Apple’s latest iteration of the iPad Pro marks a pivotal update, featuring advanced Tandem OLED screens and the powerful M4 processor. This refresh, the first in over a year, includes notable improvements across the board.
The updated models are available in 11-inch and 13-inch display sizes. These iPads boast slimmer cases than their predecessors, contributing to a slight reduction in weight. The shift to Tandem OLED technology is a highlight, offering enhanced brightness by layering two OLED panels. This advancement allows for self-illuminating pixels that eliminate the need for backlighting, resulting in a thinner device that provides superior contrast, more vibrant images, and truer colors.
The OLED panels deliver an impressive brightness of 1,000 nits for standard dynamic range (SDR) content and a peak of 1,600 nits for high dynamic range (HDR) content. Apple has also introduced a nano texture glass option for users seeking reduced glare.
Under the hood, the iPad Pro features the new M4 processor, which includes four performance cores and six efficiency cores. The M4 chip is equipped with a 10-core GPU that supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh mapping, enabling robust application performance and high-quality gaming graphics. The upgraded neural engine is capable of executing up to 38 trillion operations per second, a substantial increase that is 60 times faster than the engine in Apple’s A11 chip.
Accompanying the hardware upgrades, Apple has launched new versions of its professional applications, Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 and Logic Pro for iPad 2, optimized to take full advantage of the M4’s capabilities. For instance, Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 can handle four times more video streams than the versions running on the M1 chip.
The device also features enhanced cameras, including a 12MP Wide camera and a 10MP camera on the back, supporting 4K 30fps ProRes video recording. The redesigned front-facing TrueDepth camera system now includes a 12MP Ultra Wide camera with a 122-degree field of view and advanced depth mapping.
Apple has also revamped its accessories, introducing the Apple Pencil Pro and a new version of the Magic Keyboard with a dedicated function row, both designed specifically for the new iPad Pro models.
The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pros are available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage options. Pricing starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch model, with an additional $200 for the cellular version. The Apple Pencil Pro is priced at $199, and the Magic Keyboard costs $279 for the 11-inch and $329 for the 13-inch variant.
Pre-orders for the new iPad Pro began on May 7, with the first shipments expected to reach customers by May 15.
