Apple has updated the iPad Pro for 2024 at an event that Apple CEO Tim Cook described as the “Biggest day for iPad”. The new iPad Pro comes in two sizes: 11-inch and 13-inch, features the M4 chip, better display technology, and much more. Read on to find out everything you need to know.
iPad Pro M4 release date
Apple unveiled the new iPad Pro at an event on May 7, 2024. Pre-orders started immediately following the event and the new products will ship on Wednesday May 15.
iPad Pro M4 latest software
The iPad Pro M4 ships with iPadOS 17.5, but there’s a newer build of iPadOS 17.5 available to download as soon as you take it out of the box. The build number is 21F84.
The release notes are identical to iOS 17.5, with the following addition specific to the 2024 iPads:
Document scanning is improved on the new iPad Air and iPad Pro.
The new 2024 iPad Air and Pro both feature a new “adaptive True Tone flash” feature. The camera function uses AI to identify if it’s primarily a document in view, and then takes multiple images with the adaptive flash, stitching them together in a way that removes the shadow and creates a clear scan.
iPad Pro M4 Price
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999/£999 for the Wi-Fi model, and $1,199/£1,199 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 13-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,299/£1,299 for the Wi-Fi model, and $1,499/£1,499 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model
For education, the new 11-inch iPad Pro is available for $899 and the 13-inch iPad Pro is $1,199. U.K. education prices to be confirmed.
The new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro will be available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB configurations.
iPad Pro M4 Design
Apple
The iPad Pro has been completely redesigned and Apple is describing it as the “Thinnest Apple Product Ever”. At 5.1mm thick the 13-inch iPad Pro is even thinner than the iPad Air, which is now 6.1mm thick. Previously the iPad Pro was 6.4mm thick. The 11-inch iPad Pro is slightly thicker than the 12-inch morel at 5.3mm.
Other dimensions have also been adjusted as follows:
iPad Pro, M4, 2024
- 11-inch iPad Pro, M4: 9.83 inches x 6.99 inches (249.7 mm x 177.5 mm)
- 13-inch iPad Pro, M4: 11.09 inches x 8.48 inches (281.6 mm x 215.5 mm)
iPad Pro M2, 2022
- 11-inch iPad Pro, 4th gen: 9.74 inches x 7.02 inches (246.6 mm x 178.5 mm)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 6th gen: 11.04 inches x 8.46 inches (280.6 mm x 214.9 mm)
The new models are lighter than previously too. Starting at just 0.98 pounds (444g) for the 11-inch iPad Pro (was 1.03 pounds, 466g) and 1.36 pounds (617g) for the 12-inch model (was 1.5 pounds, 685g). They are lighter even than the iPad Air, which calls into question the name of that no longer lighter model.
Color options have changed slightly between the generations. Now you can choose between a Silver and Space Black option, whereas before there was Space Grey and Silver to choose between.
Apple says that the enclosures are made from 100 percent recycled aluminum.
Apple VP John Ternus said in an interview that the iPad Pro has a cowling that reinforces the iPad Pro and makes it more durable (as well as dissipates heat from the logic board). This should help prevent the iPad Pro from bending.
iPad Pro M4 Display
Foundry
It’s not only the size of the iPad Pro that’s changed, the display has had a lot of attention in this new generation, and unlike preciously both iPad Pro models get the same display technology: the new Ultra Retina XDR display.
Apple’s new screens use technology the company refers to as Tandem OLED, which it claims “enables sub-millisecond control over the color and luminance of each pixel, taking XDR precision further”. Essentially this means that Apple manages to achieve 1000 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR content, and 1600 nits peak for HDR with these new screens. For the viewer, this should mean highlights in photos and video appear brighter and more detail in shadows and low light should be apparent. There should also be more responsiveness to content in motion.
Apple claims: “No other device of its kind delivers this level of extreme dynamic range.”
There will also be a new nano-texture glass option on 1TB and 2TB models which should mean there is less glare on those screens.
iPad Pro M4 Specs
Apple
Apple has skipped a generation with these new iPad Pro models, moving from the M2 straight to the M4, which isn’t even available on any Macs yet.
The company said the move to M4 was necessary to power the “game-changing” display. The M4 features a new display engine that enables the precision, color, and brightness of the Ultra Retina XDR display, according to Apple.
The M4 does more than power the screen though. It features a new new CPU with offers up to four performance cores and six efficiency cores that delivers up to 1.5x faster CPU performance over M2 in the previous-generation iPad Pro, according to Apple. That’s a possibility of 10 CPUs where previously there were only 8 CPUs on offer.
The new 10-core GPU brings Dynamic Caching and hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing come to the iPad for the first time.
In addition, enhancements to the Neural Engine make it a powerful device for artificial intelligence. Apple says it is capable of 38 trillion operations per second, which is apparently 60x faster than Apple’s first Neural Engine in the A11 Bionic chip, which Apple boasted was introduced many years before tech companies stated the current focus on AI. Apple claims: “The Neural Engine in M4 is more powerful than any neural processing unit in any AI PC today”. Apple described how users can perform AI-enabled tasks like isolating a subject from its background in 4K video with “just a tap with Scene Removal Mask in Final Cut Pro.”
A new advanced Media Engine includes support for AV1 decode so there will be more power-efficient playback of high-resolution video experiences from streaming services
The new chip is more power efficient. Apple claims that compared to M2, M4 can deliver the same performance using just half the power. The company also states that compared to the latest PC chip in a thin and light laptop, the M4 can deliver the same performance using a quarter of the power.
iPad Pro M4 Hardware
Apple
The new iPad Pro also features updated cameras and improved audio.
There are some differences though. The 6th gen iPad Pro featured five mics while the new model offers four studio-quality mics. The back camera setup is also different. Previously there were two cameras, a 12MP wide camera and a 10MP ultra-wide camera, the latter has now gone and appears to have been replaced by the LIDAR cameras.
There is also a new adaptive True Tone flash which should mean that scanning documents is a better experience. By taking multiple photos with new adaptive flash it is able to remove shadow from the scanned image.
Additionally, on the front of the iPad, the TrueDepth camera system has moved to the landscape orientation, which is better suited to FaceTime and other video calls.
iPad Pro M4 Connectivity
As previously the iPad Pro features a USB-C connector with support for Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4, delivering fast wired connectivity — up to 40Gb/s.
This enables support of external displays including Apple’s 6K Pro Display XDR.
The iPad Pro also supports Wi-Fi 6E and 5G on the cellular models.
Author: Karen Haslam, Managing Editor, Macworld
Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld more than two decades ago. Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Having edited the U.K. print and online editions of Macworld for many years, more recently her focus has been on SEO and evergreen content as well as product recommendations and buying advice.