6 Things I Love About The 11-Inch M4 iPad Pro

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It’s the transition I never thought I’d make – from the huge 13-inch iPad Pro to its little brother, the 11-inch version.

I never thought I’d make that transition, because, historically, I’d never understood the point in the smaller iPad Pro. With the iPad Air biting at its heels and offering users practically everything the Pro can do minus a slightly better display and camera system, it seemed like a no-brainer choice.

Despite this, whenever I noted my belief that Apple should cancel the 11-inch iPad Pro, its fans would immediately leap to its defence. My view was shortsighted. I didn’t know what I was talking about. Clearly, I’d never tried the 11-inch iPad Pro for an extended period.

All of those points are probably true – certainly, I can confirm the last one is. I’ve been using the 11-inch iPad Pro for several weeks now and I don’t miss the big one at all. 

Those hardened fans were right.

Here are six reasons why I’d have called myself an idiot during the big iPad Pro days.

1. The size

This was the main reason I decided to go for the 11-inch iPad Pro. During my review period for the M4 lineup, Apple sent me the little one to review and I took it with me on a ridiculously short trip to Taipei. I fell in love, immediately.

It was a mini marvel. I did everything on that iPad, and I barely knew it was in my backpack while travelling from the airport to the hotel to the convention centre and back again.

It is, of course, the same size as the smaller iPad Air (we have to say that now there are two of them), but that’s where I was missing the point. The knowledge that you have the best iPad in its size class in your backpack is a constant reminder that you’ve spent a lot of money and need to make the thing work for it. The fact it’s so easy to carry around is the icing on the cake. 

2. The writing capabilities

I’m writing this blog post on the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro because it is immeasurably more satisfying to do so compared to anything else I have to hand.

This is for several reasons, and one of them is indeed, once again, the size. You can fling this thing into pretty much any bag and have a ludicrously capable publishing platform to hand whenever inspiration strikes (particularly if you opt for the cellular model, as I have).

It’s also the best distraction-free writing experience I have to hand, thanks, ironically, to the iPad’s biggest handicap: multitasking. Stage Manager remains a no-go for anyone who values their sanity and iPadOS is only capable (once again, if you value your sanity) of running two apps at once, side-by-side. Both of these shortcomings work in its favour, though, because they force you to pair back your multitasking expectations and remove all multi-window and multi-app distractions. As I write, I have just Google Docs and Notion in view, and it’s amazing for productivity.

That brings me to the next huge benefit of using the 11-inch iPad Pro as a writing device: app support. I’ve recently switched from Ulysses to Google Docs for my writing app of choice (the lack of Ulysses on Windows has forced me to, I’m afraid), and the iPad has an offline-capable official Google Docs app. The Mac doesn’t. End of story.

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that this particular aspect of iPad life isn’t consigned to the 11-inch Pro version, but that could be said for every item in this list. And I don’t care.

3. The camera!

Hands up if you’ve always believed that the presence of a camera system on an iPad is utterly pointless.

I’d have put my hand up a couple of months ago. Why on earth would anyone choose their iPad over their smartphone for on-the-go photography? It always looks stupid, right?

Well, I’ll tell you one scenario where it doesn’t look stupid – press conferences. I attend a fair few of these events and they always involve me feverishly making notes while the speaker rattles through a ludicrous number of slides that contain all manner of specs, pricing, and regional product variations. It’s an absolute nightmare.

I used to take photos of those slides with my phone and then quickly AirDrop them to my Mac so that I could embed them into Notes. Now, I just detach the iPad from its keyboard (I’m still using the brilliant Logitech Combo Touch), snap the photo and watch as it immediately appears in-line in the note.

I don’t use the camera for anything else, but it has been an absolute revelation for this particular task.

4. iPadOS 18 (beta)

I recently decided to take the plunge and install the public beta version of iPadOS 18 on my 11-inch iPad Pro, and I’m glad I did.

This is one of the most stable beta versions of any Apple operating system I’ve used. I know that can change with every update, but things have been superb so far, and I’ve enjoyed the glimpse into what everyone else will be getting later this year.

There are three things about iPadOS 18 which have got me excited.

The first is Smart Script, which uses machine learning to correct your sloppy handwriting as you go. It learns how you write and adds a final polish to straighten everything up and make it more legible. For someone as bad at handwriting as yours truly, this is a wonderful thing. It’s a bit buggy at the moment, but the promise is huge.

The second is the calculator app. No, I’m not smart enough to use Maths Notes (props to Apple for regionalising the naming convention, by the way) – it’s simply the presence of a non-ad-infested native calculator app on my iPad, finally, that puts a huge smile on my face.

Lastly, we have app customisation and placement on the Home Screen. Yes, we can, finally, move app icons anywhere we like without them snapping frustratingly to the last available space on the grid. Apple has even allowed us to tint the icons in any colour of our choice. The latter, unfortunately, means it’s rather too easy to make your iPad look like a dog’s dinner, but the right tint and wallpaper combination can look very nice indeed.

Bring on Apple Intelligence, please, Tim. That’s the only missing piece of the iPadOS 18 jigsaw.

5. FaceID

This is something else I used to brush off during my 11-inch iPad Pro-hating days. TouchID on the iPad Air was just as convenient, I’d say.

Well, Mark – it isn’t. FaceID is far easier to use than TouchID on the iPad, and I’d forgotten how often you have to instigate biometric security these days.

The only problem I’m having is that old habits die hard and I’m having to train myself not to continually rest my finger on the power button when logging into my iPad Pro.

6. The knowledge that it’ll last a VERY long time

Much has been said about the colossal power inherent within the M4 chip that Apple decided to place inside the latest iPad Pro. I stand among those who can’t fathom how anyone can tap into what that chip is capable of.

It’s overkill of the highest order, but it does mean that if you buy an 11-inch M4 iPad Pro, you’re guaranteed a device that’s going to last you for many years. They’re not cheap devices, but I’d argue that the iPad Pro offers the most bang for buck within the Apple product line-up when it comes to longevity.

I can’t imagine needing to replace this iPad Pro for a very long time, which makes the £1,199 I paid for it all the easier to bear. I’m not sure any other tablet on the market offers this much value for money in terms of performance and long-term support from the manufacturer.

Wrap up

There you have it – I’m a full-on 11-inch iPad Pro convert, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the big one.

I’d love to hear from you, though: are you in the same boat as me? If so, what do you love about the smaller iPad Pro? Equally, if you’re on the other side of the fence and prefer the big one – get involved in the comments and tell me why!

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