Apple has finally unveiled the most radical iPad Pro design yet, complete with iPhone X-style slim bezels, Face ID, a more intuitive Apple Pencil accessory, and a bunch more neat extras, forcing Apple's loyal fanbase to consider upgrading.
But to those who might still be on the fence about Apple's latest and greatest tablet, this guide will assess whether upgrading is really necessary.
iPad Pro 2018 Upgrade Guide
Upgrades are always about which device a customer is currently using, as that will obviously determine if an upgrade is necessary. For instance, those still using an iPhone 6 or perhaps even an iPhone 7 might find the iPhone X or iPhone Xs a worthy upgrade. However, if they're already using an iPhone 8, an upgrade may not be worth all that money since the gains are minimal at best.
The same logic applies to the latest iPad Pro. Users who are already using the previous iPad Pro models should, on paper, be just fine. The latest iPad Pro probably doesn't offer performance gains that are significant enough to warrant throwing hundreds of dollars.
iPad Pro Performance
Those who are using older iPad models, however, are in for a treat. The 11-inch base iPad Pro, at $799, is an incredible upgrade value. The iPad Pro is basically the next evolution of the iPad, packing a version of Face ID that works in any orientation the device is set to, an entirely new design, the first USB Type-C port in any iOS device ever, and faster performance.
The fact that last year's iPad Pro outperformed Apple's 12-inch MacBook in both processor and graphics performance last year shocked everyone — the new iPad Pro is supposed to double those. According to recently leaked Geekbench 4 numbers, the tablet's processor is nearing the performance of Apple's new 15-inch MacBook Pro, and it's even closer to the performance of the best processor in the 2017 5K iMac.
To be fair, that's just Geekbench 4, which doesn't take thermal throttling and a bunch of other factors into account, but that raw power alone is supremely impressive.
So Should You Upgrade?
Those who are happy with their current older-generation iPad Pro models should just stick to their device and skip the new iPad Pro. But those who ache for a lot more power and a bunch of cool new features absent on older models, like the 120 Hz ProMotion display, Apple Pencil lag improvements, and an incredibly versatile Face ID, should really consider upgrading.
