Is The M4 iPad Pro Really That Much Better? - 2020 iPad User's Perspective

Discover if the M4 iPad Pro’s new features and performance make it worth the investment, especially if you have a 2020 or older model.

This video was made in partnership with ESR. The last time I upgraded my iPad was four years ago. This is the second-generation iPad Pro from 2020, which has an A12Z Bionic chip. It’s starting to slow down a bit here and there, but overall, it’s still performing pretty well. With the announcement of the new OLED iPad Pros, I was curious if, after four years of holding off, it’s finally worth upgrading. The thing is, iPads have had really good hardware. Apple has done a great job updating it year after year, so it’s really the software that needs improvement. The current pricing essentially asks you to pay primary computer money for what is a subpar MacBook Pro, making it harder and harder to justify, especially knowing there’s no reason other than Apple’s interest to keep the iPad as limited as it is. Regardless, I’m really hoping Apple shows up big time at WWDC and gives us all a reason to love the iPad even more. But this is the iPad we have today, so that’s what we’ll focus on, and we’ll look at it from the perspective of someone who has a 2020 iPad Pro or older. If you have an Apple Silicon iPad, I don’t know why you would upgrade to the new M4 iPads just yet, at least not until we see what Apple does.

This is the M4 iPad Pro, Apple’s thinnest device ever. Well, the 13-inch iPad Pro is the thinnest, but this 11-inch model is only 2 mm shy of that. Comparing it to my 2020 iPad Pro, you can easily tell that it’s thinner, but when it comes to weight, it’s only about 6% lighter, so there's not a huge difference there. While holding it, I can barely tell the difference, but it’s really the thinness that stands out. Before getting a chance to hold it myself, I thought people were simply exaggerating how thin it is, but now I really get it. In fact, it’s almost uncomfortably thin, in my opinion. I’m sure it’s something I will get used to, but it’s really crazy what Apple has been able to achieve here. I got the iPad Pro with 512 GB of storage with Wi-Fi and cellular. For what I’m thinking of using this for, I think having a consistent internet connection anytime and anywhere would be really important. Also, this is my very first silver Apple product, and it’s really, really nice. I chose it mainly because I thought the silver magic keyboard looked better, and my MacBook is already space black, so I thought about just changing it up. Really quick, with their respective magic keyboard and Apple Pencil, the M4 iPad Pro weighed in at 1,152 grams, while the 2020 iPad Pro weighed in at 1,199 grams, so again, not a huge difference.

What makes a big difference is the display. The new iPad Pros have an Ultra Retina XDR Display, which means deeper blacks, more vibrant colors, and richer contrast at a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. What’s cool is that they implemented the use of tandem OLEDs, resulting in higher brightness, a longer lifespan, and a lower likelihood of burn-in, and the screen looks amazing. You can definitely see how much nicer it is. Here’s a comparison side by side: it’s brighter, with more pleasant colors compared to the more magenta-looking display of the older models. Personally, I opted for the glossy display, and I have no regrets. The nano display is great; it diffuses light so it’s less harsh, but it kind of affects a bigger surface area if that makes sense. I’m not sure if this will translate well through video, but if you look at where the light hits the screen, you can see how much deeper the blacks are in the glossy panel. But when you have a lighter image displayed, the nano texture is better than glossy, in my opinion. To me, this was a no-brainer. The nano texture is only available for the 1 TB and 2 TB storage options, which is obviously more expensive, and I think that with the higher 1,000 nits sustained and 1,600 nits peak brightness, the glossy should be fine in most cases. Not to mention, I compared the anti-reflective coating of the iPad, and I think it’s just as good as the one on the S24 Ultra, which I absolutely love, so I have no worries there.

Getting accessories for your new iPad is a great way to enhance your user experience, and the Shift Magnetic Case from ESR is a really great option for both the iPad Pro and the iPad Air. Its use of magnets gives the iPad even more versatility and functionality while also providing protection. The Shift Magnetic Case offers nine viewing angles, making it great for various use cases. It has a really nice writing mode from 15 to 25 degrees and a viewing angle from 30 to 75 degrees. My favorite, though, is that because of its magnets, you can raise the display 3.3 inches, which is perfect for using it as a reference or second monitor. It also gives you a better angle for video calls, and it’s really nice for iPad gaming. You can even orient the iPad vertically so you can review documents and go on social media. Since the case itself is magnetic, you can even use it independently, snapping it onto metal surfaces such as your fridge. It has full Apple Pencil support, so you can still charge it without problem. You can even store it in the integrated sleeve for extra peace of mind. They also have a ton of other amazing accessories. They have a tempered glass screen protector that can withstand up to 110 lb. of impact and is super easy to install. They have a Digital Pencil Pro, which is an absolute steal for its price point. It’s responsive, has palm rejection, and is also tilt-sensitive. It has this really cool button to quickly access the home screen or multitasking view. It can be charged magnetically or with USB-C, and they even have a really nice magnetic keyboard case, which offers a great typing experience. It has a 14-key function row and comes with a detachable back case, so your iPad has constant protection with or without the keyboard. So, if you’re looking for a way to elevate your iPad experience, check out ESR by using the links below.

The new iPad Pros have the first-ever M4 chip, which is super exciting. However, you might not know that choosing a lower storage option gives you a lower-spec iPad. If you get anything less than a terabyte, you get a binned 9-core CPU instead of 10, and you get 8 GB of RAM instead of 16. For most people coming from a 2020 iPad Pro or older, like I am, this should be fine. This is still a huge upgrade, but for the few pro users who want to maximize everything out of their iPads, you’re kind of forced to get a terabyte or higher. I did a quick test and hopped on a game of Warzone Mobile just to get a feel for the improvements, and right off the bat, you can tell just how much smoother the gameplay is. I actually have been playing this game more on my S24 Ultra because I think it does a better job compared to my 2020 iPad Pro, but this M4 iPad Pro was really good, and it should be my go-to way to play from now on. I’ll definitely do my real-life testing; I’ll try to push this iPad as much as I can with photo editing, video editing, creating 3D models, and also compare it to the new M2 iPad Air. I got the 13-inch iPad Air because I wanted to see for myself the performance difference and if there were any benefits to going with a bigger size, and I just wanted to have better knowledge so that I could make a proper recommendation to you guys. So, if you want to see that, please hit the subscribe button and let me know your questions in the comments below, and I’ll try to feature them in my next iPad video.

Here’s a quick list of things that changed and things that you might not remember getting if you’re upgrading from a 2020 iPad Pro or older: the front-facing camera is now 12 megapixels instead of 7 megapixels, giving you an ultra-wide angle in landscape. The new iPad Pros have one less mic now compared to previous generations, but in my initial testing, this didn’t make a huge difference in sound quality. The ultra-wide camera is now gone, which I only personally use when I’m doing as-built drawings for my architecture projects. What we get, though, is a new adaptive true-tone flash, which should help with scanning documents. You also get Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, and if you get the cellular version, it’s now eSIM only. Lastly, the new iPad Pro supports Thunderbolt 4, so you can now transfer data up to 40 GB per second. I did buy the new Apple Pencil Pro, which is compatible with both the new iPad Pro and iPad Air, and I’m glad that Apple didn’t make this exclusive to the pros. The fact that they’re selling it for the same price is a win for us consumers. The new features, like the ability to squeeze to open the menu, are so convenient; they make switching between mediums and settings easier. This also allows for a seamless way to undo strokes, and the haptic feedback is really nice. It feels like you’re pressing a button that isn’t really there. It made me wonder if there’s a way they can use the haptic feedback to mimic the experience of writing on paper, so potentially we wouldn’t need to install a paper-like screen protector, which I absolutely love. But I just think that would be really cool. Also, the barrel roll should come in handy for drawings, although I’m still waiting for it to be adapted for the writing and sketching apps that I use the most. If you’re coming from an older iPad like I am, the hover feature is also something that’s going to be new for you. It allows you to use the Apple Pencil to hover around icons and menus and also see exactly where the tip is for better accuracy in writing and sketching.

The Magic Keyboard has also been updated, and I’m a big fan of it. The new aluminum palm rest looks really nice, but just like the MacBooks, it can be a bit of a shock and unpleasant to rest your palms on, especially when using it for the first time because it can get cold. With the old Magic Keyboard, I kind of had to rest my palms slightly off the Magic Keyboard to have a better typing experience, which can be tricky when I’m trying to keep it balanced while typing on my lap. But with the new Magic Keyboard, you have more space to rest your palms on, which makes for a better typing experience while also comfortably keeping your device secured. The new Magic Keyboard also has a slightly larger haptic trackpad, giving you a bit more room to move your fingers around, especially when making gestures. It’s just a better experience overall. I don’t feel like I need to adapt to it; I find it very natural to use. It feels like I’m just typing on my MacBook Pro, and the new 14-key function row enhances the experience of using the iPad Pro dock. Not to mention, it’s being sold for the same price as the older model, which is still expensive, but I’ll take this as a win.

As exciting as the new updates are, the iPad Pros are really hard to recommend to anyone right now. A 256-GB model of the iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro is $1,427. For an extra $172, you can get an M3 MacBook Pro with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, and I would say that’s a far better investment for your money. You can even save $300 by going for a 256 GB iPad Air with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro, and you can still pretty much do everything and anything the iPad Pro can do on the iPad Air. Again, they’re kind of asking you to pay primary computer money for a lesser MacBook Pro, and I think it’s really, really hard to justify. I’m sure Apple knows that, so the question is, how can Apple elevate the experience of the iPad Pro without compromising the MacBooks too much? I really hope Apple can give us an answer worthy of the price tag they’re asking for these new devices.

With that said, if you have an M-series iPad, I would suggest holding off on upgrading. I don’t think there’s anything here that's worth it, at least for now. But if you have an older device, say 2020 or older, and you really, really want to upgrade, I think there’s a lot to enjoy here already. Even if Apple doesn’t do anything exciting, this should be a really nice upgrade. But if you’re still undecided, I’ll be comparing the iPad Pro and the iPad Air and sharing my recommendation with you guys in a future video. Let me know what you think of these new iPads. If you made it this far in the video, type “silver” in the comments below. I hope you guys enjoyed this video. If you did, please give it a thumbs up. If you loved it, subscribe to the channel. Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one. Bye!