When the original iPad Pro was announced last September, it immediately receives plenty of attention from consumers not only because of its sheer size but also the fact that it was the most advanced iPad model at that time. Today, Apple introduced another version of iPad Pro to cater users who have been wanting all the goodies that comes with the original iPad Pro but in a much smaller and easier to carry physique.
For starters, let’s see how the 9.7-inch iPad Pro looks like when compared to existing iPad models:
It is not surprising that Apple chose to release a 9.7-inch version of iPad Pro since it has sold more than 200 million iPads with 9.7-inch screen so far. But what interesting is that the company actually equip the smaller iPad Pro with features that are not available elsewhere within the iPad family at the moment – not even on the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Some of these new features are on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro’s display which has the same resolution and pixel density as per the displays on iPad Air 2 as well as iPad mini 4 and 2. For example, it has a wider color gamut than previous iPad which apparently gives the 9.7-inch iPad Pro up to 25% better color saturation than its predecessors.
At the same time, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro’s display also comes with a capability called True Tone which dynamically adjust the display’s color and brightness according to the environment through the usage of four-channel ambient light sensors on the tablet. This feature apparently helps making the viewing experience on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro much more comfortable.
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro also feature higher resolution sensors for its rear and front camera at 12-megapixels and 5-megapixels respectively alongside new image signal processor. They subsequently help provide the tablet with improved photography capability as compared to other existing iPad models.
Such capabilities include Live Photos, 4K video recording, and slow-motion video recording at full HD resolution. Apple has also added a physical True Tone flash for the tablet’s rear camera and Retina Flash capability for its front camera.
Physical-wise, the 9.7-inch iPad Air has the same thickness as per iPad Air 2 at 6.1mm. Not only that, they also share the same weight with each other at 437 to 444 grams. So, any iPad Air 2 users should feel at ease if they decided to move on to the new tablet.
Make no mistake though – the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is still a premium product despite the reduction in size. That being said, its starting price of USD 599 (about RM 2,420) is still USD 200 (about RM 808) lower than its 12.9-inch counterpart even though the 9.7-inch model contains additional features under its sleeves which generally made the tablet as the most advanced iPad to date.
