Apple iPad Pro 9.7 may be underclocked and with only 2 GB RAM
While the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will have the same Apple A9X processor as its bigger 12.9-inch iPad Pro sibling, a closer look at the official specifications suggests that the A9X in the smaller iPad Pro may be clocked slower. Apple has noted that its processor in the 12.9-inch model is 2.5x as fast as the Apple A7 in the first iPad Air and 5x as fast in terms of GPU performance. The 9.7-inch model, however, is "only" 2.4x as fast as the A7 and 4.3x as fast in graphics.
The clock rate differences are not likely to be noticeable during everyday use, but the changes don't end there, either. According to Tech Crunch, the iPad Pro 9.7 will ship with just half the RAM as its bigger sibling at 2 GB LPDDR4. Heavy multi-tasking and more demanding applications may run more swiftly on the iPad Pro 12.9 if true.
As we've noted in our review of the iPad Pro 12.9, the device is simply an oversized tablet unfit to replace a dedicated notebook despite how Apple may be advertising its products. Internal storage space options are up to 256 GB for the iPad Pro 9.7, though this feels unbalanced considering the potentially limiting 2 GB of RAM. The iPad Pro 9.7 will be available starting this March 31st for 670 Euros.