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iPad Pro: Everything you need to know about Apple's brand new, premium tablet

Everything internal and external has been updated and rejigged

Andrew Griffin
Tuesday 30 October 2018 18:53 GMT
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Introducing the new iPad Pro

Apple has unveiled a completely redesigned iPad Pro, with a new look and entirely new insides.

The most obvious changes to the tablet are the disappearance of the home button and a vast reduction in the bezels that sweep around the front, so that the screen can take up almost all of the front of the tablet.

In place of the home button's Touch ID sensor, previously used to unlock it, has come the Face ID facial recognition technology that first arrived with the iPhone X. The new iPads borrow heavily from that phone, in both its design and the features contained within.

As well as changes to the iPad itself, Apple also redesigned the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard which were first introduced with the new Pro model. The Pencil gets the biggest redesign, with a new shape, a button that can be used to change settings by pressing the side of the stylus, and magnets that allow it to clip onto the top of the tablet and charge as it does so.

The new iPad Pro comes in two sizes. The smaller 11-inch takes up the same size as the existing 10.50-inch, using the extra space from the smaller bezels to pack in a bigger display; the bigger 12.9-inch is the same screen size but has been reduced overall.

Inside, it includes Apple's latest A12X bionic chip, which is an upgraded version of the processor in the iPhone XS and XR. It said that and other upgrades allow the new Pro to rival the Xbox One S for gaming performance, which it displayed by showing the latest version of the NBA 2K series.

As well as those changes, Apple also swapped out the Lightning port that has traditionally been on the bottom of the iPad. In its place comes a USB-C port, which means that the tablet can be plugged into accessories like cameras or musical equipment – as well as charging the iPhone.

The new iPads are available to order now, ahead of their full release on 7 November. The smaller one costs $769 or the same number of pounds, and the bigger one is $969.

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