beavix]

Touch ID: Apple hasn't said much about Touch ID, that I've seen - on the Pro, but I have noticed that it seems to be the exact same 2nd-gen fingerprint scanner as on my 6s Plus. It's very fast, miles faster than on my Air 2.

Must be the Reality Distortion Field. The iPad Pro doesn't use the second-generation Touch ID sensor.

 

[WilliamG]

Must be the Reality Distortion Field. The iPad Pro doesn't use the second-generation Touch ID sensor.

Well, I'm having an awful time trying to press the Home button without unlocking the iPad Pro. So if it's NOT a second-gen Touch ID sensor, it's behaving a lot like it.

Reality Distortion Field.... - appreciate that!

 

[techedude]

Must be the Reality Distortion Field. The iPad Pro doesn't use the second-generation Touch ID sensor.

Actually it has the second gen Touch ID like the 6s and 6s Pus. Watch the keynote and Phil talks about it having it.

 

[WilliamG]

Actually it has the second gen Touch ID like the 6s and 6s Pus. Watch the keynote and Phil talks about it having it.

That makes sense. It's VERY fast. I was surprised, since I must have missed it during the keynote, but I'm REALLY happy it's as fast as my 6s Plus, since the Air 2 feels so slow now to unlock by comparison to the 6s.

 

[omgitscro]

Actually it has the second gen Touch ID like the 6s and 6s Pus. Watch the keynote and Phil talks about it having it.

It isn't. John Gruber got verification from Apple that it's a generation-one TouchID sensor.

 

[MH01]

Thanks for the review.

 

[Diversion]

Overstock of the gen1 touchID sensor i'm sure is why it's on this device.. Granted, I don't mind the gen1 delay.. it's an iPad and I don't need to get into my iPad Pro as fast as I find the need on my 6s.

 

[trerep]

is the ipad pro as usable on the couch as an ipad air 2?

 

[WilliamG]

Overstock of the gen1 touchID sensor i'm sure is why it's on this device.. Granted, I don't mind the gen1 delay.. it's an iPad and I don't need to get into my iPad Pro as fast as I find the need on my 6s.

It isn't. John Gruber got verification from Apple that it's a generation-one TouchID sensor.

To be honest, it doesn't matter to me what Gruber heard from Apple. I have an iPad Air 2, an iPhone 6s Plus, and an iPad Pro. The iPad Pro unlocks miles faster than the Air 2. I put the iPhone 6s Plus next to the Pro and unlocked them both at the same time. It's a dead heat EVERY time.

I even re-learned finger prints on both devices, switching fingers to unlock both at the same time. If it's the processor making the difference here, this I'd grant. However, to essentially say there's no difference between the Air 2 and Pro unlock speed is hugely untrue.

You'll hear from more people soon enough, I'd guess.

As an aside, if I have the screen awake on both the Pro and the 6s Plus but the devices still locked, the 6s recognizes the fingerprint quicker than the Pro (no button click required in this case. But if the screens are off on both devices, they both wake up and unlock at exactly the same time, whereas the Air 2 lags behind here.

 

[WilliamG]

is the ipad pro as usable on the couch as an ipad air 2?

Absolutely. I wouldn't want to carry it suspended above me, but for chilling on the couch or in bed, it's perfect, actually. Remember, it's about the same weight as the original iPad, but spread over a much larger device so it actually feels quite "light" by comparison.

 

[rsbacon]

To be honest, it doesn't matter to me what Gruber heard from Apple. I have an iPad Air 2, an iPhone 6s Plus, and an iPad Pro. The iPad Pro unlocks miles faster than the Air 2. I put the iPhone 6s Plus next to the Pro and unlocked them both at the same time. It's a dead heat EVERY time.

I even re-learned finger prints on both devices, switching fingers to unlock both at the same time. If it's the processor making the difference here, this I'd grant. However, to essentially say there's no difference between the Air 2 and Pro unlock speed is hugely untrue.

You'll hear from more people soon enough, I'd guess.

Glad you're liking it so far! I also have the same devices you do, and the Pro's Touch ID speed is more similar to the Air 2 than the 6s+

 

[SBruv]

Just got back with my iPad Pro. I have been on the fence about it for a while now, but decided the only way to really know was to experience it.

Touch ID: Apple hasn't said much about Touch ID, that I've seen - on the Pro, but I have noticed that it *seems* to be the exact same 2nd-gen fingerprint scanner as on my 6s Plus. It's very fast, miles faster than on my Air 2. Whether this is processor related or something else under the hood, it unlocks at the exact same speed as my speed-demon 6s Plus when both screens are off.

Screen: The screen is gorgeous. First, ZERO backlight bleed. I recognize this can vary from display to display, but Apple has achieved - for me - a zero-bleed screen. Even better - whites are white. No color tint, no book-spine issue. This is the best screen I've seen on an Apple device. It's stunning.

Certainly agree with the Touch ID bit - it feels as fast as my 6S+.

I, however, do have a bit of backlight bleed - albeit only noticeable in the dark on a black background at full brightness - and a yellow gradient towards the top.

I'm probably returning it anyway, though, so at least I won't have to deal with the usual screen swapping lottery...

 

[WilliamG]

Certainly agree with the Touch ID bit - it feels as fast as my 6S+.

I, however, do have a bit of backlight bleed - albeit only noticeable in the dark on a black background at full brightness - and a yellow gradient towards the top.

I'm probably returning it anyway, though, so at least I won't have to deal with the usual screen swapping lottery...

Yeah the panel lottery I'm sure is out there. We'll never have "perfection" on any mass-produced devices like this. The yellow gradient would be more bothersome.

 

[thatappleguytoday]

Would love to see pics of the cover/case combo - like you, I need to bite the bullet for the pricing

 

[thefredelement]

I picked up the same setup as you. I think it's awesome.

The speed is insane. It doesn't feel like it should really be this fast, but it is. From wifi to opening, switching, panning around with two apps. I mean, it's unreal this is a portable.

I know the case and cover are overpriced but they feel good in the hand. As a package it feels great, really substantial and powerful and it looks awesome. I wish for once they could figure out how to reverse the smart cover so that you don't have to fold up the side that goes against the screen to the outside.

I'm glad I'm this excited and don't even have the pencil yet.

 

[Ghost31]

To be honest, it doesn't matter to me what Gruber heard from Apple. I have an iPad Air 2, an iPhone 6s Plus, and an iPad Pro. The iPad Pro unlocks miles faster than the Air 2. I put the iPhone 6s Plus next to the Pro and unlocked them both at the same time. It's a dead heat EVERY time.

I even re-learned finger prints on both devices, switching fingers to unlock both at the same time. If it's the processor making the difference here, this I'd grant. However, to essentially say there's no difference between the Air 2 and Pro unlock speed is hugely untrue.

You'll hear from more people soon enough, I'd guess.

As an aside, if I have the screen awake on both the Pro and the 6s Plus but the devices still locked, the 6s recognizes the fingerprint quicker than the Pro (no button click required in this case. But if the screens are off on both devices, they both wake up and unlock at exactly the same time, whereas the Air 2 lags behind here.

Can you post a Video? Curious to see

 

[Zeos]

Sounds nice, but the lack of force touch is a deal killer for me. I will wait for the 2nd gen.

 

[omgitscro]

To be honest, it doesn't matter to me what Gruber heard from Apple. I have an iPad Air 2, an iPhone 6s Plus, and an iPad Pro. The iPad Pro unlocks miles faster than the Air 2. I put the iPhone 6s Plus next to the Pro and unlocked them both at the same time. It's a dead heat EVERY time.

I even re-learned finger prints on both devices, switching fingers to unlock both at the same time. If it's the processor making the difference here, this I'd grant. However, to essentially say there's no difference between the Air 2 and Pro unlock speed is hugely untrue.

You'll hear from more people soon enough, I'd guess.

As an aside, if I have the screen awake on both the Pro and the 6s Plus but the devices still locked, the 6s recognizes the fingerprint quicker than the Pro (no button click required in this case. But if the screens are off on both devices, they both wake up and unlock at exactly the same time, whereas the Air 2 lags behind here.

Of course. That's how it's supposed to work. The limiting factor in actually getting the device on and to the home screen is the device's actual speed, not the fingerprint sensor. My SO's 6s gets to the home screen in basically the same amount of time that it takes my 6.

The whole point is that you can just press the home button and immediately take your finger off, so you'll be tapping on the app you want to launch that much faster.

 

[thadoggfather]

OP- do you plan to keep the iPad pro?

If you had to guess, after one day of use of course.

 

[eliehass]

Picked up an iPad Pro today as well. So far, I am loving it. The speakers are a massive addition, I can watch videos with the family and we can all hear just fine now. I love the full size keyboard and the extra screen space. Multitasking has been great so far (I'm coming from the iPad Air, which did not support multitasking even with iOS 9).

I wanted to pick up a smart keyboard, but they did not have any in store. I think I'll have a better feel for the device once I can use it with the smart keyboard, but so far This is the best iPad upgrade for me since I got the original iPad. My goal is to see if I can finally use my MBP only for work, my iMac as my home server (For media and the like) and the iPad for everything else. Ideally I could get away with using nothing but the iPad after work hours.

 

[burgman]

Certainly agree with the Touch ID bit - it feels as fast as my 6S+.

I, however, do have a bit of backlight bleed - albeit only noticeable in the dark on a black background at full brightness - and a yellow gradient towards the top.

I'm probably returning it anyway, though, so at least I won't have to deal with the usual screen swapping lottery...

What possessed you and others to look at a screen in manner that it wasn't designed for and you never see in normal use then call it defective? You need to go for walk and reconnect with earth.

 

[Sanlitun]

This is the best screen I've seen on an Apple device. It's stunning.

It's an incredibly beautiful display and much superior to the iPad Air 2. It's not only Apple's best display, it's the best LCD display I have seen anywhere.

And because of that, it is also the perfect video playback device. We spent some time watching Netflix and local videos on the Infuse app and it a dream.

The size and beauty of the display coupled with the processing power really push everything to the next level. It's all the same apps and OS as before, but it really all comes together in the way it can be used on the pro. I thought this thing might be a bit of a white elephant, but it really feels like the future.

 

[WilliamG]

It's an incredibly beautiful display and much superior to the iPad Air 2. It's not only Apple's best display, it's the best LCD display I have seen anywhere.

And because of that, it is also the perfect video playback device. We spent some time watching Netflix and local videos on the Infuse app and it a dream.

The size and beauty of the display coupled with the processing power really push everything to the next level. It's all the same apps and OS as before, but it really all comes together in the way it can be used on the pro. I thought this thing might be a bit of a white elephant, but it really feels like the future.

I probably should have said it's the best display on an Apple "portable" device. Still can't beat the 5K iMac.

 

[SBruv]

What possessed you and others to look at a screen in manner that it wasn't designed for and you never see in normal use then call it defective? You need to go for walk and reconnect with earth.

I don't actually recall saying it was defective, but thanks for your invaluable input.

The answer, quite simple is, because I noticed the yellowing, which prompted me to check for backlight bleed (taking, oh, about 30 seconds). Sorry it bothers you so much.

And the screen isn't the reason I'm returning it, btw, in case that's what you're assuming.