iPad Pro: Should You Buy? Features, Reviews and More
iPad Pro
Juli Clover
The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models were updated in May 2024 with the M4 chip, OLED display technology, a thinner, lighter design, and support...
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MacRumors
Apple refreshed the iPad Pro lineup in May 2024, introducing a slimmer design, updated chips, and new display technology, with these features representing the biggest update we've seen to the iPad lineup in many years.

The iPad Pro features the thinnest and lightest design to date, with Apple introducing 11-inch and 13 inch models. There is an all-screen design and an edge-to-edge display with no Home button. The top bezel of the iPad Pro houses a TrueDepth camera system that's used for Face ID biometric authentication.

At 5.1mm, the 13-inch iPad Pro is Apple's thinnest device ever, and the 5.3mm 11-inch iPad Pro isn't much thicker. Both of the iPad Pro models have an aluminum chassis in Silver or Space Black with flat sides and rounded edges and thin bezels around the OLED display.

An Ultra Retina XDR display is the a major new feature for both iPad sizes, and it uses tandem OLED technology that basically sandwiches two OLED displays together for even better performance. Apple says it is the world's most advanced display with extreme brightness and incredibly precise contrast.

The 11-inch model has a resolution of 2420-by-1668, and the 13-inch model has a resolution of 2752-by-2064, with both versions offering 264 pixels per inch and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. SDR brightness has increased to 1,000 nits max, while XDR brightness remains 1,000 nits and 1,600 nits for peak brightness with HDR content. Other supported display features include a 10Hz to 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, P3 wide color, and True Tone. The higher-end models have a nano-texture matte glass display option.

A next-generation 3-nanometer M4 chip powers the iPad Pro. The base M4 has a 9-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 8GB RAM, but higher storage models have a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16GB RAM. There is an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine, Media Engine with video/ProRes encoding and decoding, 120GB/s memory bandwidth, and support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading. Apple says the M4 CPU performance is up to 1.5x faster than the M2, and it is up to 4x faster at rendering content than the M2.

The base iPad Pro starts with 256GB of storage, with up to 2TB available as an upgrade. 1TB and 2TB models have more RAM than the 256GB and 512GB options.

There is a single Thunderbolt/USB-C port used for charging and connecting Thunderbolt peripherals, and it offers fast data transfers up to 40Gb/s. Up to one external display with 6K resolution at 60Hz can be used with the iPad Pro.

There is a 12-megapixel front-facing camera that's been moved to the landscape side of the iPad, so it is in the correct orientation for video calls when the iPad is used with a keyboard. The camera supports Center Stage and other FaceTime features. There is a single-lens 12-megapixel rear camera plus a LiDAR scanner for augmented reality experiences and an updated flash. Apple has removed the Ultra Wide camera that was available on the prior-generation model.

2024 iPad Pro models continue to offer 10-hour "all day" battery life on a single charge. Other features include Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, sub-6GHz 5G for cellular models, four speakers, and four microphones.

Apple's new iPad Pro models work with the new version of the Magic Keyboard that features an updated glass trackpad and new aluminum palm rest, and the Apple Pencil Pro with squeeze gesture, barrel roll support, haptic feedback, and Find My.

Pricing on the iPad Pro starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch model.

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Reviews of the M4 iPad Pro are overwhelmingly positive with the exception of a wide range of criticism for the iPadOS software. The M4 chip has "more power than almost anyone buying an iPad will know what to do with," as Engadget put it.

In day-to-day use, reviewers did not see a difference between the 9-core and 10-core models, which may not be surprising as there is only a 10 percent decrease in performance with the loss of one of the cores.

The OLED display was heavily praised as bright, sharp, and vibrant with deep, gorgeous colors and impressive contrast. To some, it even looked too contrasty with an excess of focus on HDR. The iPad Pro is much brighter than the iPad Air, but not everyone may find the OLED to be worth $500 more than the LCD display on the iPad Air.

As for design, the new iPad Pro models are incredibly thin, and reviewers felt that this made them much more portable. The 13-inch model in particular is much more of a one-handed device than before, with the lighter weight "radically" changing the experience of using the tablet. The Verge said that the iPad Pro is the "closest thing" to the vision that a tablet should feel "like a piece of glass in your hand."

The front-facing camera on the iPad Pro has moved to the landscape edge, a design change popular with reviewers because it allows for FaceTime calls in the proper orientation when a keyboard is attached.

Reviewers also liked the new Magic Keyboard because of its useful function row and expanded glass trackpad. It's much more of a Mac-like experience with the aluminum palm rest.

For more insight into the iPad Pro, we have a dedicated review roundup.

While the 2024 iPad Pro models look a lot like the 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 versions, Apple did make some updates. Both models are significantly thinner and lighter weight, which makes a major difference in usage.

The 11-inch iPad Pro measures in at 9.83 inches long, 6.99 inches wide, and 5.3mm thick. It weighs 0.98 pounds (444 grams). The 11-inch model is slightly wider and longer than the prior version, and 0.6mm thinner.

The 13-inch iPad Pro is 11.09 inches long, 8.48 inches wide, and 5.1mm thick. It weighs 1.28 pounds (579 grams). The 13-inch model is also slightly longer and wider than the prior model, and more than a millimeter thinner, plus it weighs 100 grams less. Compared to the 11-inch model, the 13-inch model is over an inch longer and wider, so there is a notable size difference between the two.

While the iPad Pro is much thinner than prior versions, Apple has added a reinforced frame that is designed to prevent bending and damage.

There are only two color options for the iPad Pro, with Apple sticking with its usual Silver but also offering a Space Black shade that's a bit darker than the previous Space Gray. The body is made from recycled aluminum, and it features an all-screen design. This year, the bezels have been slimmed down, and the edge-to-edge display is slightly wider.

Rather than smooth, tapered edges, the iPad Pro models feature flat sides that wrap around the display. There is a Face ID TrueDepth camera system and front-facing camera built into the bezel, and Apple this year moved the camera to the landscape edge rather than the portrait edge.

The top of the iPad Pro features a sleep/wake button, and the right side has volume up and down buttons along with a spot for attaching the Apple Pencil Pro. A magnetic Smart Connector is at the back, and cellular models only support eSIMs so there is no longer a physical slot for a nano-SIM. There are speakers at the top and the bottom for four speakers total, along with four microphones. As with all Apple iPhones and iPads, there is no headphone jack.

Apple redesigned the camera bump in 2024, eliminating the Ultra Wide camera. There's now a single-lens rear camera, LiDAR Scanner, and improved flash.

At the bottom of the iPad Pro there's a Thunderbolt/USB-C port for charging and connecting accessories. Thunderbolt lets iPad Pro connect to Thunderbolt-only peripherals and transfer data at faster speeds, while still supporting standard USB-C accessories and cables. The back features a Smart Connector for accessories like the Magic Keyboard.

Apple introduced new display technology to the iPad Pro in 2024, marking the first time that OLED has been used for a larger screen. Both the 11-inch and 13-inch models have new Ultra Retina XDR displays, an upgrade over the prior respective LCD and mini-LED displays.

The Ultra Retina XDR displays use tandem OLED, a technology that actually combines two OLED panels to improve brightness and HDR performance. Apple says color and luminance are controlled down to the submillisecond, making it more responsive to content in motion.

According to Apple, the iPad Pro has the world's most advanced display with "extreme brightness" and "precise contrast." The OLED display features 1,000 nits full-screen brightness, 1,600 nits peak HDR brightness, and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. That's actually the same brightness as the prior mini-LED display, but contrast is improved and that improves the overall look of the display.

Users can expect more true-to-life details and accurate reflections of light in HDR images, making them more vibrant and realistic. Blacks are deeper for more detail in low light and shadows.

1TB and 2TB iPad Pro models can be upgraded with nano-texture glass, which has a matte finish. Nano-texture glass has etching at the nanometer scale, for the same image quality with less glare.

The 11-inch iPad Pro has a resolution of 2420x1668 with 264 pixels per inch, while the 13-inch iPad Pro has a 2752x2064 resolution, also with 264 pixels per inch.

Other features include an anti-reflective and fingerprint-resistant coating, P3 wide color for rich, vivid colors, and True Tone for adjusting the display to match the white balance of the ambient lighting in the room to make the screen easier on the eyes.

Both iPad Pro models support ProMotion display technology with a variable refresh rate from 10Hz to 120Hz. With ProMotion at 120Hz, content in motion on the screen is smoother, crisper, and more responsive for scrolling, gaming, and watching movies.

Face ID and TrueDepth Camera System

Instead of authenticating and unlocking through a Touch ID fingerprint system, the iPad Pro uses the Face ID feature that Apple has been adding to its products since 2017. Face ID can be used for unlocking the iPad, allowing access to third-party passcode-protected apps, confirming purchases, and authenticating Apple Pay payments.

Face ID uses sensors and cameras built into the top bezel of the iPad Pro, and Apple calls its multi-component setup the TrueDepth camera. To create the scan of your face that is used for authentication purposes, a dot projector projects over 30,000 invisible infrared dots onto your face. The dot map is read by an infrared camera and the structure of your face is relayed to the M4 chip in the iPad Pro where it is transformed into a mathematical model.

It takes just a fraction of a second for the iPad Pro to scan your face, recognize you, and unlock the device. Face ID is more secure than Touch ID, and it is unable to be fooled by a photo, mask, or other facial imitation. An "Attention Aware" security feature makes sure your iPad Pro only unlocks when you look at it with your eyes open, so it knows not to work when there is not a live person in front of it.

Face ID data is encrypted and stored in the Secure Enclave of the M4 chip. Authentication happens on-device, with no data stored in the cloud, sent to Apple, or accessible by apps.

Apple has designed Face ID to work in the dark, when wearing sunglasses, and with the face partially obscured by beards, glasses, makeup, scarves, and other accessories. Face ID is also able to adapt to changes in the face, so if you are slowly growing out a beard or your hair, it continues to recognize you. Face ID on the iPad Pro works in both landscape and portrait orientation.

Selfie Camera

The front-facing TrueDepth camera system includes a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide sensor for selfies and FaceTime videos. This year, Apple moved the location of the camera from the portrait top edge of the iPad to the landscape top edge.

With the new location of the camera, it is in a naturally centered orientation when the iPad Pro is in landscape mode, such as when it is used with the Magic Keyboard. The camera is located in the same spot that it is located on a MacBook and the iPad no longer needs to be turned to portrait mode to have a video call look right when accessories are attached.

The camera supports Center Stage, a feature that automatically keeps users perfectly framed during video calls. Center Stage can pan to keep users in the shot as they move around, and it works with FaceTime and other video apps. Other supported features include Portrait mode, Portrait lighting, and Animoji and Memoji.

The iPad Pro is equipped with a next-generation M4 chip, with Apple skipping the M3 chip and going from M2 to M4. According to Apple, the M4 chip delivers 1.5x faster CPU performance than the M2 in the prior-generation iPad Pro, and it has up to 4x faster rendering performance.

There are two variants of the M4 chip, one with a 9-core CPU and one with a 10-core CPU. 256GB and 512GB iPad Pro models have the 9-core CPU, and 1TB and 2TB models have the 10-core version. The difference comes from one fewer performance core, so the 9-core chip has three performance cores and six efficiency cores, and the 10-core chip has four performance cores and six efficiency cores. Both the 9-core and 10-core chips have the same 10-core GPUs.

In Geekbench benchmarking tests, the 10-core M4 chip is 46 percent faster than the M2 in single-core performance, and 55 percent faster in multi-core performance. It is also up to 24 percent faster than the M3.

The 9-core version of the M4 is approximately 10 percent slower than the 10-core version.

There is a more advanced 16-core Neural Engine, and the GPU supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, much like the M3 and A17 Pro. Apple says the Neural Engine is an "absolute powerhouse for AI." Apple also includes a Media Engine with hardware-accelerated 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW, along with video decoding and encoding, ProRes encoding and decoding, and AV1 decoding.

Apple improved the thermal performance of the iPad Pro by 20 percent using graphite sheets to the chassis and infusing the Apple logo with copper, which also helps with CPU and GPU speeds.

RAM

The 256GB and 512GB iPad Pro models have a 9-core CPU and also 8GB RAM. The 1TB and 2TB models have a 10-core CPU and 16GB RAM.

Storage

The entry-level iPad Pro has 256GB of storage, with 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB available as upgrade options. Upgrading to 1TB or 2TB increases both the number of CPU cores and the RAM.

Apple Pencil Pro

Apple introduced the $129 Apple Pencil Pro alongside the iPad Pro, and it is the most advanced version of the Apple Pencil to date. There are several new features, including an option to locate a lost Apple Pencil.

Barrel Roll

There is a gyroscope in the Apple Pencil Pro that allows the rotation of the barrel to change the orientation of certain tools. It basically offers much more precise control of shaped pen and brush tools, similar to how a real pen or brush would function when you tilt it while drawing or sketching.

Haptic Feedback

A built-in haptic engine offers haptic feedback when using the Apple Pencil Pro's gestures. A light haptic pulse responds when using a squeeze or double-tap gesture, plus there is feedback when using the snap to a Smart Shape feature.

Find My

Find My is available for the Apple Pencil Pro so it can be tracked right alongside the iPad and other devices in the Find My app.

Charging and Pairing

The Apple Pencil Pro attaches to the side of the iPad Pro or the iPad Air, and the magnetic connection enables automatic pairing and charging. There is a new magnetic interface that is available on the 2024 iPad Pro models.

Existing Features

Current Apple Pencil features like Apple Pencil hover and double tap are supported. Hover lets you preview where the Apple Pencil is about to touch down on the display before a mark is made, while double tap can be used for swapping between tools.

Low latency, tilt sensitivity, and pressure sensitivity are all included features.

Magic Keyboard

The updated version of the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro is thinner and lighter, making an iPad and Magic Keyboard combo more portable and easier to transport. The new Magic Keyboard is approximately 50 grams lighter than the prior-generation version.

Apple hasn't changed the underlying look of the Magic Keyboard, and it continues to use the floating cantilever design introduced with the prior version.

A magnetic back connects to the iPad, allowing for multiple viewing angles by adjusting the amount of tilt. The iPad hovers over the keyboard and palm rest, which is now made from aluminum, much like the MacBook. The keys are backlit and use a scissor mechanism with 1mm of travel, the same as the prior-generation model. The outer cover provides front and back protection to keep the iPad safe when traveling.

The updated Magic Keyboard has a dedicated row of function keys for increasing and lowering brightness, changing the volume, controlling media playback, locking the display, initiating a search, turning on Do Not Disturb, starting dictation, and more. The function row is similar to the function row on the Mac.

Apple made the trackpad from glass and increased the size, making it easier to work with. The trackpad supports haptic feedback, allowing for multi-touch gestures and improving precision-based tasks like editing spreadsheets and selecting text.

Space Black and Silver are the two available color options, and they match the iPad Pro models. The Silver model has a white silicone exterior and a silver aluminum palm rest, and the Space Black model has a Space Black palm rest and a black silicone exterior.