Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch vs iPad Pro 10.5-inch vs iPad 9.7-inch: A specs comparison

by Peter Kostadinov / Jun 05, 2017, 4:15 PM

Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch vs iPad Pro 10.5-inch vs iPad 9.7-inch: A specs comparison

Major hardware announcements are definitely not the norm for Apple's WWDC dev summits, but this year's keynote marked the arrival of two new big updates for the iPad line.

Apple announced the all-new iPad Pro 12.9-inch is an upgrade to the original iPad Pro from way back in 2015, while the smaller, 10.5-inch model succeeds last year’s 9.7-inch slate.

The highlights of the two new iPads are their ultra-responsive, HDR-compliant, super-smooth 120Hz displays... which still don't support 3D Touch. Oh well. Aside from that, the new slates are powered by the Apple A10X Fusion chip that's guaranteed to bring great performance to the mix. There are a lot of other new hardware changes, but the best way to visualize these will be to compare how the new slates stack up against some of Apple's previous ones.

Here goes:

Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch vs Apple iPad Pro 10.5-inch vs Apple iPad 9.7-inch

Display

Display size

12.9 inches

10.5 inches

9.7 inches

Resolution

2048 x 2732 pixels

1668 x 2224 pixels

1536 x 2048 pixels

Aspect Ratio

4:3

Pixel density

265 ppi

264 ppi

Technology

IPS LCD

Screen-to-body ratio

76.33 %

78.27 %

71.65 %

Peak brightness

600 cd/m2 (nit)

Camera

Rear

Single camera

Main camera

12 megapixels

8 megapixels

Hardware Features

Sapphire crystal lens cover, Optical image stabilization, Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Specifications

Aperture size: F1.8

Aperture size: F2.4; Pixel size: 1.1 μm

Video recording

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (120 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps)

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

Recording format

H.264, MOV

Features

Optical image stabilization, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording, Video light, Digital image stabilization, Video calling, Video sharing

Time-lapse video, Digital image stabilization, Video calling, Video sharing

Front

7 megapixels

1.2 megapixels

Video capture

1920x1080 (Full HD)

1280x720 (HD)

Design

Dimensions

12.04 x 8.69 x 0.27 inches (305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9 mm)

9.87 x 6.85 x 0.24 inches (250.6 x 174.1 x 6.1 mm)

9.45 x 6.67 x 0.30 inches (240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm)

Weight

24.41 oz (692 g)

16.83 oz (477 g)

16.86 oz (478 g)

Materials

Back: Aluminum

Biometrics

Fingerprint (touch)

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Apple A10X Fusion APL1071

Apple A9 APL0898

Processor

Hexa-core, 2380 MHz, Hurricane and Zephyr, 64-bit, 10 nm

Dual-core, 1850 MHz, Twister, 64-bit, 16 nm

GPU

Apple 12-core GPU

PowerVR GT7600

RAM

4 GB LPDDR4

2 GB LPDDR4

OS

iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x)

Battery

Capacity

10891 mAh

8134 mAh

8827 mAh

Internet use

LTE: 9 hours; Wi-Fi: 10 hours

Shopping information

MSRP price

$ 1229

$ 1079

$ 559

Apple iPad Pro 10.5-inch

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15 Comments

1. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

Such a lame tablet. ARM tablets in general such, but this one is the worse of them. So what I don't understand is, you couldn't get a 10.5" display into the original form factor? How lame is that? iPad 10.5 -9.87 x 6.85 x 0.24 inches (250.6 x 174.1 x 6.1 mm) vs 247.3 x 177.3 x 6.6 mm (9.74 x 6.98 x 0.26 in) vs original iPad @ 9.45 x 6.67 x 0.30 inches (240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm) Apple you need to hire some new engineers. lol

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 4:22 PM 1

3. Lumbergh

Posts: 463; Member since: Feb 14, 2016

You are such an idiot. - 6 core processor (and previous gen was fast as hell) - Slimmer bezels - Strong battery life - File management software - Best app store library on the market You're nothing but a lame Apple hating idiot.

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 4:34 PM 11

8. Plasticsh1t

Posts: 3106; Member since: Sep 01, 2014

He will be the first in line to buy one. What a hypocrite.

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 6:16 PM 0

10. BuffaloSouce unregistered

Why do you have to act like he insulted your mother?

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 8:21 PM 0

4. Martineverest

Posts: 521; Member since: Oct 27, 2015

not until microsoft launch surface pro tablet with snapgragon processor

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 4:41 PM 0

6. Arch_Fiend

Posts: 3951; Member since: Oct 03, 2015

Apple actually did right by the 10.5in if you ask me, upgrades all around and they didn't increase the resolution to much. Unlike the last 9.7in they released which was pretty much just a refreshed Air 2 and arguably inferior to the original Air 2.

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 5:22 PM 1

9. ibend

Posts: 6747; Member since: Sep 30, 2014

ARM win10 FTW... and it's coming soon.. (another challenge for intel after ryzen and threadripper)

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 7:55 PM 0

11. MrHate

Posts: 318; Member since: Feb 09, 2015

I thought you were smarter than this. Holy cow are you deluded.

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 8:31 PM 0

2. yonith

Posts: 228; Member since: Sep 11, 2012

I hate that the "small" iPad is now even bigger.

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 4:33 PM 0

5. L0n3n1nja

Posts: 1557; Member since: Jul 12, 2016

Makes sense since the Pro is designed to have the keyboard and Apple Pencil support, they just released a new 9.7 iPad a few months ago and still sell the mini.

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 4:45 PM 0

7. zeppo

Posts: 200; Member since: Jul 21, 2015

$1000 for Hulu watching tablet? No, thx!! I rather buy a decent Laptop and go for nice massage.

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 5:40 PM 1

12. Tabby_Tiger

Posts: 305; Member since: Jan 23, 2017

The jump in RRP from 9.7 to 10.5 is MASSIVE! I guess the 10.5 version won't be selling too well.

posted on Jun 05, 2017, 10:44 PM 0

13. AmashAziz

Posts: 2927; Member since: Jun 30, 2014

The size increase of the tablet is minimal. Replied to no.12

posted on Jun 06, 2017, 4:24 AM 0

14. kucma

Posts: 86; Member since: Feb 01, 2017

They were showing off the Apple Pencil with the iPad quite a bit. I wonder what are the chances of Apple integrating Apple Pencil with iPhone? The one thing I still miss since switching from a Note to iPhone is the S Pen...

posted on Jun 06, 2017, 1:55 PM 0

15. kryme

Posts: 469; Member since: Oct 24, 2013

Coming from the mini 2 I wish they continued the mini... but this is a good upgrade for me hopefully it will be supported for the next 4-5 years cause that's when I'll upgrade again...