Impeccable

The 9.7-inch Pro bears a striking resemblance to the iPad Air 2. It has a similar built with 6.1-mm thickness and weighs 444 gm. It has a soft rear and doesn't feel heavy. The display resolution at 2,048x1,536 p is also the same, but comes with the TrueTone display that uses ambient light sensors to adjust the colour and intensity according to the light in the room, resulting in less strain on the eyes. The 'least reflective display' is great to look at even under bright daylight. The screen is bright, offering true-to-life colours.

For a big chunk of iPad users, this tablet is a multimedia consumption device. Complementing the crisp display are powerful speakers that reorient the high frequencies to the two top-most speakers, irrespective of the way you hold the iPad.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro was Apple's response to the success of the Microsoft Surface 4. With the same innards in the 9.7-inch version, Apple has also designed a smaller version of the smart keyboard that converts the tablet into a productivity device. It magnetically attaches to the tablet and bundles up as a stand. The keyboard is well spaced out and is quick to type on. Apple Pencil also works smoothly for scribbling notes, sketching and more. Both the smart keyboard and Pencil have to be purchased separately. Apple has a far more robust app ecosystem compared to Android or Windows devices. Even the Microsoft Office Suite works flawlessly on the iPad.

The 9.7-inch Pro has the same A9X processor, but is paired with 2 GB of RAM. It renders web pages quickly. Be it streaming videos on the YouTube app or playing games - the performance is smooth. Photo editing and video editing, too, work well, without any lag. The Split View loads quickly - while using an app, swiping from the right edge of the screen opens it on one-third of the screen, revealing the list of apps supporting split view. The 9.7-inch Pro beats its older sibling with the 12-MP iSight camera, as on the iPhone 6s, and has a 5-MP face-time HD camera. It locks focus quickly and captures images instantly. It also features Live Photos, which captures quick videos giving context to what you have been shooting.

Although everything is moving towards cloud storage, people prefer plugging in pen drives to access files, something the iPad doesn't support. While adaptors are available in the market, it is an additional investment. I used the iPad Pro as my primary work machine for a day with some juice still left.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT: The best iPad to invest in

RATING: 4.5/5

PRICE: Rs 49,990 for 32 GB WiFi

PLUS: Display, speaker, performance, camera

MINUS: Price