Apple today revealed the much-anticipated iPad Pro with a new Ultra Retina XDR display built around OLED technology and powered by the M4 chip. The new iPad Pro lineup is available in two sizes: 11-inch and 13-inch.
Apple says the new iPad Pro is its thinnest device ever, with the 11-inch model measuring 5.3mm thin and the 13-inch size coming at just 5.1mm. The 11-inch iPad Pro now measures less than a pound, while the 13-inch model is up to a quarter pound thinner than its predecessor.
The new iPad Pro debuts the Ultra Retina XDR display, which is built around a new tandem OLED technology that combines two OLED panels into one for stunning brightness. Both iPad Pro models can deliver 1,000 nits of brightness for SDR and HDR media, and peak at 1,600 nits for HDR content. Apple is also offering a matte nano-texture glass cover option for the first time on the new iPad Pro’s displays, offering creative professionals more flexibility and better screen performance in challenging lighting conditions.
The iPad Pro is powered by the next generation of Apple silicon, the M4 chip. Built on TSMC’s second-generation 3-nanometer process, the M4 chip comes in a new CPU configuration with up to four high-performance cores and six high-efficiency cores. Apple says the M4 chip is up to 1.5 times faster than the M2 processor while consuming half the power at the same performance. The GPU on the M4 features a 10-core configuration with Dynamic Caching, and hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing.
The M4 features a new Neural Engine that can perform up to 38 trillion operations per second. The M4 chip also comes with next-generation machine-learning accelerators in CPU and higher memory bandwidth for best-in-class AI performance.
The iPad Pro features a new 12-megapixel back-facing camera setup with a LiDAR scanner and a new adaptive True Tone flash. The new flash leverages AI for note scanning to avoid and remove shadows in scanned documents. The front-facing TrueDepth camera and Face ID have been moved to the iPad Pro’s landscape edge, allowing for a more natural video conferencing experience powered by Center Stage.
The new iPad Pro’s USB-C connector supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 speeds, offering a maximum bandwidth of up to 40Gb/s, as well as support for external monitors at full 6K resolution. For wireless connectivity, the iPad Pro supports WiFi 6E and 5G, just like the new iPad Air lineup.
The iPad Pro comes with new Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard accessories. The new Apple Pencil Pro features a new squeeze gesture with support for the Find My network. The new Magic Keyboard features a refresher design with a function row, an aluminum palm rest, and a larger trackpad.
The new iPad Pro comes in two Silver and Space Back finishes, now starting at 256GB of storage capacity and goes up to 2TB. The 11-inch model now starts at $999, while the 13-inch size starts at $1,299. Customers can begin ordering the iPad Pro today, with shipments and availability commencing on Wednesday, May 15.
