The Reviews Are In: Here’s What the Pros Think of the iPad Pro

Apple latest and greatest tablet, the iPad Pro, has finally been released to the public, and is undergoing strenuous reviews by tech-heads all over the world.

But what do all of these review say? We took a look at some reviews by top reviewers around the internet to get a general idea of what people think of the new iPad.

Perhaps most interesting, especially considering recent comments from Tim Cook on the matter, is that most reviewers said that the iPad Pro is great, but it can’t replace a laptop just yet. Having said that, it is coming close.

“But I would still consider this a…device I would take with me next time I travel — something I’ve never felt confident about before when it came to the iPad. This new iPad is powerful, it’s fast, it has a large display, and it never lagged when I was multitasking or switching between apps. It’s not better than my laptop, but makes far fewer sacrifices than I expected,” said Lauren Goode, a reviewer for The Verge.

This certainly makes sense. Even if the iPad Pro was more powerful than any other laptop on the world, the fact is that it still runs a mobile operating system. Perhaps one day Apple will consider allowing users to buy the iPad with OS X, which would open it up to much more use, but in the meantime it is limited in its software.

Of course, the design of the device, as was to be expected from an Apple product, was highly praised, but not because of anything new. Anyone that has seen an iPad before already knows what an iPad looks like, the Pro just looks bigger.

Unfortunately, with size also tends to come weight. However, according to David Pierce from WIRED, “The 1.57-pound weight isn’t so much a problem—you notice it next to an iPad Air, but you can handle the difference. It’s much lighter and thinner than the Surface Pro 4, too. Still, it’s just … big.”

While the iPad Pro is inherently limited because of its operating system, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t perform well, as highlighted by Andrew Cunningham from Ars Technica. According to the review, the A9X in the iPad Pro is able to outperform many outstanding computer processors from a just a few years ago, and most lower-end computer processors today. When it’s put up against other tablets, the iPad Pro is a clear winner, passing benchmarks with flying colors.

Of course, the iPad Pro isn’t just being reviewed for the tablet itself. It’s also being reviewed for the accessories that work with it, including the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil. While reviewers generally found that typing using the Smart Keyboard was fine, the design of the keyboard wasn’t as praised.

“…due to the taut layer of laser-cut fabric covering it, the keys felt comparatively shallow and rough. It’s not backlit. It can only prop the iPad up at one angle (unlike Microsoft’s Surface),” said Goode from The Verge.

When it came to the Apple Pencil, reviewers were very happy. The Pencil, according to the review from WIRED, is central to the functionality of the iPad Pro because of the fact that the device is targeted at artists and graphic designers. Not only that, but the Pencil was very accurate, and a great tool for creation. It felt, according to Pierce, that ink was actually coming from the Pencil. This is very much a hardware thing as much as it is a software thing.

“The Pencil works so well because it gets special access to the Pro’s software. To set it up, just plug it into the Lightning port. After that, whenever your iPad detects the Pencil touching the display, it doubles the screen’s read rate so it checks for movement 240 times a second,” continued Pierce.

In general, the iPad Pro has been very well received for what it is, but not so much for what some would like it to be (ahem, Tim Cook). It’s a great option for graphic designers and artists, but it’s not yet a laptop replacement. It’s probably not the best option for the advanced typist, because the keyboard is great for things like sending emails, but probably not so great for writing a book.