At its unconventional May keynote, Apple presented the new iPad Pro and Air, which update and, above all, unify its portfolio in terms of size. The Pro series surprises with an innovative display and a completely new processor. The Pro models have grown to two sizes.
iPad Pro: M4 chip and two OLED panels in one
At first glance, they look similar, but a lot has changed, especially the size. Newly, the tablets come in 11 and 13″ sizes. The larger one thus offers the largest display we’ve ever seen on an iPad. The tablets are made of aluminum, but have a significantly thinner body, namely 5.1 and 5.3 mm in the case of the 11″ model. Apple even claims that it is its thinnest product ever. The tablets are also significantly lighter, even more than 100 grams for the larger model, so they will be more portable.
In terms of design, the iPad Pro has changed mainly in its thickness. It is only 5.1 and 5.3 mm thin for the smaller variant.
But the main change is the already mentioned displays. Here, for the first time, Apple used a display called Tandem OLED, which combines light from two OLED panels connected in a so-called tandem. In addition, both tablet sizes received this type of panel. Here you can look forward to a high resolution of 2420 × 1668 pixels or 2752 × 2064 in the case of a larger model. Apple is marketing it as Ultra Retina XDR.
A tandem OLED display always combines two OLED panels and uses their common light to achieve the highest possible brightness.
However, its high brightness is much more fundamental. This is a maximum of 1600 nits in the case of HDR, but now also 1000 nits for classic content. This is only achieved thanks to the connection of two OLED panels. Of course, the ProMotion function ensures a 120Hz refresh rate for a smooth image. What’s new here is that Apple will allow the iPad Pro to be purchased with an optional nano-textured glass for reduced glare and better readability.
Optionally, iPad Pro can be purchased with nano-textured glass to eliminate glare.
As we are used to with iPad Pro, we can look forward to extreme performance. Here, Apple did not disappoint and for the first time showed the completely new Apple M4 chip in new tablets. It now has 9 CPU cores, a 10-core GPU and, of course, 16 Neural Engine cores for calculations related to machine learning and AI. The chip has passive graphite cooling, but the pearl is that Apple helped to dissipate the heat with the bitten apple logo on the back, which is newly made of copper.
During the presentation, the company intentionally compared the chip with the previous M2 chip, compared to which it has a CPU that is half as powerful and renders 3D graphics 4x faster, which will definitely come in handy at work. At the same time, for the same performance, the new chip gets by with only half the energy input, which represents how efficient it is.
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Thanks to the M4 chip, the iPad Pro is a full-fledged work tool with high performance. New with RayTracing support. You can also connect it to an external monitor thanks to Thunderbolt 4.
For the first time, support for RayTracing and the Dynamic Cashing function for dynamic memory allocation are also coming to the iPad. The iPad Pro is thus a full-fledged work tool that can process up to 5 video streams in 4K ProRes format at once. The iPad Pro also offers up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of storage.
To support the Tandem OLED display, Apple used the brand new Apple M4 chip, which again pushes the performance even further.
In addition, the memory can boast excellent throughput of up to 120 GB/s. Apple is known for not giving out battery capacities, but in terms of battery life, it should be identical to its predecessor, i.e. up to 10 hours of video viewing or 9 hours of web browsing, for both sizes. A quartet of washing machines will be particularly useful here.
Brand new stylus and keyboard
A sympathetic change is also moving Face ID and the front camera to the longer side, which is much more natural when used in landscape mode. The camera offers 12 Mpx resolution and the Center Stage function for centering the image. The rear camera also has a resolution of 12 Mpx, which is additionally supplemented with Lidar. But surprisingly, Apple has completely removed the secondary ultra-wide camera. On the back of the tablet we also find the Smart Connector for connecting the keyboard. On the side, Apple again left a magnetic attachment for the Apple Pencil, where it is also charged.
Apple Pencil Pro offers more functions, new gestures. Sold separately for CZK 3,790. You can connect it to the new iPad Pro, as well as Air with an M2 chip.
But the pencil itself is brand new. It’s called the Apple Pencil Pro, and it’s got new features like a press function to call up a palette of brushes and other options. The pencil offers a new haptic response and is equipped with a gyroscope for more accurate orientation of the pencil when rotating. When you bring the stylus closer to the display, the iPad will now also show you where you are pointing. Of course, there is also a double-click function for quick tool changes. Also new is the added Find My support to make it easier to find in case of loss.
A redesigned Magic Keyboard has been created for the new iPad Pros, which is now thinner, with an improved trackpad and an added number of function keys to make it feel as close to MacBook keyboards as possible.
Apple iPad Pros are both available in Wi-Fi or 5G versions. The basic 11″ inch version starts at a price of CZK 29,990 in the 256GB version with Wi-Fi, but depending on connectivity, memory size and the glass used, the price can climb up to CZK 68,990. In the case of the 13″ variant, we start at CZK 39,990, price the maximum is then CZK 78,990. The tablets can already be pre-ordered, but they will only be available from May 15, when regular sales also start.
Introducing the new iPad Pros:
iPads Air: new in two sizes
The Apple iPad Air also received changes. The main change is that for the first time it is also available in two sizes – 11 and 13″. Apple thus finally unified the sizes with the Pro series. Otherwise, everything remained the same in terms of design, including the aluminum body.
For the first time, the Apple iPad Air received two sizes – the same as the Pro model, i.e. 11″ and 13″.
The display here is still Liquid Retina with a high resolution and a brightness of 500 or up to 600 nits for the larger model. This model also supports the DCI-P3 color range. However, you have to settle for the standard 60Hz refresh rate. The interesting thing is that the Air also supports the new Apple Pencil Pro, but it is also compatible with older pencils.
But the main change of the tablet occurred in performance, where the iPad Air inherited the Apple M2 chip after last year’s “Pros”, so it is still ready for demanding tasks and advanced work. It is complemented by 8 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of storage. There is also a choice of a version with Wi-Fi or 5G connectivity. There is also USB-C for wired connectivity.
In the case of the iPad Air, the front 12 Mpx camera has also been moved to the longer side, which is more practical, for example, when making calls. It also has the Center Stage function for centering the image.
Here too, Apple has finally moved the front 12MP camera to the longer side for more convenient use in landscape mode, but Face ID still hasn’t happened, and it keeps that only for the Pro series. The Air model is thus unlocked with the Touch ID fingerprint reader located in the power button on the side. You will also find a pair of stereo speakers on the sides.
The new Apple iPad Air is a great alternative for those who want high performance but don’t need the best. Also new in two sizes. The basic 11″ version with 128GB of storage and Wi-Fi starts at a reasonable price of CZK 17,990, with the fact that the maximum configuration with 5G and 1TB of storage can be increased to CZK 37,490. The larger 13″ version starts with the same configurations at a price of 23 990 CZK and the maximum is 43,490 CZK.
Tags: Apple iPad Pro combined OLED displays supplemented performance completely processor MobilMania .cz
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