Apple’s latest iPad Pro is the iconic product’s most significant update since 2018, when the tech giant introduced the all-screen design, and ditched the Touch ID fingerprint sensor for Face ID tech. The 2021 release's most notable hardware improvements include the industry-altering Apple M1 chip, faster and more reliable connectivity features that include optional 5G, as well as an upgraded front-facing camera.
The iPad Pro is available with 11- and 12.9-inch screen in Silver or Space Gray. The bigger variant has a more advanced Liquid Retina XDR display panel with mini-LED backlighting for superior brightness and dynamic range.
Key Specs
• 11-inch Liquid Retina display
• 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
• Apple M1 chip with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
• Dual-camera with 12MP wide and 10MP ultra wide, LiDar scanner, TrueDepth front-facing camera with Center Stage tech
• Four stereo speakers, five studio-quality microphones
• Wi-Fi 6, optional 5G connectivity, Thunderbolt-compatible USB-C
• Up to 2TB of storage
I spent a week testing the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and found it to be awesome in every possible way. Here’s why its M1 chip, next-level display, and camera upgrades make it the absolute best tablet you can buy, as well as a better laptop alternative than any of its predecessors.
The M1 Chip Changes Everything
Announced alongside a refreshed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro last year, the cutting-edge Apple M1 chip is the iPad Pro’s most important upgrade, offering a blend of power and energy efficiency that no rival can come close to. Compared to the A12Z Bionic of the 2020 iPad Pro, the M1 brings major bumps in processing and graphics power (40% and 50% respectively), as well as a more proficient Neural Engine. As a result, the new iPad is not only the most powerful tablet available today, but also more capable than most laptops.
The first word that comes to mind to describe the real-life performance of the latest iPad Pro is “instantaneous.” Apps opened immediately on the device and switching between a multitude of them was just as quick. The device effortlessly conquered my work routine, which consists of web browsing with a ton of open tabs, editing images in Affinity Photo, creating content in Apple Pages, communicating via Slack, and fielding emails in Outlook, all while streaming music and keeping an eye on Twitter.
With Wi-Fi 6, 5G, and a Thunderbolt-compatible USB-C connector, the new iPad Pro has fast and reliable connectivity features that perfectly complement the performance of the M1 chip. Best of all, despite the power and speed upgrades it packs, the slate easily made it through a busy workday without the need to visit a power outlet while I tested it.
The Best iPad Display Yet
The 12.9-inch Super Retina XDR display of the new Pro is the best I’ve seen on an iPad yet. With more than 10,000 mini-LED lights and 2,500 dimming zones, it's capable of delivering vibrant colors and deep contrast. It's compatible with HDR-enhanced content, too.
Thanks to peak and full-screen brightness of 1,600 and 1,000 nits, respectively, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro's screen has an outstanding dynamic range that’s worthy of its XDR moniker. Images and videos look more immersive than ever, and even mundane interactions like checking your email and scrolling down your Twitter feed feel like a new experience on the big iPad’s screen. For comparison, the 11-inch iPad Pro has a peak brightness of 600 nits.
The new iPad Pro's display panel has ProMotion and True Tone tech. The former brings a high refresh rate for smoother interactions, while the latter helps colors look accurate regardless of the lighting around you. The screen is also suited for the second-generation Apple Pencil.
Overall, the iPad Pro's Super Retina XDR delivers a similar viewing experience as Apple’s professional-grade Pro Display XDR monitor. Having access to such a technology in a portable device is alone a good reason why you should consider upgrading to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a 13-inch laptop with a touchscreen that’s even remotely close to being this amazing.
Best-in-Class Camera and Audio Setup
Like the 2020 iPad Pro, the latest edition has a sophisticated dual camera with the ability to record 4K video with impeccable quality. An onboard LiDAR scanner brings fast autofocus, as well as captivating augmented reality experiences.
However, a groundbreaking new feature dubbed Center Stage takes the new iPad Pro's front-facing TrueDepth camera to another level. By utilizing the iPad Pro’s ultra wide camera and vast machine-learning capabilities, Center Stage can follow you during video calls and will always keep you at the center of the frame, just like a professional cameraperson would.
I really enjoyed using Center Stage during FaceTime calls. The feature is also compatible with other video conferencing apps, so it will elevate your virtual work sessions, too.
The iPad Pro packs a quartet of speakers, which deliver a crisp and powerful stereo sound that belies its ultra thin build. With five microphones, the slate can capture audio with great quality, too. Combined with its superb cameras, the iPad Pro’s audio tech makes it an equally powerful tool for creating content, as well as for teleconferencing.
Wrap-Up
By adding impactful hardware upgrades like the M1 chip, even more futureproof connectivity features, and, in the case of the big-screen model, an enchanting mini-LED display, Apple made the latest iPad Pro an even better version of a close-to-perfect product. Once again, this is the big-screen tablet to buy, if you can afford it.
Pricing of the new iPad Pro starts at $799 for the 11-inch, and $1,099 for the 12.9-inch version with 128GB of storage. Power users can spec the device with up to 2TB of memory, for a price (the option costs $1,100 extra). Blisteringly fast 5G cellular connectivity adds $200 to the price of every iPad Pro.
