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Introduction
The latest iPads are the best tablets Apple has ever made, of course. But now they are also highly advertised as fully-fledged computers and the maker wants you to think they can do everything. Do they really? We grabbed the latest iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) to find out just that.
It's been three years since our last iPad review. And so much has changed since then. The design is brand new, the screens grew bigger, the bezels got smaller. The quad speakers also got better, the performance is through the roof these days, and there is even a new generation of Apple pencil. And Lightning begone! Now the iPads boast USB-C ports, how about that?!
The 120Hz refresh rate, an upgrade to the already available 120Hz touch input, is probably one of the most anticipated additions, especially if you are a gamer. But believe it or not, the camera also got a massive boost. The rear one supports Smart HDR, while the front one can do Face ID and portraits. On a tablet!
With the addition of the Face ID and because of the shrunken screen bezels, the Touch ID sensor had to go. There is a silver lining though - there is no notch! Hooray!
But what we really wanted to see since the dawn of the iPads was for Apple to bridge the gap between macOS and iOS. And that's what we are hoping to witness with this praised new generation of iPads - the tablet to evolve into a computer.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) specs
- Body: Aluminum unibody, scratch-resistant screen glass, oleophobic and antireflective coating
- Screen: 12.9" IPS CLD of 2048 x 2732 px resolution, 264ppi. 120Hz refresh rate and touch sensing, wide color gamut, True Tone support
- OS: Apple iOS 12
- Chipset: Apple A12 Bionic chip (7nm) - Hexa-core 2.49GHz (2x Vortex + 4x Tempest) Apple CPU, four-core Apple GPU, 4-core Apple NPU 2-gen
- Memory: 4GB of RAM; 64/256/512GB of internal storage
- Memory v2: 6GB of RAM; 1TB of internal storage
- Camera: 12MP camera with wide-angle F/1.8 lens, quad-LED flash with slow sync, phase detection auto focus, wide color gamut capture
- Video recording: 2160p@60/30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps video recording, 720p@240fps
- Selfie: 7MP F/2.2 front-facing camera with BSI sensor and HDR mode, 1080p@30/60fps video, digital video stabilization, depth detection for Portrait mode and animoji
- Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G LTE (1 Gbps); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 5.0; Lightning port; GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS; NFC (Apple, NFC tag reading)
- Battery: 9,720 mAh battery, USB-C-PD charging
- Misc: Face ID through dedicated TrueDepth camera, 4 speakers
The switch from Lightning to USB-C is more than welcome and we hope the standard jumps on the next iPhone generation, too. But it will be a massive inconvenience for the early adopters as the new port renders ALL previous iPad accessories obsolete, even the EarPods, as there is no official Lightning-to-USB-C adapter.
But in case you have the old EarPods with the 3.5mm connector - we have even more bad news - the audio port has been abandoned with this new generation of iPads. What a bummer!
What's worse, the old Apple Pencil isn't compatible with this iPad as well. You have to buy the new $130 one. And then maybe spend another $200 for the Smart Keyboard Folio. All that on top of the $1000 you've already spent on the iPad itself. That's assuming you got the 64GB Wi-Fi model because prices there can go as high as $1900 if you opt for the 1TB Cellular option. Apple and its pricing...
Unboxing the Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018)
The third-generation iPad Pro 12.9 comes packed within a typical white retail box. It contains the tablet, an 18W charger with USB-C port, and a 1-meter-long USB-C to C cable. There is a small paper compartment with some basic tutorials and two Apple stickers.
Returning iPad user will miss a Lightning to USB-C port adapter in the box, as none of the accessories they already have would work with this one. And you can't even buy one, as Apple hasn't come up with such a product yet. Just wonderful! But hey, this may be your first Apple device so let's not get stuck on accessory incompatibility. Victims of progress in a way...
Now that wwe're done rummaging through the box, join us on the next page where we take a closer look at the iPad itself.
Design and handling
Apple has completely redesigned the new iPads and it's for the best. Now they look both modern and dapper, but the most notable improvement isn't in style but the massive boost to the handling experience.
The new iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) spreads at 280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9 mm - that's 25mm shorter, 6mm narrower, and 1mm thinner than its predecessor, which has the same 12.9" display. The new slate weighs 631g, which is a whopping 82g lighter than the first iPad Pro 12.9, and 46g - than the second-gen tablet.
The iPad Pro might have shrunken in size, but its 12.9" display is still the same. This means Apple has cut the screen bezels big time. The good news is there is still enough black frame to use the tablet hassle-free, without your palm interfering with the screen.
The good ol' Home key is now gone though and thus is the Touch ID, too. The new thin bezels don't allow for such a big key and that's where the new Face ID comes to help. Apple has integrated the entire mini-Kinect piece with the 7MP FaceTime camera from the iPhone X and XS into the new iPad Pro.
There is no notch of course, and while we didn't expect the iPads to have one, you never really know. The IR flood illuminator, the IR camera, and the FaceTime camera are all above the screen if holding the iPad in portrait mode. The camera can do native portrait pictures, with Lightning effects and adjustable bokeh in real time.
When using the iPad in landscape orientation, the camera often falls under your thumb and it takes some time to streamline the whole Face Unlock and rotate routine. We aren't saying Apple did bad with the placement, in fact - the Face Unlock works no matter the iPads orientation, it's just that the thinned bezels come at a price, and this is it.
The 12.9" display panel hasn't changed much since the first iPad Pro, or at least that's what it looks like. It's an IPS LCD with a promised maximum brightness of 600 nits, supports wide-color gamut, and has a resolution of 2048 x 2732 pixels. It has 120Hz touch input sensing, just like before.
But there is actually one huge difference that becomes evident the moment you swipe somewhere on the screen. The iPad Pro is the first tablet to offer 120Hz refresh rate and the buttery smooth animations are an instant telltale. While just few games support 120Hz, the entire iOS runs at 120fps and it's enough to make you want this on all your devices.
The fluidity of the UI when scrolling or when there are animations involved are hard to show on camera, so you'd just have to take our word for it. It really makes a difference.
Apple, just like before, isn't specifying the type of glass that shields the screen. It's just mentioned as scratch-resistant that has an antireflective coating in addition to the oleophobic (fingerprint-resistant) one.
Apple has changed the frame design - the sides are now completely flat, which is a massive booster for the grip. Handling an iPad has never been a more pleasant experience and it has never felt more secure when playing games or just browsing.
The rear side of the iPad Pro 12.9 is also flat, excluding the newly introduced camera hump. The good news is the slate isn't wobbling when left lying on a flat surface despite that bump on the back.
The iPad gets to keep the same 12MP camera sensor from the previous generation sitting behind the bright f/1.8 lens. Oddly - it has lost the optical image stabilization. Some might think that Apple has fitted more camera tech now that the camera lens is bulging, but no. The only new thing is the Smart HDR support, which has nothing to do with the camera but with the ISP and the software processing algorithms.
The quad-LED dual-tone flash is here as well.
Another interesting thing is the antenna strip around the top edge. We have the Wi-Fi model, so we guess that should be its antenna. But if you opt for the Cellular one, then another one will be present around the bottom, too.
Apple claims it has improved the iPad Pro speakers and we can confirm they are pretty loud. But more on that in a minute. The speaker grilles are at their usual spots - two at the top and two at the bottom - and placed in a clever way so that you don't obstruct them when using the iPad in landscape orientation.
The USB-C port - a first on an iOS device - is at the bottom of the iPad. It supports USB Power Delivery for charging, and it's also the only port you get for wired headphones. Yes, Apple has retired the analog port on the new generation iPads! Apple gave no apparent reason for ditching the 3.5mm jack support on the iPads, but let's be honest - Apple has never really needed one. You either deal with it, or you don't - this has been the company's way for years.
The good news is - all USB-C accessories for your new MacBook should be working with the iPad Pro, too. We tested a few adapters such as SD card readers and USB hub with a keyboard and mouse attached - they all worked hassle-free. There are some adapters that offer 3.5mm audio port, so this may be an option for you in case you can't live without one.
The right side of the iPad Pro has a magnet connector for the new Apple Pencil. The new pen recognizes tap gestures and you can configure those to perform certain actions. And it not only attaches to that magnetic connector on the side, but it can also recharge from there. The bad news is that it costs $139 and the worse - the previous Apple Pencil is incompatible with the new iPads. Anyone surprised? We didn't think so.
There is also a new and very convenient Smart Keyboard Folio, which will make the iPad look and feel more or less like a real computer. But you must shell some additional $200 for it.
The new Smart Keyboard Folio for the iPad Pros
Long story short - handling the new iPad Pro is the best experience we've had in an iPad so far, no two words about it. The 120Hz upgrade is a feast for the eyes and there is no coming back from it. The speakers are also the best speakers we've heard not only on a tablet but on a laptop as well.
If only Apple wasn't such of a stickler for the retirement of the audio port, but we guess that's the deal you sign up for with this one.
Display
The Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) comes with an IPS LCD screen with 4:3 aspect ratio and resolution of 2,048 x 2,732 pixels (265ppi). It's also a ProMotion display, meaning it can render content at 120 fps and sense your fingers and the new Apple Pencil at 120Hz.
The entire iOS 12 with every Apple-made app runs at joyful 120fps and once you get used to it - everything else would feel like a step backward - including using your expensive iPhone XS Max.
Currently, there are few games and third-party apps to support 120Hz meaning most of the content you will get from the App Store would render at 60fps. But once those start popping up, the iPad Pro has the potential to become an incredible gaming console.
The screen does not support HDR, in case you were wondering. The previous generation of iPads didn't have one either, but with all streaming services are now populated with HDR videos and we feel it's time Apple to add HDR on the iPads sooner rather than later.
Now, back to our testing. Apple promises 600 nits of maximum brightness for the iPad Pro 12.9 screen and it did deliver. In fact, we measured 610 nits at the far-right end of the brightness slider. Couple those with the deep blacks and we got an excellent contrast ratio of 1650:1.
The minimum brightness level of 2.4 nits is quite nice to have too, meaning you can comfortably use it in complete darkness.
The display on the iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) has an excellent color accuracy - we measured an average DeltaE of 1.5 and a maximum deviation of 3.5. Few phones are as good or better than this, let alone tablets, and most of them are in Samsung's stable.
The proprietary True Tone adjustments are available - an automatic white balance correction enabled by a six-channel ambient light sensor. The True Tone algorithm will correct the white balance according to the ambient light making the whites and grays rendition more accurate. That's completely separate from the blue-light filter called Night Shift.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.37 | 610 | 1649 | |
| 0.27 | 395 | 1458 | |
| 0.53 | 508 | 964 | |
| 0.44 | 458 | 1048 | |
| 0.47 | 537 | 1136 | |
| 0 | 653 | ∞ | |
| 0.002 | 508 | 254000 | |
| 0.003 | 657 | 219000 | |
| 0.251 | 300 | 1195 | |
| 0.401 | 380 | 948 | |
| 0.403 | 426 | 1057 | |
| 0.339 | 496 | 1462 | |
Battery life
The third-generation iPad Pro 12.9 has a 9,720mAh battery, split into 2 cells, as teardowns revealed. The slate ships with an 18W charger and it refills 20% of a depleted battery in 30 mins. Three hours of charging will get you to 95% and another 30 mins of trickle charging will replenish the whole battery.
Apple promises 10 hours of the web browsing or video playback. In our web browsing test, the tablet crossed the 11-hour mark with a few minutes to spare and did even better when playing our video in full screen.
Speakers
Just like the previous iPad Pro, the third-generation tablet comes with four large speakers. All of them have spacious enclosures on the inside, aiming to achieve a depth of sound unrivaled by the usual tinny speakers. Machined into the frame, the resonance chambers are said to deliver exceptional experience.
Depending on how you're holding the iPad Pro, iOS will automatically adjust the sound output, so the higher frequencies come out of the top pair of speakers.
And the iPad Pro delivers on all promises. The quartet is loud, but the sound quality is outstanding. This is probably the richest and the deepest sound output we've heard to date from a smartphone, tablet, or a laptop. The whole iPad resonates gently when playing at maximum volume, which makes the experience even more immersive. You really have to hear it for yourselves and if the occasion arises, just do even if to satisfy your curiosity.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 65.6 | 63.1 | 70.6 | Below Average | |
| 65.9 | 65.6 | 75.0 | Average | |
| 67.6 | 65.6 | 75.7 | Good | |
| 67.9 | 65.9 | 76.6 | Good | |
| 73.7 | 66.6 | 71.8 | Good | |
| 75.3 | 70.9 | 78.0 | Very Good | |
| 70.3 | 73.4 | 83.8 | Very Good | |
| 74.0 | 75.8 | 78.3 | Excellent | |
| 70.5 | 74.0 | 84.7 | Excellent |
Apple iOS 12 on an iPad
The latest iPad Pro runs on the iOS 12.1 out of the box. The update was unveiled in June and released for all compatible devices this September.
There are very few visible changes across the iOS interface - most of the tweaks have happened under the hood. This year Apple decided to focus purely on performance, and it has accomplished something impressive. Performance has been improved across all older devices, which is quite an achievement. Animation times and app launches are shorter, system apps work faster, and all iPhone and iPad users should be able to tell the bump in speed.
Apple iOS 12 introduces grouped notifications, Screen Time feature, better DND mode, expanded battery stats, improved Photos, new Measure app, and makes some changes on a few system apps. But other than a few new tricks here and there, the iOS 12 is the iOS you all know. So, let's take a quick look at it.
The third-generation iPad Pro officially marks the end of the iconic Home key and the Touch ID on the tablets. The iPhone X introduced the Face ID, and the XS series built from there. Now, the iPads get the latest Face ID found on the iPhone XS. The facial unlock works the same way on the iPad Pro, no matter the tablet's orientation - that is if your palm or thumb is not obstructing the front camera.
Apple's iOS 12 also supports a new Alternate Appearance option for the Face ID unlock. The majority of users will probably use this option to add a second face of, say, your significant other, but it's meant to do exactly what the name suggests - recognize an alternative appearance of you. The machine learning will improve the recognition over time on both faces, as usual.
Setup Face ID
Now that the Home Key is gone, there are new gestures for system-wide navigation.
Home gesture - you can now access the Home screen by using the same gesture as the iPhone X too. It's a bit confusing at first as on iPad you use the same gesture to pull up the Dock for multi-tasking. Flick to far or too quickly, and you get to the home screen accidentally.
Basically, you can do three things now - quick swipe for Home, a quick swipe and stop midway for multi-tasking, or slow swipe for the Dock.
The Dock within an app • The app switcher
The lockscreen is pretty simple - it has no shortcuts at all.
The lockscreen • Unlock • Covered camera prompt
Naturally, apps go on the homescreen, there are no widgets and no separate app drawer, but folders are available. The leftmost Today page is here to stay - it is the place where various widgets go, and it also includes a system-wide Spotlight search field.
Homescreen • Today • Today settings
Accessing the Control Center on the iPad was always rather inelegant within iOS 11. With iOS 12 Apple has adopted the gestures from the iPhone X. Control Center is now accessed by swiping down from the top right, with a useful Control Center indicator being shown on the lock screen as an aide-memoire. While making access to the Control Center more intuitive, if you thought it was hard to access on an iPhone X, on an iPad it's always a two-handed operation.
Control Center
You'll also notice that the information displayed in the status area has been rationalized with some indicators locations changing. On the left, the text 'iPad' - as if we need reminding, and the Wi-Fi strength signal has been replaced by the time and date, with the Wi-Fi and Cellular indicators being now residing to the right of the display.
Here is a quick reminder of how weirdly some of the Control Center toggles work. A tap on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth disengages all connections, but it doesn't turn off these features. According to Apple this way you will keep AirDrop active but you won't be connected to anything until the next morning (or until you manually initiate the connection).
The first new thing you're most likely to notice in iOS 12 is the redesigned notifications, with Apple seemingly changing the notification center with every release. Well, now you can relax, notifications within iOS 12 have been overhauled and infused with added flexibility. Notifications are now grouped into easy to manage 'stacks' in your notification center and lock screen, while you can instantly tune each app while managing notifications. You can expand the whole stack, of course.
Notification Center
Apple didn't stop there though, we've also been graced with Bedtime Mode to block interruptions during our sleep. When enabled, during our scheduled Do Not Disturb hours the screen is dimmed and notifications will only appear in the Notification Centre - this respects your phone calls from favorite settings and if you have any contacts set up as Emergency Bypass.
In the morning, everything returns to normal with your phone displaying a 'good morning' message and the weather forecast - a nice touch.
Naturally, landscape view is available throughout the iOS and all apps feature the iPad-only two-column view.
Landscape view
Screen Time is Apple's response to calls from investors to address the issues of extended use of devices by children and smartphone addiction as a whole.
We first came across Screen Time via the Widget that is installed by default within iOS 12 which provides a summary of your usage, in our case broken down by Entertainment, Health & Fitness and other, other categories include Productivity, Social Networking, Reading & Reference, and education.
Screen Time widget • Screen Time settings • Settings Time Limits
This is a consolidated view of all your devices that you have registered to the same iCloud account. Tapping the widget navigates you to the detailed breakdown of usage by app and website, number of times you picked up your phone, and the number of Notifications - these are also found within Settings>Screen Time.
Knowledge is only part of the solution, though. You're also able to set Downtime, App Limits, Always Allowed apps, and Content & Privacy Restrictions for both your devices and more importantly your families devices. You can also completely disable Screen Time.
Reaching the Time Limit
You'll be notified when you're near, or you've reached your time limit, but on your own device you can blast through this limit.
The battery stats have been enhanced in iOS 12 to provide a Battery Levels chart compared to the Activity chart over either a 24 hour or 10-day period. Additionally, the total time your screen has been on and off is also displayed.
Battery stats
Siri - Apple's digital assistant - is used by 400+ million people monthly. You summon it by holding the 'side' key (the Power key). It's continuously evolving thanks to all machine-learning improvements. While it's certainly not on par with the competition, it's getting there. Apple has created a more humanly sounding female voice, and there's a male voice, too. For example, Siri can pronounce the same word differently, matching the natural pronunciation of a sentence.
Siri Shortcuts are available with iOS 12. Over the course of testing though we did start to see Siri make more nuanced recommendations, for example, understanding who we text and when and offering to send a text.
Siri
With their upcoming debut on macOS, Apple took the opportunity to treat Apple Books, Stocks, News, and Voice Memos with a fresh coat of paint.
Clock • News • Stocks • App Store
Apple has also introduced a new app for iOS 12 - Measure. It does what it says on the tin using AR to automatically measure flat rectangular surfaces and draw lines across surfaces to measure distances.
Measure app
Rectangular objects are automatically recognized as are corners making it relatively straightforward to measure stuff. For now, at least, it can't yet identify circular items to measure diameters and circumferences.
As far as accuracy goes, it's just OK. In our ruler test, it was often 1-2cm off! Just don't use it for that precise granite worktop order for your kitchen and take it for what it is! While smart, you'll probably only be using this for measuring smaller items or short distances.
Unlike on the iPhone though, the
Apple's Photos app handles all of your images. It's been constantly upgraded and with iOS 12 searching for those cherished memories has become more potent as places/business can be searched, while multiple search parameters allow you to drill down to the find your photos even faster.
Photos • Albums • Places • Search
Meanwhile Apple's Videos app is as basic as ever.
Finally, Music is the default player and it relies heavily on Apple Music. But even if you decide not to opt for the streaming service, it can still do an excellent job if you have a few minutes to add your songs via iTunes. The number of clicks is the same as if you were to copy them via Windows Explorer, but the prejudice against the app quadruples those.
Videos • Apple Music • Browsing content • Now Playing • Lyrics
We hoped Apple would use the year it had to fix the mess the iOS 11 was and that's exactly what's happened with iOS 12. Once known for the meticulous attention to detail Apple had failed exactly in this chapter last year, but quite a few nonsenses and glitches have been fixed, while improvements made on others.
The iOS 12 may look like one of the smallest upgrades in iOS history ever, but the performance improvements going all the way back to the five-years-old iPhone 5s are undeniable and impressive. That's a bold move which only Apple is in position to make, and it did freshen up the entire iPhone and iPad lineup.
Connectivity
We've pretty much retired the connectivity section from our reviews, unless there is something important to say. And with the new iPad Pro being the first Apple mobile device with USB Type-C port we've decided to test a couple of things and see what happens.
The MacBooks have switched to USB-C for quite sometime at the expense of all other ports. This called for various adapters to pop up on the market - for SD cards, ethernet ports, USB Type-B ports, audio ports, among others. Now that the iPads have the same ports we wondered if those things would work here, too. After all, if you have a new MacBook it's only natural to have a few USB-C adapters in your bag, right?
The short answer is - yes, they do work. Apple has provided the full functionality of the USB-C port and all the necessary drivers. You can hook up keyboards, mice, an external monitor, a DSLR, or even charge your phone with a USB-C to Lighting cable. See, just like a MacBook.
But there are limitations, of course.
We had such MacBook adapter lying around, so we did a few tests.
First, all keyboard and mice, wired or wireless worked hassle-free when hooked to those additional USB ports on our adapter.
Then we tried the HDMI port. The iPad's screen was mirrored on the TV, as expected with black bars around the side because of the 4:3 aspect. If you open the YouTube app and use the full-screen toggle - things won't improve. But open the default Videos app and it gets much better - once you switch to full-screen the TV will go full-screen as well, while the iPad will show only video controls and nothing else. Solid!
Finally, and most importantly, connecting external storage. You can attach SD cards, USB sticks, external drives, and even cameras. Once you do this - the Photos app will open and will give you the option to view and import all compatible media - meaning pictures and videos.
You can charge other phones and cameras or use reverse charging to fill the iPad's battery.
And that's it.
Exporting media from the iPad to the external storage is tough but possible. If you hook the iPad with USB-C - USB-C cable to say a Pixel or Mate 20, you will be able to access (view and copy) the iPads or said device photos and videos.
But what about documents or PDFs? Nope, it works only with images and videos. For everything else you'll have to use a computer or the cloud. And this is where all Apple promises that that iPad is as good as a PC fall apart.
We do appreciate the connectivity options, but Apple really needs to work on the iOS <-> external storage communication. For now, we only have this super limited import/export option for pictures, which is no good for any power user.
Performance and benchmarks
The third generation iPad Pro tablets are powered by an upgraded version of Apple's first 7nm chipset - the A12 Bionic. It's called A12X Bionic and has an upgraded processor and graphics to suit the needs of the iPads.
The A12X has a faster processor - while the iPhone XS had six-core processors, the new iPads add to additional performance cores raising the total count up to eight. So, the A12X Bionic power pair consists of four 2.5GHz units called Vortex, while the efficient quartet is made of 1.6GHz Tempest cores.
The A12X also brings a massive boost in graphics - the custom Apple GPU found in the latest iPhones have been granted 3 additional GPU cores, which means a total of 7 GPU cores or 75% increase in performance.
The 8-core neural engine found on the A12 Bionic is here to stay - it can do up to 5 trillion operations per second, up from the 600 million in A11 Bionic.
The 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB iPad Pro models pack 4GB LPDDR4X RAM, while the 1TB tablet gets to enjoy 6GB of RAM.
The ISP (Image Signal Processor) from the A12 is intact on the A12X. It captures much more data from the new sensors, there is also Smart HDR, and zero-shutter lag, among other benefits.
Now, you've probably figured that the A12X chip within the new iPad Pro will top all charts, but let's see it anyway.
The new processor blows every other Apple and non-Apple mobile processor out of the water.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018)
18066 - Apple iPhone XS Max
11432 - Apple iPhone X
10215 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus
10037 - Huawei Mate 20
9793 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
9026 - OnePlus 6T
8977
The 4-core Apple GPU inside the A12 is any game's best friend, but the updated one coming with the new iPads offers 75% more oomph over the iPhone XS one. And as you can see, it delivers insane raw performance compared to the most current chips - S845, Kirin 980, and Exynos 9810.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018)
181 - Apple iPhone XS Max
99 - Apple iPhone X
65 - OnePlus 6T
60 - Huawei Mate 20
53 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
45
GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018)
102 - Apple iPhone XS Max
60 - Apple iPhone X
37 - OnePlus 6T
35 - Huawei Mate 20
28 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
28
And here is how the new GPU does in native resolution.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018)
66 - Apple iPhone XS Max
60 - OnePlus 6T
53 - Apple iPhone X
49 - Huawei Mate 20
47 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
25
Our compound benchmarks have a new champion, far ahead of any other chipset we've seen so far. And mean far!
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018)
552771 - Apple iPhone XS Max
353210 - OnePlus 6T
293994 - Huawei Mate 20
273913 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
248823 - Apple iPhone X
233100
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
- Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018)
7298 - Apple iPhone XS Max
4915 - Apple iPhone X
4708 - OnePlus 6T
4452 - Huawei Mate 20
4093 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus
3601 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
3064 - Apple iPad Pro
2813
It's a tradition for every new Apple chip to offer jaw-dropping performance. Apple has the time, money, and dedication to design its own chips and this has been one of the best decisions the company has made over the last decade. Having full control over your hardware and knowing how to use it pays off tremendously for the iPhones.
The Apple A12X Bionic chip is not only the fastest hardware today, but it gives a very good idea of how the next generation of iPhones will perform. And things aren't looking good for all of them Android chips. Not that Qualcomm, Huawei or Samsung aren't doing great, but they are playing the catchup game once again.
Long story short - the 7nm Apple A12X Bionic chip is the fastest smartphone chipset on the planet today and a benchmark for the whole chip industry.
The iPad Pro is made of metal, which is among best materials for heat dissipation. And perhaps because of that, we didn't experience any throttling no matter what we threw on the iPad. While we ran various modern games, the iPad Pro did become slightly warm, but that's it.
Crippled 12MP rear camera
The new iPad Pro 12.9 has the same 12MP rear camera found on the back of the second-gen iPad Pro from last year. Which means a Sony IMX315 sensor with 1.22 µm pixels. But there are a couple of changes, and the news is mostly bad.
Apple made the new iPad thinner, and while the camera is now humping at the back, the maker needed to shrink its design, too. The first thing the camera had lost since the last year's iPad is the optical stabilization. The second - the six-element lens now became 5-element.
Apple promises the new ISP within the A12X chip will make up for those losses with a 4-frame buffer for zero shutter lag, and there is the new Smart HDR feature. In addition to those 4 frames, the camera also captures interframes, plus a long exposure, all of which are merged into a single photo with improved dynamic range.
In addition to the Smart HDR, the iPad's camera also gets a stereo audio recording for all type of clips.
The 7MP selfie camera now can snap portraits thanks to the Face ID camera being used as a depth sensor, and you can adjust the bokeh strength real-time.
Oddly, portraits aren't available with the rear camera, despite the new IPS being capable of doing them with just one cam - like on the iPhone XR.
Finally, the quad-LED dual-tone flash with slow-sync is here to stay.
The camera interface remains unchanged from smaller iPads. You can switch between modes by a simple swipe, and when shooting stills, you can adjust exposure compensation with a tap and slide. There's a front/rear camera toggle, as well a shortcut to the gallery. The Portrait mode works only on selfies, but you get to adjust the bokeh strength on the viewfinder.
Camera app
Image Quality
Before we begin, we have to mention that winter is coming around here, so the weather gets in the way of the camera to show its best. And we will try to account for that in our image quality analysis.
So, the 12MP images we took with the iPad turned out quite nice regardless of how ridiculous we looked taking pictures with a 12+ inch tablet. The photos are on par with the iPhone 8 snaps, with lots of detail and impressively wide dynamic range. The colors stayed true to real life, the contrast is great.
The noise levels are a bit higher than we'd expected - either affected by the bad weather or the algorithm is programmed to leave the noise untouched to protect some of the more intricate detail. The noise doesn't get in the way, but it's still there.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) 12MP photos
The sensor now lacks OIS, but it has Smart HDR, which is supposed to offer improvements in low-light. Quite expectedly, the low-light images aren't as good as on the new iPhones. There is lots of detail, but the noise levels are quite high, too.
Those are some very nice 12MP images, and when there is some light, the noise pretty much disappears. So, while not on par with the best in the smartphone class, we doubt you'll find a tablet that shoots better than this iPad.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) 12MP low-light photos
4K video recording at 60fps, wide stereo audio for videos
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) captures all kind of videos. All except the 4K@60fps clips also feature cinematic video stabilization. The iPad can also do 720p at 240fps or 1080p at 120fps slow-mo videos.
The 4K 60fps videos are available only on the new high-efficiency format (H.265 HEVC). The regular 4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 30, and 1080p at 60fps are available for both H.264 and HEVC. The 4K at 24fps film mode is here to stay, too.
One final thing, the iPad Pro captures wide stereo recording for the videos. This means spatial sound, just like some recent HTCs and some old Nokia phones did, and you should enjoy richer and deeper sound if compared to just regular stereo.
The 4K and 1080p videos captured both at 60, and 30 fps are virtually identical in quality, sans the difference in resolution. There is enough resolved detail though not the best we've seen for 4K videos, and the foliage presentation is just average. The colors are accurate, and so is the white balance. There are no focus issues or compression artifacts. And the dynamic range is nothing short of impressive.
And please, excuse the awful weather around!
You can directly download the wide-angle 4K@60fps (134MB, 11s), 4K@30fps (59MB, 10s), 1080p@30fps (20MB, 10s), 1080p@60fps (34MB, 12s).
Selfie camera
The front-facing camera has the same 7MP unit behind a f/2.2 lens we saw on the iPhone XS phones. It can use the so-called Retina flash, where your screen lights your face up in particular color to provide more pleasing skin tones depending on the color of the available light.
There is plenty of resolved detail. The contrast and colors are excellent, while the exposure is always based on the human subject with Smart HDR taking care of correcting the background exposure. Those are some solid selfies indeed.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) 7MP selfies
Smart HDR is also available for the selfies, so if you have it enabled in Settings, you will notice it doing its mojo.
Regular • HDR
You can do portraits with the selfie camera only. While the ISP should be capable of making portraits with the rear camera, it wasn't meant to be on this iPad. Anyway, the quality of the selfie portraits is quite alright, subject separation is excellent, and you can adjust the blur before shooting them.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) 7MP portrait selfies
Portrait Lightning effects are available, too, if those are your thing.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) 7MP portrait selfies
The Verdict
The new iPad is indeed the best tablet Apple has ever made. It's the prettiest, the fastest, it has the best display and excels at selfie photography. It's also the first to mark the beginning of the USB-C era for Apple and while it renders everything that ends on a Lightning port obsolete, it was the right move.
Of course, in a typical Apple fashion, the old keyboards and Apple Pencil are incompatible with the new tablet - you have to buy those again. Oh, and the prices have skyrocketed, just like the iPhone's.
Apple really wants you to think the iPad Pro could replace a full-fledged laptop. Well, it can't. Sure, it has the processing power, the right screen size, and the accessories, but it lacks the versatility of the operating system. Working with varied file types is a huge hassle, exchanging those between apps is tough, and the external storage support is extremely limited.
But while Apple didn't make a tablet that could replace a laptop, it might have created the best gaming console yet.
The third generation Apple iPad Pro 12.9 is blazing fast, but that's more of a tradition instead of a surprise. The 120Hz display is the thing that makes gaming so lucrative on the iPad. And even if you are not fan of the platform, an hour with this iPad and a few compelling games and you might find yourself all in. Some of us sure did.
But it's not just screen. The four speakers are the best mobile speakers, laptops included, we've experienced to this very day. They are very loud, but the sound quality is just brilliant. You have to hear it to believe it!
And then comes the battery life - the screen-on-times of the iPad Pro are north of the 11 hour mark, which should be more than enough for any long-haul flight.
Once again, the iPad failed to bridge the gap between iOS and macOS, although Apple is slowly, very slowly, working towards this. And the USB-C is a move in this direction.
But as a gaming console or a multimedia device, the iPad Pro is without any competition. Sure, Apple isn't alone in the tablet market. Samsung is trying to keep the Android tablets alive, while Lenovo and Huawei are pitching in as well, but Apple is what really keeps the whole tablet market afloat.
And if you are after a tablet, the iPad is the first stop. But if you own an iPad, you will probably want a better one after a few years. So, if you are upgrading, the third-gen iPad Pro 11 or 12.9 are a great choice. They are expensive, but that's a deal you've probably made a long time ago.
But as it happens with Apple, if you own a first- or second-generation iPad Pro - you don't need to upgrade as yours is as relevant as it were at launch. Those have the same screens, they are still quite fast, and can do most of the stuff the iPad Pro (2018) can.
And if the Pro models aren't what you are after, Apple has one very rich iPad portfolio, so we are pretty sure you will find the right one for you.
Power users, please look elsewhere - Samsung and Microsoft got you covered if you are after a cutting-edge Android or Windows device. But those who won't use the iPad for work should definitely consider one. Because no matter how Apple tries to advertise the iPads as versatile tablets, they are excellent mostly for fun - games, videos, music, social networks, and some occasional blogging or vlogging.
Pros
- Great display, 120Hz is a real treat
- The most powerful mobile chipset in the world
- Beautiful design, superb handling experience
- Dependable battery
- Outstanding quartet of speakers
- Excellent selfie experience
- Good all-round rear camera
- USB Type-C port
Cons
- No 3.5mm audio port
- Renders all old accessories obsolete
- Apple iOS 12 still isn't suited for power users or heavy workflow
- The rear camera has lost OIS
- No portrait mode for the rear camera
- Expensive, with even more expensive accessories
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