At the Apple presentation held on April 20, one of the main new products was the updated iPad Pro.
Absolutely unexpectedly, the Cupertino team switched the line to M1 processors, which debuted in three Mac models last fall.
Now let’s look at all the differences between the new firmware and the 2020 models and see if it’s worth upgrading.
iPad Pro 2022 Specifications:
- Screen:
Liquid Retina XDR, maximum brightness up to 1600 nits, 11 and 12.9 inches; - Processor:
Apple Silicon; - RAM:
16 GB; - Storage:
from 128 GB to 2 TB; - Battery:
up to 12 hours of battery life; - Main camera:
three 12 megapixel modules, wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, telephoto; - Front camera:
12 megapixel module with wide viewing angle; - Other features:
5G support, reverse wireless charging, support for MagSafe accessories; - Prices:
$899 to $2,399; - Release date:
spring 2022.
Camera of the new iPad
It's surprising that Apple left the main camera of the iPad 9 old, but upgraded the front camera. Now it has a resolution of 12 megapixels and has a viewing angle of 122 degrees. This is really a lot. Thanks to this coverage, it can capture more detail and supports Center Stage. This is a function that automatically tracks your subject, keeping it in focus at all times, regardless of your movements.
The iPad 9's front camera received the biggest upgrade
The Center Stage feature only works in a limited number of applications. These are mainly video calling and social networking services like TikTok. Thanks to it, the user will be able to record himself on video without moving the camera as his position in the frame changes. The camera itself will focus on the subject as a professional filming device. In general, it will be cool, but the innovation is unlikely to be widely used.
iPad Pro 2022 Design
According to Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, the new iPad Pro 2022 will receive support for wireless charging
. An insider reported this back in the summer. Apple's desire to introduce a similar option into its top-end tablets will inevitably lead to a number of other changes. In particular, the need to change the design of the iPad Pro.
The main innovation will be the glass back cover. Eliminating the aluminum panel will allow Apple to introduce wireless charging support into the iPad Pro 2022. It is possible that along with such changes the company will expand the palette of available colors.
Otherwise, the iPad Pro 2022 should be similar to its predecessors. Apple will retain the “familiar” contours of the body, straight side edges and fairly thin frames around the screen. The new iPad Pro will most likely not have notches. At least there is no information about this on the Internet.
iPad Pro 2022 display
All sources agree that Apple will not change the display diagonals of the iPad Pro this year. Simply put, two versions with screens of 11 and 12.9 inches will be available for sale, as before.
However, in 2022, Apple can eliminate the “injustice” that was in the iPad Pro 2022. Let us recall that only the top versions of the tablet with a diagonal of 12.9 inches were equipped with mini-LED screens. The 11-inch models used a “regular” LED-backlit screen. This defect should be eliminated in the next generation of iPad Pro.
Prices and Availability
With the release of new iPad Pro models, old tablets disappeared from Apple's official website. At the same time, the entire professional line has risen in price considerably. Prices for basic models are as follows:
▪️ iPad Pro 2022 11″ – from 77,990 rub.
▪️ iPad Pro 2022 12.9″ – from RUB 106,990.
Pre-orders for the new models will be open from April 30, and sales will begin in May.
At the same time, official resellers still have last year’s devices on sale. Their prices start at the following marks:
▪️ iPad Pro 2022 11″ – from 69,990 rub.
▪️ iPad Pro 2022 12.9″ – from 86,990 rub.
The differences in price are significant; you can use the difference to purchase one or more original accessories.
iPad Pro 2022 Processor
In addition to the new Liquid Retina XDR iPad Pro 2022, they also stood out for their powerful hardware. Regardless of the screen diagonal, the tablets were equipped with the Apple M1 chip, which was also used in the iMac 2022 and MacBook Air (2020). Thanks to this chip, top-end iPads were able to outperform not only their classmates in benchmarks, but also some laptops from the mid-price segment.
According to analysts, the iPad Pro 2022 will also be equipped with a chip from the Apple Silicon line. However, it is not yet known exactly what kind of processor it will be. There are currently three possible options being considered:
- Apple M1 Pro;
- Apple M2;
- Apple A15X/Z.
Until recently, many were confident that the iPad Pro 2022 would be equipped with an M2 chip
, which will also be used in the MacBook Air 2022. However, not everyone agrees with this right now. For example, the authors of the Chinese publication Commerical Times claim that the first devices based on the Apple M2 will be released only in the fall of 2022.
For now, we can only say with confidence that Apple is unlikely to return to A-series chips. In essence, this will be a step backwards.
Unveiled a few weeks ago, the 2022 iPad Pro is a big step forward for Apple's tablets. With the M1 chip, Thunderbolt 3, upgraded cameras, and a stunning new display, iPad Pro is closer than ever to realizing its potential.
Last year's iPad Pro 2022 seemed to be more about the software of the future than the hardware, and twelve months later that sentiment has only grown stronger. Apple has made updates to iPadOS such as widgets, Scribble and improved search. But no one had the feeling that the Cupertino people took advantage of the hardware advantages that the iPad Pro offers.
This time we are waiting for a completely different story.
iPad Pro - now more powerful than ever
The iPad Pro has never seemed more powerful than with the release of the new 2022 model. Of course, each new iPad Pro causes delight and admiration due to the acquired speed and productivity. This year-on-year growth is respectable, but this year it will take it to a whole new level.
Apple has moved from the A12Z Bionic processor in the 2022 iPad Pro—essentially a minor upgrade from the 2019 model's A12X chip—to the M1 processor. This is exactly the same M1 found in the current MacBook Pro, as well as the Mac mini, MacBook Air and the new 24-inch iMac. This solution makes the extremely thin and portable tablet literally match the power of the MacBook Pro.
If you look at raw performance as measured by the standardized Geekbench 5 benchmark test, you can see a huge jump in processing power. For single-core processors, the value increased from 1117 to 1704, and for multi-core processors - from 4690 to 7014 points. The Compute test, which measures graphics quality, jumped from 9616 to 21240.
Looking at these numbers, it's clear that this is the most significant performance improvement Apple has made to the iPad Pro in years. The 2022 to 2022 update saw just a 547-point increase in the Compute test and virtually no increase for single-core and multi-core tests.
In addition, the Californian company has significantly increased the amount of RAM. Apple built 6 GB of RAM into the iPad Pro 2022, but the 2022 model now comes with 8 GB of RAM in 256 GB and 512 GB versions and as much as 16 GB in 1 TB and 2 TB configurations. True, after a year of using the iPad Pro 2022, it is simply impossible to even think that the tablet has problems with a lack of RAM. However, the new product will definitely make you forget about the very concept of “not enough RAM” for many years.
Right now, it is impossible to notice the performance improvements associated with increasing the amount of RAM. You can open multiple Safari tabs and switch between them without refreshing them. It's the same story with switching between open applications without having to re-download. This RAM looks like it was designed with a huge margin for the future.
Cameras
Apple's new M1 processor has much more improvements than just speed. Its 16-core neural engine and next-generation image processor have led to significant improvements to the iPad Pro camera system.
For the main camera, Cupertino has integrated a 2x optical zoom when shooting 4K content. In addition, the device offers cinematic stabilization when shooting 4K, stereo sound and audio zoom. It's a little strange to talk about cameras on a tablet, especially the 12.9-inch model. Even just imagining someone walking around taking photos or videos using a tablet rather than a phone or a stand-alone camera seems strange.
However, this is a real use case for the new iPad Pro 2021. Many users use the iPad Pro as their main device and make calls through all kinds of instant messengers and other online services, there are reporters and journalists who film interviews on the iPad and then on the same iPads are being assembled and processed. So if Apple can improve the quality of cameras, then why not?
The TrueDepth front camera boasts a more than significant upgrade. It has an ultra-wide viewing angle of 122 degrees, which allows you to capture much more if the user is not sitting statically in front of the screen. Smart HDR 3, Time Lapse, and lens correction have also been added, not to mention that Apple has moved from a 7-megapixel camera to a new 12-megapixel one. Whether you're in a meeting, giving a presentation, or just FaceTime with family, the picture looks much better.
Along with the updated TrueDepth camera comes a new software feature called Center Stage. Center Stage intelligently zooms in on your face during a FaceTime call and tracks you as you move. An obvious example is making a FaceTime call while cooking—a task that requires you to move around. iPad Pro won't let you leave the frame—instead, Center Stage and its 122-degree viewing angle will track you to ensure you're in frame and visible to the other person at all times.
There is another scenario. If a second person appears in front of the camera, it will “move away” so that everyone can be seen in the frame. In practice, this feature seems almost magical and works surprisingly well. You can move fast or slow, it can be several people at once - Center Stage always does its job with a bang.
The only problem that may arise with the Center Stage is when walking while holding the iPad. In the center of the frame, everything looks quite confusing. Luckily, the FaceTime app has a button to turn this feature off.
Center Stage works with FaceTime by default, but Apple gives access to the app's API so it can be used in third-party apps like Skype or Zoom.
Thunderbolt
Another update to the iPad Pro is the Thunderbolt port. Thanks in part to the Apple M1 processor, Apple's most powerful tablet has a USB 4 / Thunderbolt 3 port, to which devices connect via a universal USB-C connector. It's important to understand that USB 4 is not Thunderbolt 4. The M1 chipset itself is limited to supporting only Thunderbolt 3, likely because work on the M1 began before the Thunderbolt 4 specification was released. As a result, when the processor was released, In this regard, it turned out not to be outdated, but not entirely modern.
Luckily, there are plenty of devices on the market with Thunderbolt 3, and the benefits of Thunderbolt 4 aren't so critical that you need to worry about it. The latter has the same speed as Thunderbolt 3, so storage and display throughput will remain the same.
What's more frustrating is that for years, iPad Pro owners were somewhat left out of the Santa Clara company by not being able to use the same connected hardware that was available to Mac owners. Any monitor, SSD, or Thunderbolt dock was completely useless for the iPad. But now everything has changed. This seemingly small update opens up a whole new world of accessories for tablet owners. After testing several Thunderbolt 3 docks and hubs, we can safely say that they all work great - you can connect hard drives, SSDs, displays, card readers, and more to the iPad Pro. Just imagine how great it would be to edit videos while watching them on a big screen and using your tablet's display as an editing tool.
It's important to understand that the iPad Pro only has one Thunderbolt port. On the one hand, if you need to connect several devices at once, you can use a docking station with a wide range of connectors. On the other hand, many peripherals can be daisy-chained if they also have the appropriate connector, so multiple devices can be connected without a docking station at all.
This incredible display
Both the 12.9-inch and 11-inch iPad Pro usually have the same feature set, but this year the game has changed. An exclusive feature of the larger model is the new high-quality display.
Apple calls the screen used "Liquid Retina XDR", proudly positioning its origins in the high-end professional Pro Display XDR. “XDeErs” are the Cupertino name for displays that go beyond typical HDR. The previous generation of iPad Pro already featured panels capable of processing HDR content, but the new product significantly pushes the boundaries.
Even though the tablet remains virtually unchanged in size, Apple managed to squeeze 10,000 mini-LEDs into the body, which replace the traditional LED backlight system to provide over 2,500 local dimming zones. Mini-LEDs aren't just smaller, they provide deeper blacks, higher contrast, more brightness and less flare.
The California-based brand happily touts an incredible 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, which is the difference between the white and black parts.
During everyday use indoors, you will not notice a significant difference in the image, but this does not mean that miniLED does not have significant advantages.
First, Apple increased the brightness from 600 nits to 1000 nits. This means that in bright light - such as when using the device outdoors - this display will look much better. This is simply a huge step forward compared to the previous generation.
Secondly, Liquid Retina XDR is incredible for any HDR content. The Californian manufacturer was able to achieve an incredible peak brightness of 1600 nits when playing HDR video. When watching a movie, TV show, or your own recordings shot on iPhone 12 Pro, for example, you'll immediately notice how much brighter the whites or various flashes are and how deep the blacks are. If we compare the new iPad Pro 12.9 side by side with last year’s, we can see that Liquid Retina XDR becomes almost completely black in the shadows, while simultaneously highlighting the light areas. Whether you're watching HDR content or creating it in an app, this display will make it shine.
My only criticism of the new screen is that there is still some minor flare in situations where the backlight leaks around the screen elements and creates a bloom-like effect around them. For example, this occurs when the screen has a black background and a white on-screen element, such as text. Although even in this case, the “blooming” is only noticeable in low light, and is not visible during everyday use. To be fair, we note that in other iPad Pro models this artifact was much more noticeable.
Of course, many will compare this mini LED panel to the OLED displays found in the latest iPhone and Apple Watch. Yes, OLED is still a slightly more interesting option; the Liquid Retina XDR display presented by Apple can be called a worthy alternative that copes with its tasks. In addition, the use of OLED in the iPad Pro will negatively affect the cost of the device, increasing it even more than it is now.
Oh, the magic keyboard...
Largely thanks to the new display, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is completely invisible, just 0.5 mm thicker. Of course, this may seem insignificant, but the extra half a centimeter causes headaches for accessory manufacturers and users.
Apple's announcement that it had changed the iPad Pro enough to make the year-old Magic Keyboard unusable on the new 12.9-inch model has caused a ton of outrage. Fortunately, after testing, AppleInsider found that the first-generation Magic Keyboard will in fact still support the latest iPad Pro.
Apple has since revealed that the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro in the first-generation Magic Keyboard will have an imperfect fit when closed. There is nothing to be done here, this is true, although there are no complaints about the performance.
During testing, we found that the hinge side of the Magic Keyboard holds the new iPad Pro tighter and stronger than the 2022 tablet. This extra pressure causes the iPad Pro to shift slightly, causing the camera module to rest not in the hole cut out for the previous version, but next to it. Accordingly, the iPad is slightly offset. However, even with such a tight fit, there is no reduction in functionality and there is no real danger of damage to the tablet itself.
So while Apple has introduced an updated second-generation Magic Keyboard for the 12.9-inch model, nothing else has changed. There's no new functionality added, no major changes to the overall design, and it's still one of the best iPad Pro 12.9" accessories on the market.
If you don’t yet have a Magic Keyboard, then you can now choose not only black, but also white accessory color to pair with your new tablet. This color scheme looks great with the silver iPad Pro.
the iPad now more versatile than the Mac?
In many ways, the iPad Pro is now not only an alternative to Macs, but also a better choice (depending on your workflow).
Before the newest generation, the iPad Pro had the best tablet processor, a great display, some support for external monitors, a USB-C port, and cursor support. In the 2022 version, the device gets the same processor as the Mac, and the display is better than all portable Macs. And let's not forget about 5G and Thunderbolt 3 support.
Of course, there are some obvious functional limitations, but for now the iPad Pro looks like a device with a wide range of uses, at least for a certain category of users. Sooner or later, the Apple tablet was supposed to begin to claim an alternative to Apple computers, but it was difficult to imagine that this would happen so soon and so suddenly.
Is the new 2022 iPad Pro worth buying?
Now more than ever, it seems like the iPad Pro 2020 was a stopgap whose main purpose was to keep the market competitive while Apple prepared its truly impressive M1-based iPad Pro.
To be honest, you can’t just take a new product and praise it - it deserves a whole storm of applause. Apple has improved everything that can and should be improved in a tablet. The image (on the 12.9-inch model) is unparalleled, the device is much faster, the port is more functional, all cameras have been upgraded, with twice the latest generation of RAM. Taking into account the power reserves of the device, even 5G support, which is not particularly needed in our region, will come in handy someday.
Nobody likes to say that you have to wait for a software update to see the iPad's full potential, but this is exactly the case. The hardware is already far ahead of the apps available on the tablet, so it's up to Apple and third-party developers to bridge the gap between them.
If you ignored last year's iPad Pro because you wanted to see what Apple had in store this time, then you're in luck. This update boldly claims to be one of the best, if not in history, then at least in the last 4-5 years. If we ignore the lack of miniLED, the same can be said about the iPad Pro 11”.
Apple has breathed new life into the iPad Pro. This is probably the beginning of a new exciting chapter in the history of tablets from Cupertino.
iPad Pro 2022: memory
Judging by the data available on the Internet, Apple does not yet plan to release iPad Pro with drives larger than 2 TB. Most likely, in terms of available memory, the new firmware will not differ from tablets of the 2022 model year.
Let us remind you that the iPad Pro 2022 is equipped with five storage options - 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB.
However, some are confident that the basic version of the iPad Pro 2022 may receive 256 GB of internal memory
. Apple itself hints at such changes. In 2022, the company did not release an iPhone with a 64 GB drive. Additionally, all recent Macs come with at least a 256GB SSD.
Which iPad to buy
This is partly why I would recommend considering purchasing the basic model. A cellular module is not really needed, since any phone can operate in modem mode, and operators offer huge or even unlimited amounts of traffic. The lack of a 128 GB model is disappointing , but not so much that you refuse to buy it. If you only plan to watch movies, work with text and pictures, and also communicate via video, then the minimum version of the 9th generation iPad is the best you can buy.
Also, even a simple iPad has supported Apple Pencil for several years. In the new generation it works faster than in the old one. The delay is less and we can say that it is almost non-existent.
Even if you can find an Android tablet for less money or with high performance for the same, you shouldn’t place a big bet on it. Besides the fact that it still won't be as fast as the iPad, it won't have as good support and won't receive updates for 5 years or more. At best, you'll get three years of updates, and then only if you buy an expensive Samsung. Other manufacturers promise a maximum of 1-2 years .
It cannot be said that Apple jumped into overdrive and released something supernatural. This is just a routine update, which, nevertheless, makes the model very modern. Naturally, you shouldn't rush out to buy the new product if you've already bought a basic iPad within the last couple of years. But if you didn't have a tablet or need to upgrade something older, this option will be a very good one.
iPad Pro 2022 price
After the appearance of mini-LED displays in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2022, the price of tablets increased by $100. It is expected that next year the younger model with an 11-inch screen will rise in price by the same amount.
As a result, the most affordable iPad Pro 2022 will cost $899
. For this amount, users will be able to purchase an 11-inch tablet with a mini-LED screen and 128 GB storage.
The top-end iPad Pro 2022 with a 2 TB drive and 5G support will cost $2,399. The most advanced iPad Pro 2022 costs exactly the same.
Hardware and performance
The main feature of the new iPad Pro 2021 was the transition to Apple M1 processors. This is a rather unexpected step, and at the presentation during the demonstration of the chip, many viewers expected to see a new MacBook model.
Both modifications of the new tablet will run on this 64-bit chip. An 8-core processor and an 8-core graphics chip will be responsible for performance. There is support for the new generation Neural Engine (compared to previous models).
The amount of RAM has also increased. New models will receive from 8 to 16 GB of RAM. By the way, the Cupertino team announced this for the first time at the presentation and official website. This brings the line of tablets even closer to Apple computers and hints at the imminent merger of Apple operating systems.
Different amounts of RAM will be needed primarily for the most demanding applications, including Procreate and Lumafusion. For casual content-consuming users, the standard 8GB of RAM will be more than enough.
The available internal memory options have also changed. To the already familiar 128GB/256GB/512GB and 1 TB, a “royal” version with a disk capacity of as much as 2 TB will be added. It and the 1 TB model will get 16 GB of RAM instead of the standard 8 GB for new tablets.
2020 iPad Pro models still have top-end performance and in the next couple of years will be inferior to new products exclusively in synthetic tests. The 64-bit A12Z Bionic chip with the Neural Engine system is responsible for the performance here.
All models of last year's tablets have 6 GB of RAM, which will be enough for most tablet users in the next few years.
Models with storage capacity of 128GB/256GB/512GB and 1TB are available to choose from.
Both iPad models (last year and the new one) will provide good performance, however, at the presentation they said that the increase in power of the new product will be 50%. This will only be noticeable under very heavy loads, installation of heavy videos, or processing of multi-layered photos.
