Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) vs iPad Pro 11 (2021) size, colors and display
Peak brightness, local dimming, baby!
Unfortunately, in order to introduce the unique new miniLED technology to the iPad Pro 12.9's 2732x2048 pixels XDR display of 2021, Apple almost made sure that the 11-incher doesn't seem as "Pro" anymore, as it can't match the 600-1600 nits of peak brightness and 2,500 full array local dimming zones of the miniLED panel. Heck, even the Apple's Pro Display XDR screen has just 576 dimming zones to play with at a much larger size.
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
The iPad Pro 11 (2021) still has a great ProMotion 2388x1668 pixels display with high refresh rate that allows the use of Apple's Pencil 2 on it, but the panel is not a match for what the real iPad Pro of 2021 brings to the table, and this should put many buyers off, were it not for the $300 base price difference. The iPad Pro 11 (2021) starts from $799, while the iPad Pro 12.9 takes off at the price of an iPhone 12 Pro Max, $1099.
The new iPad Pro 11 is much smaller, of course, and more compact to use or carry around, yet the display diagonal, as always, isn't very conducive to much else but media consumption, moreso that the keyboard accessories for the 11-incher are tiny as well.
Other than the display hence body sizes, the 2021 iPad Pros are extremely similar in terms of design - unibody aluminum blocks with four speakers and two cameras on the back, plus a LiDAR, available in both Space Gray and Silver color options.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) vs iPad Pro 11 (2021) performance and battery life
Killing them tablets without M1 softly
Thankfully, Apple didn't separate the two iPad Pro models by horsepower as well, and equipped them both with the fastest mobile chipset out there, the laptop-grade M1, and by laptop we mean the new MacBook Air M1, and by grade we mean that the chip with 4x Icestorm 3.2 GHz + 4x Firestorm 2.0 GHz cores is killing it in performance benchmarks.
While the iPad Pro 2021 models have slightly underclocked M1 chips compared to the MacBook Air with the same processor, they are still able to score over 7000 Geekbench multicore points, turning Apple's 50% performance boost claim compared to the previous models into a reality.
If the T-Rex HD component of GFXBench is demanding,then the Manhattan test is downright gruelling.It's a GPU-centric test that simulates an extremely graphically intensive gaming environment that is meant to push the GPU to the max. that simulates a graphically-intensive gaming environment on the screen. The results achieved are measured in frames per second, with more frames being better.
Needless to say, the smaller iPad Pro 11 often returns higher performance scores when the GPU is strictly involved, as its graphics subsystem has to push much less pixels on a smaller canvas, yet both Apple tablets are miles ahead what other slates and even computers offer in terms of raw processing power nonetheless.
Adding insult to other mobile chipsets' injury, Apple can equip the iPad Pro 2021 with up to 16GB RAM, suggesting big plans lie for iPadOS looking forward. The crazy fast processor and the new miniLED display technology are apparently frugal in terms of power draw as well, since Apple cites the same 10 hours of battery life for both iPads as on their predecessors. According to Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus speaking for a TechCrunch interview:
Your battery life is defined by the capacity of your battery and the efficiency of your system right? So we’re always pushing really really hard on the system efficiency and obviously with M1, the team’s done a tremendous job with that. But the display as well. We designed a new mini LED for this display, focusing on efficiency and on package size, obviously, to really to be able to make sure that it could fit into the iPad experience with the iPad experience’s good battery life. We weren’t going to compromise on that.
As you can see from our battery benchmarks, the smaller iPad will also offer you better battery life while browsing, as the tried and true LCD tech and the smaller screen size return excellent endurance even at high 120Hz refresh rates.
When it comes to YouTube video streaming, however, it's time for the miniLED panel's frugality to shine, while for 3D gaming both tablets last on par. All in all, you get excellent battery life from the Pro models this year, with the caveat that the iPad Pro 12.9's larger battery takes longer to charge.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) vs iPad Pro 11 (2021) camera
Pan&zoom on Zoom
The two new Pro iPads have identical camera sets - 12-megapixels main and 10-megapixel ultrawide cameras on the back - as their predecessor, yet with the image processing power of the new M1 chip, the Pro tablets are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the Smart HDR 3 recording abilities that made a cameo on the iPhone 12 series.
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At the front, however, a better 12-megapixels selfie camera has been equipped to handle the much touted Center Stage feature. The new option leverages machine learning and the fresh Ultra Wide camera at the front to follow the person into the frame automatically when they move, including expanding the view or zooming when people go in and out of the video call.
Besides Apple's obvious FaceTime service, Center Stage works with other video streaming apps so that you can finally have an alternative to that crappy laptop camera Zoom call. Needless to say, the excellent LiDAR camera scanner that can map the edges of your future sofa so that you can see exactly where you will hit your little toe when you least expect it, is still present as well.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) vs iPad Pro 11 (2021) price, 5G, and storage options
Apple iPad Pro model
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
2TB
iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2021 Wi-Fi
$1,099
$1,199
$1,399
$1,799
$2,199
iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2021 5G
$1,299
$1,399
$1,599
$1,999
$2,399
iPad Pro 11-inch 2021 Wi-Fi
$799
$899
$1,099
$1,499
$1,899
iPad Pro 11-inch 2021 5G
$999
$1,099
$1,299
$1,699
$2,099
Which iPad Pro 2021 should you buy, 12.9 or 11 inches?
You are getting a lot more from the iPad 12.9 2021 for just three Benjamins more. The most important thing in an iPad, the display, is miles ahead of what the 11-incher offers. When you add the larger size that will actually allow you to do some creative work rather than lounge with a Pro on the beach to watch videos, the choice is a no-brainer this year.
Not that you can't use the 13-incher at the beach as well, plus it will beat its smaller sibling even there, and for media consumption at that, as the display is much, much brighter, hence conducive for outdoor usage in the sunlight. We rest our case.
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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