iPad Pro refresh launched with Apple M1 chip, 12.9-inch model gets Liquid Retina XDR display

You ‘expectedly’ get a choice of 11- and 12.9-inch screen sizes.

Apple launched the next-generation iPad Pro at its ‘Spring Loaded’ virtual event on Tuesday night. There are some big hardware changes incoming but perhaps the biggest update is the M1 system on chip. The new chip makes the latest iPad Pro up to 50 percent faster than the previous gen model which was based on the A12Z Bionic.

The M1 chip made its debut with the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini computers last year. This is the first time it is arriving on the iPad form factor promising to deliver “a massive leap in performance.” Most competing tablets already have a hard time matching the iPad’s performance, if anything the M1 should make this gap even wider.

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Aside from gains in performance, Apple also claims improved battery life. That is up to 10 hours on the Wi-Fi models and 9 hours on the Wi-Fi and Cellular models. Speaking of which, the iPad Pro now also supports 5G connectivity. Apple has also added Thunderbolt 3 and USB4 support to this generation of the iPad Pro.

Apple is also introducing the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard in white.

You ‘expectedly’ get a choice of 11- and 12.9-inch screen sizes. The latter is getting improved display credentials too. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a Mini LED-based Liquid Retina XDR display. Owing to their small size, Apple can include 10,000 Mini LEDs (72 LEDs on previous iPad Pro) and 2,500 local dimming zones for a theoretical 1,000 nits of brightness (something that it calls XDR-level brightness) and a 1 million-to-one contrast ratio. The 11-inch model is sticking with a Liquid Retina display.

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Elsewhere, the next gen iPad Pro also comes with improved cameras. On the front, it has a new 12MP ultra-wide-angle TrueDepth camera with a 122-degree field-of-view and a feature called ‘centre stage’ to automatically pan and follow the user around during video calls. The rear 12MP wide and ultra-wide-angle cameras meanwhile get Smart HDR 3 and better low-light capabilities.

Apple iPad Pro India prices and availability

The iPad Pro will be available in as many as five configurations (128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB) and two finishes (silver and space grey).

The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at Rs 71,900 for the Wi-Fi model and Rs 85,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at Rs 99,900 for the Wi-Fi model and Rs 1,13,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

It will be available for order starting April 30 and shipping in the second half of May.

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