What does the iPad Pro (or iPad Pro) really have in common: a real achievement in tablet design and how artificial intelligence can make it better
This new iPad Pro feels, in many ways, like the finale of the 14-year history of the iPad, all the pieces finally in place. It also feels, as ever, like a futuristic device plagued by software stuck firmly in the past, one I’m not sure I’d recommend to most people.
Instead of recycling the same chassis as it has been doing for the past few years, Apple has finally ditched the old iPad Pro shell for an entirely new one. The standard 11-inch display or a slightly bigger 13-inch size will be your choice. Apple sent me the latter to test for this review. It isn’t a dramatic difference. I am all for any extra screen real estate, as a person who looks at a monitor all day. The 15-inch MacBook Air is my daily driver. If you plan on working off of the iPad Pro full-time, I’d recommend the bigger size.
The new iPad Pro received a mini-LED treatment, but only the 12.9-inch version, which is what Apple calls a sixth generation iPad, has the same treatment. A brighter screen is the result of a new display technology called Tandem XDR, which consists of two fused OLED layers.
The new iPad Pro is a genuine achievement in tablet design. It’s the closest thing I’ve ever seen to the vision that a tablet should feel not like a computer but, rather, like a piece of glass in your hand. I don’t know how you’d shrink it more, the plug for the 13-inch Pro I use is already thicker than the iPad itself. A machine that is light, fast and remarkable.
I should mention the possibility that the whole equation could be changed by the help of artificial intelligence. Maybe generative AI will make Photos so much better that everybody suddenly wants a big, beautiful screen. It’s possible that the iPad will become a smart home controller as a result of Siri getting so good. Maybe the camera software will be so spectacular that you’ll use a tablet for all your video calls forever. Maybe, maybe, maybe. WWDC is in a few weeks, and I expect Apple to aggressively try to convince you that advances in AI make the iPad Pro more than just an iPad. If it is able to convince me that an iPad Pro is a necessary device in the future, I will go for it.
I’ve done almost all of my testing on one of the highest-end versions of the iPad Pro: a 13-inch space black model with 1TB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and a built-in cellular connection. That’s a $2,099 tablet right there. The $2,577 worth of iPad that I am reviewing is a combined result of the $129 pencil pro and the $349 magic keyboard. The Pro is not cheap: the 11-inch model starts at $949 and comes with 8 gigabytes of ram and 256gigabyte of storage. (That entry-level storage option is double what it used to be, which is a nice change but still spendy.)
The top-tier models of Pro — with 1TB or 2TB of storage — get the best M4, with an additional performance core in the CPU. Yay for more power, I guess, but I’d be astonished if there were any way to tell the difference in everyday use. In most cases, the iPad’s raw performance hasn’t been an issue for a very long time.
The M4’s main practical purpose is to power the new OLED display. Apple uses two OLEDs to get a sharper, brighter panel. Apple calls it Ultra Retina XDR, which is a ridiculous name, but whatever, it works beautifully. The traditional upsides of the device are obvious right away: the letterboxes above and below a video just disappear into the bezel, and photos look more dynamic. Colors are incredibly vibrant — to the point of occasionally looking too contrasty and HDR-y to my eyes. The Pro’s peak brightness is significantly brighter than the new Air, too, which is tough to pull off with an OLED.
The only downside I’ve noticed in the display so far is that the OLED seems to pick up a little more glare and reflection than the Air’s LCD panel. When I use it outdoors, I crank the brightness to get a better view of the screen. But that’s a tiny complaint; this screen looks fantastic — and I haven’t noticed battery draining faster at max brightness than before.
The front-facing camera was put in the middle of the iPad’s long side. This is a good thing because it is a landscape-first device. The iPad is a landscape-first device. I am not a fan of the quality of the front camera but it is useful now, and I am not too upset about it.
The new features this year are the Pencil Pro. It has a nifty new squeeze gesture that is useful and makes it quicker to bring up menus and commonly used tools. Expect some cool and weird integrations soon because Apple is letting developers personalize what happens when you squeeze in their apps. The Barrel Roll feature is going to be a big win for artists of all sorts because it allows them to turn their virtual brush or pen by twisting the pencil as they draw. It works well, though I am woefully unqualified to review something from an artist’s perspective. We’ll have more on that front soon.)
The new Magic keyboard is my favorite upgrade of this year, and it is the same thing. When you dock the iPad in the attachment, it adds a full keyboard and a trackpad, floating the iPad above it — it’s the most laptop-like way to use an iPad. The new model is sturdier than the last, though it does still wobble a bit when you touch the iPad’s screen. The keyboard feels wonderful, right in step with a MacBook’s keys or the traditional Magic Keyboard. I don’t have to pick up my hands whenever I use the device now that a row of function keys and bigger trackpad are present. Best of all, it’s about 50 grams lighter than before (658g on the new model, according to my kitchen scale, compared to 710g on the last), which contributes to the overall smaller footprint of the new Pro.