Apple recently announced that the iPad Pro will have a little brother. Initially only available in a 12.9-inch size, the latest iPad Pro is also available in a 9.7-inch size, just like the iPad Air. But despite being smaller, the new iPad Pro is actually better in many ways than its much larger counterpart.
SummaryBest display and protective glassBest camerasBest price (with accessories)Rose gold
Apple introduced several new features in the 9.7-inch iPad Pro that it hasn't added to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro yet. It's possible they'll end up in the larger iPad eventually, but for now they give the 9.7-inch model a few notable advantages.
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a better display in just about every area except size, if you even count bigger as better. The first improvement over the 12.9-inch model that Apple is proud of is that it's both the brightest and least reflective display in the world. It gets brighter than any other fixture and the protective glass is up to 40% more effective at reducing glare.
The new, smaller iPad Pro also has a 25% wider color gamut, which means it can display more colors and have better color accuracy. But the best feature of this iPad's display is what Apple calls True Tone. Using ambient light sensors, iPad analyzes the intensity and color temperature of the light around you and automatically adjusts the display accordingly.
Have you ever used a white Apple device in a room with very warm yellow lighting and noticed that the border of your iPad was nowhere near as white as the content on the screen? True Tone greatly remedies this problem.
Although we couldn't get hands-on time with the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro, it has considerably better cameras by most specs.
Note: The 9.7-inch iPad Pro isn't available until March 31 and only in select countries to boot.For starters, it has a 12MP camera on the back with LED flash (a first for an iPad) compared to the 8MP on the larger iPad Pro, and this new camera is also capable of shooting 4K video. But it doesn't stop there.
Apple's tech specs page says that compared to the larger model, the 9.7-inch also supports Live Photo, a wider f/2.2 aperture lens that generally helps in low-light situations. , a sapphire crystal lens cover, improved face detection and more.
Even the front camera is a 5MP lens with Retina Flash compared to the meager 1.2MP on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The camera improvements are significant.
You probably already know that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro costs less than the 12.9-inch. It costs $200 less to be exact; it starts at $599. It's a saving here, but consider the awesome accessories that Apple has marketed heavily. The Smart Keyboard for the smaller iPad is $20 cheaper at $149 while the Apple Pencil is still $99.
If you were close to getting these accessories after spending $800 on an iPad Pro, you can almost certainly fit them into your budget by getting the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. You can get the full package for $849:iPad Pro, Pencil, and Smart Keyboard. This is Apple's closest ever to a laptop under $900.
Rose gold fans rejoice. It won't be a benefit for everyone, but those who are loyal to Apple's new favorite color can get the 9.7-inch iPad Pro in Rose Gold as an additional color option. The 12.9-inch still sells in plain gold (how boring!) plus silver and space gray.
SEE ALSO: 3 reasons why the iPad Pro may not be a big hit
