Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation) vs Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)

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iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation) compared with iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)

	AppleiPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation)	AppleiPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2015	November 2018
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12.9″	12.9″
Resolution
Resolution	2732 × 2048	2732 × 2048
Sharpness
Sharpness	265 pixels per inch	265 pixels per inch
Panel
Panel	LCD	LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	120 Hz (better)
Brightness
Brightness	–	600 nits
Display type
Display type	Retina; LED-backlit LCD	Liquid Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD; rounded corners reduce the viewable area
Pixel density
Pixel density	264 ppi	264 ppi
Brightness detail
Brightness detail	–	1.8% reflectivity
Display features
Display features	Fully laminated; anti-reflective and oleophobic coatings; variable 30–60 Hz refresh described by Ars Technica	ProMotion adjusts refresh up to 120 Hz; P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coatings; Dolby Vision and HDR10 content playback
Performance
Chip
Chip	A9X	A12X Bionic
Memory
Memory	4 GB	4 GB – 6 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	32 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB	64 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	64-bit A9X; M9 coprocessor; 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM confirmed by iFixit	Eight-core 64-bit CPU with four performance and four efficiency cores; embedded M12 coprocessor; 4 GB RAM on 64/256/512 GB and 6 GB on 1 TB (Notebookcheck)
GPU
GPU	–	Seven-core Apple GPU
AI engine
AI engine	–	Neural Engine
Cameras
Rear camera
Rear camera	8 MP	12 MP (better)
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	None	None
Front camera
Front camera	1.2 MP	7 MP (better)
Rear camera
Rear camera	Autofocus; f/2.4 five-element lens; HDR; panorama; backside illumination	f/1.8; five-element lens; digital zoom up to 5x; quad-LED True Tone flash; sapphire lens cover; Focus Pixels autofocus; Smart HDR; wide colour capture
Front camera
Front camera	FaceTime HD; f/2.2; HDR	TrueDepth; f/2.2; Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting; Retina Flash; Smart HDR; Animoji and Memoji
Video recording
Video recording	Rear 1080p at 30 fps; 720p slow-motion at 120 fps; stabilised time-lapse; front 720p	Rear 4K at 30/60 fps and 1080p at 30/60 fps; slow-motion 1080p at 240 fps; stabilised time-lapse; HEVC/H.264; front 1080p at 30/60 fps
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10 hours	Up to 10 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	38.5 Wh (better)	36.71 Wh
Battery (mAh)
Battery (mAh)	10,307 mAh	–
Mobile data option
Mobile data option	Yes	Yes
Stylus
Stylus	Supported, sold separately	Supported, sold separately
Keyboard made for it
Keyboard made for it	Yes	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi browsing, video or music; nine hours cellular browsing; 10,307 mAh and 38.8 Wh battery label reported by iFixit, compared with Apple's 38.5 Wh specification	Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi browsing, video or music; nine hours cellular browsing
Charging
Charging	Power adaptor or USB computer charging	USB-C power adaptor or computer; supplied 18 W adaptor is not a stated maximum charging rate
USB-C
USB-C	Lightning; 3.5 mm headphone jack; Smart Connector	USB-C with USB 3.1 Gen 2 and external displays up to 5K; Smart Connector
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; HT80 with MIMO	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; HT80 with MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.2	Bluetooth 5.0
Mobile network
Mobile network	LTE; UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA; GSM/EDGE; CDMA EV-DO; nano-SIM with Apple SIM support; cellular model weighs 723 g and starts at 128 GB	Gigabit-class LTE; UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA; GSM/EDGE; nano-SIM and eSIM; data only; cellular model weighs 633 g
Stylus support
Stylus support	Apple Pencil (1st generation), sold separately	Apple Pencil (2nd generation) with magnetic attachment, pairing and wireless charging; Apple Pencil (USB-C); sold separately
Keyboards
Keyboards	Smart Keyboard through Smart Connector, sold separately	Smart Keyboard Folio through Smart Connector, sold separately
Design
Weight
Weight	713 g	631 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	6.9 mm	5.9 mm (better)
Height × width
Height × width	305.7 × 220.6 mm	280.6 × 214.9 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iPadOS	iPadOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID in Home button	Face ID through TrueDepth camera
Speakers
Speakers	Four-speaker audio	Four-speaker audio
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Five microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Gyroscope; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light; compass; iBeacon; assisted GPS and GLONASS on cellular model	Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light sensor; digital compass; iBeacon; GPS/GNSS on cellular model
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure (Ars Technica)	–
Colours
Colours	Silver, Gold, Space Grey	Silver, Space Grey
Software at launch
Software at launch	iOS 9; subsequently received iPadOS	iOS 12; subsequently received iPadOS
In the box
In the box	iPad Pro; Lightning to USB cable; USB power adaptor	iPad Pro; USB-C Charge Cable (1 m); 18 W USB-C Power Adapter