2018 iPad Pro Hands-On Impressions: 'Might Be the Truest Embodiment of a Tablet Yet'

Members of the media have now had a chance to get their hands on Apple's latest 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro following today's event in New York. The new iPad Pro includes an updated Liquid Retina LCD display, slimmer bezels, Face ID, a thinner body, and A12X Bionic chip.

ipad pro via the verge

Image via Dan Seifert/The Verge

So far, it appears that initial impressions of the new tablet are largely positive, with The Verge describing the iPad Pro as "just a giant, beautiful screen" thanks to the reduced bezel size. The edges of the iPad are now flat instead of rounded, which reminded The Verge of the iPhone 4 through 5S design, and the overall feel of the tablet was "much denser and pro" than previous generations of the iPad Pro.

The transition to Face ID allowed Apple to make the iPad’s side bezels slimmer than ever before, and the result might be the truest embodiment of a “tablet” yet. This thing is just a giant, beautiful screen. The 11-inch display is housed in a device similar to the size of the previous 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and the 12.9-inch model is physically smaller than its predecessor. The rounded edges of the last few iPads have switched over to flat edges reminiscent of the very original (or the iPhone 4 through 5S).

The overall feel of the thing is way more squared off than I was expecting — it feels much denser and pro than before. The LTE version has large antenna lines on the back, you’ll definitely notice them.

Engadget says the iPad Pro is starting to feel more like a proper computer, thanks to the angular "no-nonsense design" and the A12X Bionic chip. The site says the iPad Pro is shockingly comfortable to hold, far more comfortable for long sessions of drawing with Apple Pencil than the previous 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

2018 ipad pro engadget

Image via Chris Velazco/Engadget

At the risk of sound a little repetitive though, this design still feels like a huge step forward. That's thanks in large part to the edge-to-edge display Apple adopted this year — it's a Liquid Retina panel like the ones we recently saw in the iPhone XR, but it retains the same high resolution as last year's big Pros. That was a very long-winded way of saying that the iPad Pro's screen looks amazing, but that's hardly anything new here — I never really had an issue with earlier Pros, and Apple's ProMotion screen tech still allows for a super-slick, 120Hz refresh rate.

Despite liking the overall design and performance of the iPad Pro, Engadget did question Apple's removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack:

Much as I like this new design, there is one thing that rubs me the wrong way, and it has a lot to do with the mixed messages Apple is sending. In its presentation, Apple made it clear that music professional like DJs have been fans of the iPad for a while, and that the new power afforded to them by the A12X Bionic chipset would help them spice up their performances. That's cool and all, but I wonder how those DJs feel about the iPad Pro lacking a headphone jack. Seems kind of important, no?

SlashGear agrees that the new iPad Pros feel easier and more comfortable to hold, and the tablet's palm detection means that you won't accidentally interact with the touchscreen as you handle the device. For the site, the biggest downside of the new iPad Pro was Apple's pricing:

ipad pro in hand slashgear

Image via SlashGear

Therein lies the new iPad Pro’s downside: the price. The range kicks off at $799 for the 11-inch and $999 for the 12.9-inch. Those numbers spiral up dramatically as you add more storage and cellular connectivity. Want the new Apple Pencil 2? That’ll cost you another $129. The fancy new Smart Keyboard Folio – which hooks to to relocated connectors now on the rear of the tablet, not the edge – is $179 for the 11-inch model, or $199 for the 12.9-inch.

All in all, you’re looking at MacBook Air pricing at least, or easily MacBook Pro levels if you go crazy with the options. Apple’s argument is that, for creative professionals, the arrival of apps like true Photoshop in 2019 will make this not only a replacement for your notebook but the better choice.

We're going hands-on with the new iPad Pro at Apple's event in New York, so be sure to keep an eye out for more coverage about the new tablets, MacBook Air, and Mac mini on our front page and by following @MacRumors on Twitter.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
iPhone 17 Pro USB C Port

iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C Charging Speeds Tested With Apple Chargers

Monday September 22, 2025 7:29 am PDT by
The website ChargerLAB has tested the iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W. The device reached a peak charging speed of around 36W with the following Apple chargers:40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max 61W USB-C Power Adapter 67W USB-C Power Adapter 70W USB-C Power Adapter 96W USB-C Power Adapter 140W USB-C Power AdapterFor...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds First Betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1

Monday September 22, 2025 10:05 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the first betas of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The new betas are the first updates to the iOS, iPadOS, macOS 26, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS releases that came out last week. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going...

Top Rated Comments

InuNacho Avatar
90 months ago
Might as well buy a laptop at that price point, at least then you'll get a real filesystem.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nuno Lopes Avatar
90 months ago
For me the iPad Pro was the main artist of the show.

I'm an owner of the 10.5" and the iPhone X and was ready to give the iPad Pro away to my half. I was truly impressed until I've noticed that they bumped the price up and than pause ...

This is something that is really starting to bug me quite a lot every year! I remember the times of SJ when they launched more advanced stuff at a lower price than the competition flagships. That for me was another touch of genius of SJ when they launched the iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4S ... the devices that made the revolution not what came after to milk his legacy with the customers ... I felt then, that the company had a sense of fair play with their loyal customers. Even if you were a bit skint on money one could still do it. Remember when Apple decided to offer the updates of iOS and macOS for free and the iWorks suite? A good will between both parties if you will. This generated the Apple Golden age ... That is how I felt the world could change.

What I see now with this increasing price bumps is something totally different. It's not about changing the world anymore but making a buck out of anything, including their stupid keyboard. This is usually the indication of the decline of a civilisation .... The Trumps of the world and the Wall Street became their best friend I guess. Never though that artists were the ones with the money in this world. So I guess the product its about making you feel like an artist even though one has no talent!

Yes the new version should be better than the previous at the same price, isn't that the point? Anyone can make a better version at a higher price. The the initial iPad launch, probably the most difficult of the iPads to get done right, was $300 cheaper in a time where the value of the dollar was way down and competition in this space was extremely weak.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
awer25 Avatar
90 months ago
"...the iPad Pro is starting to feel more like a proper computer, thanks to the angular "no-nonsense design" and the A12X Bionic chip."
The gap between a real computer and the iPad Pro is not going to be closed by a new physical design and chip. It needs MacOS.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ghost31 Avatar
90 months ago
Might as well buy a laptop at that price point, at least then you'll get a real filesystem.
Some of us just don’t want a laptop. So “but you could buy a laptop” doesn’t hold weight. You could put a MacBook and a new iPad Pro side by side at the same price and I’d still choose an iPad Pro
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFather Avatar
90 months ago
Deleted.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
madKIR Avatar
90 months ago
For me the iPad Pro was the main artist of the show.

I'm an owner of the 10.5" and the iPhone X and was ready to give the iPad Pro away to my half and. I was truly impressed until I've noticed that they bumped the price up and than pause ...

This is something that is really starting to bug me quite a lot every year! I remember the times of SJ when they launched more advanced stuff at a lower price than the competition flagships. That for me was another touch of genius of SJ when they lunched the iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4S ... the devices that made the revolution not what cama after to milk it ... I felt that the company had a sense of fair play back then with their loyal customers. Even if you were a bit skint on money one could still do it. That is how I felt the world could change.

What I see now with this increasing price bumps is something totally different. It's not about changing the world anymore but making a buck out of anything, including their stupid keyboard. The Trumps of the world and the Wall Street became their best friend I guess. Never though that artists were the ones with the money in this world. So I guess the product its about making you feel like an artists even though ...
Give it about 5 years. Apple bubble will burst! The competition has been aggressively catching up to them with similar or even better solutions at better prices. Apple will alienate a huge chunk of people with their pricing. It's no longer reasonable at all. The executives have gotten very comfortable with their multi-million bonuses.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)