iPad Pro 10.5" Genuine Review From Power User Perspective

Intro — Why am I reviewing iPad Pro?

I’ve read my fair share of reviews before buying the iPad. However, it felt like these blogs were trading their tech-notoriety for public relations dollars, and neither of these reviews felt real. The cocktail of carefully chosen words that would stimulate your buying desires. While words are engaging and entertaining, the genuineness of the article was going down, which is exactly the reason why I’ve decided to add my 2 cents.

Getting a new device depends on many highly individual factors, so I am trying to give you as genuine experience about this iPad as I possibly can. I can’t know your financial, professional and personal situation in order to give you advice that will apply to you, but I will give you enough of thoughts and personal experiences, where you will be able to form your own opinion.

iPad Pro from the perspective of an iPad Air 2 Owner

I’ve owned just about every iPad that has come out so far. My iPad ownership dates all the way back to iPad 2, and since than the only version I’ve skipped was the previous iPad Pro 9'7". That means that I’ve skipped only one upgrade since 2010. I could say that I was upgrading the iPad yearly. Every year I would hope that this iPad would be THE ONE, in which I would be able to truly immerse myself in “creator mode,” where the only thing I would do, would be creating. Every year I would get a bit more out of the iPad compared to the previous year, but it still wouldn’t be the productivity power house that I wanted it to be.

With the 10.5" iPad, for the first time I am moving towards emphasizing the iPad as the default productivity environment. While iPad Pro is getting pretty damn close to getting this right, it is still inching to get there. Bear in mind that this entire review was written on iOS 10, and we are yet to see how the new OS will impact my user experience in the follow up article.

It is still an amazing iPad. But emotionally, I won’t be able to tell you that. I have a gadget craving, this urge for the novelty, and that coolness factor of having the latest and the greatest device. And It isn’t always the most financially-savy decision to make.

iPad Air 2 was the iPad I’ve owned the longest of all iPad’s I’ve bought. And the new iPad Pro (2) was the first successor that I deemed worthy of upgrading, unlike iPad Pro (first generation), that didn’t even make me envious of people that had it.

So when I initially bought the second generation Pro, I bought the smart keyboard cover, the pencil and Apple Care Plus. Out of these three additional purchases, I’ve kept two, while returning the Smart Keyboard, and replacing it with the Smart Cover. While the Smart Cover Keyboard isn’t the subject of this review, I can summarize its experience for the price in one word: terrible, and you can safely stay away from it.

Smart Cover itself is a pretty good purchase, and Apple Pencil probably deserves a review of its own. But I still had the necessity for the keyboard, hence I bought the Logitech Keys to Go, and I’ve wrote a considerable part of this review on it. iPad Pro managed to establish itself as default blogging device.

There are three main reasons why I bought the new iPad Pro:

1. New form factor, and increased screen size.
2. Double the amount of RAM
3. More storage space

These three reasons alone are making iPad Pro considerably more powerful device compared to iPad Air 2. But objectively looking, double the RAM and 20% increase in screen size aren’t good enough reasons to upgrade the iPad that is still working perfectly fine. Having more storage space would arguably be a justifiable reason to upgrade your device, under the condition that you legitimately use that extra space.

Main reason I’ve managed to justify the upgrade is the fact that this setup will get two years worth of usage, at which it comes out at $600 a year worth of investment. This ain’t that bad, for the device that I want to relly on and use for daily creating.

The Overall Impressions After Using it For a Month and Its Impact on Productivity

I can confess that I am using the iPad more often, and I feel more inclined to carry it everywhere with me. After the novelty factor, that wore off after the first week, I can safely say that the increase in usage is real, and not forced due to excitement for a new device.

The root cause for this is the fact that the iPad Pro essentially started replacing my laptop. In the following weeks; Pencil, Keys to Go, and the willingness to carry it with me, are making this increase in usage real.

An additional reason why I am able to carry the iPad Pro around, is because I’ve got a case that can handle the Logitech keyboard, Smart Cover and the iPad itself, so that I don’t have to think about all these separate things, and I can just grab iPad inside of a sleeve and put it under the shoulder.

When everything is bundled and packed, it is still much easier than grabbing a 4 pound laptop, which is what I was used bringing to work every day. The real world implication is that I truly stopped bringing my laptop , replaced with a company iMac, and kept the iPad as my only BYOD* in the office (besides the iPhone).

The test that the iPad had to pass, was the usage test. From the moment I opened it from the box, I’ve done everything in my power to optimize it for creative tasks, such as writing and working, and not for chatting and not for entertainment. Because of this careful consideration while I was setting up the apps, the mere fact that I am using it more means that I am getting more productivity out of it.

Full Day at Work with iPad as only device

I had one of the biggest crash tests of this machine occur accidentally. I forgot my laptop (while it was still my main device at work), and brought only the iPad. I forced myself into working on the iPad Pro the whole day, and I’ve managed to keep the productivity on the decent level. Realistically the iPad can replace a majority of my daily tasks, but it is forcing a different kind of work habits.

Main apps that I use at the office are mobile ready, which includes Trello and Slack, and a lot of app switching between the two. The additional RAM proved to be game changer for keeping up with multiple conversations in slack, while at the same time you are keeping tabs on the project management side of things.

Ultimately I can confess that it did feel limiting, and iPad is not going to be my default working device, however it did get a very prominent place on my office desk after this accidental experiment. I’ve got a Logitech multiple device keyboard, that has a special stand for it, which gives it a central location, without disturbing my original workflow.

Perception of Speed

Probably the highlight of the iPad Pro usage is the feeling that this is the fastest of all devices that I currently own, and yes, that does include my MacBook Pro 15” from mid 2014. This is due to the fact that it has a 6 core processor (3 cores are for lower powered mode), and that it has 4 gigabytes of RAM as a mobile iOS device. Pro Motion display is adding a layer to this smoothness, that you probably can’t imagine, until you actually start using it for a while. If you were to ask me the main difference, it would without the doubt be the Pencil, and slightly larger screen. Outside of these game changers, everything else, the good and the bad, remains pretty much the same. While iPad is showing the potential to be the number one device, one that you will always use, and one that will maximize the effects of using the iPad Pro.

New Features — what is truly different?

iPad Pro is rocking some new features that are impressive, but I will only mention features that I didn’t have on the old iPad Air 2. These improvements are only incremental, but that is to be expected for a mature product. However, every time I move onto the new device, it is astonishing how quickly I get attached to the improvements, and how they change their status from “nice to haves” to “must haves”.

The features that I will focus in this section of the review are:

• True tone display
• Pro Motion Display
• 20% Larger Screen
• Faster Apple Pencil Response
• 4 Speakers

True Tone Display — Blending your screen and the surrounding light

This didn’t technically arrive with the iPad Pro 2, but it is a new feature for me. It’s a default so I’ve started using it out of the box, and I didn’t notice the difference at first. I don’t think you should either, it’s one of those incremental improvements that you feel only as you use the device. True tone is supposed to calibrate your white background to match the lightning of your background, making it easier for you to read.

I wasn’t really paying attention to it, but after switching back to my iPhone I could notice a slight difference, the iPhone felt like it was blurring a little bit. The iPad screen feels comfortagble to look at, or as if it is relieving the stress from your eyes. As someone that tends to spend long hours in front of the screen, I find this extremely comforting.

When I turned off the feature, the iPad started blurring and became too harsh on my eyes. It is only at that moment that you will truly experience True Tone. The fact that I left the feature turned on speaks for itself. I would assume that some people may not like it, or that it could disrupt their graphic or design work that they do on the iPad, where color accuracy matters, in that case, you will be able to turn off the feature, and not worry about it. But for majority of users, I don’t think anyone will be able to tell the difference.

True Tone is something that you would never ask for by yourself, and you wouldn’t know its importance for yourself until you actually try it out. I would like to have it on my iPhone also. I tend to read on the iPhone a lot, and this would make a difference. Altough incremental, an important upgrade never the less.

Pro Motion Display — Moving the bounderies of Peak Display

Retina display made pixels invisible, and I was under the impression that there isn’t much room for screen quality improvement. I never even thought of the impact of the refresh rate on the screen user-experience, now that I’ve tried it, I can honestly say, that this is groundbreaking. Unlike True Tone display, Pro Motion Display can’t be turned off, and once you feel it, you will never want to turn it off.

Pro Motion is profoundly changing your perception on the mobile device screen, making you crave it on your large screen. Hey Bojan, but what the hell is Pro Motion Display? To put it simply, it is a high refresh rate for your screen. Modern screens have a 60 hz refresh rate, the iPad Pro has 120 hz refresh rate.

The visual speed improvements and screen smoothness aren’t a consequence of a faster CPU, more RAM, and overall faster hardware, but also due to the massive improvements that are done on the screen itself. This fluidity wouldn’t be possible if the screen couldn’t keep up with it. Frankly the difference is astonishing, and it gets better the more you use the device.

The only thing that I want to do on my old iPad Air 2 (before I sell it) is to watch videos, where this difference is not as noticable. Everything else feels absolutely sluggish, messed up with friction, that you didn’t noticed before. This effect coupled with the previously mentioned True Tone display, additionally is easing the pressure on the eyes, and certainly creates an environment where you can add hours to your computer usage, without putting fatigue on your eyes.

Apple got all the technical details that are making this a revolution in the display technology. This attitude is definitively going to make you a display snob; but, oh well. We only live once, and if you spend anywhere close to the amount of time looking at the screen, as I do, you know the value of it.

Larger Screen Size

Improvement in screen size came at the cost of the bezel size. I am slightly underwhelmed, as I was expecting that Apple would completely minimize the bezel, but that didn’t happen. Apple removed the bezel on the left and right side when you hold your iPad in the portrait mode, The top and bottom bezel remained pretty much the same. Increase in screen size is astonishing 20%.

I can’t pinpoint the increase in size, but I can tell you that from the moment I’ve taking this iPad into my hands, it felt larger, and slightly unadjusted, as my mind was still expecting the smaller size iPad. I’ve noticed that it was harder to type when I was laying in bed, while leaned back on a pillow. The iPad in general is not that typing friendly in that position, and the plus sized iPhone is generally obliterating it through ease of use (typing) when it comes to comfort on the couch on the bed factor.

A lot of other reviewers reported that when in horizontal mode, iPad Pro is now packing a full-sized keyboard, and it seems to be the highlight of the typing experience. If I have my iPad in horizontal mode, chances are that I will have my reliable “Keys to Go” with it. I was never a big fan of touch typing myself, and I was always rocking some Logitech keyboard to go with my mobile device, even if it was only a phone.

Screen size is something that you will easily get used to. I would argue that the biggest benefit from the increased display real estate is splitting the screen when you are researching and writing at the same time. When you use your iPad for reading, you will notice that you will do less scrolling.

Increased screen sized isn’t a ground breaking change for day to day usage, but it is changing the way I think about the device, especially in conjuncture with the Apple Pencil. On my old iPad Air 2, I was using a Penultimte pencil. I wouldn’t be able to return to the smaller screen size, and use a smaller pencil. The bigger screen size brings the hands down biggest benefit to the people that will use it for drawing.

Bigger screen will push you into doing things that haven’t been as comfortable doing on 9.7" screen. Initially, you will probably underestimate this improvement, but if you want to cram more and more of your work onto the iPad, potentially making it your “default device”, you will need every millimeter of screen real estate that you can get.

I would have to applaud Apple for this foam factor difference, as it literally didn’t add any weight to the new iPad, while retaining the external format of the older iPad, or as close as possible to the old one. This increase comes at no cost to the mobility. I would expect that the iPad Pro would gain a size boost at the expense of top and bottom bezels somewhere down the road, in a similar fashion.

Personally I never wanted to go the route of getting the larger 12.9" iPad Pro, because at that point I am operating in the laptop environment, and I may as well bring a laptop with me. iPad Pro 10.5" is a nice compromise, it’s a tendencey towards a default environment, at no expense towards mobility.

Improved Sound System

In order to develop a fully personalized device, you need to pay close attention to the music and audio. iPad Air 2 had only two speakers, and the output of those wasn’t amazing. My personal testing proved that these speakers in the new 10.5" iPad Pro are quite decent. These speakers are probably are on pair with most of the laptops in 2017, if not better. I could probably compare this experience to MacBook Pro from 2011, which is the first time I’ve felt that a mobile device is producing optimal sound quality. Stereo sound is definitely giving it one of the highest sound quality experiences that iOS can handle.

If I was throwing a “get together” in the hotel room, I think that these 4 speakers would be enough for a small party. Definitively watching movies and TV shows on Netflix would sound much better than compared to its predecessor.

Unfortunately I don’t get to use these speakers enough. As when I am outside I am rocking my Air Pods, and when I am home, I am listening to Music on my Sonos. I do occasionally get to enjoy it in the office, which sadly enough, isn’t enough.

Additional Hardware

Additional hardware is what makes iPad Pro, a Pro device. I would focus on the most important things that I’ve bought and tested:

• Apple Pencil
• Smart Keyboard Cover
• Smart Cover
• Logitech Keys to go

Apple Pencil

I got the Apple Pencil for the sake of this review, and because I really wanted the Apple Pencil. With my old iPad Air 2, I had the Penultimate pencil, which was battery powered, and it had substantial lag, to the point where I didn’t fully believe that a Pencil was the way to go.

But the Apple Pencil completely eliminated the lag, and in some instances, it completely transformed my casual iPad experience, when I am just going through things on my iPad. I got hooked on the pencil, and I’ve been using it instead of my hands quite often. There will be instances where you will forget it, and your fingers will do just fine, however I found that I quite like the Apple Pencil for normal iPad usage, not just drawing or writing.

The almost 100 % complete removal of lag with the Apple Pencil is the reason why this change is taking place. It just feels natural. I remember that during my school days, I would use a pencil to read, track, and use as a pointer in my day to day studying (ok, I am a liar, I never studied every day). This became a pleasant return to the high school habit that I had completely forgotten.

The Apple Pencil is more percise than the fingers for certain actions, and highlighting iBooks or your articles in Instapaper is making a difference in user-experience on the iPad Pro.

Believe it or not, the biggest impact that the Apple Pencil left on my day to day usage is reading. If you’ve ever caught Toni Buzan’s book “Speed Reading”, one of the easiest tricks in the book, designed to increase your reading skill is to use a pencil in order to focus the eye movement on the words that you are reading.

I started building this skill when I was younger, while I was reading paperback books. Using a regular pencil to do the same on iPad would feel akward, and dysfunctional, as you would have to flick between the pencil and the fingers for page flicking. With the Apple Pencil you are accomplishing both with a single tool.

As I am going through my thoughts, I realize how much of my life I’ve spent with a pencil in my hand, and how crucial it was as a part of my learning and note taking process. Being able to reintroduce myself to an old behavior that brings benefits such as improving the reading speed, and memorization is probably the most important improvement the iPad Pro.

The Penultimate pencil didn’t have the responsiveness, speed, nor the precision of the Apple Pencil, thus leaving it a broken user-experience. The Apple Pencil is flowing with this iPad, and it is eveident that the Cupertino giant invested a lot of resources into making this feel as natural as possible.

Smart Keyboard Cover

Apple isn’t that great with mobile keyboards, as they don’t include embedded keyboard shortcuts. The problems with a physical keyboard are numerous, such as making the iPad bulky and uneven, the Smart Keyboard was quite a disappointment. I knew this when I got the keyboard (the same day as when I got the iPad Pro), but I believed that I would “get used to it.” I never did.

After more than 3 years of using the Logitech Ultra Thin mechanical keyboard, with fancy shortcuts designed specifically for iPad, I felt like I got a keyboard that doesn’t function at all. My ingrained habit of deeply integrating keyboard shortcuts into my workflow is making a big impact on the choice of what peripherals I am buying. The Smart Keyboard Cover is one of those devices that doesn’t make the cut, as it simply isn’t’ good enough, especially compared to other products on the market.

Smart Cover

I just got the basic gray keyboard cover, but than I saw the great variety of covers on Amazon that are far cheaper than the original one, which got pretty great reviews, coupled with zero complaints with a $10–15 price range, instead of the original price of $50 plus tax in the Apple Store. These aren’t the official Apple products/covers, and don’t come with a one-year warranty, which gives me some piece of mind, that I got the right thing.

As for as the cover itself, it is an essential part of my iPad Pro experience, as it was with the previous iPads I’ve had. However, this time around it is even more essential, as I don’t have a “keyboard cover” like I used to have with my iPad Air 2.

If you previously owned a Smart Cover, I don’t think you need any additional explanations. But if you haven’t make sure to read this short paragraph. I think that over time, these magnets stopped having problems that they were previously plagued with (losing ability to attach, losing the robustness over time).

The main practicality of the smart cover is that it is very light, protects the screen, and finally allows your iPad to stand in more than one position. Both angles useful.

Logitech Keys To Go

This is one of the smallest and thinest keyboards I’ve ever owned, and is essentially replacing my Logitech Ultra Thin keyboard that I’ve used with iPad Air 2. Unfortunately it is not the case, and it is completely separate from the iPad, but due to its minimal weight, it is a completely amazing weapon for typing on the go.

Pros of a Pro

Smoother Experience

Smoother experience is something that is fairly difficult to accomplish year over year, yet it is the reason why Apple is the leading consumer technology company in the world. As your old iPad is becoming slower due to increasing hardware demands that new apps set, the new iPad is working to reverse the planned obsolescence.

Hexacore processor, Pro Motion Display, double the amount of the RAM, improved graphics, all of these combined, are leading to an experience worthy of the upgrade for those that don’t want to copromise on their efficiency.

This smoothness is increasing the technology indulgence factor. If you aren’t an Apple user, simple explanation is, that every touch screen move is giving you some form of a pleasure. You are pleased about the synchronization between your finger and the device. Apple products always excelled at this, and now they are taking it to a higher level.

Maturing Software

iPad started out as a mobile first platform, and it is slowly being groomed into a laptop replacement, Unlike it’s Microsoft counterpart the Surface, that started with desktop software, and adjusted to a touch screen.

I can’t really say that I am truly describing this maturity, as the whole review was written on iOS10, but from the online videos, seems like it will take another year or two for Apple to catch up. And the starting point of the system really matters when it comes to this rising market.

In all fairness, majority of iOS developers are primarily focused on the iPhone, but due to the same environment, iPad developers are far more accessible, than anything that is being built on Android or Microsoft platforms. This competition is causing an incredibly more complex app ecosystem.

As Apple is gearing towards App Subscription models, I am almost 100% certain that we will move to the golden era of mobile producivity apps, that will be fueled with monthly payments, and the possible target market will be small and medium sized businesses.

We have generations of people that grew up on iPhones, and are used to this software, and for them, and some of them never see or use Windows on a traditional computer. You are far more likely nowdays to find Apple software that doesn’t have its counterpart on Windows than other way around.

Massive Expansion of Multi tasking

4 gigs of RAM isn’t just a number, it is a very tangible improvement of the device, that is putting the iPad on par with the laptops that I owned just a couple of years ago. The biggest difference between the iPad and a laptop was multitasking, and now this is within the iPad Pro’s reach.

We are yet to see the tangible benefits of this expansion with iOS 11. But, even with the current iOSn10, I am seeing a speed improvement and the capability that renders my old iPad Air 2 obsolete for the new way of using the iPad Pro.

Cons

Still Can’t Replace Your Computer

As much as I want to make my iPad “the number 1 device”, there are still very important business operations it can’t do. Spreadsheets still feel far more comfortable on a traditional computer with a mouse. Touching the columns is just not the way you naturally feel about spreadsheets. That is just the tip of the iceberg. A lot of professional tools are designed with desktops in mind. Hence, for a lot of professionals. the iPad, or any other tablet for that matter, will be an immediate no-go for all programmers, designers and analytics oriented professionals.

But my new saying is: “iPad is the new laptop”. Due to its lighter weight, I find myself carrying iPad all the time. The leather case that encloses it, is also accommodating an Apple Pencil, and a few of the prestigious business cards, so I made it an integral part of my visual apparel.

iPad on the go will be great for efficiently replying to email, for writing articles, managing your social media, editing and cropping photos. Perhaps the only way that you will truly replace a laptop with an iPad, is if you are a writer. My laptop became a de facto desktop computer, reserved for heavier tasks.

Bezel didn’t live up to the expectations

I was honestly expecting a bazel-less device, where I wouldn’t have any corners of the screen to touch, or at least keeping it very minimal. This is something that was probably one of the biggest expectations on my end, and I believe I foolishly expected to get it, because of the rumors that were anticipated this for upcoming iPhone 8. I guess my personal expectation didn’t come to fruition. Ultimately the thinner bazel (only on the sides in portrait mode), is slick, but the device still resembles the old foam factor, which is a big let down for me.

Mechanical Home Button is a fail

Since iPhone 7, Apple has implemented the static iPhone button with tactile feedback. The new iPad Pro doesn’t have it, and I think for a device that needs to endure more wear and tear, and that isn’t getting replaced on a yearly cycle, it is a big fail to keep the mechanical button. The static home button has better longevity, and once you get used to it, it is far more comfortable than the mechanical one.

I know that for a lot of people this isn’t a big deal, but this kind of attention to the detail is what we passionate Apple buyers are mostly concerned about. You are shelling out big bucks, and you want the best technology that money can buy.

Should you upgrade?

If you truly and honestly asked me, if updating your iPad is necessery, I would need to hold on and ask you a few questions on your usage, before giving you something to act on. It truly depends on what you want to get out of it, and what iPad you currently own?

You will have to keep in mind, that I am a power user, and numerous things that apply to my usage, are a byproduct of the upfront time investment into the device. While I did try to write this article with casual consumers in mind, there is still a large over reaching sentiment that comes from my unique point of view.

Older than iPad Air 2

Anyone that has and iPad lower than the iPad Air 2, should upgrade without a doubt. Those devices are old, and mainstream apps, most of which you surely have installed on your current device, are becoming extremely slow. Getting a new device to replace a dated one is a no brainer.

For iPad Air 2 owners

If you’ve got an iPad Air 2, you need to ask yourself what do you use your iPad for? In my transition period, I’ve kept both devices, and I came back a few times to the old one, for the sheer purpose of watching movies on it, or reading a book. I didn’t see any performance issues with it. If you are only reading books and watching Netflix, the current device could carry you another year with no problems. If you are using it to work, push some productivity as well, and you are multitasking, doing heavy browsing with multiple tabs open, upgrading wouldn’t be a waste of money.

For iPad Pro 1 owners

Your current device is getting old, but still matches up nicely compared to the new gadget. If you want to be budget savy, and not waste your money, then you surely should skip the new iPad Pro. Only upgrade if you really want to switch up your screen size, from whichever iPad you’re coming from.

Hope that these thoughts were helpful, and that they gave you an honest view on the state of iPad.

Final Thoughts after two months of using the device

At the end of the day, after one month of usage, after the novelty factor wore off, I can say that the iPad moved a large needle in my day to day activity. Since I owned it, I implemented some major changes in my workflow, and I’ve started carrying the iPad Pro, instead of my laptop. It won’t replace the laptop, not even in a short point in the future, but it is getting dangerously close.

It probably upped my device usage from 10% up to 20% of the total time, between all the consumer electronics that I own. Partially due to the larger screen, more importantly due to the nicer viewing experience. But the verdict remains, it is better than any previous iPad I’ve owned.

Oddly enough it did fail to become my default device. However, the iPad Pro made an impact on my computer usage, and I can tell you that it did kick my Mac as my default device, on behalf of my iPhone. The writing that I used to do on my Mac is now pushed to the iPad, and thanks to it, my iPhone became a more dominant device.

Ultimately, I do find myself enjoying the device more than I anticipated. Think it moved from “nice to have” to “good to have”.