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00:00Hey guys, I'm Tom the tech chap and I've got three iPad pros with me here. We've got the previous generation
00:0612.9
00:06so that's the one powered by the
00:07A12 Z chip and then the two brand spanking new ones with the m1 and we've got the 11-inch and the 12.9
00:14So I'm reviewing these I've got this for context because I want to figure out if this really is much of an upgrade
00:20Also, which one of these should you buy does the m1 chip make much of a difference?
00:24Is it worth paying the extra to get the mini LED screen?
00:26so I'm gonna run you through everything you need to know hopefully answer some of the big questions and share my
00:31Experiences and if you do enjoy the video then a little cheeky like and subscribe would be lovely. Let's get into it
00:36So let's kick off with a quick run through of what's new here
00:39I'm sure you guys already know you've watched or read a bunch of reviews
00:42But the headline really is the fact that these are powered by Apple's m1 processor
00:46That's the same chip you get in the latest iMacs and MacBooks
00:49Although of course this one will be a slightly lower power version and that's paired with 8 gigs of RAM as standard
00:54Two more than the previous Pro and up to a whopping 16 gigs of the stuff if you go for the one or two terabyte storage
01:01Option, but there is a catch with this and I'll come back to that in a second
01:04Then there's this mini LED screen
01:06Aka the liquid resonant XDR if we're gonna go by Apple's own marketing spiel and this brighter and higher
01:13Contrast screen is only on the new 12.9 Pro. The 11 has the same IPS LED screen as before. I
01:21Had kind of hoped that Apple would move the front FaceTime camera from the top to the side
01:25Which would make a lot more sense when you're using in landscape mode like this with a keyboard
01:30So that it's central to your video calling apps
01:33but instead what they've done is give us an ultra wide lens with a new center stage feature and
01:38As it says on the tin this follows and keeps you in the middle of the frame when you're on video
01:42And it works really well with FaceTime zoom Webex teams and camera apps like Filmic Pro
01:49We're also getting a faster USB 4 port that supports Thunderbolt 3 charging time is the same unfortunately
01:55But now transferring files from storage drives can be much faster and it also supports high-resolution external screens
02:01So you can even hook this up to the 6k Apple display if you're Mr. Moneybags
02:06Speaking of connectivity, there's now optional 5g support rather than the old LTE
02:11Which makes this a much more future-proof travel companion
02:14Although this will add an extra 150 to the price plus of course the cost of the data for your SIM card
02:19But all that's kind of boring the big headline new feature. You guys know what it is. It's the new white keyboard
02:24It's um, actually it's quite a lot nicer
02:26I put on Twitter and Instagram asking you guys which you prefer between the two setups and
02:31Most of you did say white and I think I do as well
02:34Especially if you pair it with the silver iPad as opposed to the space gray, which looks a bit better with the black one
02:40Although we'll see long-term if this stays clean and doesn't end up like everyone's fancy white Tesla seat and looking all dark and gray
02:47And horrible, but off the bat, I think I like the white keyboard more actually what we're talking about the keyboard
02:53I've got the old model here and it does still work with it
02:56so even though this new iPads actually about half a mil thickened in the old one and
03:00There is a new magic keyboard with this different color option and it's a little bit neater of a fit
03:05This does still work
03:07So if you've splurged on the old one, you don't have to upgrade
03:11Speaking of upgrading, I think that was a pretty seamless segue right there. But how about upgrading your wardrobe with thread?
03:18I don't think I've bought any nice new clothes in the last year or so
03:21But then the lovely people over at thread.com asked if I'd try out their personalized online shop. You just sign up for free
03:28There's no fee or subscription here
03:30Take their quiz for the kind of styles you like or don't like and then it'll curate the store just for you and offer smart
03:36Suggestions and there's no more filtering by size either
03:39Then you just choose what you'd like to order and then after a couple of days
03:42You'll have your fancy new threads and if you change your mind or the fit isn't quite right
03:47Then you just mark the items you want to send back box it up and then stick on the return label that comes with it
03:52So nice and easy
03:53Feel free to disagree, but I'm not exactly the most stylish person and most of the time
03:57I don't even know where to look or what brands to consider but with thread not only do they suggest outfits for you
04:03But it's a great way of just trying new brands and you can filter by price plus in the UK
04:08There's 20% off all orders over 75 pounds and for my American friends a discount of up to $30 on all new user orders
04:16So why not give thread a try?
04:18I'll leave a link below because if you can't take fashion advice from a tech youtuber, then well, what is the world coming to?
04:25So that's what's new but that's all on top of what was already
04:29I think at least I think most people would agree the best tablet you can buy and that's largely down to the App Store and
04:36The quality of iPad optimized apps well except for Instagram for some reason
04:40But really this is what sets the iPad apart from Android rivals
04:44But we're also getting a sleek aluminium design the smooth 120 Hertz refresh rate screen
04:49Punchy quad speakers best-in-class cameras and while it shares the same sensors and hardware as before the updated
04:55ISP in the m1 chip means we're getting a better white balance faster low-light focusing and also a shorter focal length
05:01With these cameras so you can take some macro level shots
05:04And of course, we still have the LIDAR sensor which helps with augmented reality
05:08Although really only ever use it for measuring and then we've got the terrific Apple pencil 2 and the magic keyboard
05:14Which while expensive I would highly recommend especially if you do go with a pro or the air to be honest
05:19But either way it makes it a lot more of a productivity tool having the magic keyboard
05:23So the accessories really make this stand out as well
05:27But as you guys know, none of this comes cheap the 11-inch Pro will set you back
05:33750 pounds rising to a thousand pounds for the 12.9
05:36And then if you are planning to bump it up to 256 gigs of storage
05:40Maybe add 5g and a magic keyboard then things get very pricey very quickly
05:46What is interesting though? Is that the MacBook Air costs the same as the 12.9?
05:52They both cost a thousand pounds or a thousand dollars, although that's without the magic keyboard
05:58So tack that on and actually cost more than this
06:00So I guess the big question for a different video, which I do plan on doing when iris 15 comes out
06:05So it's a bit more of a laptop versus tablet comparison if you had to pick one right now, which would you go for?
06:10Let me know in the comments below
06:12So far so good
06:13But let's answer some of the big questions and the first one is does the mini LED screen in the 12.9?
06:19Really make that much of a difference and is it worth paying an extra 250 pounds over the standard 11-inch?
06:26and to that my answer would be
06:31Kind of
06:32Depends on what you're using it for if this is going to be your main
06:36Content device whether you're editing videos or photos or you're watching a ton of videos and movies then yes
06:42It is worth buying blacks are properly black
06:44You can really see the difference in the contrast and HDR is a lot brighter
06:48So with this we're getting
06:5010,000 mini LEDs and about 2600 dimming zones
06:54Which means we're getting much higher contrast close to OLED levels
06:58So the black bars around videos and dark backgrounds appear properly black not just a washed out dark gray
07:05It's also a lot brighter, but only with HDR content
07:08Otherwise for regular stuff like, you know web browsing and almost all the apps
07:12It's the same 600 nits as 11 inch or last year's Pro
07:17But when you are watching HDR it boosts the screen up to a full screen 1000 nits with a
07:231600 nit peak in some areas and side-by-side with the new 11-inch playing HDR video
07:29You can see it's a good deal brighter
07:31It looks a lot more vibrant the only downside to the mini LED is that we do get some blooming
07:36But that's kind of to be expected
07:38I mean this is not an OLED screen and it's a fairly common issue with mini LEDs with the trade-off being higher brightness than your
07:45Typical OLED it can be subtle, but there's no two ways about it
07:48You can see the blooming and it's more obvious now because we have a darker properly black screen
07:53So the blooming area stands out more than you'd see on the standard LED iPad screen
07:57But to be honest, I haven't found the blooming to be much of a problem
08:00Although what I would say is that while the deeper blacks and higher HDR brightness are nice and a welcome upgrade
08:06It's not essential. These screens are already very good
08:09So don't feel like you're missing out too much if you prefer the cheaper and smaller 11-inch or just don't fancy an upgrade yet
08:17Okay, the next big question is how much of a difference does the new M1 chip make to performance?
08:22Is it really that much of an upgrade over the A12Z? Well, the short answer is yeah, actually I think it does
08:29But there's just so much untapped potential here. That's the real issue
08:33Although I guess it's kind of a good problem to have
08:35But right now, day to day, while it does feel a little bit nippier than last year's Pro
08:39It's not to the extent that benchmarks might suggest. For example in Geekbench 5
08:45We're looking at a combined 53% boost for the processor and a whopping 71%
08:50Optic for the graphics over the previous iPad Pro and then in 3DMark Wildlife Extreme
08:55We go from 21.3 FPS up to 30.1
08:59That's a 41% boost in graphics and you just don't normally see these kind of numbers from one generation to the next
09:06So the M1 is the headline really but as well as that we're also getting more RAM
09:10As I mentioned 8 gigabytes is now standard up from 6
09:13But if you spec this with 1 or 2 terabyte storage option
09:17Then that goes up to 16 gigabytes of the stuff which is absolutely insane for an iPad
09:21It actually means that it's the same spec as my MacBook Pro now
09:24However, there's a catch because at the moment apps are limited to just 5 gigabytes of RAM
09:30So even though we've got 16 gigs in here, it's not being utilized
09:34This is something that I hope will change with iOS 15
09:37But right now with iOS 14.6, which I've got on these guys, it doesn't really make much of a difference
09:42So really the extra performance currently is all down to the M1 chip
09:46But hopefully soon that cap will be unlocked and we'll actually see some benefit to the 16 gig model
09:53But right now it's a bit of a waste of money
09:55So undoubtedly the software is holding back the hardware at the moment
10:00But regardless that boost from the previous iPad Pro is incredibly impressive
10:04Although in the real world the difference isn't quite as significant
10:08If I load up one of the most graphically demanding games right now Genshin Impact from home screen to gameplay
10:14It takes the M1 Pro 29 seconds versus 37 seconds on the A12Z Pro
10:19So that's 22% faster
10:22But then my 10 minute 4k project in Premiere Rush took 7 minutes and 10 seconds to render on the M1
10:28Versus 7 minutes 23, so that's just 5% faster and may actually be limited by RAM at the moment
10:35So yes, it is faster
10:36And as you would expect this thing doesn't skip a beat jumping between apps, multitasking, gaming, editing
10:42Anything you throw at this thing it just breezes through and we really have to get creative with how to actually
10:47Demonstrate the power of it and of course any app that uses machine learning
10:51you'll see a big boost thanks to the M1's neural engine and
10:54Then paired with the 120 Hertz screen that we get on the Pro models
10:57The whole thing just feels incredibly slick
11:00And also if you are using the Apple pencil, it makes doodling and drawing feel a lot more responsive
11:06But aside from shaving off a few seconds here and there on an app launch or an edit
11:10You're not going to notice that much difference between these two at least not yet. And that's the crux of the issue
11:16We'll have to see what iOS 15 brings. It's annoying that I'm making this review like a week or two before
11:21WWDC where it will get announced and then generally the public will get it in September
11:25So not long to wait but fingers crossed not only do they unlock that RAM cap
11:31Which currently makes the 16 gigs a bit pointless, but also fingers crossed. That's not my fingers
11:36That's my fist fingers crossed that we get some kind of pro desktop level apps
11:41I mean iPads and Macs have been on a collision course for years now
11:44I mean these share the same chips as the MacBooks and the iMac for goodness sake so it can't be that much of a stretch
11:50For these to potentially one day run proper desktop apps
11:54Which would be incredible because right now the M1 while a bit faster and very impressive in benchmarks
12:00It's just not really that utilized. So I think it's going to be a case of watch this space
12:05Okay, next question. Should you buy the 11 or the 12.9?
12:09Well to that I would say assuming this isn't going to be your laptop replacement
12:13I would probably just go with the 11. It's cheaper. It's more portable and more comfortable to hold
12:19It's less obtrusive if you're using out and about on the train or at a coffee shop
12:23And I just think that all the attention right now is on the big 12.9 with its fancy mini LED screen
12:28But in reality the base 11 inch iPad Pro with a magic keyboard if you can afford it is absolutely the way to go
12:36Don't get me wrong mini LED is clearly superior
12:39And I also find the wider keyboard spacing on the 12.9 to keyboard a little bit more comfortable to type on but I don't think
12:44It's worth paying an extra
12:46250 pounds for unless it's a case of money's no object and maybe you're putting on the business or if it's gonna be a main
12:52Rather than secondary device in that case. The 12.9 probably is worth it
12:57And as I say if this is your main content device, you're gonna watch a ton of stuff on here
13:02Then yeah pay the extra get the mini LED screen
13:04You will appreciate those super deep blacks almost OLED level blacks with a little bit of blooming as well
13:11But it is a lot nicer now
13:13I am actually working on a big
13:14iPad buying guide with all the models and I'll go through the pros and cons of each so stay tuned for that
13:19But just to answer the question quickly of should you go for the iPad air or the pro?
13:25Actually, I think what I would do is go for the standard probe because the problem with the air is that it costs
13:31579 pounds which is about
13:33220 less than the 11-inch Pro
13:35But you only get 64 gigs of storage with that and if you actually go up to the next level which annoyingly is
13:41256 gigs then it's only 30 pounds less than this and you're not getting the m1 chip or the 120 Hertz screen or the better
13:47cameras with the LiDAR
13:48So at that point I think most people as I say will be best off with an 11 with a magic keyboard
13:54And if that is too expensive and you don't care about all those bells and whistles then just go for the standard iPad
13:59Yes, it has chunky bezels or not as much storage, but it runs all the same apps. It's fundamentally the same
14:04Oh, and if you're wondering why I didn't talk about battery life at all
14:07Well, it's because it's exactly the same as before. We're still looking at about 10 hours of real-world use
14:12They'll easily get you through a full workday
14:14And if you're just using them casually then well
14:16I tend to find I'm charging them twice a week
14:18The only downside is it's still a little bit slow to charge and we haven't got any improvement in that area
14:23So that's something I would like to see for the next iteration
14:26So let's wrap up and this is a pretty big refresh of the pros
14:29But if you already have an iPad from the last couple of years, I don't think it's worth an upgrade at least not yet
14:35Let's see if the m1 chip comes into its own and makes these
14:38Genuinely more of a pro device rather than just a souped-up iPad air
14:42But if you've got any questions at all, let me know in the comments below. I'll do my best to answer them
14:46I do read every single one of your comments
14:48Thank you so much for watching guys, and I'll see you next time right here on a tech jam
14:55You