Always thinner and ever more powerful, Apple’s iPad Pro is now switching to the M4 chip for its 2024 vintage. We were able to try it in preview and were not disappointed.
It’s been almost two years since Apple unveiled and released a new iPad. The firm finally announced not one, but two models now available: the iPad Air boosted by the M2 chip and the iPad Pro with its M4 chip. Announced as “the thinnest device ever released by Apple”, this new iPad Pro is the first product from the firm to be equipped with an M4 chip for great performance worthy of a tablet dedicated to professionals.
We were able to preview the iPad Pro M4 (2024) on the sidelines of its global release. The perfect opportunity to check if Apple had managed to offer one of the best tablets available on the market.
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Design: finesse in Pro state
This is one of the new features most highlighted by Apple regarding its iPad Pro M4: “the thinnest Apple product ever designed.” If we must put aside the firm’s famous rag, it is clear that this iPad Pro M4 is indeed the thinnest product from the Cupertino company. At just 5.1 mm thick, Apple’s new professional tablet is thinner and lighter than ever when used on a daily basis. If these dimensions remain impressive, we still hope that Apple sticks to them and maintains the very good current handling provided by the iPad Pro M4.
At the front, our copy of the iPad Pro M4 has an 11-inch panel which remains ideal for viewing content and being used on a daily basis. Fans of slightly larger screens will appreciate its 13-inch version more, especially to use it as a second Mac screen or to replace a computer. However, its borders remain quite thick when placed side by side before other products from the firm such as theiPhone. Small novelty: the front camera is now placed to encourage landscape use rather than portrait. This is not surprising as it is common to have a cover or Magic Keyboard type support for the iPad. This allows you to have better visibility during Facetime calls since you will no longer have to look at the left side of your tablet.
The edges and back of the iPad Pro M4 have a matte coating that looks great, but is unfortunately not very resistant to fingerprints during regular use. You will therefore need to regularly wipe it with a cloth or avoid excessively intensive handling without a suitable protective cover.
For this test, we had the new Magic Keyboard launched at the same time as the new iPad Pro and which gives an even more professional look to the Apple tablet. The latter still has very powerful magnets to attach the iPad to it as well as a keyboard extremely similar to that of the latest Macbooks. A real pleasure to use, whether for occasional or professional activities. If we really had to be nitpicky, we would mention the weight of the keyboard which, added to that of the iPad Pro M4, makes it a relatively heavy machine to carry compared to a Macbook Air.
The first OLED screen on iPad is a real success
This is one of the biggest new features reserved for the iPad Pro M4: the very first Apple tablet with an OLED screen. We should even say two screens since Apple is innovating by unveiling a new technology which superimposes two OLED panels one on top of the other in order to offer better performance. Called “OLED in tandem”, this technology allows the iPad Pro M4 to have great touch precision and high contrast.
We have almost nothing to complain about in this regard: the screen of the iPad Pro M4 is dazzling. Its automatic brightness management is very well calibrated and we never felt any sore eyes or lack of readability during our week of testing. The blacks are extremely deep and the colors very well transcribed. The details on the screen are plentiful and it’s difficult to find fault with the iPad Pro M4’s OLED panel. We could possibly complain about the reflection of the screen which is still quite high. A version of the iPad Pro M4 with a matte screen is however offered by Apple, but at a high price. So let’s hope that future versions of the iPad Pro will benefit from this treatment for the entire range.
Ever more advanced performance
Who is the iPad Pro really intended for? To answer this question, we preferred to give a quick summary of the current range of iPads available on the Apple website.
- The classic iPad (10th gen) is the entry level which is mainly aimed at the general public wishing to view content like Netflix and YouTube.
- The iPad mini (6th gen) is ideal for those who want a smaller screen and a little more power than the classic iPad.
- The iPad Air (M2) is a little more powerful than a classic iPad.
- The iPad Pro (M4) is intended for sound and image professionals who want to benefit from the best Apple chip on a tablet.
We must therefore keep in mind that the iPad Pro M4 is not really intended for the general public, even though the latter would certainly be very satisfied with Apple’s tablet. This is why the 2024 iPad Pro has excellent performance as evidenced by our benchmarks launched on our test unit.
Unsurprisingly, the iPad Pro M4 explodes previous results dominated by devices like theiPhone 15 Pro or the iPad Pro M2. The general public will not necessarily find what they are looking for (previous iPad Pros were already powerful enough for daily use even with video games), but professionals will benefit from much better execution speed for processing and saving of their projects such as 3D files, drawings or musical compositions. However, we have some reservations about the heating which can be very pronounced when the iPad Pro M4 is used a lot (especially on a game like Honkai: Star Rail with the graphics on full blast).
However, this enormous performance is blocked by a question: can an iPad Pro replace a Macbook or any other laptop? In fact, using the Magic Keyboard coupled with the iPad Pro M4 is enough to simulate a professional environment. The machine is powerful and has many applications that can be used for work. In reality, the price of such a tablet + mouse combo is very close to the price of a Macbook Air, we would tend to recommend the latter.
We were also able to test the new Apple Pencil Pro. The latter notably includes several features that will delight budding designers with, for example, the addition of the pencil rotation function when you draw on an application. Very practical when using a very thick brush! Another more anecdotal function: the addition of a drop shadow from the Apple Pencil Pro when the latter approaches the screen. Finally, it is possible to find the Apple Pencil Pro within the “Locate” application if you misplace it. Quite practical. Too bad, however, that the latter is only intended for the new iPad Pro M4 and the new iPad Air M2.
Very good autonomy for a recharge that takes its time
A tablet intended for professionals must have good battery life in order to be used for a long time, especially while traveling. Good news: the iPad Pro M4 totally won us over during our week of testing and we never felt a cruel lack of battery on the Apple tablet.
The iPad Pro M4 lasted between 15 and 17 hours during our test days. These were punctuated by applications like Genshin Impact, Spotify, Twitch, YouTube, Final Cut or Honkai: Star Rail. A mix of fairly resource-intensive applications and others that are rather simple to run which allowed us to take advantage of the iPad’s capabilities for a little over a day before requiring a recharge.
And this is one of the downsides of the iPad Pro M4: its charging speed. In addition to the fact that no charger blog is provided in the box, Apple’s latest professional tablet charges very slowly. Allow a little less than 2 hours to go from 0 to 100% with the cable included in the box and a compatible charging block.
Our conclusion to the iPad Pro M4 test
Once again, Apple is sticking to its recipe by taking good ideas from its previous professional tablets and improving certain points. If the previous iPad Pro already had excellent performance, this is quickly exceeded by that of the new iPad Pro from 2024.
However, the iPad Pro M4 still rubs shoulders with its predecessor and we would rather be inclined to recommend the latter, the price of which has fallen significantly since its release. Professional graphic designers, however, will appreciate the acquisition of the new iPad Pro M4 coupled with the new Apple Pencil Pro. More “occasional” users will find what they need with a less powerful iPad like the main range or the iPad Air.
All that remains is that the iPad Pro surprises with its finesse and performance likely to encourage many professionals to replace their laptop with the Apple tablet. Provided, however, that you can support the fairly massive weight of the new Magic Keyboard compared to light PCs like a Macbook Air.