The M4 iPad Pro is the state-of-the-art tablet Apple always wanted to make. It has a beautiful, innovative Tandem OLED display and the exclusive M4 processor, and it’s one of the thinnest products the company has ever released.
With the necessary revamped Magic Keyboard and new Apple Pencil Pro, this tablet is the best option in the market and will likely last for many years. But with so many storage options, size differences, and little hidden features depending on your configuration, how do you choose the best model?
According to Apple, the most expensive option should be the best. After all, once you spec up the M4 iPad Pro with 1TB or 2TB of storage, you get a better M4 processor, more RAM, and access to a new paid perk.
- Better M4 processor: With the 1TB option, Apple adds another core to the M4 CPU. With that, you get a 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores. With a 512GB model or lower, you get 3 performance cores. The company also does that with its Mac options.
- More RAM: iPad models with more than 1TB of storage get an upgrade to 16GB of RAM. Models with less storage maintain 8GB of RAM.
- Nano-texture display: Starting with 1TB of storage, you can select a nano-texture display for $100 extra. It’s the first time Apple has added this matte panel as an option for the iPad.
However, I don’t think these features matter because iPadOS is still limited. Until recently, developers couldn’t take advantage of the extra RAM. Still, even with access to more RAM, users might get a few more layers when editing photos and videos on specific apps, and that’s it.
On paper, the new performance core on the M4 chip might improve benchmark test scores a bit. But in practice, users likely won’t notice the increased RAM, and both processors will yield the same experience most of the time.
Finally, the nano-texture display doesn’t sound like a smart choice. Users have complained that it’s very scratchable on the Studio Display and Pro Display XDR, and it reduces contrast and brightness, which could be an issue for those working on perfectly accurate colors. The benefit is that when working outdoors, the glare is almost unnoticeable.
Your M4 iPad Pro doesn’t need to cost as much as a MacBook Pro
With all that said, your next M4 iPad Pro doesn’t need to cost as much as a high-end MacBook Pro to be worth it. Since you also have to spend extra money on the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro, you’ll discover that this tablet’s price can grow quickly.
This is why you should focus on the 256GB or 512GB storage options. And, if needed, you can always connect external storage if you’re working on a project with huge file sizes, as iPadOS finally allows that.
The new M4 iPad Pro launches next week. Stay tuned to BGR for more.