Following the release of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro last year, Apple have today unveiled a smaller iPad Pro with a new 9.7-inch Retina display, 12-mega pixel camera, four-speaker audio system, more. What’s more is that the performance of this model promises to again rival that of many PCs – all at a more affordable price range starting at A$899.
“iPad Pro is a new generation of iPad that is indispensable and immersive, enabling people to be more productive and more creative. It’s incredibly fast, extremely portable, and completely natural to use with your fingers, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. And now it comes in two sizes,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
The new 9.7-inch iPad Pro features a new display with new technologies, which make it one of the best displays Apple have created. A newly introduced function called True Tone uses four-channel sensors to adjust the white balance of the display to match the light around you, reading content inside and outside is also easier with the display now 25% brighter and 40% less reflective than the iPad Air 2. The same wider colour gamut in the iMac with 5k Retina Display is now also used in this iPad Pro delivering a 25% greater colour saturation.
The same level of performances from the 12.9-inch iPad Pro can be expected with the new iPad Pro, which includes the A9X Chip that rivals many laptops. It also brings console-class graphics which allows for smooth apps, 4k editing in iMovie and the best games seen on an iPad yet.
The camera in the smaller iPad Pro is much more advanced than the camera seen in the larger sized iPad Pro. The new 12-megapixel iSight camera at the back features focus pixels for fast focusing, noise reduction, better face detection and includes 4K video and Live Photos which the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and the new iPhone SE are capable of.
9.7-inch iPad Pro with Apple Pencil & Smart Keyboard.The Apple Pencil is supported giving you pixel precision drawing, annotating and note-taking. An Apple Designed Smart Keyboard for the smaller iPad Pro has also been announced giving you a portable durable keyboard, which magnetically snaps onto your iPad Pro – perfect for those who are going to do a lot of typing.
9.7-inch iPad Pro Key Features
- New Retina Display with greater brightness, wider colour gamut, lower reflectivity, Night Shift mode and a new True Tone display technology.
- Powerful 64-bit A9X chip
- Four colours: Silver, Space Grey, Gold and Rose Gold
- 12-megapixel iSight camera featuring Live Photos, 4K video
- Touch ID with Apple Pay
- All day battery life
- iOS 9 including Hands-free Siri (“Hey Siri”)
- Less than 500 grams.
Pricing & Where To Buy
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro is available in six different models which vary in storage size and connectivity (Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + Cellular). The most affordable model at A$899 includes Wi-Fi and 32GB storage, from there you can choose from 128GB and for the first time a large 256GB storage option.
- 32GB Storage & Wi-Fi: A$899
- 32GB Storage & Wi-Fi + Cellular: A$1,099
- 128GB Storage & Wi-Fi: A$1,149
- 128GB Storage & Wi-Fi + Cellular: A$1,349
- 256GB Storage & Wi-Fi: A$1,399
- 256GB Storage & Wi-Fi + Cellular: A$1,599
As a comparison the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at A$1,249 for 16GB storage and Wi-Fi connectivity.
You can purchase or learn more about the new iPad Pro online from the Apple website, the new iPad Pro can be ordered from March 24th and availability from Thursday March 31st.
Gallery
9.7-inch iPad Pro Model Colours
9.7-inch iPad Pro with Apple Pencil
9.7-inch iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard