Apple’s latest iPad Pro could be a replacement for your old laptop

Last year I reviewed Apple’s new iPad Pro and found that it was not quite the laptop replacement that I had hoped for. But with the new tablet that Apple announced earlier this month at the Worldwide Developers Conference, a laptop-beating tablet seems closer than ever, especially once iOS 11 is made available in the autumn.

I tested the device for several days, on the road and at home. Apple lent me a 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which is the newest size – up from 9.7 inches, which has been the basic screen size for the iPad since it was introduced. There is also a refreshed 12.9-inch iPad Pro. But the smaller iPad Pro, the company said, has become a customer favourite.

The bulk of the iPad’s upgrade comes from the improvements to the screen. The increase in size is noticeable, particularly when watching video, but it hasn’t really added much to the device’s weight.

The larger screen makes typing easier, though for serious work you will still want to use the keyboard cover or an external keyboard. In fact, as with the previous generation of the iPad Pro, the tablet is best when you use its accessories such as Apple’s US$160 smart keyboard case and the US$99 Pencil, if you’re looking to sketch.

The screen is the key component of the tablet, of course. Apple has introduced something it calls ProMotion, which optimises your iPad’s screen to display whatever you’re looking at. Text is sharper and video playback is smoother. Scrolling through a page feels less floaty, with a less noticeable blur in text as you race by and a more immediate clarity when you stop.