With Apple’s most recent iPad Pro, the best iPad money can buy has received a clever, gradual improvement. The last time Apple released an upgrade for the iPad Pro 11 inch was in May 2021, so it’s clear that Apple didn’t see the need to do so. Even the colors are nearly identical between the current and prior models. The main piece of news around the most recent iPad Pro is the new, highly capable Apple M2 chip that powers it.
The M2 CPU, which debuted earlier this year, is shared by both the MacBook Air and the new 13-inch MacBook Pro. Excellent performance promises are made, and Apple asserts that its chip is faster than any chip present in any tablet, not just it’s own. The Pro iPads are made to guarantee the most demanding consumers have a stutter-free, fluid experience, so it seems sensible that Apple would install its most latest and powerful CPU.
Price
In 2022, Apple upgraded both of its iPad Pro models, with prices for the 11-inch device starting at $799 and the 12.9-inch model at $1,099 (this review focuses on the latter). The new chip inside has the same design as its predecessors and the same story for each.
Do you truly need the iPad Pro’s potential power if you don’t have any urgent performance requirements? And what exactly does the iPad Pro offer now that the last update was well over a year ago? Below is our review of the iPad Pro 2022.
Quite Recognizable Apple iPad Pro Design
The 11-inch gadget, which debuted in October 2018, is currently in its fourth iteration, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is in its sixth generation. Both feature nearly the same designs, with the exception of the camera panel, because Apple introduced the flat back and front, sharp edges, and Face ID TrueDepth camera hidden in the bezel in the fall of 2018. The 2018 models were the first iPads without a front-facing Touch ID button and a complete screen. The iPad Pro was at the vanguard of that design transition, leaving just the 2021 iPad with this button on the front.
Only the Pro model in the lineup has Face ID as of yet. It works quite well. The iPad Pro’s camera is housed in the bezel on the tablet’s short edge, as opposed to the newly released iPad, which has the camera installed on the tablet’s long side (10th Generation). The camera is sophisticated enough to unlock the iPad when you peek at it, regardless of whether the side is up.
Apple’s Center Stage software ensures that no matter how much you move and fidget during a video conference, your face will always be in the foreground.
iPad Pro 12.9-inch
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a much better screen than the 11-inch model because it has Mini LED backlighting, also known as Liquid Retina XDR, and has over 2,500 local dimming zones. The white-on-black Apple logo appears as soon as the iPad is turned on, and then colors begin to splatter across the screen. The display has high contrast levels and bright, but not oversaturated, colors. Because it’s still an LCD display, it can be bright—up to 1,000 units or 1,600 nits for HDR content.
Notably, despite being outstanding, the iPad Pro’s 11-inch screen’s maximum brightness is just 600 nits, which is a big enough difference to warrant buying the larger iPad. Using the 12.9-inch screen may also make transitioning to a smaller tablet uncomfortable because it feels adequate for all tasks.
The two iPad Pro models are virtually identical in terms of performance, cameras, and battery life, with the exception of size, weight, and price. XDR backlighting is the only feature that differs. It is quite easy to choose an iPad Pro that fits your needs or budget as a result.
The new tenth-generation iPad receives a better Bluetooth keyboard in the Apple Magic Keyboard Folio but the iPad Pro 2022 models only come with the older-style Magic Keyboard (with an additional row of function keys and an adjustable kickstand). Since the current Magic Keyboard has 1mm key travel, which makes it easy to type on, as well as the great benefit of having lighted keys, I didn’t think it was a significant loss and believe it to be the better of the two.
Comments on the Apple iPad Pro:
The Apple Pencil Becomes More Useful
The second-generation Apple Pencil is used with the Pro tablets and magnetically attaches to the tablet’s side for connection and charging. Hover is one of the many features of this chic stylus that the iPad Pro has recently added.
As you approach the screen with your Pencil, the iPad Pro shows you a preview of where it will land. This suggests that when you actually tap the glass, your touch will be much more precise.
Hovering alerts you to your location by softly expanding even as the Pencil approaches an app, for instance. Apple claims that the new system can recognize the Pencil up to 12 millimeters away.