Apple makes the best tablets in the world, and iPad Pro 2022 is the latest professional-grade tablet from Apple. It has the beast M2 chip inside which is also present in the MacBook Pro. The build quality is premium, and there is no change in the design & dimensions of the latest iPad pro-2022. The iPadOS 16 still lacks professional workflows on the M2 iPad pro, which is very frustrating.
Apple has redesigned its iPad 10th generation, but the iPad pro only gets a specification bump. In 2018 iPad Pro was upgraded to a futuristic design. Apple still kept that solid look and fine-tuned the speed in the latest iPad pro-2022. There were rumors about MagSafe charging coming to the iPad, but those didn’t become true. USB c is the only port in the iPad for good reason.
The Pro is available in 12.9” and 11” variants. The 11-inch is the go-to iPad Pro for most people despite its LCD Retina display. We had high hopes that Apple will bring its mini LED display to the 11” pro tablet but that is not happening this year.
iPad Pro 2022 is expensive, it is at power by modern laptops in terms of performance. This is the reason that its price is closer to the price of a powerful laptop. But, with that price, it still cannot replace your daily laptop due to many limitations.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at 799$ while its larger sibling costs 1099$. That price is for the base model with only 128GB of internal storage. On a pro device, you’ll fill that quickly with large media files and applications.
Specifications:
| Dispaly | Liquid Retina LCD in 11” and Mini LED XDR in 12.9” |
| CPU | Apple M2 Chip with 8 Core CPU, 10 Core GPU |
| RAM | 8GB in base model, 16GB in 1TB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Ports | USB Type C with thunderbolt support |
M2 iPad Pro 2022: Design & Performance
I was not excited when the M2 iPad launched. If you ignore the M2 chip, it is the same iPad from last year. Nothing has changed that makes it significantly different than the previous model. You will be pleased to know that all the changes that Apple has made are to provide a great tablet experience.
For most people, the standard iPad 10th generation is enough for daily tablet use and it is completely restructured. For power users, Apple only brings the joy of the M2 chip inside the iPad Pro 2022.
The frustrating difference between the 11-inch and 12.9inch models is the display. The 12.9-inch iPad is rocking a solid XDR mini LED display that you find in the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The 11-inch model is using the LCD. The mini LED panel on the larger tablet is simply gorgeous and I wish I could see that screen on the smaller iPad.
11 inches is the perfect tablet size in my opinion. It is easy to carry and comfortable to use. The 12.9 inch is a huge canvas but it can be annoying to use such a huge tablet on certain occasions. But if you love HDR content then the mini LED display on the 12.9-inch iPad is best for media consumption.
The speaker system on the iPad is always a plus point. It produces excellent sound via four stereo speakers. These speakers are enough to fill the room. They are the best speakers on any tablet.
iPad Pro 2022, M2 Cameras
Most tablets have a single camera. The iPad Pro is rocking a dual camera setup. A 12MP primary camera and 10MP ultra-wide camera with a LiDAR scanner. It makes a big camera bump on an already huge iPad. The camera performance is not as good as the iPhone but it still has a decent camera setup.
The LiDAR scanner helps in accurately scanning the 3D models which are necessary for some pro workflows. The camera captures good photos and the presence of the flash also helps to take some steady low-light shots. Overall it is an average camera which is excellent for a tablet.
The front camera surprisingly remains unchanged. It is the same as last year just like the rear camera. Apple changed its position and placed it along the wider side of the iPad Pro 2022. This is very helpful during video calls. It still has the cool image tracking feature which tracks your movement during a video call.
Apple Pencil Hover in M2 iPad Pro
The Pro comes with an Apple Pencil hover feature. The iPad can detect the Apple Pencil when you hover it on the iPad Pro’s display. It can detect the pencil from a distance of 12mm above the iPad screen. This means that you don’t have to touch the iPad with the pencil to do something.
According to Apple, drawing apps can detect where you are going to touch the pencil before it makes contact with the screen. This greatly reduces the latency and improves the drawing. It is also very useful for the pressure sensitivity of the Apple Pencil.
You can use this hover feature during web browsing. Just hover over a link to get its preview before you click it. This can also highlight text and change the color of touchable buttons just like a mouse pointer. It can become more useful once developers start to implement it across their apps.
Can M2 iPad Pro be your Primary Laptop?
If you pair the iPad Pro 12.9 inch with the latest Magic Keybaord & Pencil from Apple, The cost goes all the way up to $2000. This is more expensive than most premium laptops. Even Apple’s own Macbook Air is cheaper than this. At this price, the iPad Pro 2022 should be able to replace your laptop but it is not!
The limitations of the iPad OS and the lack of professional applications for the iPad cannot let it become your primary computer. Even if you try, you cannot perform all those tasks that you do on your Macbook or a Windows laptop.
iPad Pro 2022 is not suitable for most people’s workflow to become their primary computer. The iPad Pro’s M2 Chip is fast and capable of any task. It is the same chip that apple uses in its pro laptops. It also got one of the best screens of all the slates.
Apple for some reason does not want people to use it as their daily driver laptop replacement even though it has the potential to do so. The iPadOS do not offer the flexibility that is necessary for a modern computer. It does not have a proper file manager, the final cut, and other professional software.
Battery Life of the iPad Pro 2022
Battery life had always been a plus point for the iPads and the M2 iPad Pro is no exception. You can get up to 11 hours of screen-on time from the iPad Pro. The life of the 11-inch and 12.9-inch variants is almost the same.
Both iPads come with fast charging but it peaks at only 20W. They are not the fastest charging tablets but they charge faster than most iPads. The cellular variants do not have any negative effect on the battery life as well.
The Stand by time for iPads is excellent. You can charge it to full and place it on a shelf. If you pick it up after a week it will still be at 100%. That is ridiculous and not all tablets behave like this. Overall there is nothing to complain about the battery of the M2 iPad Pro.
1 Cool thing about the iPad Pro 2021
Yes, you read that accurately, the iPad Pro 2021 is still a very good tablet. It had the M1 chip which overpowers the tablet’s needs. The iPad Pro 2022 is similar in every dimension to its predecessor. The only change is the upgradation to M2 Chip.
The software that makes the iPad an exceptional tablet is iPadOS 16. For the first time, the Pro is giving the sentiment of a professional tablet with its multitasking performance. This is due to the Stage Manager feature introduced in the iPadOS 16. All iPads with Apple M series processors will support this feature.
After updating to the latest iPad 16, the iPad Pro 2021 is behind the iPad Pro 2022 only by a slight margin. It handles all the tasks like the M2 Pro but with a slightly slower speed that you will not notice in person. The camera system is also the same.
Should you Upgrade?
If you’re using an iPad Pro 2021 then there is no reason to upgrade it. The M2 iPad is insanely fast but it does not matter because the M1 iPad is also incredibly fast & reliable. You can edit 4k videos on it and transfer large files instantly.
The M1 iPad users are not pushing it to the limits so they do not need to upgrade to the iPad M2. The new iPad is faster but it doesn’t make a difference for 90% of the M1 users.
People never wanted something like Stage Manager for the iPad, instead, they wanted to run desktop-level apps on it. The iPadOS 16 does not have any support for desktop applications so most people will use the iPad as a media consumption device.
Verdict
iPad Pro 2022 is an excellent tablet. If you can afford it, then you should buy it. It has many things, a great speaker system, good cameras, and incredibly-fast performance, that bring it to the top of the tablet lineup. The iPad Pro is the best iPad that you can buy from Apple.