Two years after having completely overhauled its iPad Pro, Apple has just launched a new generation. More powerful, and equipped with a brand new photo frame, is the iPad Pro 2020 really more interesting than its predecessor, or the minor differences make the iPad Pro 2018 a better choice? We tell you everything in our comparison!
By surprise, Apple took advantage of this month of March 2020 to renew its iPad Pro. The flagship of its range of tablets, the iPad Pro 2020 has no shortage of convincing arguments. We find the design of its predecessor – which has not aged a bit – and some small additions here and there. If Apple has communicated in particular on the support of the trackpad and the mouse since iPadOS 13.4, and even presented for it a whole new accessory, baptized Magic Keyboard (and overpriced), this novelty is not exclusively reserved for the new iPad Pro, but for all iPads. Better yet, since the Magic Keyboard is also compatible with the iPad Pro 2018. This is why we will put aside this novelty in this comparison, in favor of notable additions concerning the new Apple tablet, and it alone .
Identical on the outside …
Up front, we challenge anyone to differentiate the iPad Pro 2020 from the iPad Pro 2018. In reality, the screen of the two models – still available in 11 and 12.9 inch versions – does not move a bit. We always take advantage of a large Liquid Retina LCD panel perfectly calibrated and refreshed at 120 Hz. If you were looking to take the new iPad Pro for its screen, make no mistake, there is absolutely no difference. We also still find these relatively thin borders, in which we find Face ID, Apple’s facial recognition system. The 7 MP selfie camera, on the other hand, hardly changes, even if it has automatic image stabilization.
On the back, however, if we still find this aluminum back offered in two colors – Silver and Space Gray – we notice a change in the photo block. If the iPad Pro 2018 had a single 12 MP (f / 1.8) photo sensor, the iPad Pro 2020 gives us a much larger block comprising no less than three sensors: a main wide angle of 12 MP, an ultra wide angle of 12 MP, and finally a LiDAR sensor, unpublished in Apple. This sensor, primarily dedicated to the practice of augmented reality, will allow the iPad to measure distances precisely with the objects around it. For the time being, if the uses of such a sensor remain relatively limited, this only bodes well for the future of apple products. Despite this notable addition, it is still advisable to have the usefulness of such technology on a tablet, an object which is not very suitable for taking photos due to its generous dimensions. In addition, it may well be that this LiDAR sensor will appear in September in at least one of the new iPhone, which would be much more relevant. In short, except for very specific use, this photo block is clearly not worth swapping your iPad Pro 2018 for a 2020 model, and could well push the most reluctant to opt for an iPad Pro 2018 at a reduced price.
… And also inside?
As we have seen, the differences between the iPad Pro 2020 and the iPad Pro 2018 seem very small when compared from the outside … but what about inside? To propel the beast, Apple has chosen to integrate a brand new mobile SoC in its new iPad Pro: the A12Z Bionic. It takes the place of the SoC A12X Bionic of the iPad Pro 2018, which was already a real powerhouse. But if Apple claims that its new iPad Pro is more powerful than its predecessor, the differences are actually much less. According to the first benchmarks made by users on Reddit and spotted by MacRumors, the iPad Pro 2020 has only a very slight power gap. An iPad Pro 2020 would therefore have a score of 1,114 in monocore, against 1,113 on iPad Pro 2018, and 4,654 points in multicore, against 4,607 points for its predecessor. The difference is therefore hardly noticeable, and all the more so since the A12X Bionic processor was already damn fast, and the tasks that will manage to exhaust it are not really available. Regarding the GPU part, there is still a 9% increase in performance for the iPad Pro 2020 compared to its predecessor, probably in order to take advantage of the LiDAR sensor and augmented reality. In fact, this is again a very small difference, which absolutely does not justify the passage from one generation to another. Worse, since the A12Z chip of the new iPad Pro could even be completely identical to the A12X SoC of 2018, believes Notebook Check. According to them, Apple would have just activated the eighth core of the chip, which was already present on the previous generation, but inactive …
Despite everything, there is still a nice little addition to the latest iPad Pro model, since Apple has still doubled entry-level storage capacity. Previously stuck at 64 GB, storage now goes to 128 GB from the start on iPad Pro 2020. It’s always taken.
In conclusion, we take the same and start again?
As we have seen, the vast majority of the new features in this 2020 iPad Pro vintage are clearly not worth swapping out their 2018 model to get a new one. Unless you find real use for the new LiDAR sensor in the iPad Pro 2020, or the welcome addition of an ultra-wide angle sensor, this new generation actually looks very close to the old one. This is an opportunity to consider buying an iPad Pro 2018 instead, which was already clearly ahead of its time, and which will now be found at a reduced price everywhere.
Still, those who were waiting for a “real” new generation of iPad Pro might be better off waiting. It is rumored that Apple would consider launching a new model of its high-end tablet by the end of the year, equipped with a microLED screen and maybe even a really more powerful SoC (we think of an A13X, for example). Of course, these are just rumors, but that would no doubt explain why Apple launched a new iPad Pro with so few new features at the start of the year. Time will tell !
The iPad Pro at the best price
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