Let me say this right up front; I've enjoyed Apple iPads since they were introduced. However, I also use Android tablets, and have enjoyed those equally, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, several Sonys, many iterations of the Nexus line, and my phone of choice is a Galaxy Note 4. So yes, I am a fan of Apple, but I'm equally a fan of Android. I don't see either platform as being better, just different.

With that being said, I will say that the iPad Pro is a beautiful, amazing piece of tech. It's HUGE (basically the size of two iPad Air 2s side by side.), but that screen is gorgeous to see. But what ultimately tipped me over to buying one is the speakers and the Pencil stylus. I'd love to give this a 5, but there are definitely a couple of factors that keep me from doing so. The first is the cost. This thing is EXPENSIVE enough to give you justifiable pause. You could buy yourself a nice powerful gaming laptop, like the CUK MSI GE62 Apache 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7-5700HQ Processor, 1TB 7200rpm HDD , NVIDIA GTX 960M, 12GB RAM, Windows 10 Operating System) for the same, if not lower, price. In other words, I don't know if most people could justify the cost. But if you can, it has a great deal to offer in the way of power and true tablet capabilities that definitely set the iPad Pro apart, but you'll have to plunk down another $100 for the Pencil stylus to fully unlock those capabilities. It's undoubtedly the best digitizer for everything from note taking to masterpiece artwork, and I can easily see the potential for growth far beyond into just about every type of app, even games. It's literally like writing or drawing on a piece of paper. Apple may be late, but when they execute, they make it as close to perfect as possible.

And the sound is far above and beyond that of ANY tablet, and even most notebooks, including most gaming machines. While the truly deep bass is lacking, the overall experience still has plenty of punch from lows to highs, and rewatching movies or playing videos or music gives you a rich soundscape that let's you hear things you didn't even know were there, from subtle instrument whispers to the slightest of reverb, and it makes the experience far more enjoyable because of it. And amazingly, dialogue stays true and evident even when accompanied by the loudest of effects. I'm not sure how Apple pulled it off, but I'm extremely glad they did. I've been waiting a long time for any tablet to have this level of sonic ability. It sounds so good that it makes all the Dolby (or other) enhancements sound like a gimmick. Playing games, especially ones you've played before, brings immersiveness to a whole new level. You really have to experience it to believe it.

While the screen is crisp and rich with color, I do see one other factor that leads me to hold back that last star, and that factor is screen brightness. Even at full brightness, it's not nearly as bright as other iPads, and I suspect that Apple HAD to do this in order to maximize battery life while keeping down the weight and thickness. I'm not saying that it's bad by any means, it's just not what you expect from an iPad. At least, that's been my experience.

But as a whole, I think this beast of a tablet offers the best iPad experience so far, whether for casual use or the most demanding tasks. Multitasking is not only possible, but actually worth it because of the A9X processor and ample screen real estate. The bottom line is this: if you don't want to get one of these, then don't go look at one. You've been warned.

PROS:
Silky smooth performance, even when multitasking.
Rich sound that's truly exceptional, and not just OK.
The most natural, responsive digitizer capabilities, ever.
HUGE, crisp screen.

CONS:
Screen brightness not nearly as good as other iPads.
Pencil stylus not included.
EXPENSIVE, EXPENSIVE, EXPENSIVE.