New Sixth-Generation iPad vs. 10.5-Inch iPad Pro

[MacRumors]

Support for the Apple Pencil was one of the major differentiating factors between the fifth-generation iPad and the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, with Apple Pencil connectivity limited to Apple's more expensive flagship tablets.

Now that Apple Pencil support has been built into the sixth-generation iPad, which costs just $329, the Apple Pencil is far more accessible and there's less separating Apple's cheapest tablet from its priciest models. In the video and post below, we go over all of the differences between the new iPad and the existing iPad Pro.

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The iPad Pro and the sixth-generation iPad may seem similar at first glance due to the shared Apple Pencil support, but the iPad Pro continues to offer a faster processor, better cameras, and a better display to justify its high price tag.

Apple's iPad Pro, for example, uses ProMotion technology with a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes all motion on the screen smoother, crisper, and more responsive.

It's dramatically different than other iPad displays with smoother text, better gameplay, and enhanced videos. True Tone technology, which adjusts the white balance of the display to match the ambient lighting is also an iPad Pro-only feature, as is wide color, for brighter, more vivid colors.

The sixth-generation iPad, meanwhile, uses the same non-laminated display that was first used in the iPad Air, albeit with improvements to make it brighter and a new touch sensor to allow for Apple Pencil support. It's Retina, but otherwise unremarkable.

The iPad Pro is also using an A10X Fusion chip, new in 2017, while the iPad is equipped with the A10 Fusion from the 2016 iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Major improvements have been made in processor and GPU speed in recent iterations, so the iPad Pro is going to be a good bit faster than the iPad, though you're not going to notice in everyday tasks.

If camera quality is of importance, the iPad Pro has the latest 12-megapixel f/1.8 camera that is leagues better than the 8-megapixel f2.4 camera in the iPad. The iPad Pro's camera supports a laundry list of features not available in the iPad, like True Tone Flash, stabilization for live photos, wide color capture, 4K video recording, and more.

The iPad Pro's front-facing camera is also 7-megapixels, a big upgrade over the 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera in the iPad. To make it easy to compare the two tablets at a glance, we've made a handy chart that also includes the fifth-generation iPad:

So which one should you buy? If you want an impressively fast but affordable tablet that works with Apple Pencil and is going to play the most recent games and apps for several years to come, go with the iPad.

If you want the fastest, thinnest device you can get with the absolute best display available on the market, go with the iPad Pro, but don't buy right now if you can hold out for a refresh. We're expecting to see updated iPad Pro models either in June or September with slimmer bezels, no Home button, and support for the Face ID facial recognition system first introduced in the iPhone X.

Article Link: New Sixth-Generation iPad vs. 10.5-Inch iPad Pro

 

[dan9700]

True tone doesn't change brightness just annoying yellow tint colour temp and even the 10.5 is just a big iphone nothing special about ipads

 

[joelt999]

You forgot about the Smart Connector on iPad Pro which is not present on the 9.7" iPad...

 

[itsmilo]

Personally True Tone is the worst. First thing i disabled after force trying it a few days

 

[jamesrick80]

True tone doesn't change brightness just annoying yellow tint colour temp and even the 10.5 is just a big iphone nothing special about ipads

Sorta agree...i enjoy it for its smoothness as a tablet....but i would say its a true tablet os at this point and not just a big phone but its still a mobile OS in all regards but it does a great job with tablet optimized apps. Definitely, no laptop replacement. This educational version should have been called the iPad Plus and the Pro still doesn't deserve its Pro title as a so-called laptop replacement. Maybe it gets it pro title for entertainment value.......4 speakers and a HDR screen helps.

Add mouse support, a microsd card slot, and full office apps to the iPad Pro and I would deem it a true Pro tablet. Otherwise only the windows 10 hybrids should get this title and possibiy high end chromebooks. Surface 4 Pro and the Galaxy Book are actually professional hybrid laptop/tablets and make great laptop replacements.

 

[Scottsoapbox]

Need to update the Pro to help justify that price difference. New iPad is pretty close for half the price.

 

[kagharaht]

How different will the new iPad Pro be by then? Will it be better on par with The Surface Pro?

 

[Andres Cantu]

No one ever mentions modem speed for LTE models.

 

[kazmac]

As a replacement for an older iPad for someone who isn't tech driven or a commuter device, new iPad would be fine for consumption and light content creation.

Will never buy another iPad Pro at full price; I'll wait on sales if and when it comes time to replace my 2017.

 

[mi7chy]

Only 2GB DRAM with no future proofing and that has to be upgraded in a year? 2GB is what's standard on $40 Android devices.

The 4GB Acer ChromeOS pen tablet is making much more sense since it can be used in tablet mode for preschool and early elementary then with keyboard/mouse for higher elementary up to high school. No need to disrupt kids' education by switching ecosystem in the process.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Big differences between 6th gen and the pro.... My debate is more between the 5th gen and 6th gen (for upgrading my parents from iPad 2). They would never get/use an apple pencil so it all comes down to is the A10 vs A9 worth the difference. If I could get a lightly used 5th gen for around $200....

 

[Superhappytree]

I’d still take the Pro every time. ProMotion alone is worth it (would be better if iOS 11 wasn’t so crap). It also has; a laminated screen with superior colours, True Tone, better cameras same as iPhone 7, 4GB RAM compared to 2GB, Smart Connector, 4 speakers compared to 2, 2nd gen Touch ID compared to the slower 1st gen, A10X processor compared to the standard A10.

All of that adds up to me. All of the major factors of a tablet are better on the Pro: display, processor, speakers, RAM, design, Touch ID etc. It's worth the extra £300 for future proofing. The 4GB RAM alone will be better off in the long run, 2GB is already too little.

 

[jamesrick80]

How different will the new iPad Pro be by then? Will it be better on par with The Surface Pro?

Until it runs full office apps with mouse support especially with up to 512 gb of storage and microsd card support or usb-c storage options, it cant compete with the surface pro or windows 10 hybrids. Thats the missing link to making it a laptop replacement. Even the web versions of chrome os are better than what iOS has to offer just because of mouse support and real time file management although the cloud is always accessible as well. How does apple expect us to use all the storage on the ipad pro top storage tiers and they still refuse full applications and mouse support. Not all of us even do 4K video editing, play large mobile iOS games, or draw (the excuses so far for that extra storage; since music collections are easily saved to the cloud)...........so something needs to give. The software dock was a good starting point; something borrowed from chrome OS, some android devices, and even Windows.

The iPad Pro has to converge with MacOS no matter what or at least run full none-mobile applications or its just a tablet as usual. At this point many would take a MacOS detachable tablet laptop device that runs ipad apps and has pencil support. Its a no-brainer to create such a device.

 

[caskin8a]

Can someone tell me what any of these “new iPads” offer over the iPad Air 2?

 

[44267547]

True tone doesn't change brightness just annoying yellow tint colour temp and even the 10.5 is just a big iphone nothing special about ipads

Nothing special about iPads? Many would disagree with you on that. The iPad is a highly useful tool to me in many ways.

I personally like True Tone and it serves its purpose. Its a much easier transition on the Eyes when reading, which corrects the white point on the display based on the lighting in the room.

 

[vpr611]

With all the talk of a lower priced Macbook starting around $800, I think we could see the iPad Pro drop to a starting price of $499.

I could easily see iPad pricing to look something like this moving forward.

$329 - 32GB iPad 9.7"
$429 - 128GB iPad 9.7"

$499 - 64GB iPad Pro 10.5/11"
$599 - 128GB iPad Pro 10.5/11"
$699 - 256GB iPad Pro 10.5/11"

$650 - 64GB iPad Pro 12"
$750 - 128GB iPad Pro 12"
$850 - 256GB iPad Pro 12"

This could allow a 128GB 13" Macbook to start at $800, allowing the customer a choice between an iPad Pro and similarly priced Macbook.

 

[Chazzle]

Can someone tell me what any of these “new iPads” offer over the iPad Air 2?

Besides a faster processor and Apple Pencil support for the 2018 model, nothing really. I prefer the Air 2 due to its laminated display. It feels so much better than the 2017 iPad which has a noticeable springy feel when tapping the screen.

 

[wbrat]

Can someone tell me what any of these “new iPads” offer over the iPad Air 2?

Lower price?

 

[realeric]

What a naming nightmare. 5th gen ipad, new ipad, new new ipad, new new new ipad, new 10" ipad, new new 9.7" ipad. WTF. Please name it iPad 1, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad 5, iPad 6, ... iPad 9,...

 

[WannaGoMac]

You forgot about the Smart Connector on iPad Pro which is not present on the 9.7" iPad...

This is by far the most important feature. It makes using a keyboard with an iPad a much better experience over horrible Bluetooth keyboard

 

[AZMecha]

I have 9'7 iPad Pro and it still is amazing. The HW specs for this generation is not impressive and only has newer A10 fusion...

I'm waiting for new 10'5 with OLED and Face-Id...

 

[Chazzle]

Lower price?

You can get an Apple refurbished Air 2 32gb for $289 which I would do over the new iPad.

 

[cambookpro]

It's easy to ridicule people for wanting better cameras on a tablet, but I think the use cases are different to a phone camera. I've now replaced my flatbed scanner with my iPad Pro, as the camera is far superior to my old iPad Air and makes scanning documents a breeze.

I really like my 10.5" Pro (typing on it now!), but I have to say it would be hard to justify it were I making the decision today. I only really bought it over the 9.7" iPad for the Pencil support. Is a better screen, slightly better performance, two more speakers and second-gen Touch ID worth almost double the price? I'm not so sure.

Apple have backed themselves into a corner a bit, the Pros either need to come down in price by $100-$150 or they need to be dramatically differentiated from the standard model (maybe an iPhone X-esque redesign could contribute towards this, as long as they didn't increase the price at the same time).

 

[thisismyusername]

The smart connector is almost enough of a reason for me to go with an iPad Pro over the regular iPad. The Smart Keyboard is one of the best Apple accessories I've ever bought. It's the best, easily detachable keyboard I've ever used and really makes the whole experience a lot better. It's also really nice not having to worry about charging it; every time I've used bluetooth keyboards with my mobile devices in the past, chances are the battery is dead right when I really want to use it.

I hope Apple and other accessory makes find more uses for that connector.

 

[jamesrick80]

Only 2GB DRAM with no future proofing and that has to be upgraded in a year? 2GB is what's standard on $40 Android devices.

The 4GB Acer ChromeOS pen tablet is making much more sense since it can be used in tablet mode for preschool and early elementary then with keyboard/mouse for higher elementary up to high school. No need to disrupt kids' education by switching ecosystem in the process.

That Acer chrome os tablet makes more sense for kids and adults. It has just the right specs to be considered a good mid range chromebook and high end tablet for the purposes of android. I'm surprised it includes a quadHD screen and 4 GB ram; I had no issues with the OP1 processor on my past chromebook Plus and it can even run 4K videos smoothly. You can even hook that thing to a monitor. Add your own keyboard and mouse and you have a device with so much more potential. Parents may still opt to get their kid the $199 chromebooks with keyboards until this goes down in price or includes a keyboard/mouse case for free. But you cant deny that included wacom stylus which makes up for the lack of keyboard....keyboards/mouses are cheap accessories these days....

I bet you anything I will be doing more pro stuff on this device than my ipad pro. Also, it should run even smoother than the chromebook plus version due to less resolution and smaller screen although its QuadHD. It will be one of my bday presents early may......to add to my ever diverse list of tech.