As expected, Apple announced an upgrade to the iPad Pro lineup at this year's WWDC Worldwide Developers Conference.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is an upgrade to the iPad Pro from 2015, while the smaller, 10.5-inch model replaces the departure of last year's 9.7-inch version.
Display
First of all, both devices have a display that Apple calls "the most advanced display on the planet". It supports a wide color gamut, which means you can enjoy HDR content, but also offers 600 nits higher brightness, and much lower reflectivity.
In addition, the new display will also work better with the Apple Pencil, with a latency of only about 20 ms. A new feature called Instant Notes allows users to take notes directly from their lock screen.
Hardware
The new iPads are equipped with the new Fusion A10X Fusion chip, delivering 30% better CPU performance than the previous generation. Graphics performance is also upgraded, 40% better than its predecessor. The new chip has a 6-core configuration, with three low-switching cores and three high-switching cores, which are switched on and off to match the load handling.
Apple also promises the same 10-hour battery life as the previous generation of the iPad Pro. One big change, however, is that the smallest storage capacity is now 64 GB. Other available variants include 256 GB and 512 GB.
Software
The new iPads will initially come with iOS 10 pre-installed, but the iOS 11 update will be available shortly after release. This is very good news, as the new version of iOS brings a number of new features to the iPad line. These features include multi-screen multitasking, which will also support all-new drag and drop between apps.
However, almost immediately attracting the user's attention is a separate application dock. This is a big improvement, providing quick access to frequently used apps and files from any app.
However, all of the iOS 11 features that will make the new iPads even better, including augmented reality experiences for the new ARKit, more Siri features, computer personalization, and more.
Price
We can order the new iPads as of today, and it's expected to ship next week. The smaller, 10.5-inch version starts at $649, while its larger sibling will start at $799. .
Apple also announced a few new accessories for the iPad Pro lineup, including a USB-C cable, a Lightning cable, an SD card reader, and a USB camera adapter. The Smart Keyboard will also be released soon with support for 30 languages, while the new Leather Sleeve grip case will be available for both models in a variety of colors.