Apple iPad Pro (2020) review - Still the best tablet - Android

There are tablets and there is the iPad. Apple’s iPad is a workhorse, a gaming platform, a social distancing portal, and is a breeze for most anyone to use. The 2020 Apple iPad Pro is the most powerful version of the fruit company’s slate-style machines, and the fresh hardware heralds new productivity powers.

In the Android Authority Apple 2020 iPad Pro review, we assess whether or not it is the tablet for those already steeped wholly in Google’s ecosystem.

Apple iPad Pro review: Who is it for?

Consumers are not lacking in choice when it comes to tablets. Professional-grade and consumer-level Android slates such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 and S6 Lite, and Huawei MatePad Pro and MediaPad arrive each year. Amazon has its own line of budget-friendly, consumption-focused Fire tablets that it reheats every so often. Microsoft offers both professional and consumer versions of its Surface tablet, as well.

Apple has several lines of tablets: the iPad Mini, the iPad, the iPad Air, and the iPad Pro. As you can imagine, the Pro is the most fully-featured, and most expensive, member of the family. With its top-of-the-line processor, generous display, and classy hardware, the Apple iPad Pro targets mobile workers and content creators mores than casual Netflix streaming.

If you’re in the market for a machine that gets work done, the iPad Pro should be on your list.

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What is it like to use the iPad Pro?

The 2020 Apple iPad Pro comes in two sizes: 11 inches and 12.9 inches. We tested the larger of the two, as it offers an experience that’s a bit closer to using a full laptop. Apple ships the slate with just a charging cable. No headphones, no dongles, nothing else is in the box at all.

You can’t complain about the hardware much. The 2020 iPad Pro carries over the design of the late 2018 iPad Pro. That means it has flat side edges, rounded corners, and perfectly flat front and back surfaces. The edges are rather sharp; the front is glass and the rest of the chassis is aluminum. I’m a fan of this design. The iPad Pro is incredibly slim (5.9mm) and light (1.41lbs/641g). It’s easy to sling around in a backpack; you hardly know it’s in there. Like many Apple products, the quality of materials and manufacture is second to none.

Physical functional controls are limited. The power button is located on the right corner of the top edge when you hold the tablet as you would a sheet of paper (portrait orientation). The volume buttons are just around the corner from it on the right edge. All three have excellent travel and feedback. A series of drilled holes on the top and bottom edges denote the quad-speaker setup. A USB-C port is on the bottom. LTE models include a SIM card slot on the side edge. The user-facing camera and FaceTime camera are buried in the top bezel and are essentially invisible. There is no fingerprint reader or home button.

Like many Apple products, the quality of materials and manufacture is second to none.

The most important element on the rear panel is the Smart Connector. These three metal dots, located near the bottom edge, are how the iPad Pro connects to Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Folio cases. The Smart Connector allows the iPad to skip power-sucking Bluetooth for a direct connection. The dual-camera and LiDAR array is also on the rear. Tucked into the upper corner, array strongly resembles the unsightly camera module of the iPhone 11.

I found the 12.9-inch model to be a bit unwieldy to use as a slate. In other words, it’s not the most lap friendly tablet. The 11-inch model is much more conducive to triaging email or Slack on the couch or bus. On the flip side, the larger display of the 12.9-inch model is far more conducive to multitasking, as it gives apps more breathing room.

The iPad Pro is a slippery piece of hardware that comes across as fragile. I would never carry a tablet such as this around without some sort of case, folio, or cover, which would not only improve in-hand stability, but add a measure of protection. Of course, a case will add weight and bulk. (I would make the same suggestion for owners of any tablet.)