The iPad Pro is Apple’s premium tablet computer in the iPad product family. It runs on iOS and the recent iPadOS systems. The first-generation iPad Pro, which came with the 12.9-inch Retina display and running on the Apple A9X Chip was released on November 11, 2015. Because the 12.9 inch iPad was too big for some users, Apple subsequently released a smaller version with a 9.7-inch display which was later replaced by the 10.5-inch variant sometime in 2017. The biggest redesign to the iPad Pro came on November 7, 2018. It was more of a squared design, which came with reduced and uniform bezels, it brought Face ID, and also brought USB-C to the iPad family. It also came with support for the second-generation Apple Pencil. This year, Apple has updated the iPad once again, and in this article, we will talk more about the new iPad Pro 2020.

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Part 1: What is the iPad Pro 2020 Release Date

The original redesigned iPad Pro (2018) was released on November 7, 2018, after it had been announced at the October 39, 2018 event held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. While iPad Pro 2020 rumors claimed that the iPad Pro 2020 release date would be sometime in September along with the much anticipated iPhone 12 series, Apple released it on March 25, 2020, instead. Because of the coronavirus epidemic, Apple released this year’s iPad Pro through the press and they did not have a keynote event.

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Part 2: iPad Pro 2020 prices

When the iPad Pro (2018 model) was released, the starting price was $799 for the 64GB WiFi variant and shelling out an additional $150 would get you the WiFi and Cellular variant. To get the top-spec iPad Pro (2018) with 1TB of storage with WiFi connectivity, you would have to fork out a whopping $1549, and an additional $150 for Cellular. So how does this compare to the 2020 model? While the starting price for the 2020 model is $799, it is actually cheaper as you will be getting 128GB and WiFi connectivity and forking out $150 will get you cellular connectivity. The top-spec variant of the 2020 iPad Pro costs $1499, which is cheaper than the 2018 variant and you will get 1TB of storage and WiFi connectivity. Adding an extra $150 will also get you Cellular connectivity.

Part 3: Striking Features of the New iPad Pro

The iPad Pro was long overdue for an update, and like its predecessor, the design mostly stays the same though there are a few slight physical changes. You will still get the same 11-inch (with a resolution of 2388 x 1668) and the 12.9-inch model (with a resolution of 2732 x 2048), both offering 264 pixels per inch, 120Hz refresh rate, and 600 nits brightness. The iPad Pro 2020 rumors state that Apple would shrink the bezels, but unfortunately, they remain the same. Not returning to these models is the headphone jack, which was dropped with the 2018 release. The same 4 speaker audio setup is also making a comeback. They also weigh about the same, and have the same 10-hour battery life. The front face TrueDepth camera system with Face ID is also returning. So what has changed with the new iPad Pro? We will give you a list of it’s striking new features.

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  • 1. New and improved cameras
  • This is the most distinguishable feature of the new iPad Pro models, as it now features two rear cameras and a LiDAR depth scanner for AR. The main camera is a wide 12MP with f/1.8 aperture, while the other one is a 10MP ultra-wide with f/2.4 aperture. They can shoot in 4K at 24, 30 and 60FPS. Although the LiDAR depth scanner is mostly for improving augmented reality, it should also improve Portrait photography. This scanner is capable of measuring items up to 5 meters away. On the front, the TrueDepth camera remains the same as before, with a 7MP shooter.

  • 2. Improved microphones
  • Although the previous generation of the iPad Pro models featured the same 5 microphone setup, the ones on the new models have higher quality. If you do a lot of audio and video recording, then these microphones will help you to pick-up cleaner audio.

  • 3. The A12Z Bionic Chip
  • While rumors suggested that these models would feature the A13X Bionic Chip, Apple put an improved version of the A12Z Bionic Chip instead. It features an 8-core CPU, an upgraded 8-core GPU, enhanced thermal architecture and neural engine which is able to perform 5 trillion operations a second. It is definitely an improvement over the last model, as the new tablets are much more capable of handling demanding tasks like 4K video editing. Apple claims this chip is faster than chips included in many PCs. On the RAM side of things, all models will come with 6GB.

  • 4. Improved networking
  • The new iPad Pros support WiFi 6 (known as 802.11ax) with improved network capacity while having better power efficiency. They support Bluetooth 5.0 which has numerous benefits over the last generation. They also include the Apple-designed U1 Chip, which enables ultra-wideband support for better spatial awareness (Apple describes it as GPS at the scale of the living room).

  • 5. The Magic Keyboard with a trackpad
  • The new folio-style Magic Keyboard was introduced with this new generation of iPad Pro and its striking. The keyboard uses a scissors mechanism brought with the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which provides 1mm of travel. This keyboard is also for the first time backlit. For the first time, Apple is also introducing a trackpad with this folio-style keyboard, and its cursor appears as a circle. It has a hinge that can adjust to viewing angles of up to 130 degrees. It also has its own USB-C port that will allow users to charge the keyboard, as well as the iPad.

    Part 4: iPad Pro 2020 vs. iPad Pro 2018

    The new iPad Pro 2020 has been updated and released, and we gave you a list of its striking new features which include new an improved camera, improved networking, improved microphones, the A12Z Bionic Chip and the new Magic Keyboard with a trackpad. So is the new iPad Pro 2020 worth of upgrading from the existing 2018 model (which is expected to get even cheaper)? The big features of the new iPad Pro seem to like a major upgrade to some users, but the 2018 model is still good hence it all depends on how you use the iPad Pro. We will attempt to answer this question by comparing Apple’s premium tablets. The table below is a comparison of the 2020 and 2018 iPod Pros.

    iPad Pro (2020) iPad Pro (2018)
    Processor A12Z Bionic
    8-core CPU
    8-core GPU
    A12Z Bionic
    8-core CPU
    7-core GPU
    Co-processor & other chips M12
    U1
    M12
    Screen size 11-inch
    12.9-inch
    11-inch
    12.9-inch
    Screen resolution 2388-x-1668 11-inch
    2732-x-2048 12.9-inch
    264 ppi for both
    2388-x-1668 11-inch
    2732-x-2048 12.9-inch
    264 ppi for both
    Camera systems 12MP wide-angle
    10MP Ultra-wide
    12MP wide-angle
    Video recording 4K at 24, 30, or 60 fps (wide)
    60 fps (ultra-wide)
    1080p HD at 30 or 60 fps
    720p HD at 30 fps
    2160p HD at 30 or 60 fps
    1080p at 30, 60, or 120 fps, 720p at 240 fps
    LiDAR scanner Yes No
    Face ID Yes Yes
    Storage capacity 128GB
    256GB
    512GB
    1TB
    64GB
    256GB
    512GB
    1TB
    RAM 6GB for all models 4GB for standard models
    6GB for 1TB model
    Battery life Up to 10 hours of web on Wi-Fi or video viewing.
    Up to 9 hours of web using cellular
    Up to 10 hours of web on Wi-Fi or video viewing.
    Up to 9 hours of web using cellular
    Apple Pencil support 2nd generation 2nd generation
    Colors Silver
    Space grey
    Silver
    Space grey
    Starting Price $799 Less than $799

    If you want to use the iPad for video editing, content creation and AR development, then the new iPad Pro 2020 is definitely worth the upgrade. Otherwise, the 2018 model could suite normal daily usage, as the differences are not significant. More so, the design remains mostly the same, though there are slight visual changes on the back (the camera module on the 2020 iPad Pro is bigger). If you do decide to upgrade to the new iPad Pro 2020, you could use Leawo iTransfer to backup and transfer your old data to the new iPad Pro 2020.