Let’s cut straight to the chase. If you have never owned an iPad Pro before, need OLED, upgrading from a previous gen 11 inch pro or have an extremely niche use case to demand use of the m4.. just get it. It’s the best iPad Apple has ever made and the best tablet experience on the market that’s not a full desktop os.

If you still own a previous gen 12.9 with mini-led with apple silicon.. you won’t notice much a difference in day to day use outside of the OLED screen. Might be best to save your money if none of the above features are necessary. M1-M2 iPads will still receive support for quite some time, the magic keyboards are now cheaper, and the Apple Pencil 2 is more than enough.

As a graphic designer/ artist a lot of the new m4 iPad features were a pleasant upgrade. In the past I could never hold on to an iPad feeling features were missing or weight was too much for the 13 inch. Finally after so many years we have OLED, better base storage, it’s thinner and lighter, and will support upcoming iPadOS for a very long time. However, outside of work I’m still using my iPad the same as I used too. Browsing, entertainment, social media, notes, etc. Everything I can do on my phone, but this time I feel like the display finally matches its purpose. It’s truly an incredible screen only marginally outmatched by Samsung’s. However, the reference mode in the display settings really makes this shine for a creator. Apple has always had extremely well calibrated screens and this is no different for the model I have. Let’s also not forget moving the camera to the correct, horizontal side of the screen.

The drawback for the new m4 pros are the speakers and the cost of new accessories. Apple had to change the magnet array to accommodate the new camera position and other internals. This means your previous Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard for iPad are now obsolete and have to be upgraded to the new and “improved” versions. It’s going to be a growing pain for while before better third party accessories become available. The speakers feel thinner because well… the chassis is thinner! I personally think there is a difference in quality between the previous and current m4, but it’s not the biggest deal.

Just surprised my artist wife with the new 11-inch iPad Pro with the M4 chip, and watching her use it these past few weeks has been amazing. Got lucky and snagged it on sale for $1139, saving $60 off retail - not a huge discount but hey, it's Apple, I'll take what I can get!
First thing she noticed was the new OLED display - it's a massive upgrade from her old iPad. The colors are just incredibly vibrant and the blacks are truly black, which makes a huge difference when she's working on her digital art. She keeps raving about how she can finally see her color choices accurately, especially when working on darker pieces.
The M4 chip is seriously impressive. Her procreate files can get pretty huge with all the layers she uses, but this thing doesn't even break a sweat. No lag when using complex brushes or working with high-res canvases. The built-in AI features have been a nice surprise too - she's been experimenting with the new art generation tools to help with initial concepts.
The 512GB storage was definitely the right choice for her art files. Her old iPad was constantly running out of space, but now she can keep all her work files locally without worrying about cloud storage.
Battery life has been great - she can work on it all day without reaching for the charger. The Apple Pencil response is buttery smooth (though annoyed we had to buy that separately).
Only minor gripe is that the 11-inch screen sometimes feels a bit small when she's really getting into detailed work, but she preferred this size for portability since she often works at cafes. The OLED screen somehow makes the size feel less limiting than her previous iPad.
Worth every penny for a professional artist. The screen alone is a game-changer, and the M4's power means she's never waiting for the device to catch up to her creativity.
Bought at: Killeen Best Buy
Price paid: $1139 (Saved $60)
Perfect for: Digital artists, graphic designers, creative professionals
Using with: Apple Pencil 2, Procreate
Note: This is actually already way better than her old iPad Pro, and she's just scratching the surface of what the AI features can do. Excited to see how she uses it as she explores more.

When you think tablet, you probably think iPad first, which has become synonymous with the word. There's a reason for that and Apple had no good reason to outdo their competition, the previous iPad model.

Jokes aside this is a beautiful, THIN, and fast device. If you've had an iPad before, you'll notice how thin this one is. The reduced weight actually makes the larger iPad much easier to use. The OLED screen looks amazing and they've achieved a high level of brightness which helps in brighter environments. Another design choice is moving the front facing camera from the short end to the long end which made landscape calls a bit more coordinated.

The M4 chip in this is absolutely overkill. While other reviewers might highlight this as a negative, I think this is future proofing for future apps and what's to come down the road. Animations are flawless and apps are fast to load and navigate. WiFi 6e also upgrades the speed of wireless allowing for 900+ mbps speeds on my 1gbps connection.

The one thing I'm not super happy about is the loss of compatibility with the Apple Pencil 2 that magnetically connected to previous models. Because of the redesign of the Pro Pencil, they were "forced" to change the positioning of the magnets making charging the old pencil not possible. I just don't buy into this but that's what Apple does. Designing in obsolesce at the expense of innovation.

Even if I don't agree with the corporate strategy they take with getting me to buy new products, it works, and the iPad works amazingly.

I have previously bought the iPad Air model and found it excellent value and great quality.
I wanted facial recognition so I upgraded to a an iPad Pro which is brilliant, facial recognition, Oled screen and M4 chip are all additional features which I was happy to pay for.
I found an iPad Air lasted me around four years and I have never had a complaint, I can definitely say if you do not need Facial recognition, the better screen and an M4 chip spend 50% less on the iPad Air.
If like you me you go for the Pro model I am hoping this will last longer than four years.
The features are fantastic, there is nothing to dislike about the Pro, the screen is fantastic, facial recognition is much easier to use than fingerprint recognition. It is lighting fast and I am very pleased with it.
Expensive and that is the dilemma, I thought about Air or Pro, watched all the video reviews, read all the reviews and still could not make a decision.
In the end I went on line, always to John Lewis, customer service, price, delivery are better than other retailers and clicked the buy button, iPad Pro bought, it's definitely a matter of personal preference, I have no regrets it's brilliant, probably a little expensive.
John Lewis, fantastic customer service, competitive pricing and highly recommend.