Apple iPad Pro Full Review! Can it really replace a laptop?

Apple iPad Pro

So I've been using the iPad pro for some time now, and it's time for my full written review.   Let's go!

First things first, YES...it's big and heavy like all other reviewers have stated.  The body?  It's slim, and big.  6.9mm is nice, any thinner...and we might not have these great specs we have.  It weighs 1.5lbs, and you will know it while using it.  This thing is massive, and there is no other way to put it.  BUT, it's not to overwhelming when used with keyboard.  That makes it feel more like a real laptop, and that is a good thing.  Can it replay my laptop, well...we shall see.  It's still too soon to say.

Let's get to the screen, WOW...just wow.  Coming in at a resolution of 2048 x 2732 (264ppi)  I love it, and it's just a beautiful one.  No denying that, it's really that good.  Playing with it at the apple store before buying is not like bring it home, and setting it up to be your own.  I'm sitting here at the kitchen table as I type this, and it's so nice to view such a nice screen.  Watching movies, playing some games, web surfing on this thing is worlds better than my iPad Mini.  I am not saying to myself, man...I can't believe I used to use that little thing.  Heck, even my iPad Air 2 seems a little weird to use now lol.

Button placement.  It's kind of wrong I wanna say, and should not be so far up at the top.  I understand this is the first generation model, so this needs to be fixed in the next model.

3D Touch.  Where is it?  Apple!  Where is force to touch?  This is your latest technology, and you didn't include it with your newest tablet.  Wow!  Enough said.

The Speakers on this bad boy are just flat out amazing, and you don't have to crank it to full volume to hear some great sound!  I love them on all four corners, and you will too if you decide to pick this tablet/laptop hybrid up.  Crystal clear sounds from all sides is a must on such a big device, and it will surprise you at how loud they are.  Trust me.

It runs iOS 9.1 out of the box, and it runs great.  Like really great!  During my time of using this device, I have had no issues what so ever.  I mean none.  I know there are some issues with the device needing a reboot after charging to get it started, but I hope you don't have to go through that.  While it's not that big of a deal, it is still an issue that Apple will fix in an update.

There are not a lot of apps that are made directly for the iPad Pro yet, but again the apps do look good.  But I want more of my primary apps to be formatted for the big screen.  (Work on this Apple, please and thank you.)

It's loaded with all the options you need to connect.  WiFi Dual band; LTE or WiFi models; GPS; Bluetooth 4.0; hotspot; NFC.  I have the 128GB LTE model.

Memory sizes are 32GB WiFi, 128GB WiFi, and 128GB LTE Unlocked, and carriers have the 128GB LTE model as well.  You can pick the one you like best!

It still has the fingerprint reader, but it's feels so silly on this big device to be honest.  It's like it just doesn't belong on here, or at least not at the bottom of the device.    It you are looking that option, it's still here.  Just weird that is all.  When you buy it, you will see what I mean.

I'm now gonna answer the questions you might be thinking about.

Price!
32gb WiFi is $799 plus your local taxes
128gb WiFi is $949 plus your local taxes
128gb LTE model is $1079 plus your local taxes

Is it worth those prices in my opinion, NOPE!  Way too high.  Here is how I would price them.  WiFi models as followed. 32gb - $699, 64gb - $799, 128gb - $899, LTE models all $120 on top of the prices listed above.  What do you think?

I've been using this with the Logitech keyboard, mainly because it just feels so much better that way.  The apple keyboard has lots of things this one does not, and I would recommend you do NOT buy the apple keyboard.  This one has a textured cover, and it covers the entire device.  Also, it can be used as a full case to protect you iPad Pro completely, unlike the apple keyboard.  This keyboard feels so good, and has great travel and feedback on it while typing.  The apple keyboard even cost more, which is crazy to me.


The pencil that apple said was stupid years back?  Well, they ate those words now.  While I will not be buying it, and don't see any use for it...it might be for you.  If you are an artist, or can hold a steady hand...get it, I guess.  (That's all I have to say about that.)

My final thoughts are this.  Over all, I am going to say it is a very nice device.  If you are looking for just a big tablet, don't buy this one.  Go look at some android devices, and you will find them priced a lot better.  They will work just as good for gaming, and basic web surfing and things like that.  Don't spend this much money just to have an iPad that is not going to give you the monies worth.  You won't find it here.  For me!  I'm gonna get my monies worth, because I travel and need a hybrid like this.  With the Logitech keyboard I bought, it's an amazing option for not carrying around a laptop.  This can do the things a tablet can do, and it can do some things my laptop can do.  Not very many, but when I travel...I try to keep it basic.  So this device works for me.  Creating word docs, typing notes on the go, etc.  It can do some things, but it's no where close to being a replacement for my laptop at all.  I need plug and play things, and this one requires an adapter for all of that.  So, it's not so 'Pro' after all.  But it will do for what I need it for.

If you are looking for a nice hybrid, get this one over a regular iPad.  I might use my iPad Air 2 for gaming, it's small and easy to hold for long periods of time unlike this beast lol!   There are a lot of options for buying a travel companion, and this is now one of them.  I will say this though.  For some people, basic users....it will replace their laptops.  Power users, don't bother buying for that reason.  At least not yet, wait until the next gen. comes out.

Do I like it?  Yep, love it.  However, I will only be using this with the keyboard.  I feel like that is where it belongs.  Not to be used as just a tablet, nope...and you've been warned!

Would I recommend it?  Scroll  back up, and read the paragraph that starts with 'My final thoughts...'  Please see my video review as well, thanks for reading and happy Tech buying!

God bless you!

Logi Create keyboard

For $499 the Huawei made Nexus 6P is beautiful!

There is no denying that the Huawei made Nexus 6P is beautiful, and just looks amazing! With a starting price of $499, you actually get a really nice package in a smartphone.  

The design of the Nexus 6P looks stunning, but only in the aluminum finish in my opinion. Because that particular model looks the most premium, and really stands on.  The screen on the 6P is gorgeous to say the least, and is sure to please while using for any media content.  Videos, games, web browsing, etc you will find yourself extremely pleased.  Coming in at 5.7 inches, it sharp at 1440X2560.  On either side of the screen, there's a speaker. Which provides sound you would not believe, until you have listened to them yourself.  

When it comes to software, it's a Nexus device! Enough said right? You are guaranteed to get all the updates, and you will have no bloatware from carriers.  Buttery smooth, and works without a hitch.  

Camera on the 6P could be labeled as one of the best, but that's a stretch.  The software is minimal, and leaves much to be desired to be honest.  However, when it comes to just taking photos it will get the job done.  I would have liked to see more control, that's all.  But sometimes less is more, right?  

With Android 6.0 battery life should be improved, and I'll give more test on that later.  So far, this device will make it through a full day.  The new doze feature is a much needed one, that should have been introduced long ago.  None the less, it's here so let's all enjoy long standby times now! Thanks Google!

Now that fingerprint scanners are the norm, we should see the popping up all lots of new devices in the near future.  Setup is ready easy and fast, and this is one of the fastest fingerprint readers you will use on a phone.  The placement of it is great too, as it seems so natural.

It's a big phone, kinda talk but not too big for my taste.  I like large phones, and could only see myself using at least a 5.5 inch screen going forward.  Anything less, just doesn't feel right.  Some might say not having the SD card option, and removable battery is a bad thing. But honestly I'm over it, because if the phone had at least 32gb of onboard storage I'm good to go.  My cloud storage exceeds 3TB, so no complaints here.

With a specs like the following, it's a good deal.

5.7 inch 1440X2560 display

32, 64, 128gb memory options

12mp camera w/laser auto focus

Thin frame and body

Premium build quality

3450mAh battery

LTE on all US carries

Fingerprint scanner

3GB of RAM

Snapdragon 810

USB Type C

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi

My Ultimate smartphone. Is there one? Will there ever be one? Answer, NOPE!

Everyone wants something different, so there will never be a phone that everyONE person will want.  If you think I'm wrong, tell me why?  I'd love to hear how there can be a 'one size fits all' in the mobile world!

If you are like most people today, you have more than one smartphone.  At least 1 tablet, an SLR camera, or digital camera, a laptop, and a PC.  I have more than I need, but I'm a tech blogger part-time.  What's your reason?  Do you like the freedom of choice?  Using different OS's when you want to?  One has better battery than the other?  All of the above apply to me, and probably you as well.  I use all OS's, WP8, Android, iOS, Blackberry, and recently the Fire OS.

When you look back just 5 to 10 years, smartphones really were not that great.  Example to my left, lol.  The HTC Tytn.  If you had this, or the T-Mobile version raise your hand.  (Both of mine are up right now)  They had small screens, felt like a brick in your pocket, had resistive touch screens, spoor specs, no LTE, poor cameras, and the list goes on and on.  But at that time, we had the best phones in the world.  Wow, we had no idea how quickly that would change in the near future.  In 2008 on December 3rd, I reviewed my first phone on YouTube.  I sucked bad too, lol. The video was recorded in 240p, the lighting was horrible, and the list goes on lol.

But what I didn't understand at that moment, is that I was on the road to a very fun filled future on YouTube.  The T-Mobile G1 was extremely nice back then, I think if you are an android user you would agree.  I mean look at these specs!!  I was pumped! Weren't you?  (Video below)

117 x 55.7 x 17.1 mm

158 g (5.57 oz)

Keyboard QWERTY

Trackball

TFT capacitive touchscreen, 65K colors

3.2 inches (~46.8% screen-to-body ratio)

320 x 480 pixels (~180 ppi pixel density)

Corning Gorilla Glass

Android OS, v1.6 (Donut)

Qualcomm MSM7201A

528 MHz ARM 11

Adreno 130

MEMORY Card slot microSD

192 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM

CAMERA 3.15 MP, 2048 x 1536 pixels, autofocus

When Google first launched android, it was one of the best time in history for tech people.  Rejoice!!!  So what is the perfect smartphone, or the 'ultimate' smartphone.  What are the specs that go with this so called, killer device?  Well, let's be honest here...there is NO ultimate smartphone!  Every three months or so, there is a new device that will be better spec'd than the one you just bought.  But does that mean yours is now a brick in the pocket?  Nope, it simply means OEM's are trying to get more money from you, and that's just it.  

However, what if you could create your own smartphone next month?  You have free range to call any OEM, and tell them what you wanted them to produce for you.  What would be your specs be, and who would you like to manufacture it?  Here are some of mine, well at least the 'main' things I would want.

Manufactured by HTC

Colors - Deep Red, Blue, Black, White, Blue/White, Deep Red/White, Black/White, etc.
Screen - 5.8 inch QHD display (Sapphire)
Body - 150 x 78 x 7.5 mm (Metal frame)
Sound - Dual front speakers (boomsound)
Memory - 128GB, SD Card slot takes up to 256GB card
Cameras - Rear 41mp, Front 13mp
Processor - Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 3.2GHZ Quad-Core 
GPU - Kepler DX1
Battery - 4500 mAh
OS - Stock Android 5.0.2 (or whatever is current)
SIM - Nano SIM with multi-carrier support
Price - $749.99 UNLOCKED to ALL GSM and CDMA carriers

Now can you even imagine something like this?  For me, I could use this daily as my only device. I wouldn't have to take a tablet with me, nor would I need a spare battery.  I would be so happy to find something like this in my mailbox next month, made just for me.  Do you have a dream device?  I'm sure if you are a techie...you do.  There is nothing wrong with dreaming, it's a good thing.  I think that it won't be long, before we start to see specs like these are our devices in the near future.  So tell me, what's your 'ultimate' smartphone?

If it's not about tech, it's not worth talking about...

J. Williams