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I tested the 11-inch iPad Pro M5 for five days, and Apple’s Pro tablet is still in a league of its own

4:00 pm | October 21, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets iPad Tablets | Comments: Off

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: One-minute review

Apple hasn’t changed much with the latest iPad Pro, and with good reason. It has the same sleek, ultra-thin aluminum body, available in either 11-inch or 13-inch sizes, as its predecessor, and like last year’s model it feels effortlessly premium in the hand.

The Ultra Retina XDR display is also unchanged, but it’s still stunning, with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and a peak HDR brightness of 1,600 nits. Whether for daily use, watching a film, gaming, or writing with an Apple Pencil, it felt buttery smooth and visually immersive. It’s certainly still a step up from the screen on the iPad Air.

What is new here is the M5 chip, which makes Apple’s most powerful iPad faster and more capable than ever. While that’s a tall order, Apple has accomplished it, and responsiveness feels virtually instantaneous.

In my time with the iPad Pro, multitasking and creative work felt effortless. I could edit photos in Pixelmator, draw in Procreate, or even cut 4K footage in Final Cut Pro without a hiccup. AI features, like handwriting cleanup and image upscaling, happen almost instantly. Gaming is equally impressive, with smooth frame rates and detailed graphics making even triple-A titles look incredible.

While the Magic Keyboard is an extra cost as an accessory, when the iPad Pro is docked in it it feels closer to a laptop than ever, letting you type, multitask, and navigate iPadOS 26 seamlessly.

This year, Apple also added its N1 wireless chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7, Thread support, and a move to a made-in-house modem for 5G connectivity. This means that when you’re on the go – whether you’re working from a café or traveling – connections feel fast and reliable, with strong download and upload speeds if you opt for a cellular plan. The 12-megapixel Center Stage camera keeps you perfectly framed in video calls, and the rear camera handles casual photography well.

It’s expensive, and the color options remain limited, but for power users who want the ultimate iPad experience, the 11-inch iPad Pro M5 is hard to beat – and I’m happy to report that the starting prices of $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 for the 11-inch, or $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,199 for the 13-inch iPad Pro with M5, are the same as last year. That said, the rest of the iPad lineup – the entry-level iPad with A16, the iPad mini, and the iPad Air with M3 – remain especially strong.

The latter, which also comes in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, will likely be the strongest competition to the iPad Pro, and whether you go for the iPad Pro or the iPad Air will ultimately depend on how much you care about design, display, and long-term performance. But know that, if you’re considering upgrading to the M5 Pro from a previous iPad Pro, you’ll be best served if you’re rocking the M1 model or earlier, as you’ll enjoy tangible speed improvements, the better screen, and the all-new design.

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: Specs

iPad Pro M5 (2025) Specs
	iPad Pro 11-inch	iPad Pro 13-inch
Starting price	$999 / £999 / AU$1,699	$1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,199
Operating system	iPadOS 26	iPadOS 26
Chipset	M5	M5
Memory (RAM)	12GB or 16GB	12GB or 16GB
Storage	256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB	256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB
Display	11-inch tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR (2420 x 1668)	13-inch tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR (2752 x 2064)
Cameras	12MP wide main, 12MP ultrawidefront	12MP wide main, 12MP ultrawidefront
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. 5G Sub-6Ghz and Gigabit LTE on Cellular models.	Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. 5G Sub-6Ghz and Gigabit LTE on Cellular models.
Weight	440g (446g for cellular)	579g (582g for cellular)
Dimensions	249.7 x 177.5 x 5.3mm	281.6 x 215.5 x 5.1mm

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: Pricing and Availability

Apple’s 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro with M5 officially launches on October 22, 2025, but if you’re already sold, pre-orders are open now. In addition to deciding which size you want you’ll need to pick between two colors, and storage and connectivity options.

In either Space Black or Silver, the 11-inch iPad Pro M5 starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699, while the 13-inch iPad Pro with M5 starts at $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,199. If you’re keeping track generation over generation, there’s no price increase there. Prices go up from there if you want to add cellular or get more storage. The iPad Pro starts at 256GB, but also comes in 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB configurations; the 256GB and 512GB models come with 12GB of RAM, while the 1TB and 2TB models come with 16GB.

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: Design

Apple 11-inch iPad Pro M5 2025 review — (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

It’s still an ultra-thin, sleek iPad
No design changes compared to the previous generation
The 11-inch might be the perfect size for most

Given that Apple rolled out a radically thinner and overall much sleeker design with its last-generation iPad Pro in 2024, it’s no surprise that the company is sticking with the same build for this generation’s model; as noted the biggest change here is under the hood, and indicated by the ‘M5’ in the name.

Apple’s 11-inch iPad Pro still looks elegant, sleek, and sharp, and I enjoyed testing the smaller variant, given how much more portable it is. As mentioned, there is also a larger 13-inch iPad Pro powered by the same M5 chip.

The design from generation to generation is identical – the 11-inch iPad Pro M5 measures 249.7 x 177.5 x 5.3mm and weighs 444 grams with just Wi-Fi, or 446 grams with cellular connectivity. And it also beats out the 11-inch iPad Air with the M3 chip for both thickness and weight – at 6.1mm and 460 grams the Air is slightly thicker and heavier.

Even held in one hand, the new Pro feels light. I often held it vertically with my left hand while navigating the interface, or scribbling notes with an Apple Pencil – both Pro and USB-C models are supported – with my right. Watching a film, making a FaceTime call, or reading horizontally while holding the tablet with both hands is equally comfortable. This is also the best orientation to get the most out of the great stereo speakers, as these live on the left and right sides. The sound produced is pretty robust and surprisingly loud given how thin the iPad Pro is.

The 11-inch size, paired with the Magic Keyboard, is practically the perfect mini laptop within the iPad lineup. The weight is well balanced, and the screen – thanks to windowed apps – feels surprisingly expansive.

Apple has stuck with an aluminum build all around, which keeps the iPad light while allowing it to be ultra-thin without sacrificing durability. At 5.3mm for the 11-inch and 5.1mm for the 13-inch, the iPad Pro is actually thinner than the iPhone Air, which measures 5.6mm.

The biggest disappointment for me is that despite the new chip, color options remain limited to Space Black or Silver. Both look good, and Pros might prefer subtle tones, but a more vibrant option, like the iPad Air’s purple or an iPhone 17 Pro-style orange, would have been fun.

A color-matched Apple logo sits centered on the back of the Space Black 11-inch iPad Pro; it’s shiny against the matte frame and slightly darker. There are also three silver Smart Connector dots at the bottom, which is how the Magic Keyboard connects without any setup, with the main camera bump at the top left when the slate is held vertically.

The main camera array is unchanged from the previous generation, with the slightly raised bump housing a 12-megapixel wide camera, LiDAR sensor, and adaptive True Tone flash. Beneath the aluminum finish are ample magnets to support cases, including the Magic Keyboard.

When you hold the iPad Pro vertically, the power button is on the top right, with the volume controls nearby. The Apple Pencil Pro magnetically attaches to the right side and charges wirelessly, while the USB-C Pencil attaches but requires a charging cable. The USB-C port sits on the bottom vertically or the right side horizontally.

The volume and power buttons are also easy to locate when you’re using the iPad longways – power moves to the top left, and the volume rocker shifts to the top left. You don’t need to worry about unlocking with the power button either; a simple tap on the screen lights up Face ID, which is built into the front camera, and easily unlocks the iPad. Of course, you can also use it to authenticate purchases and autofill passwords.

It’s a practical design, and overall, this remains Apple’s most premium and luxurious iPad. Like the iPhone Air, its design prioritizes thermals and ergonomic weight, making the iPad Pro comfortable to use and letting the display truly shine.

Design score: 4 / 5

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: Display

Stunning tandem OLED display with punchy, vibrant colors
It delivers an immersive visual experience

Apple is sticking with its impressive tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR display, and it’s truly a best-in-class screen. Colors look especially vibrant and accurate, with rich detail and subtle gradations, but it really excels at delivering incredibly strong contrast – something the 11-inch iPad Air with the M3 chip can’t quite match, considering that this is an OLED panel, and a unique one at that.

I thoroughly enjoyed having multiple windows set up within iPadOS 26, viewing them side by side or jumping between Mail, Gmail, Slack, Chrome, Safari, and Messages. Taking in the latest episode of The Morning Show on Apple TV, or films or series from other streamers, was a delight – the iPad Pro really excels at delivering these visuals. Whether you’re watching content, drawing in Procreate, editing photos in Pixelmator, gaming, or using Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve, the display can easily scale to the task depending on your workflow.

Just as with the previous-gen Pro, the tandem OLED is essentially two OLED displays stacked together to produce higher brightness levels for stunning visuals – and it really delivers. The Ultra Retina XDR display offers 1,000 nits of brightness across the full screen, can spike up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness for HDR content, and delivers a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The display resolution comes in at 2420 x 1668 at 264ppi.

Another key advantage of going Pro with an iPad is ProMotion, which enables an adaptive refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz and ensures that games (hardware-accelerated ray tracing is supported here) and other content look buttery smooth. It also helps when writing with Apple Pencil, further reducing latency, and makes scrolling through iPadOS 26 feel noticeably more fluid.

Apple ships the 11-inch iPad Pro with an oleophobic coating that helps reduce reflections and resist fingerprints, and it does an admirable job – if the screen is off, you’ll notice smudges, but when it lights up, the brightness makes them fade away. It still catches some reflections, though, especially outdoors on a sunny day or under harsh indoor lighting. The fix here is to opt for the Nano-Texture Glass display, which works wonders, but it comes at an added cost. My test unit has the standard glass.

Considering the high price of the iPad Pro with M5, a big part of that is down to this display, and I’ll give it to Apple – it’s the best display in the iPad lineup and one of the best I’ve used on any device. Whether I was watching a movie, playing a game, or doing more routine things, it was a visually immersive experience with vibrant, punchy color and deep blacks. You’ll need to decide, though, if you really do need the best display, as the 11-inch iPad Air delivers an excellent mix of performance and features, albeit with a slightly less advanced display.

Display score: 5 / 5

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: Cameras

The front-facing camera is again located in the ‘proper’ spot
CenterStage isn’t new, but it still works wonders for video calls
The rear camera is fine for a tablet camera

Tucked into the top bezel, and centered above the screen when the iPad is held or docked horizontally, is a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera. You might recall that Apple made the decision to move it to the ‘proper’ location for a tablet with the last generation, and that placement, along with the same camera specs, carries over to the iPad Pro M5.

It’s basically in the perfect spot, especially when the iPad Pro is docked in a Magic Keyboard or a similar third-party folio, where you’re using the iPad in a similar fashion to a laptop. This makes it ideal for recording videos – maybe a self-tape – but also for video calls through FaceTime, WebEx, and Zoom, and other services.

The main appeal of this camera is in Center Stage, which uses software magic to keep you in the frame when you’re on calls, automatically panning and zooming to keep you centered. This is helpful if you like to walk and talk on calls, but also, more practically, if you’re cooking and hop on a FaceTime call – you can rest the iPad somewhere and freely move around without worrying you’ll be out of the frame. It’s excellent.

There’s also the same camera as last year on the back. If you’re someone who likes to take photos with a tablet, you can certainly do that here, and the 12-megapixel lens is good. I’ll share a gallery of some test shots below, but you’re still better off with your iPhone’s camera, or an actual camera.

Camera score: 4 / 5

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: Software

iPadOS 26 breathes new life into the iPad Pro
Mainstay features like windowing apps run very well here

While every iPad comes running iPadOS 26 out of the box, the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pros with M5 are the first to launch with iPadOS 26. It certainly feels at home on the most expensive iPad in the lineup, and makes the most of the M5 chip inside.

I can freely resize pretty much any number of apps into windows with overlapping, or just set it up as side-by-side split. I have a menu bar up top when tasks call for it, and a dock down below, and I can drag and drop elements between apps as I see fit. That could be to edit a photo in Photoshop or Pixelmator after importing from Photos or Files, save it, and then load it directly into our content management system to build an article, or selecting photos and dropping them into Messages or an email.

This flexibility is definitely the highlight of iPadOS 26, but if you want to focus on one thing at a time you can also go full-screen with apps. I used a wide variety of apps on the iPad Pro with M5, covering my full workload: Safari, Chrome, Gmail, Slack, Google Drive and Docs, and occasionally photo-editing apps like Photoshop or Pixelmator. I routinely kept all of these open, along with Messages, Mail, Music or Spotify, Notes, Calendar, and Photos.

For personal use, I streamed via Apple TV (yes, it’s weird not writing Apple TV+ anymore), Disney+, Netflix, and Peacock, took FaceTime calls, and tried plenty of games, including Mini Metro, RFS+ Pro, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Resident Evil 4, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and Fortnite. Everything played smoothly for the most part, with barely a slowdown or hiccup.

While the vastly improved, AI-infused Siri (still) isn’t here yet, I got a sense of how Apple’s other AI and machine learning features perform, along with some third-party ones. Clean-Up for photos ran swiftly, performing the expected action after the main model download. I also used summarized notifications, priority notifications, and dabbled with ‘Reduce Interruptions’ in Focus Mode. Live Translation was quick, on a par with competing services, and Logic Pro 2 for iPad’s stem splitter worked very well.

I spent most of my work time with the iPad docked in the Magic Keyboard. This is the slightly more premium ‘for iPad Pro’ version of Apple’s accessory, with 14 rows of function keys, a full QWERTY keyboard, and an expansive trackpad. Typing feels great, with good travel and punchy keystrokes – I wrote this entire review using it.

When docked, the 11-inch iPad Pro feels very laptop-like, slightly floating as it’s locked in with magnets. You can tilt it up or down, and when you need to take notes you can easily snap it off and use the Apple Pencil. It makes the iPad Pro feel like a true workhorse, especially with iPadOS 26 – resizing windows and performing other tasks feels seamless with either touch or the trackpad.

It is an added cost – the Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro costs $299 / £299 / AU$499, or $349 / £349 / AU$579 for the 13-inch version – but it certainly makes the iPad Pro more capable. It’s also compatible with the previous M4 model.

The Apple Pencil Pro remains an excellent tool for note-taking, drawing, sketching, and navigating iPadOS. It magnetically attaches to the side of the iPad Pro and recharges wirelessly. The Apple Pencil USB-C can also attach, but must be plugged in to recharge. Taking notes with an Apple Pencil feels almost the same as writing on paper, and I especially like Scribble to Text for responding to messages without interrupting my workflow. Math Notes is another great feature – you can write an equation and an equals sign, and the iPad does the heavy lifting.

Software score: 4.5 / 5

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: Performance

The M5 chip makes this iPad Pro blazing fast
It adds in a lot of headroom, leaving me with no concerns about performance for years to come

Arguably, the biggest change with the iPad Pro is the M5 chip under the hood, which powers the entire experience. It drives the display, enables vibrant and immersive visuals, plays back excellent audio from the built-in stereo speakers, and lets you take full advantage of iPadOS 26.

The 2024 iPad Pro was the first Apple device to get the M4, and the M5 chip duly makes its debut in the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro, alongside the new Vision Pro and new 14-inch MacBook Pro. Apple is spreading its latest 3-nanometer silicon across more devices, and it shines on the iPad by making an already fast device even faster.

In the 1TB iPad Pro I’ve been testing, and also in the 2TB model, the M5 chip is configured as follows: a 10-core CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores, a 10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and neural accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine. It also comes with 16GB of RAM and 153GB/s of memory bandwidth.

This results in incredible performance day in and day out. Like the models before it – or even the 11-inch iPad Air with M3 – it’s a challenge to make this iPad Pro slow down. Apple has made the ultimate iPad even faster, and increased the headroom further.

Many of the improvements in the M5 chip help it perform even better for AI-focused workflows. Pixelmator Pro handled ‘Super Resolution’ faster, and cleaning up handwriting in GoodNotes was lightning quick. The same goes for using Stem Splitter in Logic Pro to separate recordings, or exporting 4K footage in Final Cut Pro. Games – whether smaller titles or full AAA releases – were a blast to play, with the performance and graphics combining to create wonderfully immersive worlds.

The 11-inch iPad Pro with M5 was simply a powerhouse in my testing, to the point that I effectively moved my entire workflow from a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 to this iPad paired with the Magic Keyboard. Between the chip and iPadOS 26, everything feels fast, smooth and completely dependable, and the software is finally close to matching the hardware. If you’re after a desktop-like experience, you can plug the iPad Pro into an external display, and it can offer up to a 120Hz refresh rate – that’s more of a surprise addition, and might hint that a new Studio Display from Apple is on the horizon.

I also ran the 11-inch iPad Pro with M5 through Geekbench, a standard benchmarking tool used by TechRadar. The 1TB model scored 4,121 single-core and 16,240 multi-core – outpacing the M4 iPad Pro (3,700 and 14,523, respectively) and the 11-inch iPad Air with M3 (3,023 and 11,716).

While we haven’t tested them, the 256GB and 512GB models come with a slightly less powerful M5 chip: a 9-core CPU (three performance and six efficiency cores), a 10-core GPU with neural accelerators and hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and a 16-core Neural Engine. That’s paired with 12GB of RAM and 153GB/s of memory bandwidth. For most workflows, this shouldn’t affect everyday performance, though export times for creative tasks might be slightly longer.

Simply put, the iPad Pro offers full-throttle performance at nearly every turn. Whether or not you need that much power, the iPad Pro with M5 feels more than capable of taking full advantage of iPadOS 26 – and whatever Apple might be cooking up next. For now, it handles demanding tasks that would push lesser iPads and even some Macs; the performance here is truly next-level.

Performance score: 5 / 5

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: Battery and Connectivity

Still a very efficient battery, with more than all-day battery life
The iPad Pro now supports fast charging, for 50% in 30 minutes
Apple’s new C1X modem arrives in an iPad for the first time

As with previous iPads and iPhones, Apple is not sharing the exact battery size for the 11-inch or 13-inch iPad Pro; instead, the tech giant likes to share estimates for browsing and playback times. Apple promises that you can get up to 10 hours of surfing the web or watching video on Wi-Fi, or up to nine hours of web surfing with a cellular connection.

Those are the same numbers as for the M4 iPad Pro, so it’s likely Apple didn’t increase the battery size under the hood, but the M5 efficiencies, along with the Apple-made modem, likely help to keep that pace, and it’s actually the same promised battery life as the 13-inch iPad Pro with M5.

In my testing, even when using the iPad Pro for work paired with the Magic Keyboard, I got a full day out of it with close to six hours of screen time, which is very good for an iPad. Battery life isn’t much of a concern with recent generations of iPads, and this year Apple is looking to further alleviate any qualms with the arrival of fast charging.

While the 11-inch Pro ships with a 20-watt USB-C adapter in the box, you can pair this iPad with Apple’s own 40W Dynamic Power Adapter that can push up to 60W, or simply opt for a 60W power adapter to charge this iPad up to 50% in 30 minutes. With Apple’s own 40W adapter, I did meet the 30-minute mark exactly here, but with a higher 65W adapter, I saw it hit 50% in a bit less time.

Aside from the upgrade to M5 from M4 – and more RAM for the 256GB and 512GB models – Apple’s other big hardware change was moving to its N1 wireless chip and C1X modem. The former here delivers Bluetooth 6, Wi-Fi 7 and support for the Thread smart-home connectivity standard, while the latter represents a move to Apple’s own in-house modem.

These upgrades deliver two major perks, according to Apple: up to 30% lower power consumption than on the previous-generation iPad Pro and 50% faster cellular data speeds. As cellular iPads have been for some time, it’s an eSIM-only experience here across the globe.

I’ve been testing Verizon’s network, which is particularly strong in New Jersey and New York, mostly seeing three or four bars with 5G UW showing in the top corner. When working from a coffee shop or simply on the road, it felt just as dependable as using my home network, and at times delivered faster download and upload speeds.

It’s a nice swap for an Apple-made modem, and the M5 Pro has been performing just as well as previous cellular iPads I’ve tested, but the arrival of the N1 chip for modern Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards is also welcome here.

Battery and Connectivity score: 4 / 5

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: Should you buy it?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	There's no getting around the cost at $999 or$1,299, but the iPad Pro delivers excellent performance in a sleek, stunning build with a great display.	4.5 / 5
Design	Apple didn't change much with the design here, in fact it's nearly identical, but the ultra-sleek build makes it one of the best designed tablets.	4 / 5
Display	Just like the design, Apple's sticking with it's impressive tandem OLED screen here which offers an immersive experience led with vibrant colors and stark contrast points.	5 / 5
Cameras	Even though the cameras remain unchanged year over year, and folks coming from an older iPad Pro might miss the ultra-wide camera, the two onboard do get the job done.	4 / 5
Software	iPadOS 26 was a big upgrade that delivered a number of new features including using windowed apps, more Pro tools, and background tasks that all shine on the iPad Pro. Of course, you can still use one app at a time as well.	4.5 / 5
Performance	The M5 chip provides a ton of power for any possible task, and made it really difficult to get the iPad Pro to even slow down.	5 / 5
Battery and Connectivity	Apple didn't increase the battery size internally, but it still offers all-day battery life like the previous generation.	4 /5

Buy it if...

You have an older iPad
The M5 chip in the iPad Pro alleviates any performance concerns for the foreseeable future, delivering blazing-fast speed in daily use. If you have an older iPad Pro with an M1 chip, or an iPad that’s still running an A-Series processor, the performance gains here – paired with the sleek build and excellent display – make this a great upgrade.View Deal

You want an immersive, jaw-dropping display
The Ultra Retina XDR Tandem OLED screen on the iPad Pro is simply stunning, with vibrant colors and excellent contrast. Whether it’s for work, gaming, or watching films, this is the iPad to get if you want the best display experience.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You don’t want to break the bank
$999 for the 11-inch iPad Pro or $1,299 for the 13-inch is no small investment, and if you can live without the OLED display or ultra-thin build, I’d suggest looking at the iPad Air with M3, which also comes in two sizes and offers excellent performance.View Deal

You’re not looking for a new main device
If you don’t need an iPad that can replace your main computer, you might be better off looking at an entry-level iPad with A16, an iPad mini, or the iPad Air.View Deal

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M5 2025 review: How I tested

I spent five days thoroughly testing the 11-inch iPad Pro with M5, specifically a Space Black 1TB model with cellular connectivity. I also tested it with a matching Magic Keyboard in black and an Apple Pencil Pro. After unboxing it – you can check out my unboxing video on TechRadar’s TikTok – I quickly got to setting it up, and adding the apps and services that I would normally use on my iPad.

For much of my testing period I aimed to use the iPad Pro M5 as my main work device, which meant sidelining my 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro, and writing, editing, taking meetings, sending Slack messages, and writing emails on the iPad Pro M5. I also played games, sent messages, edited photos, and streamed movies, TV shows, and music, as well as making and taking many video calls.

To test cellular, I used a Verizon eSIM and ran various speed tests and upload tests in different locations to get a feel for performance.

First reviewed October 2025.

After weeks of testing, the 11th-gen iPad proves it’s still one of the best – even without Apple Intelligence

4:07 pm | July 24, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets iPad Tablets | Comments: Off

Apple iPad (A16): One-Minute Review

Choosing the best iPad these days can be tricky. Not only are there several models to choose from, but all of those models are also pretty well-specced, and they increasingly look similar.

I've spent several weeks testing the latest iteration of Apple's entry-level tablet, which for the purposes of this review we'll mostly refer to as the 11th-gen iPad. You may also have seen it referred to as the iPad (A16), or the iPad 2025. It’s not noticeably different from the 10th-gen model that arrived in 2022, and which ushered in a significant redesign that brought plenty of modernization.

Instead, this is a more under-the-hood upgrade that keeps Apple's most affordable iPad ever-so-modern and ensures that it'll still be kicking for many years to come. The biggest change is a jump in processing power to the Apple-made A16 – it's not a light-years-ahead upgrade from the A14 Bionic in the 10th-gen iPad, but it's still zippy-fast for opening apps and completing most tasks you'd want to do on an iPad.

Those tasks include playing games, browsing the web, multitasking with two apps, using handwriting recognition with the Apple Pencil, or doing any of the above while on a FaceTime call, without slowing things down or unduly draining the battery life. While testing this iPad alongside an iPad Pro with M4 and the 11-inch iPad Air with M3, I didn't always find myself reaching for those to perform more demanding tasks, thanks to the performance on offer here.

This iPad still boasts a sizable 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, offering a nice experience for watching almost anything; however, the glossy finish does make it harder to use in very bright environments. Still, there are no issues with color accuracy or the reproduction of visuals here. Apple's still tucking the front-facing cameras alongside the top here, which makes the Magic Keyboard Folio, or at least a Smart Folio, a nice addition. The Magic Keyboard for this iPad still splits into two, which I quite like, but it's not a free upgrade.

Out of the box, this iPad is running iPadOS 18, and it runs really well here, thanks to the A16 chip, but it's not enough power to support Apple Intelligence. That might be a deal breaker for some, but I don't see it as a major shortcoming based on my testing. Remember, you can download ChatGPT from the App Store and it'll work just fine here.

One piece of excellent news is that there will be no price increase for the new entry-level iPad, which means no premium for the A16 chip, and Apple is also doubling the starting storage to 128GB.

While the 11th Gen iPad is sticking with more affordable prices at $349 / £329 / AU$599, it's still more expensive than the 9th Gen iPad once was – with hindsight, that tablet was an excellent deal. Even so, I think many people will find themselves at home with the 11th-gen iPad, they just need a basic model or someone who wants to get a bit more out of an older iPad, like the 9th Gen.

Apple iPad 11th-gen: Specs

iPad Air (A16) Specs
	iPad (A16)
Starting price	$349 / £329 / AU$599
Operating System	iPadOS 18
Chipset	A16
Memory (RAM)	6GB
Storage	128GB / 256GB / 512GB
Display	11-inch LED Backlit (2360 x 1640) IPS LCD
Cameras	12MP wide main, 12MP ultrawide front
Battery	28.93Wh
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. 5G Sub-6Ghz and Gigabit LTE on Cellular models.
Weight	1.05lbs / 0.475kg without cellular and 1.06lbs / 0.48kg with
Dimensions	9.79 x 7.07 x 0.28 inches / 24.9 x 17.95 x 0.7mm (L x W x D)

Apple iPad A16: Pricing and Availability

11th Gen iPad (A16) Review — (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

The 11th-gen iPad starts at $349 / £329 / AU$599
One major change: it now starts with 128GB of storage
It comes in Pink, Yellow, Blue, and Silver

Apple's 11th Gen iPad – also known as the iPad A16 or the 2025 iPad – is on sale now with a starting price of $349 / £329 / AU$599. That starting price gets you 128GB of storage, which is double the starting storage of the 11th-gen iPad with no price increase.

You can choose to upgrade that storage to 256GB or 512GB, but it will cost you. Storage aside, all models have the same specifications, including the A16 chip inside. The 11th-gen iPad comes in four colors: Blue, Pink, Yellow, or Silver.

Apple iPad 11th Gen: Design

The 11th-gen iPad keeps the more modern design that the 10th-gen model ushered in
It no longer says 'iPad' on the back, now matching the rest of the lineup
This iPad still feels pretty high-end, with an aluminum build, and is easily portable

As I hinted at above, my favorite part of the iPad A16 – aside from the value proposition it provides – would be the design, and specifically the colors, as the rest of it is basically unchanged. My review model is a lovely shade of Pink that’s vibrant and fun.

Like most other iPads, and different from the likes of a Samsung Galaxy Tab or an Amazon Fire HD tablet, the entry-level iPad A16 is mostly a slice of aluminum. It’s effective at hiding fingerprints on the sides and rear, thanks to its mostly matte finish. This also allows the shade of Pink to vary here, depending on how the light hits it – either bouncing off with a highlight or looking a bit more muted.

The only glossy and fingerprint-prone area on the rear would be the Apple logo. Just like the updated iPad Air with M3 in the 11-inch or 13-inch size, this iPad no longer says iPad on the back. It’s a simple cosmetic change that gives this iPad a more minimalist finish.

If pink isn’t your thing, Apple also offers the iPad A16 in Yellow, Blue, or Silver – all crafted from that single piece of aluminum.

The rest of the story with the design is mainly bezels and buttons. Apple reserves Face ID and the True Depth Sensor stack for the iPad Pro, meaning that to unlock or authenticate securely without entering a pin, you place a finger on the power and sleep button, thanks to it being finished with a piece of glass.

That critical material enables Touch ID, and it works well – I just recommend setting up one finger from each of your hands so that you can better unlock your iPad, regardless of how you’re holding it. The power/sleep button, located at the top, is accessible when you hold the tablet vertically or on the left-hand side when held horizontally, making either position convenient. The volume up and volume down buttons are right next to it.

The only other input-output element is the USB-C port on the bottom, which remains unchanged from the previous-generation 10.9-inch entry-level iPad. In fact, almost every part of the design is unchanged here.

There are stereo speakers that push sound out at the top and bottom when the tablet is vertical or left and right when it’s held horizontally. There’s a main 12-megapixel camera centered along the longer side of the iPad – that’s on the top when held horizontally or on the right side when held vertically – and it delivers excellent performance for video calls. Apple has also kept a 12-megapixel camera on the rear as well.

While Apple didn’t redesign anything here, the 10.9-inch iPad remains a well-crafted tablet, and its modern look and feel complement its performance. It has nearly identical looks to the higher-priced iPad Air and feels at home next to an iPad mini or even an iPad Pro. It still comes in just one screen size, and as I’ll detail below, the 10.9-inch size, which Apple markets as 11-inch, is ideal for a wide range of tasks.

It’s easily portable, weighing in at just 1.06lbs / 0.48kg if you opt for cellular connectivity, or 1.05lbs / 0.475kg with a standard Wi-Fi-only connection. If you’re upgrading from the previous generation, it keeps the exact dimensions – 9.79 x 7.07 x 0.28 inches / 24.9 x 17.95 x 0.7mm – which means your existing Smart Cover Folio or Magic Keyboard Folio will work just fine.

Design score: 4 / 5

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Apple iPad 11th Gen: Display

The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display is great for most tasks
The glossy display can make it harder to use in very bright conditions
The 11th-gen iPad supports two Apple Pencils

If you’re looking for an iPad to browse the web, use various apps, stream movies or TV shows, play some games, and even do a little work, you’ll have no problem with the iPad in almost any scenario.

That’s a testament to the upgrades Apple rolled out in 2022, when it introduced this updated look for the most affordable iPad. The iPad A16 still boasts a 10.9-inch display, although, as Apple has done with the iPad Air and iPad Pro, it rounds that up to 11 inches in the marketing blurb – you’ll see in a footnote on Apple’s tech specs page for the iPad A16 saying it has a 10.86-inch display, which we’ve found to be the same as the 10.9-inch size of the previous generation.

Apple is still opting for its Liquid Retina display technology, and the 11th-gen iPad has an LED IPS screen that offers a resolution of 2360 x 1640 pixels. In my testing, I’ve found that it’s great for watching Severance on Apple TV+ or Nobody Wants This on Netflix, as well as for browsing the web, working within TechRadar’s CMS, or typing in a document. I’ve found that it can get punchy with colors. It’s a great screen to use in general.

The only issues are that it has a glossy, reflective finish, which makes it challenging to use the iPad A16 in really bright scenarios, and that fingerprints easily show on this display. The 11-inch iPad Air with M3 most certainly has the iPad A16 beat here, as it features an additional coating to block reflections, and it can produce even more vibrant colors. Then again, it is a bit more expensive.

I also had no issues with writing or sketching using either the Apple Pencil (first generation) or the Apple Pencil with USB-C on the iPad A16. Using both models here felt quite close to writing with an actual pencil or pen on a sheet of paper, in that there wasn’t a noticeable lag.

Display score: 4 / 5

Apple iPad 11th Gen: Cameras

The camera setup on the 11th-gen iPad remains unchanged from that of the 10th-gen
That's fine, though, as the selfie camera is awesome, mainly thanks to its CenterStage tech
There's still a rear 12-megapixel camera with no flash as well

The previous-generation iPad (10th-generation, also known as the 10.9-inch or 2022) saw Apple correcting its placement of the selfie camera on its iPads, and the iPad A16 doesn’t make waves by moving it again.

As I mentioned above, the 12-megapixel CenterStage camera lives on the longside of the iPad A16, so if you have it placed in the Magic Keyboard Folio or the Smart Cover and have it laying horizontally, it’ll be in the right spot for you to record a video – maybe a monologue or an audition tape – or to take a video call.

The latter is really where this camera excels. Sure, it’s fine for snapping a selfie, but the CenterStage tech uses some onboard software tricks to always keep you in the frame. So, if you’re prone to pacing on video calls, the A16 processor inside will do the work to keep you in the shot. It’ll work in tandem with the stereo microphones to pick up your voice as well.

If you jump up, crouch down, move to the left, or the right, the camera will slowly but surely pan to keep you in the frame. Remember, though, that it can only follow you so far, as the camera itself isn’t moving. The 12-megapixel camera itself supports up to 1080p HD recording, and is the same one that’s used on the 10th-gen and 9th-gen iPads.

If you want to take photos or record video with your iPad, this model again has a 12-megapixel camera on the rear that works just fine. Don’t expect it to rival the camera built into your phone, or a dedicated camera, though.

Cameras score: 4 / 5

Apple iPad 11th Gen: Software

Fans of iPadOS will feel right at home on the 11th-gen iPad, as it's the classic experience
With iPadOS 18, you can still split the screen between two apps and also use picture-in-picture
Apple Intelligence isn't supported here, but Math Notes does work

Ever since Apple split the iPad’s operating system off from iOS into iPadOS, its tablets have been increasingly treading the line between being entertainment devices and productivity machines. The 11th-gen iPad is similarly multi-talented, and the leap to Apple’s A16 chip over the A14 Bionic in the 10th Gen or the A13 Bionic in the 9th Gen ensures that everything runs smoothly here.

I threw a wide range of tasks at the iPad A16, and it didn’t let me down, although it might have made me wait a bit longer for some things. iPadOS 18 here, though, runs very well and didn’t exhibit any noticeable slowdowns when doing the things most people will use the iPad for. I could open nearly every app in what felt like the blink of an eye, from Safari, Messages, games and streaming services to more demanding ones like iMovie or Final Cut Pro. I could also split the screen without slowing things down and run a video in picture-in-picture, or a FaceTime call while having two other applications open.

The iPad A16 is a very competent device for most tasks – you could easily use it in school or college, splitting the screen to take notes with an Apple Pencil on one side and viewing a slide deck or highlighting lines in a virtual textbook on the other. I could use it for work, responding to emails and Slack, then switching to Safari or Google Chrome to edit or write stories on the web. I also edited a few photos in Pixelmator Pro without a hitch.

Something you won’t find supported here, though, is Apple Intelligence. The A16 is not one of the chips that Apple says can handle it, so those features are not here, nor will they arrive in the future. That means the 11th-gen iPad will not receive the new AI-powered Siri whenever it ships and, currently, doesn’t support features like Writing Tools, Genmoji, Imagic Playground, the new look for Siri, or – one of my favorites – Clean Up in Photos.

If you're looking for an iPad that can run Apple Intelligence, the iPad A16 isn’t the model for you, and you’ll need to consider the iPad mini, Air, or Pro. However, I don’t think this will be a deal-breaker for the type of user this tablet is aimed at. If you’re simply after an iPad on which you can browse the web, work with nearly any app on the App Store, and enjoy some gaming, FaceTime with friends, or Netflix streaming, with some productivity tools thrown in and Apple Pencil support, you’ll be right at home.

Furthermore, you can get AI features running on the iPad A16 by downloading Google Gemini, ChatGPT, or any number of services. I’ve tested those first two here, plus Copilot, and they work just fine. And one of the standout machine learning features from Apple, MathNotes within the Calculator or Notes app, also works just fine here.

One last note on software – while the iPad A16 with iPadOS 18 can’t run StageManager, Apple’s more advanced multitasking solution for iPads, it will support iPadOS 26 and receive a whole host of upgrades when that arrives later this year, likely in September or October 2025. And yes, that does mean true to the iPad windowing of apps, a menu bar, and the ability to place folders in the dock. I think it will stretch the mileage even further here, and the Apple silicon inside should keep it running for many years.

Software score: 4 / 5

Apple iPad 11th Gen: Performance

The A16 chip keeps things running promptly, even if it's not a night-and-day upgrade over the previous generation
Even more power-hungry tasks like creative edits run well here, but will take some time

Now let’s break down the specifics of the Apple-made A16 chip that powers the 11th-generation iPad. The A16 consists of a 5-core CPU, a 4-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and remains relatively modern even in 2025, despite being introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.

The other hardware change, alongside the A16 chip, is the doubling of the storage to 128GB from the start, which means plenty of room for apps, videos, and anything else you’d want to store on the iPad. It certainly punches up the value of the device as well.

Inside this iPad, the A16 gives you a tremendous runway – think of it as a performance superhighway – for really any conceivable task you might want to run here. No, it doesn’t essentially eliminate load times, as is the case with the M3-powered iPad Air or the M4-powered iPad Pro, but you’ll be hard pressed to make things slow down here.

I primarily encountered slowdowns when using more creativity-focused applications, such as Pixelmator Pro, Final Cut Pro, or any Adobe Suite product, including Premiere Rush or Photoshop for iPad. Most games, whether Apple Arcade titles or just purchased from the App Store, ran just fine here, and multitasking with picture-in-picture on top didn’t seem to cause much of an issue.

I also ran the iPad A16 through Geekbench 6, which runs the device through a series of tests in a stress-test fashion, and here are the results: 2,577 on single-core and 5,408 on multi-core. While those scores don't beat those of the iPad Air with M3 – and we wouldn’t expect them to – they show that the latest entry-level iPad isn’t any slouch. It matches up pretty clearly without everyday use.

It’s also a highly efficient chip, and it’s paired with a 28.93Wh rechargeable battery inside, which is the same-size cell as in the 11-inch iPad Air with M3. Apple promises up to 10 hours of video playback or surfing the web over Wi-Fi, and up to nine hours on cellular. A better benchmark is that the iPad A16 can last for a full workday of use, depending on the apps you're using. It ships with a USB-C to USB-C cable and a power brick in the box, allowing you to recharge when needed.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Apple iPad 11th Gen: Should you buy it?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	With double the starting storage and the same starting prices as well as the A16 chip and promised future software updates, the entry-level iPad strikes a great value posistion.	4.5/5
Design	The entry-level still looks like a modern tablet with a higher-end design over competitors and support for Touch ID.	4/5
Display	Everything from streaming movies to browsing the web with calls, games, and editing in between looks great, I just wish it got a little brighter to combat using it outside on sunny days.	4/5
Cameras	The CenterStage functionality of the front-facing camera makes this a great device for calls.	4/5
Software	iPadOS 16 runs really well here and gives you basic multitasking and supports the Apple Pencil.	4/5
Performance	The A16 isn't a huge leap over the A14 Bionic and doesn't support Apple Intelligence, but it keeps things running very smoothly and lets you use the iPad for really any conceivable task.	4.5/5

Buy it if...

You have an aging iPad or other tablet

Apple's latest entry-level iPad makes a lot of sense if you have an older iPad (maybe something beyond the 9th Gen) or another tablet and have been wanting better performance, battery life, or a larger screen. View Deal

You want an iPad for the basics and then some

With 128GB of starting storage, an excellent 10.9-inch screen, and the A16 chip, the 11th Gen iPad works exceptionally well for a broad range of tasks, including work and entertainment.View Deal

You don't want to spend a ton

With a starting price of $349/£329/AU$599, this is the most affordable way to enter Apple's iPad lineup in terms of a new model.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You need more power

If you want an iPad that can rival the best laptops and serve as your one device for everything, you'll likely want to consider the M3-powered iPad Air or the iPad Pro with M4.View Deal

Your current iPad is working just fine

Considering that even the 9th Gen iPad will receive iPadOS 16 later in 2025, if your current iPad still meets your needs, then you don't need to make the upgrade just yet.View Deal

Also Consider

Apple iPad Air with M3 (2025)

With the 11-inch size just as portable as the 11th Gen base iPad, the Air is all about speeding things up even further, featuring a better screen that doesn't have issues operating on a bright, sunny day, and the ability to pair it with an even better Magic Keyboard.View Deal

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9

It's our pick for the best Android tablet for most folks, and the Galaxy Tab S9 really toes the line of being an excellent slate for both work and play, nearly as well as the iPad.View Deal

Apple iPad 11th Gen: How I Tested

I spent several weeks with the 11th Gen iPad (A16) in Pink, using it with a few Apple-made accessories, including the Magic Keyboard Folio, a Smart Folio, a first-generation Apple Pencil, and the Apple Pencil USB-C. I first unboxed the iPad and then set it up as a new tablet, before beginning to install my usual apps to start using it.

I tested the new, entry-level iPad alongside the new iPad Air with M3 for a few days, conducting comparison testing to see how the two similar iPads, in terms of build, hold up.

I also tried to use the iPad A16 as my primary device for testing. I use the iPad for a broad range of tasks, including much of my job, like responding to Slack, emails, editing photos or videos, and writing and editing stories. I also streamed hours of content from some of the best streaming services and played several games on the tablet.

Apple iPad mini A17 Pro (2024): a premium mini tablet experience that still captivates

4:03 pm | October 22, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets iPad iPad Mini Tablets | Tags: Apple Pencil, Control Center, Fallout Shelter, RAM | Comments: Off

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024): one-minute review

The variety in iPad sizes is impressive. You can get everything from a 13-inch giant iPad Pro down to an 8.3-inch iPad mini. Most people probably live in the middle with the popular 10.9-inch iPad Air or the new 11-inch Air, but that little one with the 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display has its adherents.

It's an almost pocket-friendly device that's popular with pilots, artists, ardent notetakers, social media scrollers, students, and readers. It's the color reading screen for those who don't want to read comics on a black-and-white Kindle (though that new Colorsoft does change things, am I right?). It's sometimes the second multipurpose slab in your arsenal, small and light enough to join you on vacation, and it's sometimes the perfect back-porch streaming companion.

The iPad mini is also a product that's been on the bubble. Many worried that Apple might simply cancel it. It was among the last two iPad holdouts to not get an M-class Apple silicon chip, and also the last mobile device to still include the 'mini' name (RIP iPhone mini) – the only other Apple product with that designation is the Mac mini.

Instead of killing it, Apple has essentially done a brain transplant, upgrading the previous model's A15 Bionic mobile CPU to the much more powerful A17 Pro. The choice is surprising, because Apple seems almost anxious to stuff its latest Apple silicon into every new device (see the M4-running iPad Pro); but this time Apple tapped the brakes a bit. There's nothing wrong with the A17 Pro, which is the same chip you'll find in last year's iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. It's Apple Intelligence-capable, and has more than enough power for a screen of almost any size.

Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) REVIEW — (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

If I have a frustration with the latest iPad, alternatively known as the iPad mini 7th Generation or iPad Mini A17 Pro, it's that it's virtually identical in every respect to the three-year-old iPad mini 6th generation. Apple didn't bother to upgrade the design, the screen, the cameras, or the speakers. The only hardware change that expresses itself on the outside of the tablet is one you can only see if you have an Apple Pencil.

The new iPad mini supports just two styluses: the Apple Pencil USB-C and the new Apple Pencil Pro. I wouldn't expect it to support the original Apple Pencil, but I am a little surprised that there's no support for the Apple Pencil 2. You can't even properly seat that Pencil on the charging base that sits on one long edge of the iPad, because Apple has reengineered the hardware underneath.

It's a small thing, really, and you will appreciate all the cool stuff you can do with a Pencil Pro, like squeeze it or use gestures to change tools and Scribble. And with 18.1 and Apple Intelligence, you can even Scribble to Siri.

What might matter most to iPad mini fans, though, is its ability to support Apple Intelligence. Only the A17 Pro and above (along with all M-class Apple chips) supports it, but you need to be running iPadOS 18.1. If you buy this new iPad, it will likely arrive with iPadOS 18 and, like my test unit, not yet support Apple Intelligence. That speaks to the general frustration many of us have when it comes to Apple's own brand of AI. It's dribbling out slowly, and still lacks core features like Siri with app access, user activity knowledge, contextual awareness, and ChatGPT access.

Some of these features may arrive by the end of October; others might not arrive until 2025. It's a mystery to me why Apple is moving so slowly in this regard. Eventually, I got a developer beta of iPadOS 18.1 onto the iPad mini, and it performs just as well as I hoped, enabling you, among other things, to quickly summarize notes or change the tone of an email with Writing Tools, have your Notifications summarized, and even get a priority look into your inbox. Hand-writing queries to Siri is pretty much tailor-made for the iPad, and you can be more precise when cleaning up photos.

Even without Apple Intelligence, the iPad mini is an excellent tablet. It's also a premium device, and priced like one, starting at $499 / £499 / AU$799 for 128GB of storage. At 9.7 inches, that iPad was larger and heavier (it weighed a pound and a half). The nice thing about the modern iPad mini is that the screen isn't much smaller than the one on the OG iPad, but it's a much higher resolution, and the device is so much smaller and lighter.

Few tablets are as versatile and powerful as the iPad mini. I used it for all kinds of work, creative, and entertainment activities and was never disappointed. It remains one of my favorite drawing devices.

If you own an iPad mini 6th generation, hold onto it and upgrade to iPadOS 18. Even without Apple intelligence, you'll be happy. If you've never owned an iPad and think the new iPad Air 11-inch and 10.9-inch iPad 10th gen are too large, and a 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max is too small, perhaps the iPad mini is the sweet spot you've been looking for. Plus, it supports a stylus, and even though the iPhone screens are getting mighty big, that's one thing they still don't offer.

Apple iPad Mini A 17 Pro (2024) review: price and availability

Pricey for its size
Fresh new colors

Apple unveiled the iPad mini A 17 Pro on October 15, 2025. It starts at $499 / £499 / AU$799 for 128GB of storage – that's the same price as the 2021 iPad mini in the US, but a £20 increase in the UK and AU$50 more if you’re in Australia. It costs $150 / £170 / AU$200 more than a 10th Gen iPad, which only has an A14 Bionic, and $100 / £100 / AU$200 less than the base iPad Air. There are cheaper mini-tablet options on the market, like the 8-inch Amazon Kindle Fire HD, which starts at $99.99 / £99.99 (it's not currently available in Australia), although you're only getting 32GB of storage, a pair of not-so-great 2MP cameras, and a Hexa-core CPU. Apple is essentially asking you to pay a premium price for a well-equipped product to perform premium and professional tasks. The new iPad mini is available in four colors: Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Starlight (somewhere between silver and rose gold).

Value score: 4 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: specs

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: display

Still a brilliant and colorful screen
500 nits max

When Apple first introduced the iPad mini 6th generation in 2021, it was a big deal not only because of the wholesale redesign that brought the mini more in line with the iPad Air 4th Gen, which was released a year earlier, but also because was fitting a relatively large screen into a much smaller body.

The new mini also came with new display technologies, introducing the 326ppi Liquid Retina Display and LED backlighting to the mini line.

It's an excellent and responsive touchscreen that offers a wide color gamut, and, of course, Apple Pencil support. It has an antireflective coating, and is somewhat resistant to fingerprints. I'm not thrilled that the peak brightness is stuck at 500 nits when Apple's other mobile devices are pumping out, under certain conditions 2,000 nits. Still, this is a three-year-old technology, so I should not expect 2024 display updates.

My experience with the iPad Mini A 17 Pro was, in many ways, no different than with the 6th Gen model, and this is a good thing. As before, everything looks fantastic on the 8.3-inch display; games, photos, movies, apps, and web browsing are all great (I especially enjoyed perusing photos of baby animals on National Geographic – it tells me we're all hardwired to love baby animals, and I totally believe it).

The iPad mini truly shines, though, when you add an Apple Pencil. The mini now only supports the Pencil Pro and Pencil USB-C, and only the former can magnetically charge on the edge of the iPad Mini. The pens are optional extras though, so you'll pay an additional $129 for the Pro or $79 for the USB-C model – I think they're a worthwhile investment.

Apple Pencil Accessory

As an amateur artist, few things make me happier than drawing on an iPad, usually in Procreate. I alternate between drawing on a large 13-inch iPad Pro and the pint-sized mini, and even though the screen on the latter is comparatively small, I never find it constraining.

I can understand how some might think the 8.3-inch screen is too small a canvas or not large enough to multitask, but I'd have to disagree. I spent hours drawing the puppy you can see below in Procreate, and I did most of it on a split screen. I dragged the Safari browser window with my reference images up to the left and gave two-thirds of the screen to Procreate. It's enough space, I promise you.

One of the reasons why sketching on the iPad mini works is the feel of drawing with an Apple Pencil on the screen. Even though the screen is perfectly smooth, the Pencil tip provides just enough friction to make it feel like I'm drawing on something other than glass. In some apps, I can hover my pencil over the screen and see the cursor or drawing dot move with the Pencil. I can also squeeze it to change tools.

The Pencil is not just for drawing. For those who don't want to type, you can scribble words in various fields and, depending on the quality of your writing, the iPad will convert them to text. In Notes, I used the new Math Notes to write equations and had the iPad solve them for me in something that looked like my own handwriting. I wrote '200+36=' and the iPad quickly returned '236'. When I added a line under my original equation and the number 2 under that, Math Notes automatically knew to divide by two and updated my sum to '118'. Impressive – and fun.

With Apple Intelligence you'll be able to double tap near the bottom of the screen to open the Siri Text window, but instead of typing you'll write in your query with the Apple Pencil.

Display score: 4.5 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: design

This looks familiar

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I've spent quite a bit of time examining the new iPad mini 7th gen from every angle, and there's virtually no difference between it and the previous model. I'm fine with that – this is a good and solid design. The 100% recycled aluminum chassis is thin, 6.5mm, and light, just 293 grams. To put that in perspective, the iPhone 16 Pro Max weighs 227 grams, so Apple's smallest iPad is just 66g heavier. I have big hands, and I can comfortably hold the 7.69in x 5.3-inch tablet in one hand; I usually have the Apple Pencil in the other.

The bezel around the screen is perhaps a bit thick by modern iPad standards, and I'm surprised that the FaceTime camera still lives on the narrow side of the display (Apple moved it for the iPad Pro). This means that if you want to make eye contact during a call you need to look at the left side of the iPad mini.

On one short edge is the very effective Touch ID (also power and sleep) button that I use not only to unlock the device but to sign into myriad accounts. Opposite it are the two volume buttons, and in between are a pair of speaker grilles; the other half of the stereo speaker system is on the other side of the iPad, which also houses the USB-C port.

The iPad mini offers no water resistance and doesn't have a dust rating. If you plan to take it to the beach, buy a case. There are still four colors to come from, but joining Starlight and Space Gray are new Purple and Blue shades. At first, I was very drawn to the Blue, a sort of light anodized take on the color that can change depending on how the light hits it, but Apple's latest take on Purple is surprisingly airy in lower light and can really pop when under direct light. These two new shades and Starlight – perfectly match the new AirPods Max.

Design score: 4.5 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: cameras

Decent 12MP cameras
Centerstage
No telephoto

The iPad mini is just small enough that I could imagine people carrying it and taking pictures wherever they go. With a single 12MP wide-angle camera on the back, it will get the job done, and the photos it produces are rich in detail and color. However, they don't hold up to close scrutiny as well as photos from the iPhone 16 Pro Max's 48MP main camera.

The front camera takes nice selfies, but not portrait-mode shots. It's far more useful as a FaceTime camera and, when I used Centerstage, the ultrawide camera auto-cropped the frame to follow me around. It's a nice feature, especially if you like to walk and talk while conducting Facetime calls.

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Apple iPad mini A17 (2024) Camera Samples — (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

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Apple iPad mini A17 (2024) Camera Samples Selfie on FaceTime Camera — (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Camera score: 3.5 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: software

Control Center customization
Home screen and widgets are more customizable
Calculator
New Photos app

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The iPad mini A17 Pro ships with iPadOS 18, which brings with it many of the same features you'll find on iOS 18, including a customizable Control Center, the Photos app redesign, the new Passwords app, updated Messages, and the aforementioned Math Notes (one of my favorites).

Apple Intelligence is coming, too, bringing writing tools to help you craft better prose in almost any situation, Siri with a completely new look, and, eventually, better insights into how you use your iPad.

Aside from what's coming with Apple Intelligence, none of these changes will radically alter your iPad experience, though I do think most of them will make it better. I'm still on the fence about the Photos app, which is so different that I can't seem to find anything. At least it now includes natural language search queries that should make finding photos across vast libraries far easier.

In my brief time with Apple Intelligence on the iPad mini, courtesy of a developer beta of iPadOS 18.1, I was mostly impressed. Similar to the Apple Intelligence experience on the iPad Air, iPad Pro, Mac, or iPhone, it's currently a well-rounded set of firsts.

You can summarize notifications automatically, which makes it easier to triage them after your device has been in sleep mode overnight, or while you have 'Do Not Disturb' engaged during a long meeting. I especially like how it summarizes Slack and Group messages, generally providing a good gist and summary. The same goes for Mail in Apple's own app or third-party ones in Gmail.

The Apple Pencil Pro (or the Pencil USB-C) really shines when it comes taking notes, and while it's not an Apple Intelligence feature, Smart Script is still really impressive in use, as it cleans up your handwriting in a way that matches your style. I also still desperately wish I had Math Notes when I was growing up.

Maybe the most purpose-built part of Apple Intelligence for the iPad is Scribble to Siri, though, and it's handy for those times when you're taking notes or just using the Apple Pencil. You can double-tap on the bottom of the screen and start writing in the Siri box that appears to get answers – it could be a question about your calendar, the weather, a sports score, or even a smart home command.

Of course, there are still many Apple Intelligence features we're still waiting for, from the completely redesigned Siri with personal context and the ability to work within apps deeply, to Genmoji, Image Playground, and ChatGPT integration. When those do arrive, the iPad mini will be able to handle them all, and will be the cheapest way to get any of these or future Apple Intelligence features.

Software score: 4.5 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: performance

A17 Pro is a generation back
Still has ample power
Double the RAM

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While I'm surprised the iPad mini 7th generation is not running on top-of-M-class Apple silicon (not even a now last-gen M3), the A17 Pro is no slouch. Plus, it's the first A-class chip that could support Apple Intelligence.

Adding a Pro-level chip to the mini is almost a recognition of the iPad's mini place in the creative and professional world. Pilots run apps like ForeFlight on it to plan trips. It's a complex and rich app that's not for the faint of heart (me) or a lightweight CPU. The iPad is also a popular drawing and image editing platform, and running pro-level image editing app Adobe Lightroom on it is no problem.

Apple iPad mini A17 Pro benchmark — (Image credit: Future)

Similarly, I edited four streams of 4K videos at once in Adobe Premiere Rush. And when it came time to unwind, I played Asphalt Legends Unite, Madden NFL 25 Mobile, and Fallout Shelter.

The performance boost you'll see in the new iPad mini is borne out in its Geekbench 6 numbers. The CPU scores are all measurably higher.

It's not just the CPU that's powering all this performance – Apple has doubled the RAM from 4GB to 8GB. Most people believe this has to do with Apple Intelligence support, which appears to require at least that much RAM to perform Apple Intelligence's generative AI tasks locally (some tasks will still have to be done in Apple's encrypted Private Cloud Compute).

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) review: battery

A long work or play day

Apple rates the iPad Mini 7th Gen at about 10 hours of battery, and in my anecdotal tests that's about right. It's not great battery life, and I wonder if we might have gotten more had Apple made the switch from the A17 Pro to a more efficient M2.

In our Future Labs tests, the new iPad mini managed around 10 hours and 36 minutes.

There's no wireless charging, which is a shame since this iPad seems like the perfect size to rest on a Qi MagSafe charger. At least the iPad ships with a woven USB-C cable and a nice 20W adapter.

Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024)?

Buy it if…

You want the most affordable Apple Intelligence Experience
The iPad mini might be expensive for its size, but it's also a rare sub-$500 Apple Intelligence experience.

You want a powerful iPad that doesn't weigh you down
This 8.3-inch device is light, thin, and very powerful.

Don’t buy it if…

You're on a tight tablet budget
This is a lot of money for the smallest iPad, especially when you can get an 8-inch Amazon Fire HD tablet for $100 / £100.

You'll never buy an Apple Pencil
The iPad mini is wonderful, but it truly flourishes with an Apple Pencil Pro. If you'll never invest in one, perhaps look at a different tablet.

iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024): Also consider

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 Plus

With storage expandable up to 1TB and a cheaper price than the Pad Go (if you go for Wi-Fi only version), the Galaxy Tab A9 Plus is a similarly capable media playback device. The display isn't as sharp, with a 1920 x 1200 resolution, but it does feature Samsung's useful split-screen multitasking abilities.

Amazon Fire Max 11

Another budget 11-inch tablet, the Fire Max 11 has the same 2.2GHz Octo-Core chip as the Galaxy Tab A9 Plus. The display has a resolution of 1200 x 2000, and it has an expandable storage capacity up to 1TB. Like the Pad Go, it also features Dolby Atmos capability. It is more expensive, though, and Google Play isn't supported. You'll also have to pay slightly more if you want the ad-free version.

How I tested the iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024)

Drew
Watched TV
Played Games
Browsed the web
Edited movies
Edited photos

I used the Apple iPad mini A17 Pro as I would any other iPad, for every activity I do throughout the day, including Slack, email, conducting video meetings, drawing, editing, videos, and photos, playing games, and watching the Mets lose through the my favorite streaming platform.

I also spent several hours with the iPadOS 18.1 developer beta installed on the iPad mini seventh-generation, testing the currently available Apple Intelligence features, to get a sense of how they perform here.

iPad Pro 13-inch (2024): Two-minute review

Ahead of unveiling the new iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), Apple was hyping up its Let Loose launch event as a ‘different kind of Apple event’, and the most important iPad launch since the original iPad – and now that the dust has settled, it seems that the hype was largely justified.

The iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) – along with the 11-inch model that was also announced – is an incredibly accomplished and versatile device that, as the marketing spiel that accompanies it makes clear, features plenty of ‘firsts’ and ‘bests’ – it’s the first time an Apple M-class chip (the new M4) has debuted in an iPad, rather than a Mac; it’s the thinnest-ever Apple device (yes, thinner than the iPod Nano, even); and it has the best screen you can get on a tablet.

The iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is clearly a product made by a market leader at the top of its game – it’s a stunning bit of kit that’s packed with cutting-edge tech, and is a shoo-in for the best tablet you can buy in 2024 for its specs alone; but this also means, somewhat counterintuitively, that this is not a tablet for everyone.

For a start, along with the lofty specs, features, and performance claims Apple is making for the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) comes an equally sky-high price tag: $1,299 / £1,299 / $2,199 for the base model (the 11-inch version starts at a more affordable, but still very expensive, $999 / £999 / AU$1,699).

That price immediately puts it out of the reach of many people – and this is clearly not a tablet that’s designed for just browsing the web and watching videos on the couch.

iPad Pro 13-inch with M4 chip on a wooden table — (Image credit: Future)

The fact that the new iPad Pro is also a showcase for Apple’s brand-new M4 chip (the iPad line has skipped the M3 chip found in the latest MacBook Air and the base model of the 14-inch MacBook Pro) suggests to me that this isn’t a tablet that’s simply designed to replace your older iPad, Amazon Kindle, or Galaxy Tab, but a device that’s designed to replace your MacBook – and when put into that context, the price (and performance levels) of the iPad Pro is much more understandable.

If you’re not looking for a top-of-the-range tablet to replace your laptop, and just want something more affordable for casual tasks, the new iPad Air 6 will be much more appealing, and it comes with some neat features of its own (and it supports the impressive Apple Pencil Pro stylus, as does the new Pro).

However, if you’re after an accomplished bit of kit that can handle some seriously heavy workloads, including video editing and music production, while also coming in an incredibly thin and light form factor, then the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) could prove to be a very sound investment indeed.

iPad Pro 13-inch (2024): Price & availability

How much does it cost? $1,299 / £1,299 / $2,199
Where is it available? Shipping worldwide May 15

The 13-inch iPad Pro (2024) starts at $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,199 with 256GB of storage, rising to $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,549 for 512GB, $1,899 / £1,899 / AU$3,249 for 1TB, and $2,299 / £2,299 / AU$3,949 for 2TB.

These prices are for the Wi-Fi models. You can also get cellular models with support for 5G connections if you need more comprehensive web connectivity, which adds $200 / £200 / AU$350 to the price of each model.

That’s quite a leap from the base price of the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2022), which launched at $1,099 / £1,249 / AU$1,899. The leap in price is, according to Apple, down to the new design, much-improved OLED screen (more on that in a bit) and performance improvements offered by the new M4 chip over the M2 chip that came with the previous model. Also, the base model of the new iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) comes with 256GB storage – twice the amount that the base-model iPad Pro 12.9-inch came with.

For an expensive device aimed at professionals, which doesn’t allow users to manually upgrade the included SSD or offer a memory card slot, dropping the 128GB storage option makes a lot of sense, as in 2024 that amount will get filled up fast. However, if some iPad owners feel like they’re being forced to spend more for an upgrade they might not necessarily have chosen, that might not go down too well.

The price for the new iPad Pro rises if you add additional storage. The 512GB model is $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,549, the 1TB model is $1,899 / £1,899 / AU$3,249, and the 2TB Pro is $2,299 / £2,299 / AU$3,949 – and those prices are for the Wi-Fi only models.

If you don’t need huge amounts of storage, you may be happy going for the lower-capacity models to save some money, but – in a frustratingly typical fashion for modern Apple – there are some additional minor changes to the specs depending on the storage capacity you choose.

For a start, the 256GB and 512GB models come with 8GB of RAM, while the 1TB and 2TB models come with 16GB. Also, the 256 and 512GB models have an M4 chip with a 9-core CPU, while the M4 in the 1TB and 2TB models has a 10-core CPU. The doubling of memory and the extra core will offer a noticeable performance increase with the higher-capacity (and more expensive) models, so that’s worth bearing in mind.

The two larger-capacity models also come with the option to have nano-texture glass added to their screens, which helps minimize glare and reflections, while feeling nicer to use a stylus on. This, of course, also ups the price, and a fully maxed-out iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) will set you back $2,599 / £2,599 / AU$4,479. That’s not just MacBook money – that’s MacBook Pro money.

Price score: 3 / 5

iPad Pro 13-inch (2024): Specs

Specs score: 5 / 5

iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) review: Design

New thinner, lighter design
Gorgeous screen
Face ID camera has moved

If, like me, you were surprised to see the M4 chip debut in the new iPad Pro, rather than in a Mac, the new design of this tablet goes some way towards explaining the decision.

According to Apple, both the incredibly thin body and the ‘tandem OLED’ technology that powers the new ‘Ultra Retina XDR display’ of the new iPad Pros are only possible thanks to advancements with the M4 chip, primarily around energy efficiency/thermal performance, and a new and improved 10-core GPU and new display engine to handle the more demanding screen.

Apple claims that the M4 chip can provide the same level of performance as the M2 chip using half the power. Of course, the M4 chip can also provide much higher performance than the M2, but this level of power efficiency has allowed Apple to make the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) incredibly thin and light, with dimensions of 281.6 x 215.5 x 5.1mm and a weight of 579g. This is thinner than the 5.9mm thickness of the iPad Pro 11 (2022), and noticeably thinner than the 6.4mm of the iPad Pro 12.9 (2022). In fact, Apple goes as far as to say that the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is the thinnest device it’s ever made.

It certainly feels that way. Quoting dimensions at you won’t give you a real idea of just how thin the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is – you need to see it and feel it for yourself. Despite having a larger display than the previous model, the 13-inch iPad Pro is easily portable – especially if you’re used to carrying around a 13-inch laptop. As for Apple’s claims that it’s the thinnest device it’s ever made, I put it next to an Air Tag – the thinnest Apple product I had to hand, and the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is indeed thinner, even if only just. This is quite the achievement considering that one of these devices is a premium and powerful tablet computer, and the other is essentially a location tracker that’s designed to be as unobtrusive as possible when attached to your belongings.

Having such a thin, light, and expensive device might be a bit concerning for some, and the iPhone 6 Plus ‘BendGate’ controversy will still be in a lot of people’s minds, even after all those years.

The good news is that, despite its incredibly slim design, the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) feels impressively robust, and while you won’t want to go throwing it around as you might a cheap and cheerful Android tablet that costs a fifth of the price, you won’t feel like you’re handling a delicate artifact that could shatter at any moment.

As you might expect, a range of covers and protective cases are available for the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), from Apple itself and third parties like Logitech. I’d certainly recommend buying one to help protect your expensive purchase, especially as many – such as Apple’s new Magic Keyboard – add additional features to the tablet.

The body of the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is made with 100% recycled aluminum, and not only is this good for the environment (the packaging is now 100% fiber-based, and the iconic stickers have been dropped to limit the amount of plastic used), but it helps give the iPad Pro a solid and dependable feel without being too heavy.

The iPad Pro is available in two colors – Silver, and Space Black, which is the version I was sent and which you can see pictured throughout this review. It doesn’t, however, seem to have the same clever fingerprint-proof material found with certain colors of the latest MacBook Air, which Apple terms a “breakthrough anodization seal to reduce fingerprints”, and after only a short while, the back of the iPad Pro was dotted with fingerprints.

The iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) has four built-in speakers, along with four microphones. On the right-hand side, when you’re holding the tablet in portrait orientation, are the volume buttons, and at the top is the power button. At the bottom is a Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4 port that can be used for charging and connecting peripherals such as USB-C monitors or external hard drives, with data transfer speeds of up to 40Gb/s.

I still believe that the move from Apple’s proprietary Lightning port to the much more widely-used USB-C for its products, including iPads and iPhones, is the right, consumer-friendly, move that allows you to easily connect different chargers and peripherals.

It should be noted that in Europe the iPad Pro does not come with a charger, just the cable. This reduces packaging, and also e-waste, as there’s a good chance that people will already have a USB-C charger lying around. The cable Apple provides is only USB 2.0, however, which means you won’t get anywhere near the maximum data transfer rates the iPad Pro’s USB-C port is capable of – this feels like a bit of a mean decision on Apple’s part, especially considering how expensive the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is. A magnetic ‘Smart Connector’ runs along the right-hand side of the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), and this is used to connect and charge compatible accessories like the new Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard. The use of this new Smart Connector, however, means the older Apple Pencil does not work with this iPad Pro (and nor does the Pencil Pro work with older iPads).

When it comes to the cameras, there’s both good and bad news. The good news is that the 12MP Ultra Wide front camera has been moved to the right-hand side, which means that when you use the iPad Pro in landscape orientation, the camera is at the top of the screen. This makes video calls much more comfortable and intuitive, and logging in via Face ID also feels easier – this is a design upgrade that many iPad Pro owners had been asking for, and it’s very welcome.

What’s less good news, however, is that on the rear there’s a 12MP f/1.8 rear camera that can film up to 4K at 60fps, with a LiDAR sensor to assist with autofocus, and an Adaptive True Tone flash, which Apple claims improves document scanning by using AI to detect when you’re taking shots of a paper document and removing shadows from images by taking multiple shots.

Meanwhile, the LiDAR camera is also used for 3D and spatial awareness, allowing the iPad Pro to scan rooms and identify objects – and allows for augmented reality (AR) apps to cleverly overlay virtual objects in the real world when you’re looking at the iPad Pro’s screen.

Why isn’t this great news? Well, you might notice that the new iPad Pro actually comes with one less rear camera. That’s right – the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), and the 11-inch model, don't have the ultra-wide camera found on previous models. While Apple hasn’t commented on why it decided to drop this camera (the company much prefers to talk about things it’s added, rather than things it’s taken away), it could be due to Apple’s desire to slim down this model – or even to stop the price tag being too high.

Regardless of Apple’s reasons, some users will likely be disappointed by this move. Apple, however, suggests that thanks to the combination of the 12MP camera, the LiDAR sensor and the M4’s image processing prowess, you’ll still be able to take wide-angle shots that look good, although while I’m not a professional photographer, I imagine the results won’t be able to quite match a dedicated ultra wide angle lens.

Design score: 5 / 5

iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) review: Display

Tandem OLED technology
2752 x 2064 resolution
Fantastic image quality

Apart from the new M4 chip, the most exciting thing about the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is its overhauled display. Compared to the Mini LED technology of the previous model’s display, the new iPad Pro’s OLED tech offers much better contrast, especially for HDR content, and is much brighter too, with a maximum fullscreen brightness of 1,000 nits (and 1,600 nits peak brightness for HDR content) compared to the 600 nits of the 2022 model.

I compared the new iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) and the 2021 model – which features the same display as the 2022 one – side by side, and several differences were immediately apparent. Watching the same Dolby Vision 4K footage, the new iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) offered more detail in very dark scenes, with textures visible that are obscured by shadows on the 2021 model. There was also no visible ‘bloom’ with the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), which is where some light leaks from bright objects into adjacent dark areas.

Comparing the iPad Pro screens side by side, other, more subtle, differences were noticeable. For a start, the color temperature of the new iPad Pro’s screen is warmer than the 2021 models, which means whites had a slight yellow tint, compared to the blue tint of the 2021’s screen.

This was with both iPad Pros set to their default display settings, and with True Tone turned off. True Tone is an Apple-specific feature that adjusts the colors of the screen depending on the ambient light you’re using the iPad in. By default this is turned on, and for casual use I recommend you keep it on for the best image quality, although if you’re working on a project that requires color accuracy, such as photo editing, then you’ll want to turn this off. As usual, the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024)’s screen offers support for the wide P3 color gamut.

The color temperature difference won’t be immediately noticeable unless you turn off True Tone and have two iPads next to each other; and even then, which display looks better will be a matter of taste – I actually slightly prefer the cooler color temperature of the older model.

Watching movies both through Apple TV+ and Disney Plus, as well as viewing photos and playing games, was an absolute joy on the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), with colors looking bright, lifelike and vibrant. As far as tablets go, you won’t get a better viewing experience.

The screen also comes with ProMotion technology that enables adaptive refresh rates between 10Hz and 120Hz, depending on what you’re doing. This means that scrolling websites and social media feeds feels smooth and responsive, and games look and feel great as well.

The display of the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), which Apple calls Ultra Retina XDR, is capable of lower refresh rates than its predecessor (10Hz vs 24Hz), which won’t make too much of a difference viewing-wise, but could help to prolong battery life when a fast refresh rate isn’t needed.

The 13-inch iPad Pro has a slightly larger screen compared to the display of the previous 12.9-inch model, but is also has a higher resolution, which evens out the pixel density so it’s pretty even between generations, at 264 ppi (pixels per inch) for the new Pro compared to the older model’s 265 ppi. The more pixels per inch a display has, the sharper and more detailed the image quality.

The iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) uses some rather unique technology, dubbed ‘tandem OLED’. This is essentially two OLED displays layered one on top of the other, with their combined brightness resulting in dazzling images. Some OLED displays (especially older ones) can struggle with peak brightness, and this ‘tandem’ technology is an attempt to rectify that. It certainly seems to have worked, as I had no trouble viewing the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024)’s screen in all manner of lighting environments, even outside in bright sunlight.

By effectively halving the burden on each panel to display bright pixels, such OLED screens should avoid instances of burn-in, where static images can sometimes remain visible after they’ve been displayed, an issue that OLEDs (especially older ones) can be susceptible to. During my time reviewing the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) I didn’t see any evidence of burn-in, although this isn’t necessarily surprising, as it often only starts to appear after many hundreds of hours of use. Regardless, I never worried about it either.

One thing to note is that due to the 3:2 aspect ratio of the 13-inch iPad Pro, when you’re watching widescreen videos in ratios of 16:9, or especially 2.39:1 cinema ratio, you’ll see two prominent black bars above and below the picture.

Unlike previous models, which had quite different tech depending on the screen size you chose, with the latest 13-inch iPad Pro and 11-inch iPad Pro there’s no quality penalty if you go for the smaller version – both use the same technology, and as mentioned they have different resolutions that equate to the same pixel density. This is a welcome change, as it means that if you’d rather have a smaller iPad Pro you’re not going to miss out on the visual goodies.

You can also configure the 1TB and 2TB models to come with nano-texture display glass. This premium finish helps to reduce glare and reflections, and could be of interest to professionals who will be using the iPad Pro for long periods of time in locations, such as studios, which have a lot of bright lights. You can’t get this screen tech with the smaller capacity models, and you have to pay extra ($100 / £100 / AU$180 extra, to be precise) for the privilege.

Apple sent me the iPad Pro with just the standard glass, so I was unable to test out the nano-texture glass, but I have seen it in action on the Studio Display, and it does indeed do a good job of reducing glare. Whether or not this is enough to justify spending $100 more (plus the extra cost of upping the SSD storage if you don’t otherwise need it) will depend mainly on what you’re using your iPad Pro for. Even without it, I found that glare wasn’t too bad thanks to the brightness of the screen, although reflections were visible (but not overly distracting).

Overall, the display of the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is easily the best you’ll get on a tablet device, and it even competes with the best laptop displays as well. That said, the dual OLED setup has clearly impacted the overall price of the new iPad Pro, and while it’s a step up over its predecessors, I don’t think the screen on its own would justify upgrading if you have an older iPad Pro with a Mini LED screen. However, the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) has a few more tricks up its sleeve…

Display score: 5 / 5

iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) review: Specs, Performance & Camera

Powerful new M4 chip
Incredibly fast performance
Impressive AI capabilities

The surprise appearance of the completely new M4 chip in the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) feels more and more like a real statement of intent from Apple: no longer is the iPad Pro a lesser device than its Macs, surviving on leftover components and carrying baggage from its mobile-first origins; it’s now a fully-fledged productivity machine that isn’t just worthy of the same kind of powerful components as the best MacBook Pros, but in fact now leads the pack when it comes to Apple silicon. Indeed, the latest MacBook Pro 14-inch model comes with the now last-generation M3 chip.

This is a move that will no doubt please iPad Pro owners – while possibly annoying MacBook fans – and the result is a device that is far more powerful than any other tablet out there.

iPad Pro 13-inch (2024): Benchmarks

Here's how the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Wild Life Extreme: 8,289; Solar Bay: 14,333
CrossMark: 1,915 points
GeekBench 6.3: Multi-core: 14,523 points; Single-core: 3,700
Battery test: 14 hours 50 minutes

By skipping the M3 generation for the iPad Pro (the previous model used the M2), Apple claims it was able to create a new iPad that would not otherwise have been possible, despite the M3’s proficiency. This is primarily evident in the improved power efficiency that allows the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) to be so thin, while also supporting the dual or ‘tandem’ OLED setup.

According to Apple, the new M4 iPad Pro boasts 20% better thermal performance, while offering four times the rendering performance of the previous model. It also offers 50% faster CPU performance compared to the M2 chip – again, according to Apple.

I’m a huge fan of Apple’s M-series chips – I feel that they’ve breathed new life into Apple’s Mac products, so to see a tablet with the cutting-edge M4 chip is incredibly exciting. Of course, for many people it’s absolutely overkill, but for the first time I really feel like the iPad Pro could be a replacement for my MacBooks – especially when paired with the new Magic Keyboard cover that essentially turns it into a laptop (and which comes with a larger trackpad than the previous model, making it more comfortable to use for those of us who are more used to macOS devices).

While the M4 chip will no doubt be able to handle macOS and desktop applications with ease (as previous M-class chips have done), and the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) comes with iPadOS 17, which is a lighter mobile operating system, that doesn’t necessarily mean the M4’s power is surplus to requirements. Many iPad apps remain relatively lightweight in order to ensure that they run smoothly on all models, however a growing number are becoming increasingly feature-rich and complex, coming close to the functionality offered by macOS desktop applications.

This is certainly true of Apple’s own apps. I got to play around with the upcoming release of Logic Pro for iPad 2, a fully-featured DAW (digital audio workstation) app which allows you to record and edit music. It’s the kind of application I use a lot on my MacBook Pro, and when you’ve got a particularly ambitious project on the go with multiple instruments (both virtual and physical), you need a capable machine that can keep up.

The good news is that, based on my time with the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), it clearly is a very capable bit of kit, and thanks to the M4 chip, with its improved 16-core Neural Engine that’s designed to handle machine learning and artificial intelligence tasks, the new iPad Pro can make full use of the new AI tools in Logic Pro.

One particularly impressive feature in Logic Pro is Stem Splitter. This uses AI to scan an audio file, and identify and separate vocals and instruments as separate tracks. You can then tweak the levels and other settings to remix the audio file. It’s pretty impressive, and I tried it with a few tracks, both ones I made myself in Ableton Live 12 (another DAW) and saved to MP3, and some audio examples provided by Apple.

After taking a few moments to analyze the tracks, Logic Pro for iPad 2 did a pretty impressive job of identifying the different instruments and separating them into the correct categories: vocals, drums, bass and ‘other’. I found, though, that it works best with audio tracks that stick to the more ‘basic’ instruments, otherwise a lot of things get put into the all-encompassing ‘other’ section. For example, on one of my tracks, it put both acoustic guitar and piano together in the ‘other’ section, so I was unable to edit those separately. It did, however, correctly identify the bass guitar, putting it in the correct category. I was then able to mute the rest of the song to hear the bass part, which was very convincingly extracted, with no other instruments present. It’s very exciting technology, which will hopefully improve to be able to pick out trickier instruments in the future.

Logic Pro for iPad 2 also uses AI for virtual session musicians, allowing you to quickly generate drums, bass and piano tracks to create a basis of a song. You can then tweak these tracks for a more realistic and ‘human-sounding’ backing track. It makes what could be a rather long and complex process quick and intuitive, giving you more time to then record your own instruments and get creative. As a helpful way to spark ideas, this is a great feature, and after a short while you can put-together some good-sounding tunes, though of course this can’t replace human band members (even if Apple’s recent misjudged iPad Pro advert seemed to suggest it can).

Crucially, I was able to perform these complex creative tasks, which I’d usually do on my MacBook, on an iPad instead – and this is seriously impressive. Hook the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) up to a keyboard, mouse and external USB-C monitor, and you’ve essentially got a highly portable workstation. As you’d expect, there are no fans in the new iPad Pro 13-inch, but thanks to an overhauled thermal solution inside, along with power efficiency improvements in the M4 chip, the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) didn’t throttle performance or get overly hot while I was using it. For more sustained workloads, a MacBook Pro with built-in fans may be able to keep going longer at peak performance, but that would be in rather rare circumstances.

Unsurprisingly, all the iPad apps I tried on the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) ran extremely fast, and apart from a single crash in some early software, which is to be expected, the iPad Pro’s performance was rock-solid. Watching media was a joy thanks to the gorgeous screen, and the included speakers were loud and clear; and while you’d want to use external speakers or monitors for working on audio projects, the built-in speakers certainly punch above their weight, and are especially impressive considering the slimline design of the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024).

The App Store for iPadOS features a huge number of games, and the titles I played on the new iPad Pro looked fantastic on the large OLED screen – and they ran brilliantly as well. The M4 chip also brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing to an iPad for the first time, and in graphically-intense games like Diablo Immortal the results are very impressive, with realistic lighting, shadow, and reflection effects (I saw an early version that supports these additional effects, which will launch later this year).

When it comes to the camera performance of the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), I was very impressed with excellent details found in shots I took using the front and rear cameras. The lack of an ultra-wide rear camera was a shame - I would stick to my phone for mainly taking photos, especially as while the 13-inch screen makes the photos taken on the iPad Pro look fantastic, it's a bit too big to use as an everyday snapper. Below you'll see a few photos I took using the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024).

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Photo samples from the new iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) — (Image credit: Future)

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Having said all of the above, unless you’re looking for a tablet device that’s powerful enough to replace your laptop or PC, the performance on offer here is, as I’ve mentioned, probably overkill. Certainly for most tablet use-cases, such as browsing the web and watching movies, there are much more affordable options out there.

However, this is the first time I’ve seriously considered using an iPad as a replacement for a MacBook – and if more apps are released for iPadOS that take full advantage of the potential of the M4 chip, I might just be persuaded to do that.

Performance score: 5 / 5

iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) review: Battery life

Apple promises up to 10 hours
We got almost 15 hours

The iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) comes with a 38.99-watt-hour battery, and Apple promises up to 10 hours of surfing the web using Wi-Fi, and up to nine hours if you use the 5G cellular connection. Interestingly, while the 13-inch model has a larger battery than the 11-inch model due to its larger body, the promised battery lives are the same, likely because of the additional power demands of the 13-inch model’s larger screen.

The good news is that in our battery life tests the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) didn’t just surpass those estimates – it absolutely blew them away. We managed 14 hours and 50 minutes on a single charge while connected to Wi-Fi. When using cellular, that dropped by over an hour to 13 hours and 13 minutes, which is still impressive, and well beyond what Apple promises.

In my day-to-day use I was impressed with how the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) held its charge, even when performing complex tasks in apps such as Logic Pro for iPad 2. It easily lasted a work day while I typed out this review, watched some films, and messed around in Logic Pro.

The new iPad Pro’s battery performance far surpasses that of its predecessor, which struggled to reach Apple’s promised 10 hours in our review. This is likely down to the improvements in energy efficiency that Apple has implemented in the M4 chip compared to the M2.

Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024)?

Buy it if...

You want the most powerful tablet out there
The iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is an absolute beast of a tablet – you’d be seriously hard-pressed to find a tablet that can match it for performance.

You’re thinking of buying a new laptop
For the first time ever, I’d recommend an iPad instead of a MacBook if you’re looking for a powerful device that’s extremely portable and easy to use. Thanks to the M4 chip, you’re getting Mac-class performance.

You’re a creative professional
The iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is a dream device for many creatives thanks to its gorgeous screen, powerful M4 chip, and versatility. Pair it with the new Apple Pencil Pro stylus, and you have an all-in-one device that you’ll soon find it hard to live without.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget
The iPad Pro 13-inch is a fantastic tablet, but it’s also a very expensive one. There are a lot more affordable devices – including some from Apple – that would suit many people better.

You don’t need the power
For the day-to-day tasks that many of us use tablets for, such as browsing the web, the M4 chip included in the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) is complete overkill, so don’t feel that you need to spend your money on a high-end device you’re not going to get the most out of.

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How I tested the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024)

I tested the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) for the best part of a week
Saw demos going over major features
Used the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) instead of my MacBook Pro

Since I received the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) I have been using it every day for a variety of tasks including writing some of this review, taking photographs, browsing the web and creating audio tracks in Logic Pro for iPad 2. Alongside the new Magic Keyboard, I've been using the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) instead of my MacBook Pro 13-inch every day. I was also shown a number of live demos highlighting the new features.

I've been reviewing Apple products for years, especially Macs and MacBooks, have have tested out every M-class chip from Apple from the M1 to the new M4.

Apple iPad Air (2024): Pricing and availability

Apple’s 11-inch iPad Air and 13-inch iPad Air are up for order now starting at $599 / £599 / AUS$999 and $799 / £799 / AUS$1,299 starting, respectively. Both iPad Air options start with 128GB of storage but can be configured up to 1TB with 256GB and 512GB options.

The iPad Air (2024) is available in Blue, Purple, Starlight, or Space Gray, and can be configured with just Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi and Cellular.

Apple iPad Air (2024): Design

For starters, the cost of opting for a larger screen is drastically reduced. The 13-inch iPad Air is $500 cheaper than the same-sized iPad Pro, with a starting price of $799. That’s more room for myriad tasks, but it’s all housed in an iPad that has some heft but is easily maneuvered.

The new iPad Air 13 (2024) is actually pretty similar in size to the previous-generation iPad Pro 12.9, minus a Face ID sensor. It weighs in at 1.36-pounds and is 6.1-millimeters thick, with a USB-C port for charging and data transfers as well as Touch ID baked into the power button.

For colors, Apple is expanding beyond starlight and space gray this year with blue and purple. Storage now starts at 128GB for the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air, up from 64GB in the past, but you can expand it to 1TB with 256GB and 512GB options in between.

Apple iPad Air (2024): Display

Apple iPad Air 11- and 13-inch models with keyboard attached — (Image credit: Jake Krol / Future)

Apple is calling this the 13-inch iPad Air, but it’s actually a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina display, so for consumers’ sake they’re rounding up. The screen performed well in a brightly lit hands-on space, with vibrant colors and the ability to craft immersive visuals, especially when viewing photos in the app Photomator. In outdoor usage conditions it can hit a peak brightness of 600-nits as well — though brightness is slightly lower at 500-nits peak for the 11-inch Air.

Where the larger iPad Air shines is with the sheer expansiveness of that 13-inch display. Using GoodNotes 6 or Freeform, you have a lot more room to write and create. Similarly, apps like iMovie, Adobe Fresco, or even Mail can let you access a bit more and go deeper. That’s the real benefit here — more room to blaze through various tasks, and now it’s considerably cheaper.

The 11-inch iPad Air, on the other hand, feels very familiar — it’s basically the same as the previous-generation with a faster processor under the hood and support for the new Apple Pencil Pro. The teams designing these iPads actually re-engineered how the Apple Pencil Pro wirelessly charges, so that’s why it only works on the new iPad Air or iPad Pro models.

Apple iPad Air (2024): Performance

Apple Pencil Pro — (Image credit: Apple)

During my brief hands-on time, I drew in Freeform, moved blocks of handwritten material in GoodNotes 6, painted in Adobe Fresco, and even made some edits to a photo in Photomator — all of these pretty much flew on the iPad Air without hesitation.

That’s thanks to the Apple M2 chip inside; it has a very large runway for performance and will likely be harder to slow down. As we noted in our 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022) review (also powered by the Apple M2), the chip provides a ridiculous amount of power. That’s likely still the case here and it’s a level playing field for either the 11-inch or 13-inch iPad Air.

The Apple M2 processor also supports more advanced iPadOS features like Stage Manager, and it will take full advantage of the new suite of features coming with Logic Pro 2 and Final Cut Pro 2 for iPad. Regardless of whether you work or play on the 11-inch and 13-inch, I wouldn’t be worried about performance here.

Apple iPad Air (2024): Selfie camera

Tucked into the bezels around the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air is a front-facing camera, but like the 10th Gen iPad, it’s oriented in a landscape fashion. For video calls on FaceTime, Zoom, or Google Meet, you won’t be sitting off to the side, and will appear more natural.

I didn’t formally test a call, but the relocation makes a ton of sense and will make it much more usable when the iPad is docked into a Magic Keyboard, a Smart Folio, or sitting in landscape mode.

This is also an “about time” update, as the 10th Gen had it and countless other tablets from Amazon, Samsung, and even Google have offered layout for quite some time.

Apple iPad Air (2024): Accessories

The other big appeal is support for the Apple Pencil Pro. The flagship Apple Pencil Pro with the iPad Air supports hover — a feature previously exclusive to the iPad Pro — to let you see a stroke or an effect without laying the stylus to the screen. Plus, it will give haptic feedback for alerts or to confirm you triggered an action. It even supports barrel role functionality, and will evolve

Similarly, you can squeeze the Apple Pencil Pro to unlock a palette of tools to easily change the thickness of a pen, the color, or even scrub to undo. This is a standout feature, and while there isn’t a physical eraser, it comes close.

Of course, the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air also support the Magic Keyboard, which lets you effectively use the iPad as a laptop, complete with a keyboard and responsive trackpad. It’s the original Magic Keyboard with a single USB-C port for charging and data, backlight keys, but no function keys.

The aluminium Magic Keyboard with a more advanced haptic trackpad is only available for the ultra-thin new iPad Pro (2024).

Apple iPad Air (2024): Early Verdict

While Apple didn’t usher in a complete redesign or a crazy new feature set, the iPad Air still feels like the Pro model for the masses. It gets a whole new size that finally brings the cost of the largest size iPad to well under $1,000, offers plenty of power for a bevy of tasks — even future AI ones — from the M2 chip, and mixes things up with a new spot for the front camera.

That’s all out of the box at $599 or $799 starting, and it’s easier to sell if you want a larger screen iPad Air. The smaller 11-inch model is pretty similar to the previous M1-powered generation, and likely won’t be an immediate upgrade.

However, if you have an older iPad and like the 11-inch size, or want a larger 13-inch iPad for less, there is a clear case to be made for the iPad Air. It will perform faster than the 10th Gen iPad or iPad Mini, and supports the Apple Pencil Pro.

More than just looks

Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) — (Image credit: Future)

I don't think you can overstate the leap Apple took here with the iPad Pro line. Sure, it still has that signature recycled aluminum enclosure, but along with squeezing every last bit of air and space out of the tablet, Apple stuffed in a never-before-seen bit of Apple Silicon: M4.

To hear Apple tell it, this 9-core CPU (10 cores if you buy the 1TB or 2TB model), 10-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Processor SoC was necessary to support something I know I've never seen before: a Tandem OLED display. As the name implies, this is two complete OLED panels sandwiched together to make one whole. It would've been impossible to power that display with any other piece of Apple Silicon: Not even the relatively new M3 could do it.

Why two OLED displays? For the light. OLEDs are incredibly thin and efficient, but not bright enough. Two panels sandwiched together change that equation. It also means that Apple's achieved some impressive contrast and brightness numbers. The iPad Pro boasts a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,000 nits brightness for SDR content, and 1,600 nits for HDR.

Those thin OLED panels (the previous display was mini-LED) are also how Apple was able to achieve the remarkable 5.1mm thickness on the iPad Pro 13-inch. It's unclear if the new M4 SoC played any part in the tablet's slim profile.

Apple is somewhat unique in the tech world in its ability to shepherd every stage of development and integration when building a new product. When the design team shows the chip team the wildly thin enclosure it has in mind, instead of heads exploding, Apple knows it has enough full-stack control to make it happen.

Pricing and availability

Apple announced its new iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) alongside an 11-inch model and two new iPad Air tablets (13-inch and 11-inch) on May 7, 2024. The iPad Pro 13-inch starts at $1,299 / £1,299 / $2,199 (the 11-inch starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699). It's available in Silver and Black. Storage levels range from 256GB up to 2TB. You can order with WiFi-only or buy a more expensive Wi-Fi plus Cellular model. Preorders started on May 7. Shipping starts May 15.

Design and Display

As far as I'm concerned, it's no longer possible to talk about the iPad Pro design without addressing what is now, in my early opinion, one of the most beautiful tablet displays on the market.

At a glance, you'd be forgiven for mistaking the new iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) for the 2022 model. It has those same flat planes, recycled aluminum body, and Apple logo on the back; but as I drew closer to the new slab, I did a double-take. This is one impossibly thin device.

At 5.1mm it looks thin enough to ... er ... bend. But when I picked up the 11.09in. x 8.48in. device, it felt rigid – sturdy even. And, oh my God, how is this thing so light?

I've held more than a few iPad Pro 12.9-inch tablets (and dropped and broke one in my time) and the 1.5 lbs always felt hefty. Not this iPad Pro, though. It's somehow just 1.28 pounds – almost a quarter pound lighter than the last model (despite, screenwise, being slightly larger).

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At this thickness and weight, the iPad is flirting with e ink tablet territory. It's not much thicker and heavier than a Remarkable 2 (and obviously far more powerful).

On one short edge are a pair of speaker grills and the USB-C (Thunderbolt) port. There's also a microphone along the same long edge as the volume up and down buttons. The top edge has the power/sleep button, a mic port, and the other two speakers, for four-speaker stereo output that I did not get to try out.

There are other smaller but important design changes like one less camera in the array on the back, as well as the welcome addition of a so-called Truetone flash. As I predicted (or at least hoped), the FaceTime camera shifted from the short portrait side to the landscape position – a change that necessitated reengineering the Apple Pencil magnetic charging system. Sadly, Apple did not add wireless charging to any of its new iPads.

The other thing that struck me as I approached the new iPad Pro was the screen. Apple told us all about the Ultra Retina XDR display (no more adjectives, Apple, please) and its innovative Tandem OLED technology. I can't recall any other device delivering not one but two sandwiched OLED panels. Apple lines them up so that one pixel is behind the other, essentially doubling the illumination power. Still, seeing it in person I was struck by the sharpness (264ppi) and vibrancy. The colors in a field of flowers were astonishing, likely due to the Wide Color (P3) gamut, but it felt like more than that.

At one point I saw an anemone on a sea of black and noticed how there was almost zero bloom between the sea creature and the background, which made it look as if the sea creature was floating in space. I wanted to reach out and touch it. I have not seen such inky blacks since the heyday of classic plasma TVs.

Specular highlights, where tiny bits of light peak through the darkness, are shockingly bright. Apple claims a 1,000 nits brightest on SDR and 1,600 nits brightness on the Ultra Retina XDR display, and I have no reason yet to dispute it.

This is also the first iPad where you can specify a Nano-texture display glass option (1TB and 2TB storage options, only). For an extra $100, it adds a subtle texture that effectively beats back strong reflections. It's a useful feature for pros working in harsh light, but I would not recommend it for someone who wants to watch movies in all their glory on the iPad Pro.

I mention the Tandem OLED display in context of the design, by the way, because Apple could not have produced such a thin tablet without it. That display is also responsible, in part, for the introduction of the new piece of Apple Silicon: the M4.

Performance: M4 inside

Built on the 3-nanometer architecture of the still-fresh M3, Apple's new M4 pumps up the CPU cores to 9 cores (you can get 10 cores with the 1TB and 2TB models) and matches the 10-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. Even so, this is not the same silicon.

Inside are processes built specifically to handle the grunt work of managing two OLED panels and making them look like one whole. It's just another instance of Apple building its silicon to support its hardware products, and not the other way around.

Apple didn't show us any new on-board generative AI tricks or a new LLM-powered Siri, but it is touting the M4's 38 trillion operations per second.

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What I saw through a series of demos and playing around a bit with the iPad Pro 13-inch is a powerful system that can handle everything. It can edit four 4K Pro-Res video streams at once in the new Final Cut Pro 2. It can re-render 3D objects on the fly without a pause for regeneration. It managed four video feeds at once, with real-time reflections in an action game, without breaking a sweat.

In the animation app, Procreate Dreams, we edited a 140-scene, 200-layer animation in seconds. My favorite part was using the Apple Pencil Pro to drag objects across a playing animation to create an animation for that object. This is typically difficult animation work that the iPad Pro and its M4 chip have turned into child's play.

The M4 looks every bit as powerful, if not more so, than the M3-class chip on a MacBook Air, and it might approach the power of an M3 Max on a MacBook Pro.

Based on what I saw, the iPad Pro 13-inch running an M4 chip looks ready to rumble at work, for content consumption, for creators, and for gaming. I'm not surprised, since I've yet to come across a disappointing piece of Apple Silicon.

The M4 is supposedly as efficient a chip as its predecessors but Apple did do some work to manage heat dissipation, including somehow squeezing graphite sheets into the iPad and, in what might be a first, using the Apple logo as a heatsink: it now has some heat-managing copper in it.

Accessories

It's hard to talk about the new iPad Pro 13-inch (or really any of the new iPads, for that matter) without mentioning the new Apple Pencil Pro. The $129 implement looks familiar but has a host of new features, including barrel roll, squeeze-ability, and haptics. The new pencil works on all the new iPads launched today, and I did get a chance to try it on the iPad Pro.

If you've never drawn on an iPad of any size, I can tell you it's a pleasure. I've been using various iPads and Apple Pencils with Procreate for years. It's a tremendous drawing tool. The iPad offers palm rejection and the Pencil has long had tilt and pressure sensitivity. New features and an expansive and lightweight tablet create an even better experience.

First, there's barrel roll, which essentially adds a gyroscopic sensor so that the Apple Pencil Pro can recognize when you roll it this way or that. On the new iPad Pro, I could see the virtual nub of the pencil change from a vertical to wide orientation. Imagine using a draftsman's pencil and rolling the tip from horizontal to flat.

Second, the Pencil also added a squeeze function, which let me squeeze the pencil to access a variety of drawing features (app developers can easily customize the actions enabled through a squeeze) in apps like FreeForm. The Apple's Pencil Pro's new features and the M4 chip appear to make a formidable combination.

I watched a demo where the Pencil Pro was used to deform Procreate images with liquify, showing how it could be used to quickly create artistic effects that would normally take hours to accomplish.

In my own drawing attempts, I found the pen and tablet a fluid combo.

Cameras

Thickness and weight aren't the only things Apple subtracted here. The iPad Pro 13-inch no longer has an ultra-wide camera. Instead, there's now just a 12MP wide-angle camera that supports up to 4K, 60fps video (also 4K 40fps Pro-Res). The LIDAR camera is still there to assist in focusing and also helps capture 3D scans (I saw the results of one and began to realize how this iPad Pro might change the home design industry).

There's also now a True Tone flash, a nice addition for the surprising number of people who like to use a large iPad Pro for photography.

I did not get to try this camera, so I can't yet offer an assessment of its capabilities.

Perhaps the most significant imaging change, though is in the TrueDepth Camera module, which has shifted from the portrait edge to the wider landscape one. This is a very welcome design update since most people are conducting their iPad Pro video and FaceTime calls in landscape mode. I tried this camera out and it appeared to work fine; the 1080p video was as sharp and clear as I remember. You can also use that TrueDepth module for FaceID, but I did not have time to register my face and test that.

Connectivity and Battery

The iPad Pro 13-inch supports 5G wireless and eSim. It also supports Bluetooth 5.3 and WiFi 6e, but notably not WiFi 7, a weird omission for such a forward-leaning product.

Inside is a 38.99-watt-hour battery, which Apple claims will last 10 hours on a charge. Obviously, I could not test these claims in my limited hands on.

Early verdict

It's been a long time since Apple delivered true iPad excitment. Even as a fan of the tablet and its Pencil accessory, I saw mostly utility and little romance in the iPad. Today, though, something shifted.

It's not just the M4 chip, though putting Apple's latest silicon in an iPad remained a surprising choice. It's the combination of that chip, the incredible Tandem OLED display, and a design that is just a few millimeters away from paper thinness.

This is the kind of design, display, and performance that can, when put together, quite easily pry $1,299 from your hands.

I have yet to test the product but my early assessment is that the iPad Pro (2024) is a contender for the top of our list of best tablets.

@techradar
♬ Funk Hip Hop Music(814197) - Pavel

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