When Apple unveiled the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, it was presented as the little sibling of the company's most powerful tablet to date, featuring all of the 12.9-inch tablet's bells and whistles, and then some. Despite this, the device was met with some reservations, especially after a side-by-side comparison with its larger sibling revealed that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro has an underclocked processor and equipped with half the RAM of the 12.9-inch model.
While the underclocked processor and the 2GB RAM are true, real-world tests are now proving that specs are not all there is to the device. In fact, many users are beginning to carry the notion that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is probably the best tablet that the company has ever produced.
One thing that is particularly endearing about the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is the fact that it does everything that the 12.9-inch Pro does, only in a much more portable, familiar package. When the original iPad Pro was released, critics were indeed impressed with the power of the tablet. It's extremely large size, however, prevented it from being the most portable device around.
By making its newest tablet conform to the proportions of the company's established Air line, Apple was able to make the 9.7-inch iPad Pro into a device that feels both familiar and light.
Despite having just half the RAM of its larger sibling, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is quickly proving itself to be just as capable as its larger sibling. Games feature no lag, and apps run without any hiccups. The device also breezes through the multi-window feature of the device, proving once more that Apple could pull off the smoothest user experience with almost the minimum amount of RAM.
Perhaps the most endearing aspect of the device, however, is its battery. Though Apple has stated that the device should be able to last 10 hours on a single charge, a number of users online have stated that the tablet could go for far more, with some users stating that the device could run upwards of 24 hours without needing a single charge.
For a 9.7-inch device, such performance is certainly not bad at all. In fact, such performance is quite fantastic.
Of course, with the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil in tow, the device becomes even more formidable. Couple that with cameras that are practically on par with those found in Apple's flagship handsets and an upgraded speaker system that is a significant improvement from the iPad Air 2's, Apple's 9.7-inch iPad Pro might very well be Apple's best, most balanced tablet to date.
Apple's 9.7-inch iPad Pro starts at $599 for the 32GB model.
