Home Tablet comparison Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) and Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018) - Which is better?

Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) vs Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)

71 out 100
Apple iPad Pro 12.9
VS
50 out 100
Apple iPad 9.7
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) Manufactured in November, 2018, with display 12.9 with chipsetApple A12X Bionic, vs Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018), Manufactured in March, 2018with chipsetApple A10 Fusion. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
  • Larger display: 12.9in
  • Higher pixel density: 265ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Higher battery capacity: 9720mAh vs 8827mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5 vs 4.2
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
Reasons to choose Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
  • Lighter design: 469g vs 631g
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB
- 4/512 GB
- 6/1024 GB		 - 2/32 GB
- 2/128 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) and Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Performance
App & system performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Tablets:
iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
vs
iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Size 12.9 in 9.7 in
Resolution 2048x2732 pixels 1536x2048 pixels
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Pixel density 265 ppi 264 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (24-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 600 nits 500 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10 No
Screen-to-body ratio 85.5 % 71.6 %
Features DCI-P3 n/a
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
601 nits
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
512 nits
sRGB gamut99.7 %97.5 %
Response time36 ms26 ms
Contrast1975:1869:1
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)], [Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 280.6 mm (11.05 in) 240 mm (9.45 in)
Width 214.9 mm (8.46 in) 169.5 mm (6.67 in)
Thickness 5.9 mm (0.23 in) 7.5 mm (0.3 in)
Weight 631 g (22.26 oz) 469 g (16.54 oz)
Area 603 cm² (93.47 in²) 407 cm² (63.09 in²)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Metal Metal
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gray		 - Silver
- Gold
- Gray
Fingerprint sensor No Yes In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
85.5 %
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
71.6 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) and Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A12X Bionic Apple A10 Fusion
Max Frequency 2500 MHz 2340 MHz
CPU Cores n/a 4 (2 + 2)
Architecture n/a - 2/1.05 (Zephyr)
- 2/2.34 (Hurricane)
Process n/a TSMC
Transistor Size n/a 16 nm
Neural Processor n/a No
Graphics n/a PowerVR GT7600
GPU Cores n/a 192
GPU Frequency n/a 650 MHz
FLOPS n/a 249.6 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
1358
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
872
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
4736
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
1218
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1358872
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)47361218
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)], [Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
677981
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
434565
CPU210201142302
GPU207538106599
Memory12246264054
UX137780121610
NanoReview Score677981434565
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
11793
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
2723
Max Surface Temp.41.2 °C40.1 °C
Stability76 %87 %
Graphics Test70 fps16 fps
Graphics Score117932723
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)], [Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB 2 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz 1333 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity64 GB32 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iPadOS 12 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.1) iPadOS 11.3 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 17.7)

Battery

Volume 9720 mAh 8827 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 12 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 60 min) No
Full Charge Time 2:45 h 4:20 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
31:49
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
31:27
Web Browsing11:25 h10:25 h
Video Playback16:28 h16:30 h
Games07:17 h06:48 h
Standby Mode179 h184 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels n/a
Flash Quad LED No
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) No
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion 120 fps (1080p) No
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP Standard: 8 MP
Features Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix12 MP8 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/2.4
Focal length29 mm31 mm
Sensor size1/3.0"n/a
Pixel size1.4 μm1.12 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusNo
StabilizationDigitalDigital

Front camera

Matrix 7 MP 12 MP
Matrix 3472x2063 pixels n/a
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length 32 mm 31 mm
Autofocus No No
Stabilization Digital No
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 720p at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5 4.2
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C No
USB version 3.1 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort No No
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
NFC* No No
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeNanoNano
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHzn/a
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHzn/a
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B29/B30/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B46/B66/B71)n/a
5G SupportNoNo

Sound

Speakers 4.0 Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No Yes
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
82.9 dB
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
75.7 dB

Other

Class Flagship Mid-range
Announced October, 2018 yr March, 2018 yr
Release Date November, 2018 yr March, 2018 yr
Launch Price ($) 999 329
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor		 - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included Yes 18 W Yes 10 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

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