Apple just announced a new iPad Pro, and at a watch party in New York City, a few reporters got to take a look at Apple’s new tablet firsthand. After holding and playing with the device for a few minutes, I can say pretty confidently that Apple’s not kidding about how much more svelte the new model is. At 5.3mm thick for the 11-inch model and 5.1mm for the 13-inch tablet, this new iPad is noticeably thinner and lighter than anything the company has made before. It’s such a big difference that the larger model, which I’ve always felt was kind of preposterously huge, feels much more comfortable to hold and use.
The new Pro’s most notable new spec, other than its waif dimensions, is the new OLED screen. It’s a little tough to make too much of exactly how it looks based on a quick glance in a crowded room, but even from a distance, it’s clear how much crisper the display really is. The “Tandem OLED,” as Apple calls it, appears to be plenty bright, and the viewing angles are excellent in the way they typically are on an iPad. The screen didn’t wow me immediately the way the redesign did, but it does look great.
