The world's fastest tablet just got faster
In isolation, the new iPad Pro is one of the best tablets thanks to its elegant design and powerful new M2 chip. New iPadOS 16 features such as Stage Manager and Apple Pencil hover also elevate Apple's flagship.
That said, the M2 chip is the only substantial hardware upgrade over the previous iPad Pro. Apple Pencil hover is exclusive to this year's iPad Pro, but it’s not exactly a “must–have” feature for most users. Unless you absolutely need the nominal performance boost, it’s hard to justify upgrading from a recent iPad Pro.
The new iPad Pro starts at $1,099 (Wi–Fi), and $1,299 (Wi–Fi + cellular). In terms of storage, you get a paltry 128GB with the basic version, rising to 2TB for the priciest. It's worth noting that the M2 chip comes in two configurations depending on the storage you opt for: the 128/256/512GB models get 8GB of RAM, while the 1 2TB models get double at 16GB RAM. Clearly, your choice should be dictated by how much storage you need, rather than memory. It's unlikely you'll see much of a performance difference anyway, at least right now.
Note that the Apple Pencil 2nd gen ($129) and Magic Keyboard ($349) are sold separatly and add significantly to the cost.
Design–wise, the new iPad Pro is indistinguishable from the two previous models. This isn’t a negative since its thin bezels and sleek aluminum chassis remain as striking as ever. Space Gray and Silver are the only available colors.
The Liquid Retina XDR display is also unchanged, though again the 12 9–inch mini–LED 2,732 x 2,048 display is already pretty much perfect. Naturally, the pièce de résistance is the new M2 chip, a solid upgrade over the previous model's M1. In Geekbench 5.4, which measures overall performance, the iPad (6th gen) scored 1,862 on the single–core portion and 8,500 on the multi–core test. In contrast, the old iPad Pro scored 1,722 and 7,298, respectively. When it comes to graphics, the new model scored 25,259 and hit 151 frames per second on the 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited test. Last year’s iPad Pro scored 18,263 and 109 fps on the same test, which is a big deal for gamers.
The new iPad Pro’s cameras are exactly the same as last year’s model. That’s both a positive and a negative, depending on your expectations. Since both the front and rear cameras take solid pictures, it's not an issue. In our battery test, the iPad Pro lasted well over ten hours over Wi–Fi (a mix of web surfing and video), which is about on par with the previous model.
Hardware aside, there are two new big features: Stage Manager in iPadOS 16 which helps to focus on the current task, and Apple Pencil hover. This detects the Pencil up to 12mm above the display, revealing a preview of your mark before you make it. This is useful for creatives aiming for greater control, but it's not a killer feature for everyone else.
Features: 12.9–inch Liquid Retina XDR display (2,732 x 2,048 pixels), Apple M2 chip (8–core CPU, 10–core GPU), 8GB of memory (128/256/512GB)/16GB of memory (1/2TB), up to 2TB of storage, Pro camera system with 12MP Wide and 10MP Ultra Wide lenses, 12MP TrueDepth camera, Wi–Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, Face ID, Thunderbolt/ USB 4 port, 11.04in x 8.46in x 0.25in, 1.5 pounds or 1.51 pounds (Wi–Fi + cellular)
Price: $1099 (128GB); $1199 (256GB); $1399 (512GB); $1799 (1TB); $2199 (2TB);
A nominal upgrade over its predecessor, but the new Pro is the best there is.
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