The new iPad Pro is clearly the best iPad, but that alone might not be enough to justify its sky-high price.
- Insanely cool piece of tech
- Gorgeous display
- New Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard are great
- Expensive
- iPadOS limitations don't feel very "Pro"
- Old accessories won't work
Expectations around what an iPad can do have changed because of the price. Apple’s tablets have all got more expensive over the years, but the increases have been especially noticeable in the Pro family.
For example, the first 12.9-inch iPad Pro launched with a $1,249 starting price back in 2015. $1,249 feels like a bargain compared to the $1,699 starting price for the new 11-inch iPad Pro, or the even steeper $2,199 you’ll pay for a 13-inch model - and that’s before you add in accessories. There are a lot of factors in play here - inflation, exchange rates, advances in technology - but no matter which way you slice it, iPad Pro prices have grown significantly.
For comparison, an entry-level MacBook Air with M3 starts at $1,799. That’s exactly what Apple charged for the “all-new” MacBook with just a single port back in 2015. While that’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, you’re now well and truly paying MacBook money for an iPad Pro in 2024.
It’s no surprise we’re seeing more comparisons between Apple’s tablets and laptops.
For me, this is complicated. I like the idea of a tablet being a “third device” from a philosophical perspective. Something that fills a different need than your laptop or phone. But at the same time, it’s fair to assume that an iPad should be able to do most of what a MacBook can, given they’re powered by the same chipsets and have similar price tags.
Apple has definitely put work intp bridging the gap between iPad Pro and Mac, but the latest iPad Pro still doesn’t quite live up to those lofty expectations. Capabilities haven’t increased at the same rate as its price tag. While the iPad is a more flexible computer, it’s one that’s also more limited.
A sci-fi pipedream
Let’s start on a high note, though. The new iPad Pro is a triumph of engineering. It’s shockingly thin in a way you have to see to believe, and the 13-inch model is around 100 grams lighter than the previous generation. This makes a massive difference to comfort if you’re holding the iPad Pro for an extended period. The light, thin build feels straight out of a sci-fi.
The other big change is the move to an OLED display. The iPad Pro family now have the single nicest display in an Apple product. OLED allows for "true black", and in turn, better contrast. The new iPad Pro also has the brightest display in an Apple tablet yet.
Notably, you get the OLED display regardless of whether you pick an 11-inch or 13-inch iPad Pro. In previous generations, Apple reserved the fancier display tech for the 13-inch.
If you're coming from the M2 13-inch iPad Pro, the difference is noticeable, but not as stark as you might expect. The higher brightness is the main thing you'll spot. If you're coming from any other iPad, the new iPad Pro is leagues ahead.
The iPad Pro is powered by an M4 chipset - Apple's latest computer-grade processor, and one that hasn't been featured in MacBook yet. On paper, this makes the new iPad Pro faster than a MacBook Air or entry-level MacBook Pro, which is kinda crazy to think about. While a lot of apps don't need this kind of performance, it creates a lot of headroom for pro-grade apps and gaming.
One small but welcome change is a re-oriented selfie camera. It now sits in landscape rather than portrait, making it way more natural for video calls.
Despite the thinner design, the new iPad Pro doesn't compromise on battery. It doesn't last as long as a MacBook, but you'll still get the same 10 or so hours Apple has consistently promised. From my testing, that figure is pretty accurate.
There are also a few omissions worth noting. The M4 iPad Pro no longer has a physical SIM slot on the 5G model; it's eSIM only. While there are plenty of mobile providers offering eSIM mobile plans, there aren’t quite as many offering eSIM mobile broadband plans. This means you’re limited to a smaller subset of providers if you’re after a SIM for the iPad Pro.
Apple has also axed the ultra-wide camera on the back of the iPad Pro. The ultra-wide cameras on previous models were never great (and I subscribe to the philosophy that you should never take photos with an iPad), so this isn’t that big a deal.
Not so Pro
iPadOS often feels like it’s the limiting factor when it comes to iPad. The iPad has grown from being just a companion device to a powerful, versatile computer in its own right. The software hasn't kept pace.
If you're working in a single app, using an iPad Pro - to, for example, write this story - is wonderful. If you're trying to multi-task, things start to get wonky. Apple keeps trying new ways to add multi-tasking to iPad, and Stage Manager helps a little. It's a more seamless way of bouncing between apps, but there are still limitations.
You can only have four apps open at once, which is a weird one. Stage Manager on Mac doesn't have these same limitations, and the iPad Pro is more powerful than most Macs.
Similarly, we're now seeing apps that can make more use of the iPad Pro's stupid fast capabilities, but they end up getting crippled by the software. Activities can't run in the background, which is counterintuitive to pro workflows. It's awesome that you can Final Cut Pro on an iPad. It's stupid that will stop exporting your video if you switch apps.
The idea that an iPad can't run apps in the background might have made sense at one point in time, but it doesn't when it's as powerful (and expensive) as it is. When coupled with other little things like not being able to re-order icons in your dock or re-organise Stage Manager, it can feel like working with training wheels.
While many had hoped Apple would do more to alleviate some of these issues in iPadOS 18, that sadly isn't the case.
Mandatory upgrades
It's also worth touching on the new accessories released alongside the M4 iPad Pro.
To start, I'm a big fan of the new Apple Pencil Pro. The most significant upgrade is being able to squeeze the Pencil to trigger a shortcut. This brings up the tool palate in the Notes app, for example. I used my iPad Pro as a notebook when playing through Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, and being able to quickly swap between different coloured pens and an eraser was brilliant. While double tap functionality on the previous Apple Pencil kinda let you do this already, the squeeze gives you a full set of options, rather than just going back and forth between two.
The implementation naturally varies from app to app. In Procreate, for example, squeezing acts more like a confirm button, helping you move through layers or select colours or brushes that little bit quicker. Of course, not every app supports squeezing the Apple Pencil yet. It does nothing in OneNote for example, which tends to be my go-to for work.
The new Magic Keyboard is a significant upgrade over the previous model thanks to a larger trackpad and a row of function keys. The trackpad is much easier to use, and function keys are just plain useful for anyone who uses their iPad with a keyboard. It's nice being able to just tap a button to increase screen brightness, for example.
In addition to these practical upgrades, the keyboard now has an aluminium plate surrounding the keys. This makes it feel a bit more like a MacBook, and gives it more of a premium vibe. Even with the added aluminium, the M4 iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard combo is still noticeably lighter than the previous model.
As with previous iterations, an iPad with a Magic Keyboard is still best used on a hard surface. While you can put it on your lap in a pinch, how top-heavy the pair are makes it very prone to toppling over.
And as always, there's the matter of money; these accessories can blow out the price of your iPad Pro purchase. You’ll spend $219 for an Apple Pencil Pro, $499 for an 11-inch Magic Keyboard, or $579 if you’ve opted for a 13-inch iPad Pro. This is par for the course for Apple, but what makes this more egregious is you can’t use your old accessories if you’ve upgraded from a previous iPad.
The 2nd generation Apple Pencil won’t work with a M4 iPad Pro, and neither will an old Magic Keyboard. You could theoretically argue this makes sense with the Magic Keyboard - some dimensions have changed between the old iPad Pro and the new one -, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to use your 2nd generation Apple Pencil. It’s a user-hostile choice seemingly designed to get you to spend more.
Apple iPad Pro (M4) - Final Thoughts
The new iPad Pro is a sci-fi pipedream that's tricky to square against its sky-high price. There's so much to love here, but the inherent limitations can make it hard to justify.
As a specialist computer, there are countless use cases where the iPad Pro makes sense. Illustration, animation, photography, and audio are all areas where the iPad Pro might be exactly the computer for the job. These are the types of things where you already know you want an iPad, and if that's the case, the iPad Pro is certainly the best one.
But as a generalist computer - say, a MacBook alternative - the iPad Pro struggles. It's not the kind of device I can do everything on in the same way with my MacBook. The lack of background tasks and limited multi-tasking are two big sticking points.
You can argue that the iPad Pro isn't meant to be a generalist computer, but when it's priced the same way as a MacBook, has the same kind of processor as a MacBook, and now has a trackpad and keyboard that's just as good as a MacBook, it's hard not to see it as one.
It's hard not to want just that little bit more.
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