Without any fanfare, the 4th gen 11″ and 6th gen 12.9″ models of the new Apple iPad Pro M2 specifications have been released, and the tablet/s immediately replaced the M1 Pro in the Apple store.
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Apple iPad Pro M2
It was only ever a matter of time once the latest and greatest Apple silicon had boosted the current range of MacBooks; we would see the new M2 chip arrive in the iPad Pro.
Only last year, in 2021, we saw the M1 chip enter the iPad Pro range, making the market-leading tablet even better.
However, if history has taught us one thing about Apple product launches, it’s if there is no big event, then there’s often not much to shout about! And whilst this 4th (11″) & 6th (12.9″) generation of iPad Pros do have a new powerful core, the rest of the hardware and most of the software remain the same.
Features //Apple iPad Pro M2
This release is about the new M2 chip replacing the M1 in last year’s Pro lineup. If you look at the side-by-side comparison of 11″ and 12.9″ models from 2021 and these new 2022 versions, you’ll struggle to spot the difference.
They have the same sizes, weights, Liquid Retina displays, storage options from 128GB up to 2TB, four speakers and an identical 12MP front-facing camera.
M2 features an 8-core CPU — up to 15 percent faster than M1 — with advancements in both performance and efficiency cores, and a 10-core GPU, delivering up to 35 percent faster graphics performance for the most demanding users.
Apple
Along with the M2 chip, there has been a few other additions, but whether they justify an upgrade for owners of the M1 iPad Pro would be down to the user.
Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) introduces Hover to the new M2 iPad Pro running the latest iPadOS 16. Annoyingly, this new feature is not backwards compatible with the previous M1 Pro.
Hover lets Pencil 2nd Gen, to be detected up to 12mm above the iPad display, giving you a preview of the pen stroke before it’s been made. This new feature is accessible to third-party apps, too, so you can expect to see it in your favourite pen-based apps soon.
The only other notable difference is the move from Bluetooth 5.0 to Bluetooth 5.3, which offers quicker pairing and is vastly more energy efficient than the previous version. And this is where Apple has succeeded with the new iPad range.
The 11″ and 12.9″ versions with a more powerful M2 chip maintain the same battery performance as last year’s iPads, with around 10 hours of performance depending on the usage.
Lastly, the primary rear camera on both models has a modest bump to Smart HDR 4, bringing more colours and vibrancy to images, and the 12.9″ Pro will now support ProRes Video Recording.
Specifications //Apple iPad Pro M2
| 11″ M1 iPad Pro | 11″ M2 iPad Pro | 12.9″ M2 iPad Pro | 12.9″ M1 iPad Pro | |
| 3rd | 4th | Generation | 6th | 5th |
| 248x179x6 mm | 248x179x6 mm | Dimensions | 281x215x6 mm | 281x215x6 mm |
| 470g | 470g | Weight | 682g | 682g |
| Silver Space Gray | Silver Space Gray | Colours | Silver Space Gray | Silver Space Gray |
| 11″ Liquid Retina ProMotion True Tone | 11″ Liquid Retina ProMotion True Tone | Display | 12.9″ XDR Liquid Retina ProMotion True Tone | 12.9″ XDR Liquid Retina ProMotion True Tone |
| M1 | M2 | Chip | M2 | M1 |
| Wi-Fi 5G Cellular Bluetooth 5.0 USB-C/Thunderbolt Nano-SIM eSIM Smart Connector | Wi-Fi 5G Cellular Bluetooth 5.3 USB-C/Thunderbolt Nano-SIM eSIM Smart Connector | Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5G Cellular Bluetooth 5.3 USB-C/Thunderbolt Nano-SIM eSIM Smart Connector | Wi-Fi 5G Cellular Bluetooth 5.0 USB-C/Thunderbolt Nano-SIM eSIM Smart Connector |
| 128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB | 128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB | Storage | 128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB | 128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB |
| up to 10 hours | up to 10 hours | Battery | up to 10 hours | up to 10 hours |
| 12MP Wide 10MP Ultra-wide True Tone Flash Smart HDR 3 | 12MP Wide 10MP Ultra-wide True Tone Flash Smart HDR 4 | Rear Camera | 12MP Wide 10MP Ultra-wide True Tone Flash Smart HDR 4 ProRes Video Recording | 12MP Wide 10MP Ultra-wide True Tone Flash Smart HDR 3 |
| 12MP | 12MP | Front Camera | 12MP | 12MP |
| 4 | 4 | Speakers | 4 | 4 |
Pricing //Apple iPad Pro M2
The new Apple iPad Pro M2 starts at $799/£899 for the 11″ Wi-Fi only 128GB model and rises to $2,399/£2,679 for the top-spec 12.9″ Wi-Fi + Cell 2TB version.
All models will be available at apple.com.