In short
Let's go deeper
2021 from a technological point of view, and as a lover of Apple products, was an absolutely fantastic year.
We have witnessed the birth of Apple M1 chips, brought first to the 13" Macbook Air and Pro and then, in the M1 Pro and M1 Max variants in the high-end 14" and 16" models.
But in June 2021, totally unexpectedly, Apple introduced the new 11" and 12.9" iPads Pro with the M1 chip!
Madness.
Let's take a look at all the pros and cons of this little hardware revolution in this full iPad Pro 2021 review.
iPad Pro 2021: technical characteristics
I hate to make the shopping list down to the specifications but, even if it's short, it has to be done.
The main features of the 2021 iPad Pro with M1 chip are:
- 11" or 12.9" Liquid Retina XDR display
- Apple M1 chip
- 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB of storage
- 12MP Wide, 10Mp Ultra Wide rear cameras and LiDAR scanners
- new 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage function
- Face ID with TrueDepth system
- Four-speaker audio system
- Thunderbolt USB-C port
- 5G connection and WiFi 6
As you can see from the list above, the changes compared to the 2020 model are not crazy and can be summarized in three lines:
- New Apple M1 processor
- Center Stage for the front camera
- XDR display for 12.9" models
The most important change, purely on the hardware side, obviously lies in the adoption of the M1 chip in this generation of iPad Pro, which, at the beginning of the presentation in 2020, we thought was designed exclusively for MacBooks.
Apple M1, MacBook power within reach of tablets
The M1 chip is a SoC that mounts an 8-core CPU, which together work in multi-threaded mode to maintain consistent performance and at the same time reduce energy consumption.
The 8 cores are divided into:
- 4 core performance that allow you to operate at maximum speed in all demanding activities
- 4 efficiency core that perform the most basic daily tasks such as browsing the Internet, allowing very low energy consumption and extending battery life (which easily reaches 12 hours of browsing, madness).
Obviously, even the GPU is equipped with 8-core, reaching a Power equal to 2.6 TFLOPS, equal to or better than an Nvidia GTX 1050TI for Windows laptops.
All packed into the small iPad Pro 2021 which, with this power, can to be truly exploited at a professional level... or it could, if there were Pro Apps, but that's another story.
Let's continue.
Finally, interesting RAM memory cuts
The advantages of the M1 chip are not limited to mere brute force but, of course, they bring with them other important features.
The most interesting upgrade, in my opinion, is the RAM upgrade.
For the first time, after years of waiting and requests, the iPad no longer has a paltry 3GB of RAM but:
- 8GB of RAM on 128GB, 256GB and 512GB models
- 16GB of RAM on 1TB and 2TB models
This thing, from a professional standpoint, is fantastic.
Finally applications have enough memory to support really heavy workloads. The “old chips” A12 and A12Z, although very powerful, were decidedly limited by inconsistent memory cuts for professional workflows.
To date, however, with an initial RAM cut of 8GB, the doors are finally opening for the development of complete apps that can actually be used for more complex use, from MacBook.
Finally Miniled XDR Display
If we talk about displays, we can only rejoice and appreciate the new iPad Pro 2021 panels which, with great surprise, respectively mount:
- one XDR display for 12.9" model
- an LCD display for the 11"
Both include True Tone, ProMotion at 120hz and P3 color gamut.
In daily use, absolutely nothing changes between the two displays; the difference is perceptible only to the eyes of experts to whom the XDR version is dedicated.
The XDR display carries with it the Mini-LED technology, 10,000 of the latter are grouped together allowing you to precisely adjust the brightness of the images, literally turning off the portions of the black screen, managing to achieve levels of contrast between the crazy colors.
In short, a feast for the eyes. Especially for photo retouching, or video editing professionals, who need screens with significant color fidelity and brightness.
Cameras and Center Stage
The 2021 iPad Pro, in terms of rear cameras, is equipped with:
- A 12MP wide angle
- A 10MP ultra wide angle
- Lidar sensor, useful for analyzing environments and experiences in Augmented Reality
The real news, however, lies in the front camera.
In fact, the iPad Pro M1, unlike the previous models, is equipped with a new 12MP ultra-wide angle which brings with it a new gem: the Center Stage.
This addition, thanks to the new ultra-wide angle and machine learning, allows you to activate a function of automatic framing which, during video calls, is able to move the frame independently so you never lose sight of yourself, resizing the image as other people join or leave during the call.
An absurd joke for students and professionals struggling with dad and smart-working.
Audio and connections
As for everything else, nothing new:
- 4 audio speakers
- Thunderbolt USB-C port
- 5G connection and Wifi6
A jewel of design, unchanged but perfect
Everything can be said about the iPad Pro except that its design is ugly, in fact practically everyone is copying it (Huawei coff coff, Samsung coff coff, Lenovo coff coff).
So I'm not going to tell you anything, let's make the images speak for once.
iPad Pro for studying and working
But in short, after all this tearing up with boring specifications, what is this iPad Pro with M1 really for?
Is it good for studying? And to work?
Let's go deeper.
La modularity of the iPad Pro is its main feature. It is a tablet that can be used to play games, watch movies and television programs and, if necessary, transform into a laptop by magnetically attaching the keyboard. Really fantastic.
The presence of the pen in the iPad Pro, however, is what transforms the user experience most significantly.
La Apple Pencil opens the door to everything that, with a normal laptop, cannot be done:
- Sign documents, with Adobe Fill & Sign you can sign literally in 3 seconds straight
- Take notes by hand, Notability docet
- draw illustrations, with Procreate you can achieve absurd results with a very high quality
- model in 3D, NomadSculpt and Sharpr 3D are very valid alternatives to desktop apps and allow you to achieve crazy results with a UX (user experience) designed to the maximum for the Apple Pencil
- Edit photos, the pen is perfect for photo editing and precise stain removal on Adobe Lightroom
And also, thanks to the new Center Stage function, iPad Pro becomes the perfect ally during lessons and video calls, always keeping you in the center of the frame, with all the apps such as FaceTime, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
Obviously That glitters isn't all gold, in fact, in none of the above examples is the word”vocational”.
Obviously, That glitters isn't all gold; in fact, the words' professional 'or' expert 'are never mentioned in any of the above examples.
We understand why.
iPadOS: the Achilles' heel of iPad Pro
Although iPad Pro mounts the infamous Apple M1 chip, there is a peculiarities not to be underestimated: The operating system.
Unfortunately, theiPad Pro Use immature iPadOS, which stands out for its software limitations that make that 'Pro' feel excessive and almost unjustified:
- Multitasking is terrible
- file management is terrible
- You cannot extend the screen via HDMI on an external monitor but, yes, it can only be duplicated without adjusting the aspect ratio
- Apps use a few GB of RAM, although up to 16GB can be configured
- last but not least, there are no professional applications.
The biggest disadvantage of iPad OS and the iPad Pro, which does Foolish All the excitement, is that there are no truly PRO apps.
Let's face it, there are Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Luma Fusion, Acrobat, and Nomad Sculpt - all “lite” versions that violently clash with the restrictions listed above in iPad OS. The iPad version of Photoshop is little more than a shadow of its desktop counterpart.
And the much flaunted Luma Fusion is nothing more than a limited video editing app, nowhere near comparable to Premiere Pro or Final Cut.
What about web development? VS Code has its own web version but it is very limited. Not to mention the No browser support for builders like Wordpress, Shopify or Webflow, are terrible to use on iPad because, open your ears wide, the iPadOS one is not a real cursor but a simulation of touch gestures.
When you click, with the mouse, you are actually simulating a tap touch.
When you scroll a page with the mouse wheel, you are actually simulating a scroll with your fingers.
And all this makes all those web applications that are not optimized for touch screens incompatible, so almost all of them.
In short, with the awareness of the real potential of a product like iPad Pro with M1, all this is really frustrating and demeaning for those who, like me, were looking for and are still looking for a compromise between laptop and tablet.
Is it worth buying iPad Pro with M1 chip in 2022?
I admit that the previous paragraph was not exactly pleasant to write, and perhaps not even to read, in a 'definitive review'.
But certain things, in the face of an important expense such as that of iPad Pro, must be said.
So do I recommend it? Is it worth buying the 2021 iPad Pro in 2022?
Yes, but let's see in what cases and why.
To study
If you are a student, I would definitely recommend it.
It is very convenient for carrying out all the typical tasks of high school and university study in the best possible way:
- You can say goodbye to books and notebooks, reading and taking notes on iPad is a pleasure
- you can safely follow the lessons online, there are all the apps like Meet and Teams
- There are no comparisons for entertainment and web browsing, Netflix goes to God 😉
To work
If, on the other hand, like me, you are professionals then things change slightly.
Let's be clear, this iPad Pro is a bomb. Really.
But it has all the software limitations listed above that relegate it to a perfect complementary device to a Macbook, not a primary one in short.
If you're an illustrator, there's nothing better than the iPad Pro with Apple Pencil.
For bloggers, content creators and various writers, the same thing, a bomb.
But for everything else, think of it as something more than the MacBook, not a replacement.
iPadOS 16 is coming
A small reason, as simple as it is important, is the presentation of iPad OS 16 in June 2022.
As I also wrote in this article, among the rumors about the new operating system for iPad is the porting of professional apps such as Final Cut and Logic Pro to iPads Pro with an M1 chip.
So yes, with a view to future software updates, iPad Pro M1 is the best investment as it will benefit from the OS improvements planned for the new Cupertino SoCs.
Conclusions
In short, the iPad Pro with Apple M1 chip is a powerful device that offers the best of both worlds for people who are looking for a tablet that can also afford the luxury of behaving like a laptop.
Its decidedly excellent technical specifications make it perfect for students and professionals who don't need all the bells and whistles of a computer and are happy to work within the limits of iPadOS.
But Apple is working hard to improve tablet OS, and I expect even better things from the 2022 iPads.
.avif)
.avif)
.webp)
