We love Apple’s supersized iPad Pro. If we’re going to be honest, though, the whole reason to bring a tablet over a laptop is the more compact size and a tablet pushing 13 inches sort of defeats that. So count us among the fans of the new Apple iPad Pro 9.7-Inch, a smaller but equally powerful version of the outfit’s productivity-focused tablet.
Coming at the exact same dimensions as the iPad Air 2, the new tablet should prove a whole lot more portable than its bigger sibling, allowing you to bring a smaller bag for a day out on the job. It does that while bringing most of the same hardware as the original Pro, so you don’t get shuttered performance despite the more convenient size.
The Apple iPad Pro 9.7-Inch retains the 64-bit A9X processor and 4GB RAM, as well as the Smart Connector at the bottom edge for attaching onto the keyboard accessory. Screen size, of course, is smaller with less resolution (2,054 x 1,536), although it does incorporate the new True Tone technology, which uses four ambient sensors to automatically adjust the display’s brightness and color temperature depending on the environment. It also retains the excellent drawing and handwriting function (when paired with Apple Pencil) as we’ve seen from the bigger Pro. Features include a 12-megapixel iSight camera in the back with dual-tone flash, a 5-megapixel camera out front, four speakers, and 10 hours of battery life.
Available now, pricing for the Apple iPad Pro 9.7-Inch starts at $599.