Review of the Apple iPad Pro 11 (2020) tablet with key features

Today, many new companies have appeared on the electronics market, whose developments amaze with their capabilities. It's no secret that most of them are located in China, but budget Xiaomi, Huawei, Realme and other brands were able to prove that quality does not have to be expensive.

However, even the giants of the premium segment are not averse to saving on the assembly of their products, and the main example of this is Apple. The manufacturer, which has been a leader in its segment for the first year, knows how to create interesting and thoughtful gadgets, finally presented a new generation of iPad Pro tablets, despite all the problems associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

By the way, the new model is not just another tablet, but in many ways a truly breakthrough device - in addition to the presence of two cameras (for the first time in Apple tablets), software updates (the previous generation was based on developments in 2018), the device received a very extensive functionality that allows you to use it as a laptop replacement.Of course, such statements are no longer new, but the review of the Apple iPad Pro 11 (2020) tablet with the main characteristics will allow you to understand in more detail the main characteristics and capabilities of the new generation iPad Pro and make an informed choice.

Briefly about the main

No matter how big Apple's popularity in the world is, no one will deny that the company succeeded in both loud victories and outright failures. Suffice it to recall the Apple iPad 10.2, which was positioned as a new device (the developers added a couple of interesting features), but in reality, users received hardware similar to previous generations.

As for the iPad Pro 11 (2020), the appearance of the device has remained unchanged and, probably, this is even good, because the prestige of the model is precisely in recognition. Interestingly, when the keyboard is connected to a magnetic surface, the tablet body will be held on weight, and not touch the special panel from below. Changes also affected the block of cameras. Yes, they still protrude a little, but they have two sensors, including an ultra-wide angle. Of the interesting things, it is also worth highlighting a conservative look at the colors - as before, two variations of “silver” and “gray space” are available. Also, the device is charged using USB-C, which is located on the edge of the bottom.

But with performance the same trouble as with the iPad 10.2. There are improvements - updated hardware software, energy efficiency at a new level, allowing you to work longer under heavy loads, a slight increase in the frequency of cores.However, all this is not what users expected, and even the company itself does not praise the iPad hardware too much, preferring to talk about revolutionary cameras. However, it is worth recognizing that the model has practically no worthy competitors, and therefore the company can afford such a solution.

These are the main points of the new iPad Pro, below its advantages, disadvantages and features will be discussed in more detail, and you can quickly get acquainted with the characteristics in the table:

Design

Suffice it to say "iPad Pro", and for many, a neat rectangular case with rounded edges, in two color options and with a mandatory attribute - the missing "Home" button, immediately emerges in their heads. Perhaps this is a great example of how a successful design solution can not change for years and still be delighted. The novelty has retained all its features and is available with a diagonal of 12.9 and 11 inches. The resolution of the screen matrix has also not changed - 2732 × 2048 and 2388 × 1688 pixels, respectively. By the way, the IPS-matrix has an anti-reflective coating, a backlight with a brightness of up to 600 nits and a refresh rate of 120 Hz.

The dimensions of the devices remained unchanged:

• 11-inch version - 247.6 × 178.5 × 5.9 mm, weight - 473 grams;
• The 12.9-inch version is 280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9 mm and weighs 643 grams.

The only thing is that the younger version has become heavier by 5, and the older one by 12 grams, but this is unlikely to be noticeable in everyday life - the tablets are still convenient and compact.

Above and below the iPad Pro 2020 has 4 speakers, in fact, this is one of the differences between the Pro series and the younger Air and Mini. Microphones are also enough - 3 on top and one each on the left side and under the camera module. The model received three physical buttons - this is the power button located on the upper side, and the volume buttons on the right side (by the way, there is also a slot for a nano-SIM card in the lower part, and between them there is a strip of magnetic surface for connecting the keyboard). It is worth saying that the location of the buttons and sensors looks very thoughtful, which is good news.

As for the appearance, the tablet has noticeable, but neat frames, a nice rounded shape. The front camera is located right in the middle, and the main one is shifted to the upper left corner and is located on a small square hill. Traditionally, the Apple symbol is located on the back panel, under it is the inscription “iPad”.

cameras

The American company has always been famous for good camera modules, but never chased the number of megapixels. Actually, this happened this time too - two sensors in 2022 cannot be called a curiosity.

The first sensor is wide-angle, with a matrix resolution of 12 megapixels and f / 1.8 aperture, the second is ultra-wide-angle, with a resolution of 10 megapixels and f / 2.4 aperture (viewing angle 125 degrees). Despite the rather modest performance of the camera, they show good results, and their capabilities include:

• 2x optical and 5x digital zoom;
• Focus by touch and automatic;
• Automatic image stabilization;
• True Tone - a flash that adjusts the white balance to the lighting;
• The ability to shoot panoramas with a maximum resolution of 63 megapixels;
• Live Photos modes, burst shooting are supported, Smart HDR function is implemented;
• There is a LiDAR scanner. An interesting innovation is that such scanners are used for space expeditions to Mars, but users will be able to work with augmented reality at a new level with its help. The main advantages of the technology are the incredible reaction speed (nanoseconds), the ability to work indoors and outdoors and at a distance of up to 5 meters from the object.

The front camera is a bit simpler - it's a 7MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture. However, it is capable of shooting video at 60 fps and supports Retina Flash, Smart HDR, burst shooting, and stabilization (automatic). Also implemented is the exclusive technology of the pro-series Face ID (face recognition).

Input Devices

The main feature of the iPad Pro is, of course, the ability to use it as a laptop without loss in comfort and quality. This cannot be done without additional input devices, and therefore you will have to separately purchase a Magic Keyboard (cost from 27 to 31 thousand rubles, depending on the size of the tablet) and an Apple Pencil (price about 11.5 thousand rubles).

Magic Keyboard keeps the device on the weight, which allows you to flexibly change the angle of inclination. There is a built-in trackpad sensor to work with iPadOS using multi-touch gestures. Interestingly, the keyboard has its own USB-C port, connecting to which you can charge the iPad itself. Magic Keyboard keys are separate, implemented on the principle of "scissor" mechanism. There is a backlight and fast response.

A pencil is convenient to use when working in a digital notebook.The charging function is interestingly implemented - you need to put (magnetize) the Apple Pencil to the magnetic panel on the tablet case.

Performance

As it was written above, the processor remained unchanged - it is still the same 64-bit A12Z Bionic, though updated using the 7-nanometer process technology. Inside, the A12Z Bionic has eight cores, four of which are energy efficient, and the rest are high performance. It uses an 8-core Neural Engine and an integrated M12 motion co-processor. Such a combination with software updates and energy-efficient cores allows you to increase battery life when working under peak loads.

Unfortunately, Apple has not created anything new or interesting compared to the previous model, but this solution still has a good performance / autonomy ratio and has almost no analogues among competitors in the niche.

storage

But here everything is consistently good. The company took care of the needs of its fans in free space, and immediately introduced four variations of tablets with different storage capacities. So, there are variations with internal memory of 128, 256, 512 and 1000 GB, which is good news. Also, it is worth noting that Apple has abandoned the standard storage of 64 GB for the sake of modern trends.

A small revolution has also taken place with RAM. Instead of 4 GB of the previous generation, the 2020 model received 6 GB of RAM, so there should be no performance problems.

Operating system

Of course, everything is expected here - the new product received iPadOS 13.4, which, by the way, made it possible to bring simply powerful hardware to the level of competition with laptops. You should be careful when choosing input devices - for example, the first generation pen will not work with this tablet.

Display

The dimensions and resolution have already been mentioned (2732 × 2048 and 2388 × 1688). It also needs to be clarified that the IPS LCD display received a pixel density of 265 ppi. The useful area of ​​the screen was 82.9% of the entire case.

Battery

Autonomy is still one of the most attractive aspects of the tablet - the developers promise up to 10 hours of full-fledged work using Wi-Fi networks or when watching videos, and up to 9 hours when using LTE.

Actually batteries:

• iPad Pro 11-inch - 28.65 Wh;
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch - 36.71 Wh.

Interestingly, the previous version of the 11-inch device came with a 29.37 Wh battery, while the older version has not changed.

It is worth noting that the kit comes with a USB-C cable (cord length 1 meter) and an 18W charger.

Technologies, communication standards, dimensions

The main wireless technologies and additional information on the tablet in a compact list:

• Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth: 5.0, A2DP, LE, EDR;
• Network: GSM, CDMA, HSPA, EVDO, LTE;
• Internet: GSM, CDMA, HSDPA, CDMA, LTE;
• Navigation: A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS (Wi‑Fi + Cellular models only);
• Sensors: Gyroscope, proximity, barometer, accelerometer, Face ID;
• Dimensions: 6 x 178.5 x 5.9mm (473g) / 280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9mm (643g);
• Optional: 3.1, Type-C 1.0.

It is also worth noting the presence of fast charging 18 W, the absence of a slot for an external memory card and a radio module. The body of the device has an oleophobic coating that prevents the appearance of greasy prints and scratch-resistant glass.

Summing up

iPad Pro 2020 is a good continuation of a promising series of tablets, which can already really push laptops due to a high level of comfort, performance and a lot of additional devices and chips. The updated cameras are definitely pleasing, and albeit not too noticeable, but still an increase in performance, and a good plus for performance due to 6 GB of RAM. The decision to create four versions of tablets with different drives also looks very reasonable - everyone can choose a model to their liking and needs. Of the minuses, of course, the prices for input devices and the presence of only two color options, however, there is nothing to seriously complain about the tablet (the absence of a mini-jack is not worth mentioning, because the company abandoned this interface long ago).

• Recognizable design;
• Various variations of the tablet from screen sizes to the volume of internal drives;
• Pleasant, bright screen;
• Light weight, easy to use;
• Many interesting technologies (QZSS, LiDAR, Face ID);
• The quality of the body and components;
• performance;
• The current version of iPadOS 13.4;
• Support for Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil;
• Battery life;
• Dual camera;
• Powerful yet power efficient processor.

• There is no slot for an external memory card (however, this is expected);
• There are only two color options for the hull;
• The cost of input devices.

Conclusion: The 2020 iPad Pro is a great solution for those who appreciate comfort, but at the same time want to be free from bulky devices. Yes, the tablet does not perform miracles of performance and has minor flaws and at the same time it has a high price, but the device works as it should and does not create problems for the user, however, like the rest of Apple's premium products.