Apple debuted two new iPad Pro models today, a 11 inch one and 12.9 inch unit. The design stays the same as the last year models, but they get brand new cameras, CPU and accessories. There’s an Apple A12Z Bionic CPU inside, not the Apple A13X that was rumored. And also we don’t have a 5G version. Let’s see what we get.
First of all, the iPad Pro 2020 models are still made of metal and they still have USB-C ports. The screens are 11 inch and 12.9 inch ones and we get an octa core Apple A12Z Bionic CPU. The novelty is that we get a square shaped triple sensor back camera here, one that features a 10 megapixel ultra wide shooter, a 12 MP standard sensor and a LiDAR sensor at the back for AR and depth detection. Microphones have also been improved. You can use the camera for 4K video capture, measuring distances, AR functionality and creating 3D objects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09_QxCcBEyU
There’s also faster WiFi and 4G LTE, while the screen now goes to a 120 HZ refresh rate and True Tone, plus a wide range of colors thanks to the whole P3 thing. There’s also the promise of 10 hours of battery life. The LiDAR Scanner measures the distance surrounding objects up to 5 meters away.
The new keyboard is called a Magic Keyboard for iPad and includes a brand new trackpad with new gestures, that let you switch between apps, open the app switcher, or activate the Dock or Control Center. It also looks closer to a traditional keyboard, rather than a tablet keyboard. It has an USB-C port, which charges both the accessory and the iPad attached to it.
The keyboard comes in May, priced at $299 for the 11 inch iPad and $349 for the 12.9 inch model. It attaches to the body of the tablet magnetically and has a special hinge, that lets you adjust the view angle by 130 degrees. The keys are backlit and have 1 mm of travel, being inspired by the latest MacBook keyboard (and using a scissor switch mechanism). This accessory will also be compatible with previous gen iPad Pros.
Thew new iPad Pro will be available next week in silver and space gray finishes, starting at $799 for the 256 GB 11 inch model. The 12.9 inch one is $999 for the 256 GB unit. The cellular support adds an extra $150 and there are also versions with 512 GB of storage or even 1 TB.
By the way Apple also announced a new MacBook Air (2020), with a 13 inch Retina Display, up to a Core i7 10th gen CPU and the same new keyboard with scissor switches as the one mentioned above. It has 80% improved graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics and comes with double the storage as the predecessor, starting at 256 GB and going to 2 TB. The base price is $999, or $899 for the education customers. Apple also offers stereo speakers, 3 improved microphones and an unibody recycled aluminum body, in 3 finishes: gold, silver and space gray.
It runs on macOS Catalina and shows 4 million pixels. There’s also a Thunderbolt 3 port for data transfer, charging and up to 6K output.
