When the iPad Pro first debuted nine years ago, Apple ran a marketing campaign hailing it as a computer replacement, an idea so far from reality that I wrote an article mocking the campaign. In recent years, however, the iPad Pro really did become capable enough to replace a computer for some. This upgrade came from a combination of software optimizations and extremely powerful hardware.
With the newest 2024 iPad Pro, the line between iPad and computer becomes blurrier than ever. Other than a computer OS being able to open more windows in freeform mode, there really isn’t much left a computer — be it MacBook or the best Windows machine — can do that this iPad Pro cannot. But there are many things this iPad Pro can do a computer could only dream of.
Hardware
The iPad Pro looks similar from front and back from afar. But upon closer examination and handling you’ll see noticeable, and pretty major, upgrades. For one, the new machine is thinner and lighter, with the larger 13-inch model measuring 5.1mm and weighing just under 1lb. The display is now using OLED technology, which can produce deep blacks and punchy reds. There’s also an option to add an anti-reflective matte coating. But the biggest change may be the brain: this iPad introduces the newest M4 chip, coming just 10 months after the M3.
The M4 is a bleeding edge silicon, and it debuting in an iPad first is major news. However, I’m not sure an iPad running a mobile OS can fully unlock the full potential of the chip, hence why I wrote the biggest “may” be the silicon. I’m not sure most users will be able to see much difference in performance between this new M4 iPad and previous M2 iPads (there were no M3 iPads).
The iPad Pro also gains new redesigned accessories that are increasingly becoming must-purchases. There’s a new Magic Keyboard that’s slimmer, with a metallic palm rest that makes it look more like a MacBook base. The Apple Pencil gets upgraded to the Pro moniker with a more features and a haptic vibration motor inside. When the iPad is attached to the this new keyboard, it really does look like an Apple laptop.
Software
There are a few new software features pertaining to widely used creative apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Procreate, but most of these are reliant on this device’s new hardware, like the new Apple Pencil Pro, and the M4 and M2 silicon respectively in this iPad and the also newly introduced iPad Air.
Final Cut Pro now can run four live streams (from iOS devices) at the same time, projecting real-time footage of four 4K footage that can be tweaked or adjusted on the iPad itself. Once filming is finished, all four clips are synced to a single timeline, and are able to edited with all four camera angles. It’s an amount of power unheard of coming from a thin, handheld device.
iOS 17.5 here runs smoothly — maybe too smooth. Sometimes when I’m scrolling through a video file in Final Cut Pro, or locating a file in the File app, and I find the scrolling to zip through so fast I’m shooting way past what I’m trying to look for. I had to train myself to scroll slower on the new Magic Keyboard’s larger trackpad.
Performance
This being the first machine to run on Apple’s newest silicon, performance has of course been top notch. There has been absolutely no lag, slowdowns, or stutters, even when I was editing 4K videos or playing a game of NBA 2K with apps running in the background. As I said, the M4 chip is going to be powering everything from deskbound iMacs to MacBook Pros, it is arguably too powerful for “just” this optimized mobile OS.
The new M4 is also twice as efficient as the M2, and I am definitely seeing battery life improvements. I can take this device to a coffee shop, type for an entire hour on a CMS running on Safari, and see just a 4-5% battery dip.
If I do a bit more, like actively jump between apps, scroll through social media, and watch some YouTube videos, then I can get the battery to drain close to 10% an hour. Basically, unless you’re actively pushing the machine (which is gaming or video editing), this iPad Pro can last at least 10-14 hours. If you’re just using this to casually check emails and read articles for an hour or so a day, you could go a week and half without needing to charge the tablet.
For more intensive tasks, I performed an export of an 11 minute, 4K/30 video shot in ProRes422. I could scrub through the timeline without any lag, and exporting took just two minutes, 43 seconds. I did the same export on the older M2 iPad Pro and it took a bit over three and half minutes. That 50 or so of extra speed isn’t life changing, but it does add up, especially if my workflow becomes more complicated. The more complicated my video project, the bigger the gap in exporting times will be.
I used the Apple Pencil Pro to do some photo editing on Pixelmator, and sketched on Procreate, and the stylus is still among the best in the market. I’m not sure if just the addition of an haptic engine and support for barrel roll gesture is worthy of a Pro moniker, but nonetheless, the sketching and drawing experience is top notch.
Extremely powerful, but do you need it?
The M4 iPad Pro is a cutting edge beast of a do-it-all machine. But I wonder if Apple putting the M4 in this is due to the imminent release of Qualcomm’s own Snapdragon X Elite chip built on the same ARM architecture. Rumors and leaks say the X Elite was superior to the M2 and M3 chip, so perhaps the M4 being launched in an iPad is to shush those comparisons before they start.
The reality is this iPad Pro is a bit of an overkill in power. The M2 chip in the last iPad Pro is still extremely capable and unless you’re actively doing very serious professional things like the aforementioned livestream four simultaneous feeds into an iPad, you are not going to see noticeably day to day improvements over the older iPad in the performance end. The better screen, lighter weight and longer battery life are noticeable, though. Still, I don’t think those who already own the M2 iPad Pro need to rush out to upgrade to this. But if you’re on M1 or anything older, and you want the Pro iPads, this won’t disappoint.
I think if you’re on the market for a new tablet, and you got money to spend and want the best of the best, then sure, this is the one to get. But if you’re remotely watching your budget then you could consider the M2 iPad Air, or M2 iPad Pro. This machine is a flex.
