I used iPads extensively within the final decade, and whereas I predominantly went with iPad Air fashions, I converted to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2 two years in the past, and it quickly grew to become considered one of my favourite gadgets. The greater panel meant I used to be in a position to get an honest quantity of labor finished on the iPad Pro by connecting a mechanical keyboard.
As a lot as I just like the iPad Pro M2, I wished an iPad with an OLED panel, so I used to be instantly excited for the iPad Pro M4. The pill is accessible in 11 and 13-inch variants, and I knew I wanted the larger display screen, so that is the one I went with. After six months of in depth use involving loads of writing with the Magic Keyboard and a dozen or so exterior keyboards, enjoying over 100 hours of video games (principally Balatro), studying ebooks, doodling in Procreate, and messing round with synths, I’m able to say it — that is the most effective iPad I’ve ever used.
That was by no means doubtful anyway, however the adjustments to the design and the OLED panel make the most recent iPad Pro a fairly attractive improve, and in case you’re utilizing an older pill or are mulling a change, this is what you’ll want to learn about this M4-powered beast.
Apple iPad Pro M4: Pricing and availability
Apple unveiled the iPad Pro M4 on May 7, 2024, and the pill is now accessible globally. It is offered in a 11-inch mannequin that begins at $999 for the bottom 256GB configuration, going as much as $1,199 for the 512GB version, $1,599 for the 1TB variant, and $1,999 in case you want 2TB of storage. These are the usual Wi-Fi-only fashions; in case you want mobile connectivity, you may must shell out a further $200.
The 13-inch iPad Pro M4 debuted at $1,299 for the 256GB variant, however it’s now accessible for $1,099 at Amazon and Best Buy. The 512GB mannequin prices $1,499, the 1TB variant is $1,899, and the 2TB choice prices $2,299. If you are within the 1TB or 2TB fashions, you will get a glare-resistant nano-textured panel that is geared toward color-sensitive work, with this feature costing a further $100. Like the 11-inch mannequin, you may must pay $200 extra if you would like mobile connectivity.
I’m utilizing the 13-inch iPad Pro M4 in Space Black — it is also accessible in Silver — and I’ve the 1TB mannequin with customary glass and mobile connectivity. I additionally obtained the brand new Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, and the full price of the pill and equipment is a heady $2,577.
Apple iPad Pro M4: Design
Design is a key speaking about with the iPad Pro M4, and the glossy chassis completely makes a distinction. The iPad Pro is noticeably thinner and lighter than earlier years, and the 13-inch mannequin specifically is unbelievable. Coming in at simply 5.1mm, it’s the thinnest Apple product I used but, and it feels incredible to carry and use.
Weight can be an enormous consideration, and coming in at 579g, the 13-inch iPad Pro M4 is a full 103g lighter than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2, and that is an enormous deal. The thinner chassis and considerably lighter weight makes the iPad Pro M4 that a lot simpler to deal with, and regardless that that is an outsized pill, you simply do not get that sense in each day use.
While I exploit most telephones with no case, the sheer measurement of the iPad means you may must put money into a folio case at least to present the pill added safety. The chassis is made out of recycled aluminum, and whereas I did not take a look at its sturdiness, there isn’t any flex by any means, and there are not any issues with construct high quality.
The total aesthetic itself is unchanged from earlier years; the boring gray design language would not stand out an excessive amount of, and also you get antennae traces on the high and backside. The USB-C port is positioned on the backside, and also you get 4 audio system that get loud. The energy button is up high, and like its predecessor, Face ID is the usual option to unlock the pill.
On that observe, Apple lastly moved the place of the entrance digital camera, and it is now positioned on the vanguard. You not need to awkwardly place the pill to heart your body in conferences, and whereas it is a small change, it is lengthy overdue. The 12MP entrance digital camera makes use of Center Stage to place you within the heart even in case you’re transferring round, and the video high quality is first rate sufficient — I attended dozens of briefings and made tons of of FaceTime calls utilizing the iPad Pro, and did not see any points.
Although the worldwide iPhone 16 Pro nonetheless has a bodily SIM card slot, Apple goes all-in on eSIM with the iPad Pro M4, and in case you go for the mobile mannequin, you solely get eSIM as a substitute of a nano-SIM slot just like the iPad Pro M2. This is not an enormous deal as it is easy to arrange eSIM on the iPad Pro, however I’d have most well-liked the comfort of a conventional SIM tray.
Other than that minor quibble, I’ve had zero points with the design or construct high quality of the iPad Pro M4. After my work monitor and the Kindle Oasis, the iPad Pro M4 obtained probably the most quantity of utilization within the final six months, and it held up extremely effectively.
Apple iPad Pro M4: Panel
The defining characteristic on the iPad Pro M4 is the 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR OLED panel. It has ProMovement tech and goes as much as 120Hz, has a large colour gamut, and the True Tone engine. The decision is elevated to 2752 x 2064 to get to the 13-inch measurement up from 12.9 inches, however the pixel density is identical at 264ppi.
What’s fascinating concerning the panel is that the iPad Pro M4 makes use of tandem OLED tech, the place two OLED panels are mixed to ship higher brightness. This addresses one of many greatest points with OLEDs — excessive brightness ranges — and Apple mentioned it used tandem OLEDs to make sure the pill will get adequately shiny. If something, the iPad Pro M4 manages to outshine its predecessor. It is ready to go as much as 1000 nits in common use, hitting 1600 nits in HDR content material.
I did not see any points with brightness ranges by any means, and having used the pill outside extensively, there was by no means a state of affairs the place the display screen did not get shiny sufficient — even below harsh daylight. The customary glass panel has an anti-reflective coating, and it does an honest job in its personal proper; that mentioned, the nano-textured coating is the way in which to go if you are going to predominantly use the iPad outside.
The change to OLED delivers significantly better colours, and the iPad Pro M4 has been an absolute delight to make use of for studying, gaming, streaming content material, and making music. The truth that you just now get true blacks and glorious colour vibrancy means the iPad Pro M4 has a definite edge, and HDR content material specifically comes alive on the 13-inch panel.
There’s a noticeable distinction in colour constancy over the mini-LED iPad Pro M2, and the standard of the panel itself is well worth the improve in case you’re on an older iPad. Basically, this is not the most effective panel on any iPad, however among the best OLED shows I’ve ever used, and Apple nailed the technicalities. I used telephones with tandem OLED tech as effectively — notably the Honor Magic 6 RSR — however the distinction is not as evident on a smaller machine.
Apple iPad Pro M4: Hardware and battery life
The iPad Pro M4 has the most effective {hardware} bundle of any pill right now. The outgoing iPad Pro M2 was already a powerhouse on this regard, and the change to M4 silicon makes issues that rather more fascinating. You get first rate effectivity good points as effectively with the transfer to a 3nm manufacturing node.
The M4 variant you get adjustments with the storage configuration. The 1TB and 2TB fashions include a 10-core CPU that features 4 efficiency cores and 6 effectivity cores, they usually have a 10-core GPU, hardware-accelerated ray tracing engine, 160core neural engine, and a reminiscence bandwidth of 120GB/s. These fashions additionally get 16GB of RAM as customary, so in case you’re not sure about which choice to get, I’d recommend selecting up the 1TB variant.
By distinction, the 256GB and 512GB fashions get a 9-core CPU that options three efficiency cores as a substitute. The reminiscence is halved at 8GB, however apart from that, the remainder of the {hardware} is similar. There’s ProRes and AV1 decode, Wi‑Fi 6E with Bluetooth 5.3, Sub-6 New Radio on the mobile mannequin, and Thunderbolt 3 in addition to USB 4 connectivity over USB-C. You get the usual magnetic pins on the again that allow you to dock the iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard and related equipment.
In quick, that is probably the most highly effective iPad round. It blazes via console-quality video games and demanding video-editing duties with no sweat, and within the six months I had it, I did not really feel like the complete potential of the M4 was being utilized. There is not any utility that challenges the {hardware} as such, and albeit, the M4 is overkill for mundane duties.
I do not use the iPad to take pictures, so I can not moderately discuss concerning the 12MP digital camera in any nice element. That mentioned, the few photographs I managed got here out first rate sufficient. Most of my utilization was with the entrance digital camera, and it’s a little higher than the one on the iPad Pro M2.
There is not something amiss on the battery entrance both; the 13-inch iPad Pro M4 has a 10300mAh battery, and it lasts a smidgen longer than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2 regardless that the battery measurement is smaller. I simply get a day’s value of use when utilizing the iPad solely to put in writing, browse the net, and play video games, and battery nervousness simply is not a factor with the pill.
It takes almost two and a half hours to cost the iPad Pro M4, with the pill maxing out at 30W. It’s not an enormous downside as you get nice battery life on the whole, however quick charging is not anyplace pretty much as good as the most effective Android telephones and tablets.
Apple iPad Pro M4: Magic Keyboard
The new Magic Keyboard prices $349, which is as a lot because the iPad tenth technology. Obviously, price performs an enormous half in your buying determination, and if you wish to maximize worth, you may want to choose up an aftermarket choice. That mentioned, I like this iteration of the Magic Keyboard fairly a bit. The hinge is sturdier, and it would not have any wobble when utilizing the keyboard on a desk.
The aluminum body offers it significantly better rigidity, and the brand new trackpad is incredible to make use of. Also, the truth that you get a perform row is an enormous deal, and it makes a distinction in each day use. The keys have first rate 1mm journey, and the scissor-style design is similar to what you get on a MacBook. You get good backlight, and there is sufficient spacing that it would not truly really feel such as you’re utilizing a cell keyboard.
Just just like the iPad Pro M4, the Magic Keyboard is thinner and lighter, and it would not add an excessive amount of bulk to the machine. The better part continues to be the cantilever mechanism, and the simple adjustability makes it an ideal selection.
Apple iPad Pro M4: Apple Pencil Pro
The Apple Pencil Pro is my favourite iPad Pro m4 accent. I’ve at all times been a fan of the Pencil, and the Pencil Pro features a haptic engine that delivers glorious suggestions when utilizing the stylus. There’s a brand new squeeze gesture that pulls up utilities as wanted — it surfaces a palette in case you’re drawing — and a double faucet gesture lets you simply change between instruments.
There’s even a barrel roll characteristic that makes an enormous distinction when jotting notes, and I ended up utilizing the iPad Pro M4 to take notes principally due to this addition.
Apple iPad Pro M4: Software
The iPad Pro M4 runs iPadOS 18.3, and whereas you aren’t getting a lot in the way in which of recent options, there are higher privateness controls and elevated customizability. I do not normally take notes on my iPad — I’ve a bodily journal — however the updates to handwritten notes and highlighting together with the flexibility to transcribe audio inside Notes makes it simpler than ever to make use of the iPad as a note-taking machine.
What I notably like is that the Calculator now mechanically solves equations — simply write out the expressions and add an equals signal. I did not have something as handy rising up, and it is only a cool addition. Just like iOS 18, you might have the flexibility to model app icons, and prepare widgets and apps nevertheless you need on the house display screen, and it makes a much bigger distinction on the iPad.
Control Center has devoted pages now to manage music playback and good house gadgets, and it is inherently customizable. Of course, the largest addition is Apple Intelligence; the inclusion of picture technology and writing instruments give the iPad Pro M4 a bonus, and whereas I’m not eager on generative AI, it really works fairly effectively on the iPad.
The purpose I proceed utilizing iPads each day is the huge software program ecosystem; whether or not it is video and picture utilities like Procreate and LumaFusion, music manufacturing apps like Korg Gadget 3, SynthMaster, and Drambo, or high-quality video games, the choice is considerably higher than Android. I dabble in music manufacturing, and the iPad Pro M4 is now my go-to selection when making an attempt out a brand new synth or drum machine. It’s simply a lot extra handy than utilizing my Windows machine, and the truth that you get the identical utilities on what is basically a cell platform is unbelievable.
Apple iPad Pro M4: The options
The iPad Pro M4 would not have any options as such; the sleeker design and OLED panel give it a particular edge over the 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2. That mentioned, in case you do not want the brand new additions, the iPad Pro M2 continues to be an ideal selection — if you will get it on sale. While Samsung additionally makes Android tablets with OLED panels, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is not anyplace pretty much as good.
Ultimately, your best option is the 11-inch iPad Pro M4. It has the identical nice tandem OLED and related design, and whereas it is not as skinny, it’s thinner and lighter than earlier generations. The software program is similar, and also you get nice battery life. If portability is a key consideration, I’d suggest the 11-inch mannequin as a substitute of the 13-inch iPad Pro M4.
Apple iPad Pro M4: Should you purchase it?
You can buy this if:
- You need an iPad with an OLED panel
- You want a pill with the most effective {hardware}
- You need glorious battery life
- You want sturdy software program
You should not purchase this if:
- You want an inexpensive iPad
- You desire a MacBook rival
The iPad Pro M4 delivers every part I would like in a pill. The 13-inch tandem OLED is without doubt one of the finest shows of any machine I’ve used, and it’s magnificent in each day use — whether or not it is streaming content material, studying textual content, or gaming. The ultra-thin design is an enormous differentiator as effectively, and the iPad Pro M2 feels huge and unwieldy subsequent to the M4 mannequin.
There are completely no points in the case of the {hardware}, and the huge accent ecosystem means you will get a dependable keyboard case and stylus in case you do not wish to get the Magic Keyboard and Pencil Pro. Battery life is fairly nice too, and the entrance digital camera is significantly better this time round.
It’s the software program that makes me come again to the iPad Pro M4. Yes, iPadOS is not as versatile as macOS, and multitasking continues to be a problem — that does not hassle me within the least. I predominantly use the iPad Pro M4 to deal with one factor at a time — whether or not it is writing in Evernote, studying Procreate, studying a ebook, or making an attempt out a brand new synth — and the software program is well-suited for that use case.
Ultimately, selecting the iPad Pro M4 comes right down to cash; it is without doubt one of the costliest choices on this class, however you get a variety of pill for the money. If you want the very best that Apple has to supply, the iPad Pro M4 is a wholehearted suggestion. But in case you want one thing that is extra inexpensive, there isn’t any scarcity of choices.
Apple iPad Pro M4 13-inch
With a tandem OLED and M4 silicon, the iPad Pro M4 is the final word pill. The software program is not as versatile as macOS, and if something, I see that as a constructive.
