It’s been just over two weeks since the M4 iPad Pro launched, which means it’s time for a longer review of the updated OLED display, AI-focused processor, super-slim design and new accessories that include the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.
The design of the new ‌iPad Pro‌ is probably the best overall feature, and the drop in weight and thickness makes all the difference whether you’re traveling or just using the iPad at home. At 5.1mm, the 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ is Apple’s thinnest device yet, and a tablet of this size and thickness continues to be impressive. After two weeks, there is no sign of a “bending gate” thanks to the reinforced rib that Apple incorporated under the hood. There’s an argument that some people would obviously prefer a bigger battery over a slimmer design.
Apple has moved the front-facing camera to the width of the ‌iPad Pro‌, and it’s a small but notable change. If you use your ‌iPad‌ with a keyboard in landscape orientation, but have had to awkwardly switch it to portrait mode for a FaceTime call, this is a gadget you’ll appreciate. It’s much more natural than treating an ‌iPad‌ like a giant iPhone.
The OLED display of the ‌iPad Pro‌ has no competition. It’s by far the best display that Apple has introduced on an ‌iPad‌, and you won’t find a better tablet display even among competing products. Apple used tandem OLED technology (basically stacking two OLED displays on top of each other) and the brightness and contrast are unparalleled. Movies look amazing, the ‌iPad‌ does well in bright lighting, and HDR makes pictures pop.
Compared to the previous generation ‌iPad Pro‌ with a mini-LED display, the OLED display is better, but not by enough to make it worth upgrading just for that. However, the difference is much more pronounced with LCD.
The latest ‌iPad Pro‌ with the M2 chip is incredibly fast, and the M4 is even faster according to benchmarks. You won’t find much that maximizes the M4’s processor in day-to-day use, but you will see bigger numbers in benchmarks comparing the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ and the ‌M2‌ ‌iPad Pro‌. Video editing and song creation in Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are super fast with the M4, but also super fast with the ‌M2‌. Maybe the M4 chip will shine when iPadOS 18 is updated with lots of new AI features, but for now it’s overkill.
Apple ditched both the ultra-wide camera and mmWave 5G in this version of the ‌iPad Pro‌, and most people probably won’t miss those features. Whether a 13-inch tablet needs any kind of rear camera is up in the air, and mmWave 5G speeds are still quite limited. Sub 6GHz 5G remains, and that’s fast enough for downloading, streaming and gaming.
In terms of accessories, the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Pro is essentially the same as the ‌Apple Pencil‌ 2, but with a few new tricks. You can press to bring up menus so you don’t have to look for settings to do things like change line weight or color, and there’s a barrel scrolling feature that basically does things like change the line weight when you tilt the ‌Apple Pencil‌ to behave . more like an actual writing or drawing tool. Find My might be the most useful addition to track your ‌Apple Pencil‌ if it goes missing, and it’s also nice to have haptic feedback.
The Magic Keyboard is much more Mac-like with a larger glass trackpad and aluminum palm rest. The trackpad is more enjoyable to use than before, and the function keys are also a big plus for controlling media, changing screen brightness, and more without having to dig around in the Settings app or Control Center.
Unsurprisingly, the ‌iPad Pro‌ is undoubtedly Apple’s best ‌iPad‌ and arguably the best tablet on the market. The main downside is the price, with the 11-inch model starting at $999 and the 13-inch model starting at $1,299. Those are Mac prices, and while the ‌iPad‌ hardware is worth it, it’s a big price to pay for the limitations you’re stuck with when using iPadOS. There are workflows that work with a tablet, but many people won’t be able to replace a Mac with an ‌iPad‌.
If you want maximum performance, you also have to settle for the 1TB+ ‌iPad Pro‌, as the 1TB and 2TB models have an extra CPU core (10 cores versus 9 cores) and 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB.