iPad Pro 2024 vs. 2022: What’s changed

You may have heard of Apple updated its top-of-the-line tablets his Let Loose event Tuesday. The 2024 model features a number of major upgrades, including a new M4 chip“Thinner and lighter than ever” build, superior OLED display and improved accessories. We’ve broken down the key differences between the latest iPad Pro and it 2022 predecessor To help you figure out if it’s worth the (big) investment.

Display and dimensions

In Engadget’s introduction to Apple’s Let Loose eventDeputy editor Nathan Ingraham said the new iPad Pro’s thinner and lighter build and its Tandem OLED display are the first big changes you’ll notice when you pick up the latest model.

“In Apple’s extremely bright demo area, the iPad Pro display showed its quality—everything was extremely clear, blacks were deep black, and colors really popped,” he said after using it at an Apple event. “After looking at the iPad Air screen, it was clear how good these screens are.”

Another change you’ll notice when you compare the two iPad Pros side-by-side is the camera placement. The 2024 model moves its front camera to the top center when viewed in landscape orientation. The older model used Apple’s original iPad configuration, where the camera was centered above the screen when held upright in portrait mode.

The new iPad Pro is also noticeably lighter and thinner than its 2022 predecessor. The 13-inch model is just 5.11 mm (0.2 inches) thick and weighs just 579 grams, making it 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the 2022 12.9-inch model. Meanwhile, the new 11-inch variant is 5.3 mm (0.21 in) thick and weighs 444 g (0.98 lb), making it 10 percent thinner and five percent lighter than its predecessor.

Given that the 2022 model is already a sleek machine, it’s no surprise that we’ve found the new iPad Pro to be surprisingly thin and light for its processing power. Speaking of which…

Processor

The iPhone maker introduced a new version of Apple Silicon on the iPad Instead of Mac first time. The all-new M4 chip has a 10-core CPU configuration (four performance cores and six efficiency cores), which the company says translates to one and a half times faster performance than the M2 silicon in the 2022 model.

I say “up to” because, like MacBooks and some older iPad Pro models, Apple ships with different chip options depending on your price point. The 1TB and 2TB versions of the 2024 model have the same 10-core chip, while the 256GB and 512GB models drop to the nine-core M4 with three performance and six efficiency cores.

The low-end and high-end M4 variants include a 10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a 16-core neural engine, 120 GB/s memory bandwidth, and 16 GB of RAM. So the different models don’t sound drastically different – you just get an extra core of performance in the more expensive tiers. We’ll have to wait until we spend some time with them to see how this translates into real-world experience.

By comparison, the M2 in the 2022 iPad Pro has an octa-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores. It also has a 16-core Neural Engine (admittedly an older version than the one in the M4), 100GB/s of memory bandwidth, or 8GB or 16GB of RAM.

Accessories

The new iPad Pro also has some new accessories that you won’t be able to use with the 2022 model. This includes the new Magic Keyboard Apple claims that “the whole experience feels like using a MacBook.”

You can thank its larger trackpad with tactile feedback (like the modern MacBook) and an aluminum palm rest. The old model used a microfiber-esque material and a physically clickable trackpad, so the new one should feel more solid in your hands and match the look and feel of MacBooks.

The new Magic Keyboard also adds a new 14-key function row (also similar to the MacBook) with shortcuts for things like brightness, Spotlight search, Siri/dictation, and media control.

In the meantime, Apple Pencil Prit — exclusively compatible with the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air — looks a lot like its predecessor, but adds some extra goodies. These include a new sensor on the barrel that lets you squeeze it like a cute little stylus.

A new pinch gesture can bring up tool palettes or activate shortcuts. Third-party developers can even customize actions for individual apps. For the first time, it adds haptic feedback to let you know if your squeeze was accepted or if something you moved landed in its intended spot.

The new Apple Pencil also works with it Find me (another first), so if you lose it, you can check its latest location in Apple’s location app.

Both models work with the cheaper ($79) USB-C Apple Pencil From 2023.

Price

Well, it can’t all be good news. With all these improvements, Apple is once again asking you to consider paying more for a high-end tablet. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999, and the 13-inch model starts at $1,299. Each of these is $200 higher than the starting prices on the 2022 model year (available then).

But wait, it gets worse. These prices don’t take into account the $299 (11-inch) or $349 (13-inch) you’ll pay if you want to add the new Magic Keyboard, nor the $129 for the Apple Pencil Pro. You’ll have to work hard to make the new iPad Pro look as MacBook-like as possible: it’ll cost almost as much as you paid for an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 chip.

On the slightly brighter side, you get more memory this time around. The 2024 iPad Pro starts with 256GB, more than double the 128GB in the 2022 model. Moving up from there, other storage tiers are the same as its predecessor (up to 2TB for those with Scrooge McDuck bank accounts).

Full feature comparison

Here’s a table showing the full specs comparison between the 2024 and 2022 iPad Pro models, including separate charts for the 13/12.9-inch and 11-inch variants.

13-inch iPad Pro (2024) and 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022)

11-inch iPad Pro (2024) and 11-inch iPad Pro (2022)

Stay tuned for Engadget’s full review of the 2024 model. In the meantime, you can repost Nathan Ingraham first impressions of the new iPad Pro and Apple Pencil ProDevindra Hardawar’s a summary of the new model’s features and of Sam Rutherford release of the new M4 chip.

Watch all the news from Apple’s Let Loose event live here.