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When the new Apple 9.7-inch iPad Pro arrived I quickly found myself in a quandary. I placed it next to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro I bought back in November and I liked them both. Once I’d loaded my apps and other content on to the new iPad, my quandary intensified. Which iPad would prove to be better?
On one hand, the big iPad had all of that screen real estate and the ability to display photos with remarkable resolution. The screen was large enough to display documents side by side, and the keyboard was good enough to use as a laptop replacement.
On the other hand, the newer, smaller, iPad was far more portable with some features the larger model doesn’t have, including better cameras and the ability to use the screen as a flash for taking selfies.
Apple also included the Smart Keyboard, Apple Pencil and some attachments that addressed concerns that I’d had when I wrote about the larger iPad last year. Those attachments are an SD card reader, and a powered USB 3.0 port.
With the latest iPad Pro version, a number of apps—including Adobe Photoshop Mix and Fix as well as Photoshop Sketch—now are available to make good use of both the iPad Pro’s processing power and the Apple Pencil, which previously had not been particularly useful because of the lack of software. There also are several other imaging and sketching apps that support the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil.
The Smart Keyboard is simply a smaller version of the one available for the larger iPad. Typing on it is easy, once you get used to the smaller scale. Like the larger version reviewed last year, the keyboard attaches to the long side of the tablet, where there are three contacts to provide power and a data path.
In some respects, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is similar to the iPad Air 2. It’s the same size and weight, the same thickness and features the same display resolution. However, like its larger sibling, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro can handle RAW images—something earlier iPads can’t do. That, coupled with the 264 pixel per inch density, can result in images that are breathtaking in their clarity. In addition, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro has much better color saturation than the screen on the iPad Air 2 and, according to Apple, it uses the same wide P3 Color Gamut used by the new 27-inch iMac.
The cameras are significantly better than those included in the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and all earlier iPads. The new iPad has a 12-megapixel camera on the back with a flash and an advanced autofocus system using Focus Pixels, similar to the system on the iPhone 6 and 6S. The new iPad Pro will also shoot 4K HD video with continuous autofocus for video. On the front there’s a 5-megapixel camera.
Apple’s 9.7-Inch iPad Pro Delivers Versatility in a Smaller Tablet
I tested the 9.7-inch iPad Pro with WiFi and cellular radios. This iPad includes Apple’s embedded e-SIM, which will allow you to sign up with a variety of wireless carriers in the United States and in other countries.
There’s also a slot for a nano-SIM. When I got the new iPad, I set it up on T-Mobile because that’s the carrier that covers my home and office. However, you can choose one of the other major carriers. The setup software allows you to sign up for a data plan while you’re configuring the iPad, so I chose T-Mobile’s free data plan.
The cellular radio in the 9.7-inch iPad Pro supports GSM/Edge and CDMA EV-DO. It also supports UMTS/HSPA in three varieties and LTE Advanced with 23 bands. Previous iPads supported 20 or fewer bands of LTE. In tests with the larger iPad Pro, I found that the additional bands allow use of LTE in a number of countries outside the United States.
Working with the new iPad Pro, I discovered the smaller screen of the 9.7-inch iPad is far easier to use in the field than is its larger sibling. I used the smaller iPad on a series of assignments, including covering a talk by a Federal Communication commissioner, and using the onscreen keyboard with my thumbs was easy. By contrast, you’d need really long thumbs with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which made note-taking difficult and slow. The larger keyboard, however, made actual typing easier.
Other types of field use argue for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. It’s far more portable, but it’s still large enough to be useful. If you’re working on a photography project, for example, the SD card attachment means you can view your photos on a large screen quickly. Likewise, the USB 3.0 attachment allows you to connect the iPad directly to many cameras. You also can use a card reader to look at images on the CF cards used by many professional cameras.
Even if you’re not working with photography, those fabulous screens have their own advantages. I ordered some astronomy courses from The Great Courses, and the images that appear on the iPad Pro are remarkable. The combination of the screen on the 12.9-inch iPad and photos from the Hubble are far better than anything I’ve seen on any other tablet.
And therein lies the quandary. Which model is better, the more portable 9.7-inch iPad Pro or its larger companion the 12.9-inch version? In the office, the larger screen wins because portability isn’t as important. But in the field, there’s nothing like the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Maybe the only realistic solution is to have one of each.
Fortunately, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is about $200 cheaper than the larger version. It’s also about that much more expensive than the iPad Air 2. Yes, it’s a tough decision, but I believe the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is probably the best iPad ever, so the decision isn’t as tough as it might be. And there’s room in my briefcase for two iPads.