New iPad Pro range brings Portrait Mode to Apple's tablets

We went a bit Apple-frantic yesterday with the launch of the new iPad Pro 11, iPad Pro 12.9, new Macbook Air and Mac Mini (2018) all getting a once-over from our tech eye.

It was during this run-through that we decided to check out one of the features on the new iPad Pro range - given that it has the TrueDepth camera for Face ID, allowing you to open the tablet with your face, would that mean that selfies are improved too?

After all, that camera was first brought on the iPhone X in 2017, and it allowed Apple to offer selfies with bokeh (background blur) with only a single sensor.

That trick has now come to the iPad for the first time, allowing you to take portrait shots of yourself that look a little bit niftier than just a generic pic of your wonderful visage.

You can also play with the lighting effects, as you can on the iPhone X and its newer 10-monikered bedfellows, the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. However, there are only three effects available, with Stage Light and Stage Light Mono (where the background is darkened out) curiously not available.

We say curiously as there's certainly enough power under the hood to allow for it - the A12X Bionic chip is going to be light years ahead of the power of some phones Apple has made, and yet they can handle the Stage Light effect.

While it's cool that you can have extra features on your new tablet - and given the price of the new iPad Pro range, you'd expect that you'd have every single goshdarn option going - we didn't find it that easy to take a snap holding the tablet.

Yes, you've got a massive viewfinder that lets you find your face more easily, but we tried it on the large iPad Pro 12.9 and it wasn't the easiest thing to hold with a single hand.

But, if you're thinking for some inexplicable reason that you'd like a massive screen to take your selfies, at least you can now buy the new iPad Pro with the safe knowledge that option is now open to you.

• Have a look at the new Apple tablet in our hands on: iPad Pro 11 review

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