The all-new 2024 iPad Pro with the M4 chip takes performance to the next level. So what has been updated from the previous iPad Pro? Read more about the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M2.
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Versions 11 and 12.9 will appear in 2021″ The iPad Pro arrived with the powerful M1 chip, Thunderbolt connectivity, 5G for cellular models, new camera features like Center Stage, and more.
Then came the 2022 iPad Pro M2 with a number of tweaks and changes , but many of them were minor, which could push buyers towards the iPad Pro M1 or even the iPad Air.
Now, more than a year and a half later, the 2024 iPad Pro models have launched with an all-new M4 chip and a number of improvements .
Below we will take a detailed look at the comparison between the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Pro.
Contents
- iPad Pro background
- M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Pro
- Performance
- Screen
- Design, dimensions , weight, color
- Battery life
- Storage and price
- Cameras, video and audio
- Conclusion M4 iPad Pro vs M2 iPad Pro
- Why buy an M4 iPad Pro?
- Why buy an M2 iPad Pro or use what you have?
M4 iPad Pro vs M2 iPad Pro
Performance
, image via Apple
The main performance difference between the new and old iPad Pro is due to the M4 chip upgrade. Apple says it has a 50% faster processor, 4x faster GPU, and increased memory bandwidth from 100GB/s to 120GB/s compared to the M2.
Along with the new GPU The processor supplies the multimedia engine. which offers hardware-accelerated support for 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW—joining the Mac with 8K video processing capability.
Other new features include 38 trillion operations per second with the M4 Neural Engine, a hardware-accelerated accelerated ray tracing and much more.
Note: 128, 256 and 512 GB models have 8 GB of RAM, 1 TB and 2 TB models have 16 GB of RAM.
| 11″ M4 iPad Pro | 11″ iPad M2 | 13″ M4 iPad Pro | 12.9″ iPad Pro M2 | |
| Chip | M4 | M2 | M4 | M2 |
| CPU | 9 or 10-core | 8-core | 9 or 10-core | 8-core |
| GPU | 10-core | 10-core | 10-core | 10-core |
| Supports hardware acceleration 8K H.264, HEVC , ProRes and ProRes RAW | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW with hardware acceleration | – | ✅ | – | ✅ |
| Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Neural mechanism | 16-core | 16-core | 16-core | 16-core |
| Storage | 256 GB – 2 TB | 128 GB – 2 TB | 256 GB – 2 TB | 128 GB – 2 TB |
| RAM | 8 or 16 GB | 8 or 16 GB | 8 or 16 GB | 8 or 16 GB |
| Memory Bandwidth | 120 GB/s | 100 GB/s | 120 GB/s | 100 GB/s |
| Thunderbolt/USB 4 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cellular | 5G (below 6 GHz) | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave | 5G (sub-6 GHz) | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave |
As it happens, one of the losses is mmWave connectivity for 5G on the 2024 iPad Pro models.
Display
The new iPad Pro M4 models surpass their predecessors with a new Ultra Retina XDR display. It uses a tandem OLED display for the first time, compared to the LED/mini-LED display on the iPad Pro M2 models.
Image via Apple
Apple says the benefits of the new OLED display include brighter highlights, deeper blacks , better shadow and low-light detail, and more.
Both the smaller and larger iPad Pro feature a new OLED display, and you can now also upgrade your 1TB or 2TB iPad Pro M4 with a nano -screen. textured display glass.
You also get brighter SDR content up to 1,000 nits with M4 iPad Pro models (600 nits for M2 iPad Pro SDR content).
| 11″ M4 iPad Pro | 11″ iPad M2 | 13″ M4 iPad Pro | 12.9″ iPad Pro M2 | |
| Display | 11″ with OLED | 11″ with LED | 13″ with OLED | 12.9″ with mini-LED |
| Resolution | 2420 x 1668 | 2388 x 1668 | 2752 x 2064 | 2732 x 2048 |
| PPI (pixels per inch) | 264 | 264 | 264 | 264 |
| Display brightness | 1000 nits SDR, maximum 1000 nits fullscreen XDR, peak 1600 nits (HDR only) | 600 nits | 1000 nits SDR, 1000 nits maximum XDR full screen, 1600 pic nits (HDR only) | 600 nits SDR, 1000 nits maximum full screen XDR, 1600 nits peak (HDR only) |
| True Tone | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| P3 wide color | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| ProMotion (120 Hz) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Anti-reflective coating and fingerprint protection durable coating | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Fully laminated display | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Display glass with nanotexture | Optional for 1 TB and 2 TB models. | ❌ | Optional for 1 TB and 2 TB models | ❌ |
| Liquid Retina display | – | ✅ | – | – |
| Liquid Retina XDR display | – | ❌ | – | ✅ |
| Ultra Retina XDR Display | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Apple Pencil pointing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Common display features for all M4 and M2 pro models include ProMotion (10-120Hz refresh), P3 wide color, fully laminated displays, anti-glare coating , Apple Pencil hover and True Tone.
Design, dimensions, weight, colors
image via Apple
M4 iPad Pro is “the thinnest Apple product” ever made” only 5.1 mm for 13″ model and 5.3 mm for model 11″ version.
Additionally, the new iPad Pro M4 is lighter than its predecessor, weighing less than 1 pound for the 11″ and 1.28 pounds for 13″.
| 11″ M4 iPad Pro | 11″ iPad M2 | 13″ M4 iPad Pro | 12.9″ iPad Pro M2 | |
| Height | 9.83 inches (249.7 mm) | 9.74 inches (247.6 mm) | 11.09 inches (281.6 mm) | 11.04 inches (280.6 mm) |
| Width | 6.99 inches (177.5 mm) | 7.02 inches (178.5 mm) | 8.48 inch (215.5 mm) | 8.46 inch (214.9 mm) |
| Depth | 0.21 inches (5.3 mm) | 0.23 inches (5.9 mm) | 0.20 inches (5.1 mm) | 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) |
| Weight | 0.98 lbs (446 grams) | 1.04 lbs (470 grams) | 1.28 lbs (582 grams) | 1.5 lbs (682 grams) |
New this time around is the Space Black finish, replacing Space Gray is for the iPad Pro M4, while Silver remains the other choice.
Connectivity and Accessories
Image via Apple
The new iPad Pro models work with the same Apple accessories. They come in the form of the new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro. You can also choose a mid-range Apple Pencil with USB-C.
- Apple Pencil Pro is coming with a pinch and Roll gesture, plus Find My support.
- Apple introduces the Magic Keyboard Keyboard for iPad Pro M4 with larger trackpad, function row and aluminum palm rest.
Here's a look at the rest of the I/O and connectivity specs:
| 11 and 13″ M4 iPad Pro | 11 and 12.9″ M2 iPad Pro | |
| Apple Pencil Pro support | ✅ | ❌ |
| Apple Pencil 2 support th generation | ❌ | ✅ |
| Apple Pencil USB-C | ✅ | ✅ |
| Magic Keyboard support | ✅ | ✅ |
| 5G | ✅ (less than 6 GHz) | matter (6 GHz band and mmWave) |
| WiFi 6E | ✅ | ✅ |
| SIM | eSIM only | eSIM and nano-SIM |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| USB-C | ✅ USB 4 | ✅ USB 4 |
| Thunderbolt | ✅ | ✅ |
| Face ID | ✅ | ✅ |
In addition to abandoning mmWave for 5G, the iPad Pro M4 also lost its nano-SIM slot.
Battery life
2024 iPad Pro models with the M4 chip have the same battery life as their predecessors:
- 10 hours of Internet or video use over Wi-Fi.
- 9 hours of Internet use with cellular connection.
Storage and price
Storage in the iPad Pro M4 is slightly changed, starting from 256 GB and going up to 2 TB. The price is $100 more than the iPad Pro M2 line, or $200 more if you add nano-texture glass for the 1TB and 2TB models.
| 11″ M4 iPad Pro | 11″ iPad M2 | 13″ M4 iPad Pro | 12.9″ iPad Pro M2 | |
| 128GB WiFi | – | $799 | – | $1099 |
| 128 GB + cell | – | $999 | – | $1,299 |
| 256 GB Wi-Fi | $999 | $899 | $1299 | $1199 |
| 256GB + cell> | $1199 | $1099 | $1,499 | $1,399 |
| 512 GB Wi-Fi | $1,199 | $1099 | $1499 | $1399 |
| 512 GB + cell | $1399 | $1299 | $1699 | $1599 |
| 1 TB Wi-Fi | $1599 | $1499 | $1899 | USD 1,799 |
| 1 TB + cell | $1,799 | $1699 | $2099 | $1999 |
| 2 TB Wi-Fi | $1999 | $1899 | USD 2299 | USD 2199 |
| 2 TB + cell | $2199 | $2099 | $2499 | $2399 |
Cameras, video and audio
image via Apple
The M4 iPad Pro's rear camera system features a 12MP wide-angle lens, a LiDAR scanner, and Retina Flash with True Tone technology.
Interestingly, the iPad Pro M4 ditched the 10MP ultra-wide-angle lens found on the iPad Pro M2.
On the front is a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens with Center Stage support. which now sits along the long edge of the landscape rather than the short edge on the 2024 iPad Pro M4 models.
| 11 and 13″ M4 iPad Pro | 11 and 12.9″ iPad M2 | |
| 12 MP wide-angle lens | ✅ | ✅ |
| 10 MP ultra-wide-angle lens | ❌ | ✅ |
| LiDAR | ✅ | ✅ |
| 4K Video | ✅ | ✅ |
| ProRes video up to 4K, 30fps | ✅ | ✅ |
| High dynamic range | ✅ | ✅ |
| Slow-motion video | ✅ | ✅ |
| Rear camera flash | ✅ | ✅ |
| TrueDepth camera with Face ID | ✅ (landscape edge) | ✅ (portrait edge) |
| 12 MP ultra-wide-angle front camera | ✅ | ✅ |
| 2x optical reduction | ❌ | ✅ |
| Smart HDR 4 Photos | ✅ | ✅ |
| Automatic center stage tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| audio with 4 speakers | ✅ | ✅ |
| Stereo recording | ✅ | ✅ |
| Studio quality microphones | 4 | 5 |
iPad Pro M4 (and M2) front camera also supports portrait mode, portrait lighting and Animoji/Memoji.
Conclusion M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Pro
image via Apple
Why buy an iPad Pro M4?
Looking at the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Pro M2, it might only make sense to buy a new model if you're a professional or aspiring professional with workflows that would benefit from an M4 upgrade. Or are you ready to spend money on the latest version of Apple 😁.
iPad M4 iPad Pro is available at Apple and soon at Amazon, Best Buy and other stores.
Why buy an M2 iPad Pro or stick with what you have?
When you can get many of the features of the iPad Pro M4 with the iPad Pro M2, and the difference in processors isn't a deal-breaker for many, picking one up at a discount can be a good move. Or keep your iPad Pro/Air.
Plus, the 2024 iPad Air offers an attractive package at a lower price than the iPad Pro. In many ways, this is similar to the revival of the iPad Pro M2, as the new iPad Air is equipped with an M2 chip. New for 2024 will be size 13″ model next to 11″ version. Stay tuned for a full comparison of these models.
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