Today we will cover my favourite new iPad Pro features so far.
I am Alex and I do down to earth tech reviews.
If you've just bought or are CONSIDERING buying the new iPad, there are some cool pointers here
on what to expect and how to make the most of your shiny new toy.
I will also cover some of the issues I've found both with the software and some design flaws.
Yeah. It's not perfect. There are some OUTSTANDING features and... one or two may surprise you!
I went for the 12 inch, with 1TB storage and 16GB RAM.
And of course with that INCREDIBLE Retina XDR display
Yes, the M1 processor is great but I don't think anyone has been able to really push
this device yet. Using existing applications it's gonna take some doing because we know,
even the 2018 iPad Pro was still going strong.
But I tried! I wanted to see if it's really possible to work on a 4K
video edit on the iPad in the same way that I do when using my MacBook Pro.
I know video editing doesn't only rely on the processor but let's play along.
I loaded this 4K timeline on my late 2019 Macbook Pro 16inch. This is the Intel beast.
i9... 2.4GHz... 8 Core chip With 64GB RAM and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 Graphics
Honestly, this cuts through my 4K timelines like butter.
I don't really go crazy with my video editing, but
when I do push it with motion graphics, and visual effects, this thing can handle it.
The fan... Well...
the fan works. Really loudly.
But I love that it doesn't slow me down.
And even though these are both Apple products, I know I am not comparing Apples with Apples here.
For this "so called" comparison I was using Lumafusion on the iPad
Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro on the Macbook Pro.
Bruh
But until I can get Adobe Premiere Pro on the iPad Pro... Bro.... for now this setup will have to do.
I am using footage from multiple sources which is usually what I
do... Not in every single video but sometimes I get footage from a drone,
stock footage from storyblocks - not sponsored - But Storyblocks, DMs are open.
And sometimes smartphone footage as well.
And when I do mix things up like that with different aspect ratios,
different codec, sometimes its a screen recording as well. When I add those things up like that,
Premiere Pro can get a little flustered.
So I ended up using proxies in Premiere Pro which is a way of working with lower resolution files
but when you render, its real thing.
For this video I am not using proxies,
because I wanted to keep this test as close to "like for like" as possible.
Remember... My Intel MacBook Pro - 64 GB RAM.
And to back me up on this one, we have a photographer here who in my
previous video, left a comment about how a laptop for him doesn't make sense anymore.
This another example of a real Pro who is taking advantage of this bump in performance.
TO set the scene, he shoots in RAW format and generates GBs and GBs of data per shoot.
Understandably... He used to have to go to the MacBook Pro for things like Frequency Separation.
Not gonna lie - I totally had to Google that.
Basically he is able to do these advanced techniques
just using apps on the iPad but mainly uses Adobe Lightroom for his editing workflow.
But I followed up as he said he was using a 2018 iPad Pro. And I guess
that the performance was OK. But came back and said that it is noticeable,
especially when applying edits to a LARGE batch of photos.
One the things that I've been DYING to try out is the Thunderbolt port. This really
opens quite a few doors for us from a desktop setup point if view but also portability.
By the way, I am gonna live 3 channels at the end of this video for you check out. Patrick,
RJey and Kevin do amazing content on the iPad as well so worth a sub if you haven't already.
But they got shitloads of subscribers already - sub to me first 🙂
Now to really push the Thunderbolt port I've ordered this beauty here from OWC dock and have
made a separate video just for that. This is the 14 in 1 Thunderbolt dock and guys,
this has been out of stock for a long time, and I FINALLY managed to get my hands on one.
Not sponsored, it's just an AWESOME device!
I am going to use this Thunderbolt dock to connect my several bits of
storage and connecting it to my Ultra-wide monitor.
And that is why the Thunderbolt feature is one of my favourite additions to the iPad Pro this year.
You know what else is one of my favourite features?
This gorgeous display. I went for the 12.9 which has the mini-LED (aka Retina XDR) and let me
tell you... this thing is amazing. The contrast ratio which is a term you don't really appreciate
until you experience it. I got a similar level of quality in the S21 ultra and on my Sony OLED TV.
But this achieves a great level detail,
the colours are just to die for. And what not many talk about is how GREAT it feels to the touch!
What the blooming heck is that?
I will get on to this blooming thing in just a bit...
You have to admire it though, and I know from using my S21
Ultra and people out there who have been using the Tab S7 Plus, those displays
are amazing too and Apple have really taken a long time to push the boundaries on displays.
And they've done an amazing job here.
Editing photos on this, it's such a great experience.
Probably doesn't surprise you but the photo editing experience
is nicer on this iPad Pro than on my MacBook Pro.
Alright... The elephant in the room. This blooming effect thing.
Like everybody else, I went looking for it and yes, it's noticeable...
Can't lie. When you run these tests, you see it. It's definitely there.
But what I really care about is when I am watching content.
Is it really impacting my viewing experience? And the answer is... no
Ok, you're probably thinking I am an Apple fanboy and I wouldn't dare say anything bad
about the device. And yes, I love good quality products and Apple make quite a few of those.
But I really don't think it's that bad of an issue like some people are making it out to be.
Look let's be honest, you can see some shading here around the corners as well,
when looking at Evernote in dark mode or GMail for example...
It's quite minimal and really doesn't bother me.
To be perfectly honest I now see this in every display.
But you have to look really close to see the blooming effect in real apps,
right? And it's in certain conditions. Like... You have to be in total darkness.
I mean who is out there drawing in total darkness. Seriously?
I'd like to keep an open mind here but really, you're drawing white squiggles in total darkness?
Like I said, I want to keep an open mind here.
Maybe there are some scenarios out there that I haven't come across yet so... please
DO let me know if you're experiencing this and if its a deal breaker for you or not.
I've been using Procreate, LumaFusion, Lightroom, Disney, Netflix, YouTube
For me, using all these apps so far, in what I'd call
normal conditions... I honestly cannot see what the fuss is all about.
So guys, there's a couple more of my favourite features coming up,
but before we do that let me just quickly remind you. There are
loads more iPad content coming up covering cases, accessories and my favourite apps for it too.
This week for example... I am covering my favourite Thunderbolt dock for the iPad so
make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don't miss out when it's uploaded.
Right, the speakers quality on the iPad pro....
In my LAST video where I shared my first
impressions, I casually mentioned it... that the speakers felt AMAZING to me.
And the reason I did that was because I really didn't know how GOOD they were
in comparison with recent models from 2020 or 2018.
I mean I came from a 2015 iPad Pro and I never even bothered with the speakers on that...
I just used my headphones whenever I watched content on it.
And it's funny that Sergio here in my comments
shared with me how shocked HE WAS when he was considering the 11" inch iPad Pro.
He is a teacher I believe and uses it for presentation
to a classroom. So not having to carry an extra bluetooth speaker is a BIG DEAL for him.
He was at the Apple store having a look at the iPads and when... he hit play on the 12" inch iPad
And basically the music filled the entire 1000 square meters of the Apple store with clear sound.
That's what swayed Sergio towards the 12" inch iPad Pro. And I gotta say... I am not surprised!
I mean, I wouldn't say is as good as the HomePod Mini for example as this
thing packs a punch, and has a decent driver on it, with computational audio and all of that...
But even though it hasn't got the same bass, it's something ELSE!!
This one was a big surprise for me. And for Nando as well, he took to Twitter as
well and I was like oh.. It's not just me then, I was so glad. Because IT IS amazing.
I love my audio gear and to have this quality on a tablet... was definitely a nice bonus for me.
I will be doing lots more comparisons here
so stay tuned for that - I just wanted to throw this out there.
Let's talk about some of the issues... Starting with the support of haptics
on the PS5 controller. Basically apple promised this at the April event. But
I already did a video on this a few days ago. In short, it's not working yet. I am
guessing we will hear more in the next few weeks... But I was disappointed.
It's not a major issue, but they basically lied to us. You can get the full story here on this video.
The next issue for me is the front camera.
I know it's a MUCH IMPROVED camera but the placement is annoying.
When you're using the iPad without a keyboard or a stand and you want
to unlock it, there's no touch ID so it's either password or FaceID.
And this is when the placement of this camera becomes annoying because
unless you're holding the tablet in portrait mode,... Your hand is gonna get in the way.
And apple knows this. Their solution? Let's put this arrow on the screen
telling people to move their hands out of the way.
Look, sounds like I am nit picking here but it's a really expensive device, whilst you can't please
everyone, I am not sure putting the camera here in this different orientation is too much to ask.
I mean Samsung did it!!
Right... File Management. Where do I start?
This has been this way since forever. Why can't Apple just sort this out?
When you're trying to copy something, especially if its a large file.
There is no way to tell you how long it's taking,
whether it's crashed or not. The user experience here is horrendous.
And because other apps integrate with Files as an app,
Sometimes you just get this... unresponsive behaviour.
It's infuriating.
I don't want to sound like that guy on YouTube who just complains about
every single thing on the iPad because he can't figure out how APPS work. I know I
can get a File Explorer app, and my problems will be gone.
But given how much Apple have been saying that this is our next computer
(well they stopped saying that now) but I still think for this one,
we should really get a better file management experience.
Guys, even though it's 1AM rigth now for me, I am having a ton of fun creating this stuff.
And I am working really hard to get even more iPad content out for you,
as well as all my other gear that I want to review as well,
so if you like my stuff it would mean the world if you subscribed to my channel.
And I will see you - and your smiling faces - on the next one.