Flagship iPad: comparison of M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Pro

2024 iPad Pro with M4 [left], 2022 iPad Pro with M2 [right]

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After a year-long hiatus, Apple has finally refreshed the iPad Pro, bringing the surprise M4 debut and OLED into the spotlight in 2024. Here's how the latest iPad Pro models compare to the previous generation.

In 2023, the iPad was completely absent, with the only change being the addition of USB-C to the Apple Pencil. Instead, consumers had to purchase the iPad Pro models introduced in October 2022.

This year-long break has given Apple time to make quite a few changes to its top-tier line of tablets. The result was 2024 releases.

This goes beyond a typical specification update. Apple has tweaked many aspects of its flagship tablet line and made some surprising changes.

Here's what you should pay attention to when examining the differences between the M2 and M4 generations of iPad Pro.

2024 iPad Pro and iPad Pro 2022 – specifications

Specifications	iPad Pro 2024	iPad Pro 2022
Screen size (inches)	11, 13	11, 12.9
Base price	$999, $1,299	$799, $1,099
Processor	M4	M2
Resolution	2420 x 1668, 2752 x 2064	2388 x 1668, 2732 x 2048
Pixel density (dpi)	264, 264	264, 264
Brightness (nits)	1000 nits (SDR), 1000 (XDR full screen), 1600 (HDR with maximum brightness)	600 ( 11″ maximum), 1000 (12.9″ full screen), 1600 (HDR with 12.9″ peak brightness)
Display type	Ultra Retina XDR, Tandem OLED, ProMotion, True Tone, Wide Color (P3), Fully Laminated, Nano Texture Display Glass Option for 1 TB, 2 TB	Mini with LED backlight (12.9 only), LED backlit (11 only) Liquid Retina, ProMotion, True Tone, Wide Color (P3), Fully Laminated
Apple Pencil	Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil USB-C	Apple Pencil second generation, Apple Pencil USB-C
Smart Connector	Yes	Yes
Dimensions (inches)	9.83 x 6.99 x 0.21, 11.09 x 8.48 x 0.20	9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23, 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25
Weight (lbs)	0.98, 1.28	1.03, 1.5
Capacity	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB
Rear camera (MP)	12 wide-angle, LiDAR	12 wide-angle, 10 ultra-wide-angle, LiDAR
Front camera ( MP)	12MP TrueDepth	12MP TrueDepth
Video recording	4K at 24/speed 30/60fps (wide) and 60fps (ultrawide), ProRes up to 4K, 30fps (1080p30 on 256GB)	4K, 24/30/60fps per second (wide) and 60 fps (ultrawide), ProRes up to 4K, 30 fps (1080p30 at 128 GB)
Biometric	Face ID	Face ID
Speakers	4	4
Port	Thunderbolt 4/USB 4	Thunderbolt/USB 4

iPad Pro 2024 and iPad Pro 2022 – design and appearance

The 2022 iPad Pro consists of 12.9-inch and 11-inch models , like the two previous generations. Combining a recycled aluminum body, flat sides, and an edge-to-edge display, it has an industrial aesthetic that's unmistakably reminiscent of the iPad Pro.

In April 2024, the iPad Pro still uses virtually the same basic design. There are still some notable differences, such as the placement of the camera module at the rear.

In terms of overall dimensions, the 2022 11-inch iPad Pro measures 9.74 inches by 7.02 inches in length. The 12-inch is 11.04 inches long and 8.46 inches wide.

The 2024 editions are slightly different. Measuring 9.83 by 6.99 inches, the 11-inch model is slightly longer and narrower overall.

The 13-inch version is slightly larger overall: 11.09 by 8.46 inches.

The new iPad Pro is very similar to the old model.

You may have already noticed that the name of the 13-inch model has changed slightly compared to the previous generation 12.9-inch model. From a functional point of view this is only a minor difference.

Older models are 0.23 and 0.25 inches thick depending on the size. The new models are slightly thinner: the 11-inch is 0.21 inches, and the 13-inch is even thinner at 0.20 inches.

The 2022 models weighed the same as their 2021 counterparts, namely 1.5 pounds for the 12.9-inch model and 1.03 pounds for the 11-inch version.

Along with the size changes, Apple has also put its 2024 models on a diet. The 11-inch weighs 0.98 pounds and the 13-inch weighs 1.28 pounds.

While an 11-inch weight difference is small enough to be ignored, a 13-inch change is not. This will certainly help make the larger iPad Pro more portable for users.

M4 iPad Pro

The Apple M4 iPad Pro comes in two sizes – 11-inch and 13-inch – and is the thinnest Apple product ever exist after its release. Adorama Coupon

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iPad Pro 2024 Year and 2022 iPad Pro – Displays

Even though the 2022 iPad Pro models are part of the same product family, they have completely different displays, in addition to the sizes.

The 11-inch Liquid Retina display uses a traditional LED backlight system, while the 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR uses a mini-LED backlight. The difference in the use of thousands of mini-LEDs and 2,596 local dimming zones provides performance similar to a 12.9-inch OLED at a lower overall cost.

Tandem OLED display helps create stunning visuals for the 2024 iPad Pro.

In 2024, Apple replaced both iPad Pro displays with OLED Ultra Retina, o which is often rumored. XDR screens. Called Tandem OLED by Apple, it stacks a pair of OLED panels on top of each other.

This allows the new iPad Pro models to have sensational brightness and significant dynamic range.

The 2022 11-inch display delivers 600 nits of brightness, while the 12.9-inch delivers up to 1,000 nits for full-screen content and 1,600 nits at peak for HDR content. Color reproduction on a larger screen is also better.

With the new system, Apple says the 2024 versions can reach 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness and 1,600 nits of peak brightness for HDR content. This is also achieved by doubling the contrast ratio from 1,000,00:1 to 2,000,000:1.

The 2022 models also had fairly standard resolutions: 2388 by 1886 and 2732 by 2048 for the two sizes respectively, which equates to a pixel density of 264 pixels per inch apiece.

That 264ppi resolution will continue into 2024, but at a slightly higher resolution. The 11-inch screen increases the resolution to 2420 by 1668 pixels, and the 13-inch one increases to 2752 by 2064 pixels.

All models also support Wide Color (P3), True Tone and ProMotion.

The Apple Pencil 2 feature, which allows iPad to detect the tip up to 12mm away, returns in both generations. However, the new models also include support for new Apple Pencil Pro features, including the squeeze gesture and barrel gesture (Apple Pencil Pro can be ordered on Amazon).

Both generations also support Apple Pencil with USB-C. However, at this price level, you'll probably want ones that attach magnetically and charge wirelessly.

Borrowing from the Pro Display XDR option, Apple is also offering 2024 iPad Pro users an optional chemical-etched nanotexture display on 1TB and 2TB models. Apple says it diffuses ambient light to reduce glare, improving overall picture quality.

2024 iPad Pro vs 2022 iPad Pro – Performance

The last time the iPad Pro had an update, the chip core was upgraded from M1 to M2. Using the same 8-core design as the M1, consisting of four efficiency cores and four performance cores, the M2 was claimed to be 18% faster than the M2.

The integrated M2 GPU is the 8-core version, which was again voted the best. The 16-core Neural Engine provided a 40% performance increase compared to the M1 version.

Like most other Apple Silicon chips, the M2 is equipped with a Media Engine, which includes a dedicated video decoding engine, an encoding engine, and ProRes decoding and encoding engines. This made the iPad Pro M2 more attractive to video editors.

Apple has switched to M4 for its 2024 iPad Pro models

In 2024, Apple skipped M3 and went straight to M4, which uses -3 seconds -Nanometer generation design. This now means that the iPad Pro is the only hardware Apple currently sells that uses this particular generation of chips.

The M4 features a nine-core processor with three performance cores and six efficiency cores in 256GB and 512GB configurations. Choosing 1TB or 2TB gives you a ten-core processor with four performance cores and six efficiency cores.

Both versions of the chip include a 10-core GPU with hardware ray tracing and a 16-core Neural Engine.

Memory in the 2024 models consists of 8 GB in the lower two tiers and 16 GB in the upper two tiers. This reflects the M2 models, which gave 16GB to terabyte-class models and 8GB to low-end models.

Memory bandwidth increased over the year from 100 GB/s to 120 GB/s. The Media Engine has also been updated to support AV1 decoding on M4.

The Neural Engine is still a 16-core component across the board, but it has received a significant boost. While the M2 version could perform 15.8 trillion operations per second, the M4 increased that number to 38 trillion.

This certainly makes the M4 more capable of handling Apple's long-rumored AI feature updates.

While full benchmarks are not currently available, Apple claims the M4 is capable of rendering four times faster than the M2, with 1.5 times faster processor performance.

We definitely expect the M4 to be better than the M2. But at the moment we don't know exactly how much, other than Apple's marketing statements.

2024 iPad Pro and 2022 iPad Pro – cameras and audio

The 2022 iPad Pro has a pair of cameras on the back, including a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera with f/aperture 1.8 and 10 megapixel ultra-wide-angle versions with f/2.4 aperture. The kit includes a LiDAR sensor that is used for both low-light shooting and focusing and 3D applications.

Apple, in an unusual move, has ditched the 10-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera on its 2024 iPad Pro. It retains the 12MP version with all its features and specifications, as well as LIDAR.

The 2024 iPad Pro has only one camera on the back.

On the video side, the 2022 models can handle 4K recordings at 60 frames per second, with high dynamic range up to 30 fps and slow motion at 240 fps for 1080p video. They can even handle ProRes 4K video at 30fps on all models except the 128GB version, which supports 1080p resolution.

2024 models can do the same, except the ProRes 1080p limit only applies to 256GB models. Additionally, borrowing from the iPhone 15 Pro, if users use an external USB-C drive, they can record at up to 4K and 60fps.

On the front of the 2022 iPad Pro is a traditional TrueDepth camera that includes a 12-megapixel f/2.4 ultra-wide-angle sensor with 2x digital zoom. In use, it has depth control for portrait mode shots, portrait lighting, and 1080p video capture with cinematic video stabilization.

Depth display elements also provide security support for Animoji, Memoji and Face ID.

The 2024 versions have exactly the same front camera features, except that its position has been changed. Instead of being on the short side, it's on one of the longer sides, allowing you to use FaceTime in landscape mode.

In terms of audio, the 2022 iPad Pro models feature a quad-speaker audio system that uses speakers in each quarter to provide stereo sound regardless of orientation. Audio is captured by five “studio quality” microphones.

The 2024 models remain virtually unchanged in this regard, except that the number of microphones has been reduced from five to four.

2024 iPad Pro and 2022 iPad Pro – Connectivity and Battery

Both the 2022 and 2024 iPad Pro models have a Thunderbolt/USB 4 port as their primary physical connection. It is used for charging, as well as for connecting to external drives, docking stations and other accessories.

The connection is also useful for connecting iPad Pro to an external display, allowing you to work beyond the iPad screen itself.

On the back of both is a smart jack that's designed to work with accessories like the Magic Keyboard without the need for Bluetooth or the need for a Thunderbolt port.

At the edge of the volume buttons there is a section designed to magnetically mount the Apple Pencil 2. This section is also responsible for charging and pairing with the stylus.

The wireless side of the 2022 and 2024 iPad Pros is support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, which are useful if you have the necessary network infrastructure or accessories that use these standards.

Cellular connectivity has always been an attractive element of the iPad Pro. The 2022 model has the option of 5G support, covering millimeter wave and sub-6 GHz bands, as well as Gigabit LTE.

However, unlike the previous generation, the 2024 iPad Pro only supports 5G at frequencies below 6 GHz. There will be no mmWave this time.

Apple Pencil Pro attached to the side of the 2024 iPad Pro

Another change is Apple's continued push to push consumers toward eSIM use. While the 2022 and 2024 models support eSIM, the 2022 versions can only use physical nano-SIM cards.

If you're using the Apple Pencil 2 or Apple Pencil Pro, there's still wireless charging on one side. Thankfully, the stylus is held in place magnetically, as the 2024 models now have fewer sides to balance on thanks to the weight reduction.

iPad Pro 2024 and iPad Pro 2022 – capacity and prices

11-inch iPad Pro 2022 starts at $799 for a model with Wi-Fi and 128 GB of internal memory in any color “gray space” or silver color. The 256GB model cost $999, $1,099 for 512GB, $1,499 for 1TB, and $1,899 for 2TB.

The 12.9-inch 2022 model cost $1,099 for 128GB, rising to $1,199 for 256GB and $1,399 for 512GB. Upgrading to 1TB increased the price to $1,799, and upgrading to 2TB increased the price to $2,199.

The addition of cellular increased the price by $200, taking the 11-inch range from $999 to $2,199 and the 12.9-inch from $1,299 to $2,399.

In 2024, the 11-inch iPad Pro will start at $999 with 256GB of storage, the same as the 2022 model. The 512GB is priced higher at $1,199, 1TB is $1,599, and 2TB is $1,999.

The 13-inch version has a base price of $1,299 at 256GB, up from its 2024 counterpart. The 512GB upgrade costs $1,499, the 1TB upgrade costs $1,899, and the 2TB upgrade costs $2,299.

Cellular service will again cost consumers an additional $200, bringing the 2024 11-inch model to between $1,199 and $2,199. The 13-inch variant costs between $1,499 and $2,499.

And there is also glass with nanotexture for 2024 models with a terabyte capacity. That's another $100, regardless of size or power.

iPad Pro 2024 vs. iPad Pro 2022: Should you upgrade?

Taking a year off from the iPad Pro has certainly paid off in more ways than one. It's finally made the jump to OLED, and in both sizes, not just the larger model.

This is perhaps the biggest change of all, as the lack of backlighting has allowed Apple to reduce the thickness of both sizes. The addition of nano-texture glass also adds an extra boost to the already premium tablet family.

The 2024 iPad Pro will still be available in Space Black and Silver

The move to the M4 is completely unexpected, as Apple skipped the M3 release entirely. But even so, it doesn't matter, since it's generally accepted that new iPad models are faster than the ones they replace.

Although there are many good things here, there is an oddity in the form of the loss of one camera on the back. This means older iPad Pro models have more photography capabilities.

However, external 4K ProRes video recording at 60fps may be a good compromise for content creators.

Overall, the 2024 iPad Pro is a significant step forward for the product line. This is what you need if you want a premium tablet.

iPad Pro M2 owners may lack upgrade options. But for new buyers or those upgrading to Apple's premium lineup, there's a lot to like here.

2024 iPad Pro and 2022 iPad Pro – Where to Buy

Apple's M4 iPad Pro can be ordered from Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo Video and Adorama.com, with a roundup of the latest prices available in our price guides.