Watch apps and widgets expand on the Home Screen as you move over them.
iPad Pro: Should You Buy? Features, Reviews and More
Both of the iPad Pro models feature an aluminum chassis in Silver or Space Gray with flat, rounded edges that wrap around the Liquid Retina display. The 12.9-inch model features a Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display, bringing extreme dynamic range to the iPad Pro. With the M2 chip, the 2022 iPad Pro models continue to feature an all-day battery life on a single charge. Other iPad Pro features include WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, Gigabit-class LTE for cellular models, and storage options ranging from 128GB to 2TB.
iPad Pro (2022) vs. iPad Air (2022): Which Apple tablet is right for you?
A few months later, the company introduced the sixth-generation iPad Pro, which stands as the most powerful and responsive tablet in Apple’s current lineup. On top of that, the iPad Pro includes Apple’s ProMotion high-refresh-rate display for a silky smooth experience when navigating and working on the tablet.
2023 will be the first year without new iPads since 2010. Here’s why and what to expect
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Newer Wi-Fi + Cellular models include built-in eSIM technology that acts as a digital SIM card. All Wi-Fi + Cellular models include a nano-SIM tray that supports a carrier SIM card.
iPad Pro: Should You Buy? Features, Reviews and More
Both of the iPad Pro models feature an aluminum chassis in Silver or Space Gray with flat, rounded edges that wrap around the Liquid Retina display. The 12.9-inch model features a Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display, bringing extreme dynamic range to the iPad Pro. With the M2 chip, the 2022 iPad Pro models continue to feature an all-day battery life on a single charge. Other iPad Pro features include WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, Gigabit-class LTE for cellular models, and storage options ranging from 128GB to 2TB.
Apple iPad Pro (2022) review: bump the chip
Apple’s top-of-the-line tablet computer has gotten one of its smallest upgrades in recent memory, while the new 10th-gen iPad received things Pro owners have been longing for on their devices for years. It has the same external hardware and design as the 2021 model, but inside, it gets the latest M2 silicon from Apple and upgraded Wi-Fi capabilities. And if you’re an artist that likes using an iPad, there’s a new feature exclusive to the new Pro that makes working with the Pencil easier. iPadOS still doesn’t make great use of hardware $799 at Apple$799 at Amazon$799 at Best Buy How we rate and review products In terms of hardware and design, there’s really nothing to say that wasn’t covered in our review of the 2021 model, so I encourage you to read that for the full rundown. This new iPad Pro has the same general design we’ve seen since 2018 — it does feel overdue for a refresh, but we didn’t get it this year. The Mini LED display on the 12.9-inch model remains tremendous and a joy to look at, whether you’re watching movies or just doing day-to-day productivity work. All of the accessories for the iPad Pro carry over to this year’s model, including the same Magic Keyboard case and second-gen Apple Pencil.
Also, battery life on the 12.9-inch model I’ve been testing is basically identical to my experience with the M1 iPad Pro, so the added horsepower isn’t costing us anything there.
The hover feature is mainly aimed at artists — apps like Procreate (once it releases an update) will let you see where the Pencil will make a mark on the screen before you put it down for better accuracy. It also allows apps to program different actions to the double-tap gesture when the Pencil is in hover mode versus touching the screen directly. Apple’s Notes app supports the new hover mode, too, and I was able to demo mixing watercolor paints and seeing what the resulting look would be before committing it to my digital canvas.
Outside of art creation, the hover feature lets you use the Pencil as a cursor to highlight things on screen before you touch them — just like you might mouse over a button or link with the trackpad on the Magic Keyboard. The fundamental story hasn’t changed much — iPadOS still doesn’t feel like it’s making the most use of the extremely capable hardware on tap here. The Pro is still saddled by the front camera on the short side (or left of the screen when in a landscape orientation), and despite the best efforts from Apple’s Center Stage self-centering feature, it’s still awkward to use in video calls. The Pro is still saddled by the front camera on the short side (or left of the screen when in a landscape orientation), and despite the best efforts from Apple’s Center Stage self-centering feature, it’s still awkward to use in video calls.
I’m tired of reaching up to the Control Center or top edge of the iPad when I need to adjust brightness or volume. I’m tired of reaching up to the Control Center or top edge of the iPad when I need to adjust brightness or volume. Also, let me configure the gesture (or button) to just immediately undo whatever my previous stroke was, which is what I use the eraser for 99 percent of the time anyways. Also, let me configure the gesture (or button) to just immediately undo whatever my previous stroke was, which is what I use the eraser for 99 percent of the time anyways.
The rumor mill is saying Apple plans to bring this tech to the iPad in 2024, and as good as the Mini LED screen is, I welcome OLED for its even better contrast and punchiness. The rumor mill is saying Apple plans to bring this tech to the iPad in 2024, and as good as the Mini LED screen is, I welcome OLED for its even better contrast and punchiness.
Amazon.com: Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th Generation): with M2 chip, Liquid Retina XDR Display, 128GB, Wi-Fi 6E, 12MP front/12MP and 10MP Back Cameras, Face ID, All-Day Battery Life – Space Gray : E
I’ve never owned something this expensive or fast, so it was a bit of a learning process for my uneducated self. Great for watching videos and I haven’t lost my Apple Pencil at all because of the charging magnet. I can lightly apply color to each pixel, undo anything, quickly and easily edit, and it’s an already fast iPad to begin with.
Apple iPad Pro review (2022): An impressive stopgap
The company took last year’s model, swapped the M1 chip for the M2, made a few other small tweaks, and called it a day. It features one of the best screens Apple has ever made, and it continues to surprise me that the company can pack so much power into such a compact frame.
Handy new Apple Pencil Hover feature Cons Awkwardly placed front camera
While this year’s model closely resembles what Apple was already selling, it does arrive at a significant time for the iPad’s evolution.
The fit and finish remains exceptional, and while the 1.5-pound weight makes it a bit more of a burden to hold compared to smaller and lighter iPad models, I’m still impressed at Apple’s ability to cram such performance into a device that’s so compact. Both iPad Pro models also have the 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate; support for the P3 wide color gamut; a screen that’s fully laminated to the front glass; and an anti-reflective coating.
Just like last year, the iPad Pro has an ultrawide 12-megapixel front-facing camera that supports Face ID authentication. This wide-angle camera supports Center Stage, which crops and zooms around your face to keep you in the middle of the frame on a video call. This has been true of all iPads for years already, but now that the basic model has gotten a landscape-oriented camera, we’re going to be waiting impatiently for Apple to implement that across its entire lineup. And now that the basic iPad’s new Magic Keyboard Folio offers a row of function keys and a slightly bigger trackpad, I’m really missing those features here. The Apple Pencil remains a tool that I’m not particularly great at evaluating, because I am sorely lacking in visual arts skills. One place I was able to demo it was in the Notes app; when using the new watercolor brush, you can hover the pencil over the screen to see how the color will react with other elements you’ve already drawn.
Hovering and moving the Pencil across a strip of different filters at the bottom of the app automatically applies them as a preview.
iPad Pro 2022 review
The iPad Pro 2022 is an all-around great tablet that delivers solid performance, a handy Apple Pencil Hover feature and excellent video quality. Why you can trust Tom’s Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you. iPadOS 16 features such as Stage Manager and Apple Pencil Hover also work great on this tablet. Apple Pencil Hover is exclusive to the iPad Pro 2022, but it’s not exactly a “must-have” feature for most users.
Unless you absolutely need the nominal performance boost, it’s hard to justify upgrading to the latest model from the previous iPad Pro. Note that the Apple Pencil 2nd gen ($129) and Magic Keyboard ($349) are sold separately and add significantly to the cost. This isn’t a negative since its thin bezels and sleek machined aluminum chassis remain as striking as ever. While I appreciate the variety of colors available for Apple’s regular iPad, I prefer silver or gray electronics.
The iPad Pro 2022 measures 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches and weighs 1.5 pounds, which is exactly the same as last year’s model.
Without the keyboard attachment, the tablet’s light weight makes it easy to hold for long periods of time. Unlike the monstrous 14-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, the iPad Pro isn’t too big for its own good and feels pretty comfortable in my hands. There’s a button along the top right edge (when the iPad is held vertically like a sheet of paper) for locking the screen and using Touch ID, two buttons on the right side to raise or lower the volume and a single Thunderbolt 4/USB-C port on the bottom edge of the device.
The iPad Pro 2022 I reviewed has a gigantic 12.9-inch mini-LED display with a resolution of 2,732 x 2,048 pixels and up to a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s a whole lot of screen space for watching your favorite YouTube videos or Netflix shows. Watching the trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water, I was impressed by the richness of the colors and the stark contrast between dark and light elements.
The world of Pandora is drenched in blues, and the iPad Pro was able to make each hue look crisp and distinctive. Because the display is large enough to accommodate a full comic book page, you’ll rarely (if ever) have to zoom in or rotate the tablet to see things more clearly. I blasted Trivium’s “The Phalanx” and “Feast of Fire” and the songs sounded almost as good as they would on a proper stereo. Movie trailers like the aforementioned Avatar: Way of Water sound great on the iPad Pro, as does conversation-focused content like the Waveform podcast. These values absolutely destroy the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-driven Galaxy Tab S8 (1,208 single-core, 3,228 multi-core).
When it comes to graphics, the iPad Pro 2022 scored 25,259 and hit 151 frames per second on the 3D Mark Wild Life Unlimited test. Genshin Impact is one of the more graphically demanding games on the App Store, so it’s good to see the iPad Pro 2022 handle it with ease.
Since both the front and rear cameras take solid pictures, I don’t have an issue that they remain unchanged. The 12MP front and rear cameras deliver stunning picture quality under normal lighting conditions.
The front-facing camera does a super job of capturing my admittedly pale skin tone. My rooftop lounge has great lighting, so I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised by the superb picture quality.
Even on a cloudy day, the camera was able to deliver an impressive image that was almost good enough to hang on the wall. I don’t tend to move much during video calls, but I appreciate how the camera intelligently pans, crops and zooms to keep me in the frame when I do. We’d prefer the camera to be on the longer side, which would be easier for video calls, especially with the Magic Keyboard attached to the iPad Pro 2022. On the Tom’s Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness, the iPad Pro 2022 lasted for 10 hours and 39 minutes over Wi-Fi.
But I want to focus on two big features folks can take advantage of on iPad Pro. It’s a wonderful productivity feature, especially when enabled on your MacBook and iPad to get a dual-screen experience via Universal Control. Apple Pencil hover preview shows where your pen will land before you commit to writing or drawing.
The other big feature on iPad Pro 2022 is Apple Pencil Hover preview, which is exclusive to this M2-powered slate. The iPad Pro can detect the Apple Pencil up to 12mm above the display and lets you see a preview of your mark before you make it. Apple Pencil hover has been updated as of iPadOS 16.4 to support more accurate previews based on the tilt angle of the stylus.
The Magic Keyboard’s base is sturdy and keeps the tablet in place no matter how hard you type. Watching videos, playing games, conferencing with others, web browsing, writing, drawing and more work as well as ever. If you own the previous iPad Pro, you absolutely don’t need the new model unless you do heavy-duty design or video editing.
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