The new Apple iPad Pro (2022) is here, with the same Apple M2 chip found in MacBook laptops. There aren’t many other obvious improvements – the cameras are the same as last year, as is the overall design. Still, this M2 chip should provide plenty of power for the multi-screen, multi-tasking capabilities that will come with the new iPadOS 16.1.
In addition to the new M2 chip, the iPad Pro (2022) can do new things with the Apple Pencil 2. The tablet can detect when the pencil is 12 mm from the display and behave accordingly. This means advanced capabilities in graphics and drawing applications, but also new ideas for interface and text input.
The new iPad Pro (2022) models will connect to networks better than before. Wi-Fi has been updated to include Wi-Fi 6E: a newer variation of Wi-Fi 6 that distinguishes a new radio band only for compatible devices. There are also new bands for the iPad Pro (2022) connected to the 5G network, making it more compatible with 5G networks around the world.
The iPad Pro (2021) was one of our favorite tablets from last year, as Apple Pro tablets offer plenty of power and great-looking screens. We still haven’t had a chance to test the new iPad M2 Pro, but if the company continues its winning streak, the 2022 version could be one of the best tablets right now.
Most of these new improvements and features are designed to make the iPad Pro (2022) an even better laptop replacement. Apple will have to beef up its game, not least because it has fierce competition from Samsung, with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.
We plan to thoroughly review this tablet and have exchanged all information provided by Apple by then. Find out more as we get to know the new iPad Pro even better.
To the point
- What is this? Apple’s sixth-generation tablet designed for professionals
- When will this end? October 26, with immediate pre-sale availability
- How much is it? $ 799 / £ 899 / $ 1,399 and up and up and up
iPad Pro (2022) price and availability
Apple didn’t throw a big party for its new iPad Pro (2022), just a tweet from CEO Tim Cook followed by an announcement hours later in a press release. It fits new models; which are a more silent, internal update than a major update in previous years.
The new 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $ 799 / £ 899 / $ 1,399, meaning while US consumers can expect to pay the same as last year’s Pro, those in the UK and Australia are suffering from the growth prices by £ 150 / $ 200, respectively – matching the price increases we saw on this year’s iPhone 14 series and even in products from other brands such as Samsung. If you want an 11-inch iPad Pro with 5G cellular network, it starts at $ 999 / £ 1,079 / AU $ 1,649.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro – which has a higher-quality mini-LED screen than the 11-inch – costs from $ 1,099 / £ 1,249 / $ 1,899. For the 5G connected model, you’ll pay $ 1,299 / £ 1,429 / AU $ 2,149.
These prices go up as you add storage space, and there’s plenty of room to add. Apple sells the iPad Pro in increments of 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB. iPad Pro with a capacity of 2 TB (2022) is more than twice as expensive as the already expensive 128 GB model.
For those curious, if you want a high-end 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 2TB of storage and 5G cellular connectivity, expect to pay $ 2,399 / £ 2,679 / AU $ 4,099. And that’s before you add a 2nd-gen Apple Pencil ($ 129 / £ 139 / AU $ 219) or the latest compatible Magic Keyboard ($ 349 / £ 379 / AU $ 579) to get the most out of your hardware.
By comparison, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro, which was launched in the summer (Northern Hemisphere), with 256GB basic storage and 8GB of unified memory, costs $ 1,299 / £ 1,349 / AU $ 1,999.
IPad Pro 2022 specifications and features
The most important iPad Pro update (2022) is at the heart of the Apple M2 chip; the same chip that Apple uses in its latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops. In other words, this tablet is powered by internal desktop grade components. Apple says the new chip will be 15% faster in its processing cores, but that’s only part of the story.
The new M2 chip in the iPad Pro has an improved “multimedia engine”. This means it will be able to play more complex, higher resolution video and audio formats faster, including Apple ProRes videos.
Image processing has also been improved, and it will be the first iPad with cameras capable of recording video in the Apple ProRes format. Apple points out that this is the only device that can record ProRes video, edit it, and then publish it.
The cameras are not otherwise improved. On the back there is a 12MP main camera and a 10MP ultra wide-angle camera, the same as last year. On the front is a 12 MP TrueDepth selfie camera.
In fact, there doesn’t seem to be any other real hardware improvements unless you count the new ways the iPad Pro can interact with the Apple Pencil 2. The iPad Pro screen can detect when Pencil 2 is close, within 12mm. so it will allow developers to create interactions when the pen is in range.
This is most obvious in art and design apps, but Apple has also shown how hover features will be used throughout the operating system. When you hover the cursor over a text box, it will expand to allow you to write with pencil. The new iPad Pro (2022) also has better performance when recognizing handwriting.
IPad Pro 2022 design and display
Apple hasn’t changed the look of the iPad Pro (2022) this year, and that’s fine, though maybe a few other color options besides silver and space gray would be nice, especially as it was launched alongside the vibrant new 10th-generation iPad.
Both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models have a magnetic Smart Connector on the back for peripherals, as well as a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 capabilities. There are two speakers on the top and two speakers on the bottom of the iPad Pro ( 2022).
Cellular models retain the SIM tray, even though Apple began removing the SIM tray from the US iPhone 14 family this year.
If you buy the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro, you’ll get a better display than the smaller 11-inch model. Both screens have a pixel density of 264 ppi. The smaller screen has 2388 x 1668 pixels and the larger one is 2732 x 2048 pixels, but that’s not the biggest difference.
The larger 12.9-inch display uses Apple XDR technology, using a mini-LED backlight, with full local dimming. This means the IPS display will look and act more like an OLED screen, with very high contrast and brilliant colors. In fact, Apple has special features in iPadOS 16 to use the 12.9-inch iPad Pro as a color reference display for publication.
IPad Pro 2022 cameras and battery
While the cameras on the iPad Pro (2022) won’t get a real update this year, the tablet’s filming skills have definitely improved thanks to the new M2 chip.
The main camera is still a 12MP shooter, with a 10MP ultra wide-angle camera next to it. On the front is a 12MP TrueDepth selfie camera that supports face unlocking and Center Stage face tracking during video calls.
On the M2 chip, Apple has added hardware accelerated encoding and decoding for various video formats; including ProRes video. The new iPad Pro is the first iPad that can record video in ProRes compression up to 4K at 30 frames per second.
In fact, if you buy the lowest storage option Apple won’t let you record in 4K, you can only go up to 1080p FullHD. It’s unfortunate, but with around 7GB per minute of 4K recording, you would have run out of space very quickly. The iPhone 14 Pro has the same limitation.
So, while the camera has not been upgraded, the iPad Pro is now a much more efficient video editing device, even if you have to use it to record footage.
When it comes to battery life, Apple says the iPad Pro (2022) will have up to ten hours when browsing the Internet or watching videos over Wi-Fi, and nine hours on a cellular network. The 11-inch model uses a 28.65 Wh battery, while the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a 40.88 Wh cell.