Summary
Apple has finally launched what many people consider to be the most advanced version of the iPad Pro on the market after years of anticipation. There will not be a regular incremental upgrade for the iPad Pro in 2024; this is not the case. As a matter of fact, it even outpaces the Mac in terms of its role as the platform that introduces the next generation of silicon. It is the tiniest gadget that Apple has ever produced, and from a technical point of view, it is really stunning to look at.
iPad Pro 2024 vs. iPad Pro 2022
Additionally, the new iPad Pro has an OLED display, and in conjunction with this, Apple has launched a new keyboard attachment that is designed to mimic the MacBook’s most impressive features. If that wasn’t enough, Apple also revealed that it has developed the most advanced pen it has ever produced. A price increase of $200 is one of the less desirable aspects of the situation. This increase is made even more unfavorable by the fact that there are certain contentious memory upgrade options that are now connected to the M4 CPU.
There has never been a more significant gap between two versions of the iPad Pro, which raises issues about whether or not you should upgrade and whether or not your workload justifies being updated. The following is a comparison between the iPad Pro 2024 and its predecessor, which was powered by the M2 processor. This comparison provides important parameters that will assist you with making an educated selection.
iPad Pro 2024 vs. iPad Pro 2022: specs
iPad Pro (2024) | iPad Pro (2022) | |
Size | 11-inch (9.83 x 6.99 x 0.21 inches) (249.7 x 177.5 x 5.3 mm) 13-inch: 11.09 x 8.48 x 0.20 (281.6 x 215.5 x 5.1 mm) |
11-inch: 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inches (247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9 mm) 12.9-inch: 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches (280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4 mm) |
Weight | 11-inch: 0.98 pounds (444 grams) 13-inch: 1.28 pounds (579 grams) |
11-inch: 1.03 pounds (466 grams) 12.9-inch: 1.5 pounds (682 grams) |
Screen size |
11-inch: Ultra Retina XDR display/Tandem OLED
13-inch: Ultra Retina XDR display/Tandem OLED
|
11-inch Liquid Retina display 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display |
Screen resolution | 11-inch: 2420 x 1668 resolution at 264 ppi 13-inch: 2752 x 2064 resolution at 264 ppi |
11-inch: 2388 x 1668 resolution at 264 ppi 12.9-inch: 2732 x 2048 resolution at 264 ppi |
Brightness |
SDR brightness: 1000 nits max
XDR brightness: 1000 nits max full screen, 1600 nits peak (HDR content only)
|
SDR brightness: 600 nits max XDR brightness: 1,000 nits max full screen, 1,600 nits peak (HDR content only) |
Operation system | iPadOS 17 | iPadOS 17 |
Storage space | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Processor | M4 chip with 16-core Neural Engine, up to 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU | M2 chip with 16-core Neural Engine, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU |
RAM | 256GB/512GB: 8GB RAM 1TB/2TB: 16GB RAM |
8GB RAM on models with 128GB, 256GB or 512GB storage 16GB RAM on models with 1TB or 2TB storage |
Camera | 12MP Wide camera Landscape 12MP Ultra Wide Front Camera |
12MP Wide camera 12MP Ultra Wide Front Camera |
Video | 4K video, ProRes | 4K |
Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
Ports | USB-C connector with support for Thunderbolt / USB 4 | USB‑C connector |
Authentication | Face ID | Face ID |
SIM card | eSIM | eSIM |
Audio | Four-speaker audio Four studio-quality microphones |
Four stereo speakers Five studio-quality microphones |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video | Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video |
Network | Wi-Fi 6E / 5G Cellular | Wi-Fi 6E / 5G Cellular |
Apple Pencil support | Apple Pencil Pro Apple Pencil (USB-C) |
Apple Pencil 2 Apple Pencil (USB-C) |
Magic Keyboard support | Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro (M4) | Magic Keyboard |
Colors | Space Black, Silver | Silver, Space Gray |
Price | 11-inch: from $999 13-inch: from $1,299 |
11-inch: from $799 12.9-inch: from $1,099 |
iPad Pro 2024 vs. iPad Pro 2022: design and display
Once again, Apple is using metal that is made entirely from recycled materials for the iPad Pro, but this time, the difference is rather significant. The brand-new iPad Pro, which weighs just 579 grams and has a thickness of 5.1 millimeters, is being advertised as the smallest tablet that Apple has ever produced. To provide a point of reference, the thickness of the equivalent 13-inch iPad Pro from 2022 is 6.4 millimeters.
It is remarkable to see that the new iPad Pro is far slimmer than the Apple Pencil, while at the same time retaining the magnetic charging technology for the pen. Apple even had to reduce the size of the camera bump in order to achieve that slim profile, which meant that the ultrawide camera that was located on the back of the device had to be removed. There will also be an intriguing downgrade in the works. In contrast to the 2022 trim, which is equipped with five microphones, the 2025 model comes with a four-microphone array.
One of the most noticeable changes, which is something that customers will notice right away, is the display technology. Apple has officially attached an OLED panel to the iPad Pro, putting an end to years of rumors and speculation about the device. In addition, in contrast to the previous generation, which had a mini-LED display designated for the 13-inch model and an LCD screen for the 11-inch version, the 2024 generation does not differentiate between the two sizes in any way since both sizes are equipped with an OLED display.
The peak brightness output of 1,600 nits is also the same, as is the pixel density, which has not significantly changed. Apple, on the other hand, highlights the several advantages that are characteristic of OLED displays, including improved color reproduction, increased contrast ratio, and more accurate contrast. For the very first time, Apple is also providing the option of nano-textured glass, which comes with a price tag and significantly lessens the amount of glare that is reflected off of the display.
Another unusual constraint is present in this situation. The Apple Pencil Pro and the freshly released Apple Pencil with USB-C are the only accessories that are compatible with the new iPad Pro. Therefore, if you already own a stylus of any kind, including the Apple Pencil 2, you will be required to spend additional money on a stylus that is compatible with the Apple Pencil 2. The absence of backward compatibility may result in a significant amount of frustration for a large number of prospective enthusiasts who are considering upgrading.
iPad Pro 2024 vs. iPad Pro 2022: performance
The new M4 silicon is set to be the focal point of Apple’s marketing strategy for the iPad Pro in 2024. It is somewhat interesting to see that Apple picked a tablet to launch a next-generation CPU, which is going to be integrated into Mac hardware in a variety of shapes and versions over the course of the next several years. The most recent M-series silicon, which is based on TSMC’s second-generation 3nm technology, has ten central processing unit cores, which is an increase over the eight cores that were included in the M2 generation.
On the other hand, before we proceed with the comparisons of performance, there is something that you have to bear in mind. For the very first time, Apple is providing tablet-bound M-series silicon in two different flavors. This is similar to how the company offers the processors inside MacBooks, which are determined by the number of GPU cores used. If you want to purchase the M4 version with 10 CPU cores, you will need to spend money on the storage configuration that has a capacity of 1 terabyte. If you are interested in the variations that have 256GB or 512GB of onboard storage, you will end up with the M4 trim, which has 9 CPU cores and 8GB of RAM, which is half of what you would normally receive.
It’s time to speak about performance now. Because of the M4 silicon, the iPad Pro is now receiving a number of new features for the very first time. These features include dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which is fantastic news for arcade games. There are four performance cores and up to six efficiency cores at the core of the silicon, which are accompanied by a graphics engine that has ten GPU cores.
Apple claims that the M4 provides a speed improvement of fifty percent in comparison to the M2, and that it is up to four times quicker when it comes to graphics-intensive tasks. On the efficiency front, it is believed that the M4 is able to match the performance of the M2 while operating at half the power consumption. On the other hand, this would not be a new silicon debut in the year 2024 without some significant artificial intelligence discourse.
The specialized neural engine processor in the M4 is reported to be sixty times faster than the A11 Bionic. It is capable of reaching a maximum of 38 trillion operations per second (TOPS) and is equipped with machine learning accelerators. Apple says that the neural processing unit (NPU) of the M4 will run “strong diffusion and generative AI models” locally, reportedly in the same spirit as Google’s Gemini model that is running on Pixel 8 series phones. This is due to the fact that Apple has access to a lot of power. The NPU is also capable of accelerating a wide variety of laborious activities and iPadOS experiences, like Visual Lookup, Live Captions, topic separation inside 4K films in Final Cut Pro, and a great deal more similar activities.
iPad Pro 2024 vs. iPad Pro 2022: cameras and battery
Apple has set the standard for the battery life of the iPad Pro at ten hours of online browsing time on a single charge. This is the same as the battery life of the 2022 generation. Nevertheless, the battery has undergone some odd modifications. The battery capacity of the 13-inch model has decreased from 40.88 watt-hours to 38.99 watt-hours, while the battery capacity of the 11-inch model has increased from 28.65 watt-hours to 31.29 watt-hours to accommodate the new design.
The photographic capabilities of the iPad Pro 2024 include a single camera with a resolution of 12 megapixels located on the back of the device, while the 2022 models additionally have a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. The capabilities of the cameras are the same throughout both generations; however, the most apparent change is that the 2024 versions are equipped with support for AV1 decoding, which is made possible by the next-generation media engine that is built on the M4 silicon.
In this regard, Apple has altered the camera location, shifting it from a portrait orientation to a horizontal oriental orientation for the positioning of the detection sensor. Those individuals who depend on the iPad Pro as a computing machine that is seated atop a keyboard attachment like as the Magic Keyboard or any of its cheaper third-party competitors may find this modification to be particularly helpful.
As we continue our discussion about keyboards, we have some news that is good to your pocketbook. The price has not increased, but the redesigned Magic Keyboard now has a chassis that is made of aluminum and has a more premium appearance and feel. It is hoped that it would also alleviate the issue of peeling that has been a concern with Magic Keyboard attachments up to this point.
Additionally, the new Magic Keyboard has a function key row, which includes a button specifically designated for the Escape key, and it is equipped with haptic feedback on the glass-topped trackpad.
iPad Pro 2024 vs. iPad Pro 2022: price and availability
A generation-over-generation premium of $200 is being charged by Apple for the 2024 iPad Pros. This is due to the fact that the new-generation flagship slates include all of the enhancements that the previous generation has to offer. The basic storage configuration of the 11-inch device costs $999, while the 13-inch variation costs $1,199. Both models include a base storage configuration. It should come as no surprise that the exorbitant price premium for storage improvements will continue to exist.
To add insult to injury, the stakes are greater this time around since, unless you pay for the storage model with 1 terabyte or more, you will be restricted to a low-power M4 variant that has 9 CPU cores and 8 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM). Apple’s online shop is currently accepting preorders for the M4-class iPad Pro, and the company has planned the beginning of shipments for the beginning of May 15 across numerous territories, including the United States.
iPad Pro 2024 vs. iPad Pro 2022: Does it make sense to upgrade?
The 2024 iPad Pro seems to be the most significant redesign that Apple has ever applied to any device in recent history. If you are not very concerned with a slim construction and a decreased weight, the OLED screen and the M4 CPU are the two most important characteristics that should motivate you to make a purchase.
Apple claims that the current version of the Neural Engine already demonstrates its capabilities in doing tasks on the device itself as well as in more demanding processes such as video editing in Final Cut Pro. However, the real potential has not yet been disclosed, and in order to learn what AI-centric advancements Apple has been working on for iPadOS in order to properly elevate the iPad’s credentials, we will have to wait until Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this year.