13-Inch M4 iPad Pro – 2 Week Later Review!

We may earn compensation from reviewed products. Learn about our editorial policies.

87%

87%

• Design

  9.5
• Display

  9.5
• Processor

  9
• Camera and audio

  8
• Battery Life

  8
• Accessories

  9
• Value for money

  8
• User Ratings (26 Votes)
  5

I’ve spent two weeks using the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro. Spoiler: it is a brilliant iPad because of course it is, it’s an iPad.

However, I’ve also been sent the 11-inch version by Apple on a short-term loan for review purposes. And I really do quite like it. This is odd. If you’ve been following my thoughts on the iPad for any amount of time you’ll know that I’ve not exactly been gushing when it comes to the diddy iPad Pro. Why on earth buy it, I’ve said on multiple occasions, when the 11-inch iPad Air exists?

We therefore have two things to cover today: what’s the M4 iPad Pro like overall (useful if you’re considering buying one), and what should I do – stick with the big one or swap it for the little one (only useful for me, let’s be honest).

Off we go!

M4 iPad Pro design

My podcast co-host, Rob, reckons that the thinness of the M4 iPad Pro is a particular highlight of the device. It’s hard to disagree with him when you first get it out of the box and into your expectant hands – it is ludicrously skinny.

If you get your hands on one, it’s worth stopping for a moment and marvelling at how far we’ve come. How on earth Apple has managed to fit a Mac-beating chip along with all of the other gubbins required to power the iPad Pro (and that extremely impressive speaker system) into such a small form factor is anyone’s guess.

Does the thinness matter? Not really. It won’t bend unless you try and bend it (I appreciate longer-term testing is required here) and the M2 iPad Pro wasn’t exactly a porker. It feels like a flex and a much-needed talking point at the moment, but that’s fine.

Beyond the svelte appearance, the M4 iPad Pro is an iPad and, therefore, incredibly well put together. It looks and feels as premium as it always has, and if you don’t mind the dour ‘professional’ colour choices we’re stuck with at the top of the iPad tree, you’re going to be immensely satisfied with your purchase.

M4 iPad Pro Display

The iPad Pro has long set a high bar for tablet displays, but this also means that every upgrade to date feels incremental in everyday use.

Yes – even the introduction of a tandem OLED panel.

Apple has fused two OLED panels to make one very bright unit that can scorch your eyeballs (not literally) with up to 1,600 nits for HDR content. Thanks to the OLED technology, the blacks are richer, the overall colour is warmer, and the display is, overall, just nicer than the M2 version.

It’s not massively different to its predecessor, though. You do have to A/B test the two to see the difference. That doesn’t mean you’ll be disappointed with your shiny new M4 iPad Pro – far from it; just don’t expect seismic leaps forward if you’re coming from the last generation.

If you’re wondering about the display size, it is a tiny bit bigger than the previous iPad Pro, but it’s almost imperceptible.

I might as well touch on the speakers before we move on to performance. During my testing, they sounded almost identical to those on the M2 iPad Pro. If anything, the sound quality on the M4 iPad Pro was slightly more refined, but, again, the difference was marginal, and they’re just as loud and impressive for such a slender frame.

M4 iPad Pro performance

I opted for the base model M4 iPad Pro with 256GB of storage. This comes with 8GB of RAM – if you want 16GB, you’ll need to opt for either 1TB or 2TB of storage. In doing so, you’ll also gain one extra CPU core, taking it from nine to 10. Will you notice the difference with either of those upgrades? Unless you’re really pushing this thing – no, you won’t.

I’m not sure what to say about the performance of the M4 iPad Pro. This is a stupidly capable tablet. At the time of writing, you cannot place an M4 chip into a Mac, which means the iPad Pro is, currently, the king of the Apple silicon jungle.

That is bonkers.

There are, unfortunately, two problems. Firstly, extracting maximum performance from that M4 chip is nigh-on impossible, unless you explore the upper echelons of media production in Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro (although I’m not convinced those apps will stretch this thing, either). Secondly, in everyday use, the M4 iPad Pro feels identical to the last two generations.

This isn’t a bad thing. The iPad Pro is – and has always been – a stupendously capable device which eats normal activities for breakfast. The M4 iPad Pro is no different – it just raises the stakes even higher, thanks to a brand-new neural engine which promises some serious AI capabilities.

It’s all eyes on WWDC, iPadOS 18, and the tools Apple gives developers to unleash the power in the M4 iPad Pro. That’s where this tablet is going to come alive. I hope.

M4 iPad Pro accessories

I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that the accessories are the crowning glory of the M4 iPad Pro. I know that sounds daft when you take into account that you have to buy a new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil if you want the official Apple stuff, but the upgrades are a pretty big deal.

Plus, you can sell your old accessories to ease the financial hit, eh?

Let’s start with the new Magic Keyboard. It’s wonderful. The aluminium frame surrounding the keyboard makes it feel like a premium accessory. It needed this; the Magic Keyboard is not a cheap addition to your iPad Pro and I’ve never been keen on the material Apple uses for it. That material remains on the outer cover, but the aluminium palm rest makes up for it.

The same goes for the trackpad which is now far less cramped and newly haptic, as opposed to the old-fashioned clicky one we had on the previous Magic Keyboard. Lastly, we get a function key row, which is a bigger deal than you might think. I’m already using the escape key regularly, and the ability to control media, display brightness, and volume without touching the display is so useful. It’s overdue, but massively welcome.

The Apple Pencil Pro is another brilliant upgrade. It’s just as responsive and enjoyable to use as the previous generation, but we now have a gyroscope and, once again, some haptic magic trickery to get stuck into.

The gyroscope enables users to turn the Apple Pencil Pro in their fingers and watch as the digital tool on the display immediately turns at the same rate. I won’t use this myself much (if at all) but if you’re an artist, it will surely be very welcome indeed.

What has impressed me the most about the Apple Pencil Pro, however, is the new squeezy haptic feature. All you have to do is squeeze it while holding it as you would normally and it feels like you’re clicking a button. Only, you’re not – it’s just haptic motors giving you the impression that there’s a button between your fingers. It’s mesmerising and, more importantly, useful; when you squeeze that imaginary button, you get access to a menu which saves having to hunt down regularly used tools. Developers have access to it, too, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

The Apple Pencil Pro also supports the hover mode that came with the second-generation version. This enables you to see where the Pencil will land when it touches the display, thanks to a guiding dot that appears as you hover the tip over the display. Now, we get to see a shadow of the chosen tool, too, thanks to ludicrously detailed digital models. This is Apple at its most pointlessly brilliant best – more of this please, Tim!

Who should buy the M4 iPad Pro?

If you have an M2 iPad Pro – or even an M1 version, for that matter, I’d advise against upgrading to the M4 edition.

There are two caveats to that piece of advice. Firstly, if you’re tempted by the new accessories and have the budget, there’s an argument to say that they’ll make the upgrade worth it. I’m pretty sure they will if that matches your situation.

Secondly, I think it’s worth waiting until later this year when we get our hands on the public version of iPadOS 18. I have faith in Apple for this – I think we’re going to see some significant updates that will unleash some of the power in that M4 chip. By waiting, you can at least settle your mind with the fact that you’re giving the new iPad Pro as much opportunity as possible to be an even bigger upgrade over what you already have.

If you’re coming from an earlier iPad Pro, or if this is your first foray into iPad Pro territory, the M4 version won’t disappoint – at all. Particularly if you add those accessories to the basket (and have the money to pay the credit card bill later this month).

My iPad Pro dilemma

For as long as I can remember I’ve had literally zero interest in the 11-inch iPad Pro. Yet, here I am sitting in my studio writing this review on that very device.

And I’m enjoying it – big time.

I’ve often talked about the 14-inch MacBook Pro’s ‘slingability’, which is basically the immensely satisfying process of closing the lid, picking it up, and slinging it under your arm. It sounds innocuous and totally irrelevant, but it genuinely adds to the ownership experience. It feels like you can go anywhere and do anything with that laptop – without it being a pain.

I’m starting to think that the 11-inch iPad Pro has that same benefit over the 13-inch version. The latter has always been my size of choice for the iPad Pro, but it is heavy – particularly with the Magic Keyboard attached. The 11-inch version is, by comparison, ridiculously portable.

It’s pretty much what I wanted from – dare I say it – the next-generation iPad mini; a small display and a small but incredibly capable keyboard. It feels like the perfect on-the-go writing and admin companion.

This has really thrown a spanner in the works, hasn’t it?

Before you go