It’s a weird year for the iPad Pro. Apple’s top-of-the-line tablet computer has gotten one of its smallest upgrades in recent memory, while the new 10th-gen iPad received things Pro owners have been longing for on their devices for years. And the midtier iPad Air continues to get better with each generation, which just encroaches more on the Pro’s territory. Owners of existing iPad Pro models can happily hang on to what they have and not miss much; if you’re considering buying a Pro this year, I encourage you to look for a sale on last year’s models before committing to the cost of a brand new one.
Still, the $799-and-up iPad Pro remains The Best iPad in Apple’s lineup, the iPad for those who want the best screen, the best performance, and the latest hardware and are willing to pay for it. This year’s update doesn’t change that. It has the same external hardware and design as the 2021 model, but inside, it gets the latest M2 silicon from Apple and upgraded Wi-Fi capabilities. And if you’re an artist that likes using an iPad, there’s a new feature exclusive to the new Pro that makes working with the Pencil easier.
In terms of hardware and design, there’s really nothing to say that wasn’t covered in our review of the 2021 model, so I encourage you to read that for the full rundown. This new iPad Pro has the same general design we’ve seen since 2018 — it does feel overdue for a refresh, but we didn’t get it this year.
The Mini LED display on the 12.9-inch model remains tremendous and a joy to look at, whether you’re watching movies or just doing day-to-day productivity work. Sadly, it’s still limited to the largest iPad — the 11-inch Pro has the same standard ProMotion LCD that it’s had since 2018. (With the 10th-gen iPad and iPad Air basically offering the same size screen and design as the 11-inch Pro, it’s really starting to feel like a forgotten stepchild in Apple’s iPad lineup, which bums me out personally as an 11-inch owner.)
All of the accessories for the iPad Pro carry over to this year’s model, including the same Magic Keyboard case and second-gen Apple Pencil. The 10th-gen iPad got a new Magic Keyboard Folio that’s more flexible than the Pro’s keyboard option and includes a full function row, but it’s not compatible with either version of the Pro, sadly.
Inside, the iPad Pro gets the latest M2 silicon, matching what you can get in the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro released earlier this year. It’s faster, at least in benchmark tests, and includes M2-specific capabilities like a stronger media encoding engine. It also enables recording ProRes video with the iPad Pro’s cameras, which is very useful if you’re pretending to shoot a movie with an iPad in an Apple commercial.
But the vast majority of iPad users will not perceive any difference in performance between the M1 and M2 models (and really, any iPad Pro from 2018 or later). Still, the Pro is very fast and responsive, and I had no issue using it for my daily productivity work, at least until I ran into the limitations of iPadOS. Also, battery life on the 12.9-inch model I’ve been testing is basically identical to my experience with the M1 iPad Pro, so the added horsepower isn’t costing us anything there.