iPad Pro with M4? Now is the best time to buy iPad Pro M1!
It has been three years since Apple shocked the world by launching the iPad Pro equipped with the M1 chip. That’s no exaggeration—the M1 was an industry disruptor when it launched with Mac laptops in 2020.
Intel stock is down and everyone is staring at benchmark scores and feeling incredible about their battery life. By using the ARM architecture, Apple was producing chips that were ahead of the competition and perhaps even ahead of their time – as tech pundits at the time would have shouted.
But then, putting this high-efficiency chip into the iPad was something we didn’t expect.
And, let’s be honest, iPadOS isn’t even ready yet. Some might argue – it still isn’t. Although Apple’s tablets now have true desktop-class chips inside them, capable of rendering video, audio, and 3D graphics at incredible speeds, apps and general iPadOS workflows rarely take full advantage of this capability.
However, Apple isn’t done yet. In early 2024, it launched the iPad Pro with a built-in M4 chip. Again, this is shocking, because the M4 isn’t showing up anywhere yet—not on a MacBook, not on a Mac mini or iMac. The latest generation of Apple’s most powerful chips is now available in tablets! (Since then, Apple did refresh its Mac mini and MacBook lines with the M4 in October).
Great time to buy an iPad Pro with M1!
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Any “professional” use I have for it is audio related. I’ve loaded the sample into it and used “slideshow” mode to view the lyrics. The iPad Pro M1 has even accompanied me on stage several times (I’m a member of the band Paradox). And, with Stage Manager, I even have days where I just bring my iPad to the office, connect it to the docking station, and do my work entirely on iPadOS. It has its flaws, but it’s good enough for text-based work.
Can still be used as a laptop type device
Will I miss a lot?
If we look at the Geekbench scores, we can see how these chips have evolved:
| Tablets and chips | Geekbench single core | Geekbench multi-core |
|---|---|---|
| iPad M4 | 3659 | 13148 |
| iPad M1 | 2300 | 8316 |
Okay, so the M4 is about 60% faster, but what do those numbers mean? Well, let’s compare them to a modern mid-range chip, which you can find in a gaming setup that’s not too expensive but not too cheap either – the Intel Core i5-14400F.
| chip | Geekbench single core | Geekbench multi-core |
|---|---|---|
| iPad with Apple M1 | 2300 | 8316 |
| Intel Core i5-14400F | 2343 | 11434 |
As for the latest Apple features — you still get full functionality Apple information Kit and whatever else iPadOS has to offer us in the near future. The iPad Pro M1 launches in 2022, so it should continue to be supported until at least 2027.
Graphics-wise, it’s no slouch either:
beware: I must point out that the M1 does not support hardware accelerated ray tracing. So, if you believe in the future of iPadOS as a gaming platform, then ignore this tip and look for an iPad with M2 and above. However, it’s worth mentioning that while hardware has supported ray tracing for the past two years, game developers have yet to actually get on board.
You won’t miss the new Tandem OLED screen in the new iPad Pro, I’ll tell them that. They look great, very bright, and have fantastic contrast. But then again, Apple’s LCD panels have been professionally tuned, and I can’t say they look “bad” per se.
If you’re worried about this, you’re missing out on support for the new Apple Pencil Pro, and you’re an artist – you can also look for an iPad Pro with M2 built-in. The M2 iPad supports the new Pencil Pro and also features Pencil Hover, which displays a cursor on the screen when you bring the pen tip close to the glass.
In summary
Big or small – the choice is there!
As of this writing, I did a quick search and found a Geek Squad-certified refurbished iPad Pro M1 (256 GB) at Best Buy for $550. And, if you choose the 12.9-inch 256GB model, it’s now priced at $689.99. It’s still great, the hardware can still keep up with iPadOS without issue, and its use and accessories can easily adapt to your lifestyle and workflow.
Yes, you might want to buy a new iPad Air. But I still can’t understand why they only have two speakers instead of the Pro’s four-speaker setup, and the screen is locked to 60 Hz. Yes, if we just look at raw benchmark data and specs, the new iPad Air M2 is slightly worse than the old iPad Pro M2, and arguably only slightly better than the iPad Pro M1.
Just some food for thought!
2024-12-20 11:37:34