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See how the new, smaller iPad Pro stacks up against the 12.9-inch model

Published Mar 23rd, 2016 2:28PM EDT
iPad Pro vs iPad Pro Mini
Image: Apple

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Although the iPhone SE was the highlight of Apple’s spring event on Monday, it wasn’t the only new device announced. Apple also unveiled a smaller, more affordable iPad Pro which features some notable improvements over its predecessor.

SEE ALSO: See how the iPhone SE stacks up against the iPhone 6s and iPhone 5s

It may share a name with the 2015 iPad Pro, but the new tablet doesn’t look quite the same. First of all, the 2016 iPad Pro features a display of 9.7 inches — a significant downsizing from the 12.9 inches of last year’s model. As a result, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro weighs in at just 0.96 pounds to the 12-9-inch iPad Pro’s 1.59 pounds.

Another key difference is the display. Yes, the smaller screen with have a slightly lower resolution, but Apple says that the iPad Pro will be the first Apple device to feature a True Tone display. The company says that True Tone displays are able to dynamically change the color temperature of the screen to better suit the setting.

The camera setup has also improved dramatically with the smaller iPad Pro. Unlike last year’s model, the new iPad features a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. If you can deal with the camera bump on the back of the device, you’re in for a much better picture-taking experience, with an f/2.2 aperture, 63-megapixel panoramas and True Tone flash.

Internally, the devices are far more similar, both equipped with the upgraded A9X processor and M9 motion coprocessor. But despite this parity, the 9-7-inch iPad Pro is the only one of the two that supports always-on “Hey Siri” functionality.

Finally, when it comes to available models, the miniaturized iPad Pro has its big brother beat once again. Along with the 128GB/256GB cellular models and the 32GB/128GB/256GB Wi-Fi models of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the 9.7-inch tablet will also have a 32GB cellular model. Plus, you can get a 9.7-inch iPad Pro in Rose Gold.

Here’s a graphic showing off a few of the key differences between the tablets:

[graphiq id=”cB9u2lBiihv” title=”Apple iPad Pro (9.7) WiFi vs Apple iPad Pro LTE” width=”600″ height=”403″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/cB9u2lBiihv” link=”http://tablets.specout.com” link_text=”Apple iPad Pro (9.7) WiFi vs Apple iPad Pro LTE | SpecOut”]

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.