If you use the new picture-in-a-picture multitasking feature and zoom the video out to the largest size, the resulting picture is about 4 inches measured diagonally on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. On the 12.9 inch iPad Pro, the picture is around 5.5 inches. This is the difference between an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 6S. The display also contains the same sensors as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which means it is compatible with Apple’s new Pencil accessory. So not only do you get an improved display with a wider range of colors, you get to draw on it. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro gets a camera similar to what is seen in the iPhone. It is a 12 MP camera with continuous autofocus and capable of shooting 4K HD video. The front-side camera is also improved, going from the 1.2 MP camera found in the 12.9-inch Pro to a 5 MP camera with a Retina Flash, which uses the screen to emulate a flash. Not only will this take great selfies, but it also means the video streamed through FaceTime will be clearer, which is important if the person on the other side is watching on a 12.9-inch iPad. However, because the speakers are bigger, the 12.9-inch Pro gets a significant jump in volume. And while the 9.7-inch Pro’s speakers are a vast improvement over the iPad Air line of tablets, they don’t produce quite as full of a sound as the bigger Pro’s speakers. Again, this is mainly due to size. The biggest speed difference comes in the graphics, where the bigger Pro is 5 times faster than the Mini 2 and the 9.7-inch Pro is only 4.3 times faster, but most of that extra speed is eaten up powering the higher resolution display. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro has 4 GB of RAM compared to the 2 GB in the smaller Pro. Theoretically, apps on the bigger Pro will be allowed to use more memory, which means they can deliver more complex features to the tablet. In practice, most app developers are going to limit the use of memory to make sure the app runs on most iPads. However, the extra memory will also be helpful when multitasking or when switching back to an app used earlier in the day. Mainly, that you don’t need to pick out a specific carrier when buying an LTE version from Apple.com or some other non-carrier store. Buying an iPad Pro from a carrier could mean that you get a “locked” version. However, the 9.7-inch Pro also has a removable SIM card slot that can override the embedded SIM, so you shouldn’t get locked into a specific carrier. As this list demonstrates, you aren’t simply getting a smaller and cheaper iPad if you go with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. The newest Pro is covered in improved features like the True Tone display and the 12 MP back-facing camera. However, that $200 does buy a huge amount of screen space, with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro almost doubling the real estate offered by the 9.7-inch version.
