We’ve had to wait a long time, but for the first time in six years, Apple has updated the design of the iPad Pro. For example, it has an OLED display, a new ultra-thin design and the FaceTime camera position has been moved to landscape position.
In addition, Apple has added the M4 chip to the professional tablet so that complex tasks can be performed even more efficiently. Furthermore, new iPad accessories have been unveiled, such as a new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro.
Renewed design for iPad Pro
Since 2018, the iPad Pro has an ‘edge-to-edge’ design without a home button and with Face ID. The design has hardly changed over the past six years. For example, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a miniLED display, but the 11-inch iPad has always retained the LCD screen. That will change with this new generation.
OLED display
The previous generation 11-inch iPad Pro had an LCD Liquid Retina display and the 12.9-inch model a Liquid Retina XDR display made of miniLED. Seven years after the first iPhone with OLED, the iPad is now also making the transition to this screen technology.
An OLED screen is a type of display that uses organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) to produce images. Unlike traditional LCD screens, which require a backlight to produce images, OLED screens produce their own light when current flows through the diodes.
OLED screens have several advantages over traditional LCD screens. For example, OLED screens have higher contrast because black pixels produce no light at all, while bright pixels are much brighter than LCD screens. OLED screens also have a wider viewing angle, a faster response time and consume less energy.
miniLED has always been a great alternative, because it is better than LCD, but the contrast is smaller. In addition, the response time is much faster with OLED (less than 1ms) than miniLED (less than 10ms).
Nano-textured glass
As a buyer of the iPad Pro, you have the choice to provide the display with nano-textured glass on the iPad Pro models with 1 or 2 TB storage. Standard glass is designed for as little reflection as possible. Nano-textured glass has a matte finish and scatters light, minimizing reflection. This means you still have a great image when you work in a brightly lit room.
Nano-textured glass is especially useful when working in a brightly lit area or outdoors. Most matte displays have a coating applied to them that scatters the light. But such coatings also reduce contrast and create a glittering haze on the screen.
The nanotexture is etched into the glass at the nanometer level and scatters light, minimizing reflection. This means you always have a great image, even if the lighting conditions are not optimal. In addition to the iPad Pro, you can also make this choice for the Apple Studio Display and the Pro Display XDR.
Thinnest iPad Pro ever
The new iPad Pro – the thinnest Apple product yet – has a stunningly thin and light design, so you can easily take it anywhere. The 11-inch model is just 5.3mm thin, and the 13-inch model is even thinner at just 5.1mm. At the same time, they are both just as sturdy as the previous design. The 11-inch model weighs less than half a kilo and the 13-inch model is no less than 100 grams lighter than its predecessor. Extremely practical for professionals. The new iPad Pro is available in two beautiful colors: silver and space black. The housing is made of 100% recycled aluminum.
- 11-inch iPad Pro (current): 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 5.9mm
- 11-inch iPad Pro (new): 249.7mm x 177.5mm x 5.3mm
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (current): 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.4mm
- 13-inch iPad Pro (new): 281.5mm x 215.5mm x 5.1mm
OLED screen specifications
- OLED Ultra Retina XDR display with HDR support
- Resolution 11-inch: 2556 x 1179 pixels at 460 ppi
- Resolution 13-inch: 2556 x 1179 pixels at 460 ppi
- True Tone
- Wide color rendering (P3)
- Contrast ratio 2,000,000:1 (standard)
- 1000 nits max brightness (standard); 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR)
Face ID and FaceTime camera position
Finally, Apple has changed the position of the TrueDepth camera for Face ID and FaceTime. Until now, the camera was located on the top of the iPad when held in a portrait position.
This has always been an odd choice because most iPad users use the tablet in landscape orientation. This then resulted in strange viewing angles for FaceTime calls and often the camera was covered by your hand when using Face ID. With the new generation of iPad Pro, Apple has placed the camera in landscape position.
Extra powerful thanks to M4 chip
Last fall, Apple unveiled the M3 chip for Mac and this powerful processor already has a successor. Apple has added the M4 chip to the iPad Pro. Like the A17 Pro for iPhone 15 Pro (Max), the M4 chip is designed using a second-generation 3nm manufacturing process. This is an advanced manufacturing technology used to make semiconductor chips. A 3nm process means that the transistor gate is only 3 nanometers wide, this article explains what is so special about it.
Thanks to the M4 chip, the iPad Pro has great computing power and can complete professional tasks in no time. Below are the specifications of the processor:
- Models with 256 GB or 512 GB storage:
- 9-core CPU with 3 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores
- 10 core GPU
- Ray tracing with hardware acceleration
- 16-core Neural Engine
- 120 GB/s memory bandwidth
- 8GB RAM
- Models with 1 TB or 2 TB storage:
- 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores
- 10 core GPU
- Ray tracing with hardware acceleration
- 16-core Neural Engine
- 120 GB/s memory bandwidth
- 16GB RAM
Media engine
- 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW with hardware acceleration
- Video decoding engine
- Video encoding engine
- ProRes encoding and decoding engine
- AV1 decoding
New iPad accessories
A brand new iPad naturally also comes with new accessories and Apple goes all out. For example, they have released an updated version of the Magic Keyboard for iPad and an Apple Pencil 3rd generation.
Apple Pencil Pro
The most used accessory for iPad is undoubtedly the Apple Pencil, and now there is the Pro version. This has find my support just like the Apple TV Remote. If you no longer know where the Pencil has gone, you can find it via the Find My app. Perhaps the design has remained the same, the options have expanded considerably.
The new Apple Pencil has sensors that register that you squeeze the Pencil. You will then see a new palette, so you can quickly change tools, line thickness or color. By adding a motion sensor, you can work very precisely with various pens and brushes with a simple rotation of the Apple Pencil Pro. A Tapic Engine has also been added so that the Pencil provides haptic feedback. When you squeeze or tap twice, you will feel a small tap to confirm.
You can still magnetically attach and charge the Apple Pencil Pro to the side of the iPad, the connection is established automatically. In addition to the Pencil Pro, you can also use the Apple Pencil with USB-C on the iPad Pro, although it has fewer functions.
Magic Keyboard for iPad
The Magic Keyboard for iPad resembles its predecessor, but has been upgraded. The keyboard has a slim and handy new design with aluminum palm rest. The keyboard features a row of function keys, and the larger glass trackpad gives you tactile feedback for precision tasks and Multi-Touch gestures. The Magic Keyboard still has a floating design. You click your iPad Pro magnetically into place and then easily and continuously adjust it to the perfect viewing angle.
You can type very comfortably with it, and with the integrated larger trackpad you can work in iPadOS in a completely different way. The USB-C port is also suitable for charging, and your iPad is protected from front to back.
The Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad remains available for the iPad Pro and remains unchanged. This is a comfortable keyboard without a trackpad. Ideal for times when you want to type longer texts. Then you fold it back and you have a stylish cover that protects the front and back.
Availability iPad Pro with M4
The new iPad Pro with M4 chip is from today for sale and becoming from May 15 delivered. The iPad Pro has a starting price of €1219 (was €1099) for the 11-inch model and €1569 (was €1599) for the larger 13-inch. The Apple Pencil Pro is still available for € 149 and the new Magic Keyboard has a starting price of € 349. The iPad Pro will soon also be available at other web shops such as Bol.com, Coolblue, YourMacStore, MediaMarkt, Amazon, Paradigit and Yorcom .