I’ve been wanting to get my hands on the iPad Pro ever since rumours started doing the rounds late last year. While I’m not buying the whole laptop-is-dead mantra, the iPad has always been a simple, powerful tablet that just worked. With this newest version being bigger and better than those before, my hopes are high.

The iPad Pro is certainly bigger than before. It’s a bit of a shock when you first see it. The 12.9-inch screen and the approximately 713g weight means this isn’t quite the portable tablet it once was. The design is much like the iPad Air 2 – in fact, it could be the bigger brother sharing every design cue.

That big screen is capable of 2732 x 2048 at 264ppi. As the main selling point of the iPad Pro, the screen really is very good. It is bright, reactive and very sharp. Once you see it in action, the new size of the tablet begins to make sense. It’s an excellent size for movies, productivity and games as well as just surfing the internet.

With a larger screen comes a larger chassis and room for more speakers. In fact, the iPad Pro now has four speakers instead of two. Sound quality is good with or without headphones.

Driving the screen is an Apple A9X processor with 4GB of RAM in support. Storage is either 32GB or 128GB, with 128GB being the only real option. Other hardware includes an 8MP iSight camera, 1.2MP front camera, Wi-Fi, 4G and a battery that Apple says is good for up to 10 hours use.

The Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard are both welcome additions that would be more so if they weren’t so expensive. Which brings me to the biggest surprise of the iPad Pro: the price. Considering the premium we usually have to pay for an iDevice, the iPad Pro is actually reasonably priced. Is the iPad Pro a laptop killer? No. Is it an exceptional tablet? Definitely.

Jesmond Darmanin is a technology enthusiast who has his own blog at www.itnewsblog.com.