Apple today updated its iPad Pro with the M1 chip and 5G connectivity.
The 8-core CPU in the company's business-focused tablet is 50% faster than its predecessor, the A12Z Bionic, while the 8-core GPU gets a 40% bump, Apple says. As PCMag's Sascha Segan notes, "Putting an M1 chip into the iPad Pro makes it equal in power with the latest Macs. A true power PC, if you will."
The iPad Pro now supports Thunderbolt for super-fast data transfers. Expect four times more bandwidth for wired connections over the last-gen iPad Pro—up to 40Gbps, Apple says.
The updated iPad Pro will be available for pre-order on April 30, starting at $799 for the 11-inch model and $1,099 for the 12.9-inch tablet. Storage options now go up to 2TB.
Apple talked up the visual experience on the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which sports a Liquid Retina XDR display similar to that found on the Apple Pro Display XDR. Its mini-LED design uses over 10,000 LEDs for 1,000 nits of brightness and 1,600 nits of peak brightness.
"Now creative professionals, including photographers, videographers, and filmmakers, can view and edit true-to-life HDR content on a large display they can take anywhere," Apple says.
A new 12MP ultra-wide camera offers a feature known as Center Stage, which uses machine learning to keep you in view. As you move, the camera pans to keep you in frame, and if other people jump in, like on a FaceTime chat, Center Stage will recognize them and adjust as needed, Apple says.
There's 5G connectivity on cellular models, though Apple execs were quick to note that performance will vary by carrier and only reach peak speeds in ideal conditions. As we've found, 5G is a work in progress. iPad Pro also supports eSIM.
On the accessories front, the Magic Keyboard now comes in white, as well as black; it's $299 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $349 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Last year's iPad Pro wasn't a major improvement over the 2018 model, we found, but the addition of mouse and trackpad support vaulted the tablet into working a lot more like a computer than it previously did. And that's where it lost points from us. If you can afford to spend more than $1,500 on an Apple device, why not just buy a Mac? Stay tuned for our review to see if the M1 chip makes a difference.