Apple’s iPad Pro (2024) is an absolute beast with its upgraded screen, faster chipset and thinner design. After living with the device for a while, a question came to my mind: Is it finally time to upgrade? If you have an iPad Pro 2022, 2020 or even a 2018 model, this guide is for you.

Apple consistently delivers impressive hardware for the iPad Pro series. I purchased a 2018 iPad Pro the year it was released and it has served me well with minimal problems. The following years saw increasing upgrades with the introduction of M series chips. M1 iPad Pro And M2 iPad Proand a microLED display for the 12.9-inch model. However, these felt like a half-step, especially since micro LED is exclusive to the larger model and bridges the gap between LCD and OLED. This time, despite some familiar caveats, key changes make the new iPad Pro interesting for both upgraders and first-time buyers.

As a videographer, it’s a pleasure to have a device I already admire with a great screen. The iPad Pro (2024) OLED display is undoubtedly the most impressive I’ve seen. Reaching 1000 nits full screen is remarkable, especially since most OLED TVs fall well below that figure. This display really stands out across the entire color spectrum as well. Colors are incredibly bright and saturated, and the out-of-the-box experience is top-notch.

When you place the LCD-covered 2018 model side by side with the 2022 microLED device and Apple’s latest OLED panel, you can really see the difference. The new screen offers better brightness and blacks, and HDR content looks especially great. It’s a pleasure to use for everything from photo and video editing to gaming and media consumption.

The OLED display is available in 11- and 13-inch models; This is a welcome change from the iPad Pro (2022), which reserved its mini-LED display only for the larger model (the 11-inch version was equipped with a retina panel).

Both models feature the new M4 chip, which is incredibly fast and efficient. But only the 1TB and 2TB storage models feature the top version of the M4 with 10 cores and 16GB of RAM. The 256GB and 512GB models have nine cores and 8GB of RAM. While the difference in CPU performance is negligible for most users, the lower RAM capacity may affect the usefulness of the device in the future.

The gap between M series chips is also very thin. While the M4 is definitely faster, the M2 in my 2018 model isn’t much of a slouch. You’ll notice improved render times and smoother timelines for professional workloads like video editing. But the specs aren’t the key selling point for most users when choosing a new iPad Pro.

What stands out about the M4 is its neural engine. It is the best of all Apple devices that enhances machine learning tasks. As Apple integrates more AI features into iPadOS, this device will perform tasks quickly. The M4 neural engine performs 38 trillion operations per second, significantly outperforming iPhone 15 Pros and previous iPads. This performance difference can determine whether tasks are performed locally or require cloud processing.

To keep the new chipset cool, Apple added copper to the Apple logo. Previously, using the device while charging heated the case, but now the heat dissipates more efficiently, benefiting performance and battery health.

Speaking of battery, the iPad Pro (2024) lasts as long as previous iPads, and I had no problems using it for an entire workday with multiple long video calls and eight hours of screen-on at very high brightness. At the end of this time, I still had 35% battery left. Idle usage is still top notch. Nominally, the 2024 model offers a marginally smaller capacity compared to the iPad Pro (2022), coming in at 10,290 mAh versus 10,758 mAh.

I also use the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard paired with everything, and they’re all marked improvements over the previous generation. If you want to bring your old Apple Pencil and keyboard next to your previous device, you can’t. Apple Pencil Pro is exclusive to the M4 iPad, and the new Magic Keyboard is exclusive to the M4 iPad. This is ridiculous.

Still, the new Pencil Pro is a good product. The new haptic feedback and barrel roll features are well integrated, and you even get a faux software shadow that perfectly matches the tool you’re driving. It also shows the rotation of that vehicle in real time, which is surprisingly useful. It feels like a really marked improvement.

As for the Magic Keyboard, it really shouldn’t be this expensive. For $300 you get a solid piece of aluminum with a soft coating on the outside that works great with the iPad. It also includes decently sized keys on the 13-inch model, a function row, a large trackpad with haptic feedback similar to what you’ll find on a Mac, and a decent charging port that supports 35W. This is an improvement over the M2 iPad and all previous iPads with Magic Keyboard integration.

Other minor changes I noticed include improving the quality of the speakers. They definitely have less bass than previous iPad Pros. In some cases, I prefer the soundstage they create for certain tracks, but the bass is definitely attenuated, probably thanks to the thinner design.

The new iPad Pro (2024) offers a noticeably thinner design than previous models, with a thickness of only 5.1 mm. Although I’m not a fan of the compromises that come with thinness, reducing weight is important. The 12.9-inch model is less bulky to hold, and the slim design is visually striking. Taking notes while holding it requires less effort, and its incredibly slim design makes this device look like something that shouldn’t be possible. Apple has also strengthened the middle of the case, making it much more resistant to strong bending attempts.

I also noticed some interesting details about the screen. For starters, the corners are a little more rounded and the coating on the glass is very similar to the anti-reflective coating on the Samsung S24 Ultra, making it even better for outdoor use. However, with a similar exchange experience Galaxy S24 UltraIf light hits the screen from the side just right, blacks will appear slightly greyish, reducing perceived contrast in some scenarios. Note that this uses a regular screen overlay rather than the nanotexture that is exclusive to the 1TB and 2TB models.

iPad Pro (2024) is available in two colors: Space Black and Silver.

Although the iPad Pro (2024) has lost the ultra-wide camera of the previous model on the back, this is not a big loss. But now it looks like the weirdest camera cutout Apple has ever made, consisting of circles of five different sizes. The main camera is still the same and still works fine. It’s enough for documents and video calls, but that’s about it.

The front-facing camera is finally in the correct position in the middle rather than at the top, but it’s still the same as the M2 and M1 iPads. Still, it’s still a big improvement over the 2018 or even the 2020 iPad Pro camera in terms of placement alone.

The iPad Pro (2024) was officially released on May 7, 2024, and began shipping to consumers a week later. The listing is now widely available at major retailers, including Apple.com. Pricing starts at $999 for the 256GB 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 256GB 13-inch model. Pricing goes up to $2,299 for the top-tier 2TB option.

The iPad Pro (2022) was released on October 18, 2022 and went on sale a week later. It started at $799; Even though it had 128 GB less storage, it was $200 cheaper than the new model. You can probably find it even cheaper now, so it might be worth considering whether power is very important to you.

The iPad Pro (2024) is the best model in the series so far. It features a powerful chipset capable of onboard AI calculations, a great display that serves creators well, and a slim body that will greatly increase its portability. But all these pluses (heh) demand a pretty big price increase over the 2022 model. Of course, on the whole, the new iPad Pro is an excellent investment if you plan to use the device to its fullest, but that’s not the case if the 2022 model is still serving you well.