Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s Ultra Retina XDR displays.

• Read more: iPad Pro M4 (2024) vs iPad Air M2 (2024): which should you pick?

What is an Ultra Retina XDR display?

The Ultra Retina XDR display is debuting on the iPad Pro (M4). Apple claims it’s the best OLED display ever shipped in a device of its kind. A normal Retina display is any Apple screen that has a pixel density high enough that you can’t see the pixels. Meanwhile, a Retina XDR display is a Retina display that supports extreme dynamic range (XDR). So what warrants the new “Ultra” in front?

The Ultra Retina XDR display promises rich, vibrant colours thanks to its wide colour gamut. The display uses OLED technology, which emits light through each pixel for higher contrast and resolution without the need for a backlight. Apple’s gone a step further with a Tandem OLED design, which uses two OLED panels to crank up the brightness and maintain colour accuracy across the entire screen. It’s like an OLED Retina XDR display on steroids – hence the new “Ultra” moniker.

Apple’s Ultra Retina XDR display still supports XDR and HDR, meaning it delivers a wide range of dark and light areas in photos and videos. Deep blacks, bright whites, and all those juicy nuances in between. So, whether you’re binge-watching your favourite series or editing photos, it should look pretty spectacular.

ProMotion and True Tone are not exactly new but still worth a mention. ProMotion gives you that silky smooth 120Hz refresh rate, which is a godsend for scrolling and gaming. True Tone adjusts the display to match the lighting of your environment, making the viewing experience more natural and easier on the eyes. Handy for when you’re burning the midnight oil.

• Related: What is Apple ProMotion? The 120Hz display tech explained

While Apple has officially revealed the new iPad Pro and iPad Air, in 11in and 13in screen sizes, there are still plenty of other rumours to peruse…

• Best iPad: Which is the ideal Apple tablet for you?

iPad

The state of play: In October 2022, Apple released the 10th-gen iPad. It resembled a less powerful iPad Air with a reflective screen (boo) but had Apple’s first sensible selfie camera placement (yay). The ninth iteration of the iPad lurked quietly in the line-up, with its old-school charms of a Home button, a chunky screen bezel and a headphone port.

What’s next: The next iteration of the iPad is due, especially since we didn’t get one last year. In fact, 2023 was the first year since 2017 during which the standard iPad doesn’t get an update. So surely it’s coming this year – but reportedly it won’t be early this year and it’ll be later in 2024.

When we do get an 11th-gen, expect a minor spec bump with new colours and an A15 chip. Ideally, we’d prefer 2nd-gen Apple Pencil support and finally being rid of the reflective screen too, but suspect that’s unlikely. What is unlikely is the 9th-gen sticking around as a low-cost iPad, even when the 11th-gen shows up – the 10th will move down to fill that gap.

Stuff says: The 9th-gen iPad is charitably best described as ‘classic’ and ‘familiar’. Buy if the other models are out of your budget. The 10th-gen is a bit pricey and infuriatingly uses the old Apple Pencil. But it’s powerful and worth the outlay if you want an iPad that’ll last.

iPad Mini

The state of play: The iPad Mini has long been an enigma regarding release frequency and positioning. But Apple vastly improved its tiniest iPad with September 2021’s 6th-gen, more or less transforming it into an iPad Air Mini. There’s an A15 inside that tiny frame – but scrolling can be jiggly in portrait. Tsk.

What’s next: The main rumour that’s been swirling around forever now is the 7th-gen iPad Mini getting a 120Hz ProMotion display, which will handily boot ‘jelly scrolling’ concerns into the sun. No-one’s prediction parrot has parped precisely when this’ll rock up, mind. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reckons that the iPad Mini refresh will land later on this year, following the expected release of the new iPad Pro and Air models in the second week of May.

Stuff says: Removing the most overt flaw from the iPad Mini would be good. But who knows when it’ll happen? So if you want one, buy it now. Just be aware even in the Mini’s inconsistent release schedule, the 6th-gen is definitely more mid-cycle than long in the tooth.

iPad Air

The state of play: Apple has officially released its latest-gen iPad Air, complete with a faster M2 processor and new 13in screen-sized variant.

What’s next: It’s too early for the Apple rumour mill to have swung its focus on the future iPad Air, but we’ll be updating this piece with the latest news, as soon as it comes in.

Stuff says: The M2 processor should be more than enough for most people’s needs, so the current-gen iPad Air is worth a punt if you don’t need the bells and whistles that the new iPad Pro offers.

iPad Pro

The state of play: The new iPad Pro, complete with the rumoured OLED display, terrifyingly fast M4 processor, and support for the new Apple Pencil Pro, is officially here. We’ve even reviewed it.

What’s next: Given that the new iPad Pro has just been released, we don’t expect to hear much in the way of the next-gen iPad Pro for quite some time. We’ll be sure to update this piece with the inevitable rumours as soon as they start flying around however.

Stuff says: If you’re after an iPad Pro, you might as well get the current M4 version that’s just come out, given that it took two years for a refresh last time.

• You couldn’t Mac them up: The latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iMac and Mac Pro rumours

• Read more: Apple iPad Pro review (M4, 7th gen): super powered, super bright

In the UK, you can get the new iPad Pro and Air on EE for a monthly price. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at £67.50 per month, while the larger 13-inch model goes for £81 per month. The new iPad Pro is for the hardcore users who demand the best performance and display. Its new Ultra Retina XDR screen, adaptive flash, and advanced M4 chip ensure it can handle high-end workflows like 4K video editing and graphic design without breaking a sweat.

If you don’t need as much power, the new iPad Air gets you the powerful M2 chip, vibrant display, and wide colour options make it a sensible choice. The 11-inch Air starts at £45 per month, or you can go for the 13-inch model from £54 per month.

With the launch of the new iPad Air and Pro, Apple slashed the price of the 10th-gen iPad. During Apple’s “Let Loose” launch event, the tech giant revealed that the 10th-gen iPad is getting a big discount. Its price is now $100/£100 lower than before – and that’s the new retail price. You can now buy the tablet for $349/£349 directly from Apple or other retailers. It’s the cheapest Apple tablet on offer, and it might be the best value buy.

If you don’t mind sticking with an older-generation tablet, there’s some serious money to be saved. The 9th-generation iPad (10.2in) with 64GB of storage is currently $221 compared to the previous $330 asking price. While Apple no longer offers this device, it’s one of the most affordable ways into Apple’s tablet ecosystem. You won’t get the most powerful processor and the design isn’t quite as cutting-edge, but it’ll still run the latest version of iOS perfectly smoothly.

If you like your tech to be as compact as possible, the iPad Mini is a great bet. Get a 6th-generation model with 64GB for £470 on Amazon right now – that’s £30 off the previous £500 asking price. It’s powered by an A15 Bionic processor, has Touch ID for biometric security and payments, and up to 10 hours of battery life. USB-C connectivity and support for the second-gen Apple Pencil are very nice to have, too.

• Read more: Best iPad 2024: Which is the ideal Apple tablet for you?

By any stretch of the imagination, it can’t be said the iPad Pro premium tablet is underpowered.

With a brand new chip that’s later in generation than anything in a Mac, Apple is hoping to boost flagging iPad sales by putting out a device that’s not only Apple’s thinnest ever, but with unbelievable power, too.

And with a new Apple Pencil Pro, it’s a serious upgrade. And those who use an iPad Pro for any kind of art or design work will definitely benefit from the new Pencil.

We’re testing out the 13in model (which replaces the 12.9in), but there’s a 11in model and both are available in 256GB (a new starting size), 512GB, 1TB and 2TB versions. This time around both sizes have the same spec sheet; the only difference is the size.

Design: the thinnest of them all

What is particularly stunning is just how thin the iPad Pro is. It was pretty thin anyway, but the new 13 incher (no, not 12.9 anymore but 13) clocks in at a mere 5.1mm. It’s the thinnest product Apple has ever made, even more so than the iPad nano – you probably know that already, even if that maybe has to do with an ill-received marketing campaign. The 11in model is a little thicker at 5.3mm.

Some are concerned about the bendability of this design and time will tell whether this will be an issue. Our 13in model certainly didn’t feel like it had any flex and of course in a case such as the Smart Folio (now with more viewing angles) this will offer some protection.

In a practical sense, it’s not the thinness that’s actually appealing, but the gains it makes in terms of weight. The last iPad Pro wasn’t the lightest and adding a keyboard meant it weighed more than the MacBook Air, If you add the new Magic Keyboard to the 13in tab, it’s noticeably more lightweight – around 150g less in total.

Without the keyboard, the 13in model is 579g, while the 11incher is 444g. For the 2022 refresh, these figures were 682 and 466g.

Apple has moved the camera to the top edge of the tablet. This is much more useful than on the top edge, partly because our finger kept obscuring the camera unit for Face ID with our 2022 model.

The device is available in both silver and space black. We’ve got the space black but teamed it with the white and silver keyboard raher than the black/grey one.

Display: packing an incredible punch

The OLED display (labelled Ultra Retina XDR) is a real stunner. It will be an incredible tool for viewing content with great contrast even though the peak brightness of 1600nits hasn’t increased over the previous generation.

There’s also a nano-texture glass option ($100/£100 extra) for the 1TB and 2TB models should you want it – although we haven’t seen it out of the launch space, this is absolutely stunning to look at with super-low reflectivity even in a bright room.

Performance and key specs

The reworked slab has Apple’s M4 chip on board as opposed to the widely expected six month-old M3 and it’s more graphically capable. It’s 3nm again, but it’s a ‘second generation’ manufacturing process. It’s shockingly powerful for a tablet chip even if multi-core performance doesn’t live up to the hype. The single-core performance scores are quite incredible though, even beats Intel’s top-line Core i9-14900KS.

• Apple iPad Pro OLED vs MacBook Air M3

Naturally, there’s a step up across the board from the M3, but this time there’s a redesigned CPU with extra efficiency cores (6) as well as the neural engine which is 60x faster than Apple’s first neural engine back in 2017’s A11 Bionic. We feel like there have to be more reasons why Apple has stepped forward to M4 rather than using M3 and we reckon we’ll hear more about that at Apple’s developer conference next month.

Software: there has to be more soon

We can’t help but think we’re only getting half the story in terms of the software side with the iPad Pro and Apple surely has to act here. Apple clearly isn’t about to bring macOS to the iPad, even though that’s actually what a lot of people want (or say they want). Instead, we’re faced with a device with software in the form of iPadOS that’s still a smartphone or tablet OS with some multitasking bits tacked on.

Let’s take an example. I got some files emailed to me, some on Google Drive and some on OneDrive which I need to get into Dropbox. On the Mac, I simply open both links in the browser, download them and drag them into Dropbox. On the iPad, I need to export each via the relevant apps and then share it across to the Dropbox app in a lot more steps. It’s not even about multitasking or power – it’s more the logic of working across several apps.

We know there will be new AI-powered elements from Apple’s software side and it’s interesting to hear Apple using AI termology during the iPad Pro’s launch (like Intel’s favoured ‘AI PC’ lingo) to replace the Machine Learning label it has used for years.

Apple says the M4’s Neural Engine is capable of up to 38 trillion operations per second “which is faster than the neural processing unit of any AI PC today… M4 makes the new iPad Pro an outrageously powerful device for artificial intelligence.” More to come here, we feel.

Connectivity and camera: one plus one

Naturally, there’s also support for the latest Wi-Fi 6E standard as well as 5G eSIM with cellular models.  There’s no physical SIM slot. Or a headphone jack for that matter since if you want wired headphones you can just plug them into the USB-C port with an adapter.

In terms of cameras, both front and back are 12MP (back: wide, front: ultrawide). There’s a single camera on the rear now, but it’s joined by a LiDAR scanner and new True Tone flash designed for better document scanning.

Audio playback has always been a strength of the iPad Pro thanks to the quad speakers and that hasn’t changed here despite the thinner design.

Apple Pencil Pro: a welcome addition

The Apple Pencil Pro is also a new and somewhat impressive partner, too. It’s only compatible with the new iPad Air and Pro and it apparently has a new charging architecture, but in reality that capability works very similarly to the existing Pencil 2 (which isn’t compatible with the new devices).

It can be found using Apple FindMy, which is excellent news for those who regularly lose them – it can get knocked off its magnetic base too easily.

• Apple Pencil models compared: which is best for you and your iPad?

The powerful part is that there’s a new sensor in the barrel that you can squeeze. This brings up a tool palette on the display which means you can switch brushes/tools as well as select line weights and colours.

You can also double-press to invoke the eraser. There’s also a gentle haptic engine with a light tap that provides confirmation, too – this all works really well and we found that by the second go we had got used to it.

Rotating the barrel changes the orientation of your selected tool and you can see that on the display with Apple Pencil Hover. If you want a cheaper Pencil, you can also choose the Apple Pencil USB-C but because of the lack of pressure sensitivity, we wouldn’t recommend this unless it’s just for note-taking.

The Magic Keyboard has also been redesigned this time out and it looks a lot better than last time around which marked easily and generally didn’t look like it cost $299/£299. This time around it is still eye-watering in price at $349/£349 but you do get a keyboard that is similar in quality to that on a Mac with a large trackpad to boot.

Apple iPad Pro verdict

As you’d expect, 2024’s iPad Pro makes gains. But the performance gains here are quite staggering. But the question is why has Apple upgraded the Pro quite so much? Is it to take people away from their Macs? Is it to discourage others from even trying to develop tablets? To revive iPad sales? Is it all of the above?

Also, whisper it quietly, but we’re at a stage where the iPad Air also now has an M2 chip and even the base level iPad has a lot to offer, now at a cheaper price point (RIP the home button). The iPad Pro now offers a level of power that most people won’t ever need – it’s for the 1% who design or draft with the Apple Pencil and as such the Pencil Pro is also a serious upgrade for them.

• iPad Pro M4 (2024) vs iPad Air M2 (2024): which should you pick?

Apple is also targeting Pro users who haven’t upgraded from much earlier models, but there has to be more to come in the iPadOS department at Apple’s developer conference next month. Surely there has to be to power up the software to match the terrific power on show here.

Apple iPad Pro tech specs

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Much of the reasoning behind the latter sentiment appears to stem from a kind of false equivalence. The new iPad Pro costs roughly the same as a MacBook Air – and heads rapidly towards MacBook Pro territory once you up the spec and add the new, fancy, wallet-thumping Magic Keyboard to your basket. And the iPad Pro’s innards have an awful lot of crossover with the Mac. They have similar amounts of memory and storage. The same silicon. And that M4 could run macOS without breaking sweat.

The tiny snag: the iPad Pro is not a Mac.

Pro Plus

“Aha”, say the people who reckon that Apple should let you flick a switch and run macOS on the iPad Pro. “You’re not really thinking this through. This is the iPad Pro. Pro is in the name. And I am a Pro. Yet I can’t do all Pro things with my iPad. Nor can I stop writing Pro with a capital letter. Help me. Please. I really can’t stop. Help me.” And so on.

At which point a laundry list of complaints gets spewed across social networks and blogs, like the tech geek output of a particularly heavy Saturday night. The new iPad Pro doesn’t let you write apps. You can’t install any app you want. It’s not terribly customisable. There aren’t utilities for call recording, clipboard management and window management. You can’t create multiple user accounts. There’s not always feature parity with iPad Pro apps that are also on the Mac.

Also, background processes sometimes cease with all the subtlety of a guillotine, which isn’t ideal if you’re almost done exporting a massive video from Final Cut Pro for iPad and have the audacity to use Stage Manager to switch to Mail for half a nanosecond. And that doesn’t happen on the Mac. Hence: the iPad Pro should run macOS.

One Pro to rule them all

Part of me does sympathise. I once wrote that the iPhone 14 I want is the one that makes all my other devices obsolete. And that is still kind of the dream: a single device I always have with me that can instantly optimise itself for different contexts, like the sci-fi offspring of a chameleon and a Transformer. But I’m increasingly keen on devices that do specific things really well. And I’m not sure the iPad Pro running macOS would be such a device.

Any product with such a split personality would lack focus. Inevitably, it wouldn’t be one in which you’d hold out hope of both parts evolving equally significantly and meaningfully. And if neither half of this theoretical Apple flagship tablet didn’t quite do the business, it’d be more iPad Proh-no than iPad Pro.

Which isn’t to say I don’t want change. Many of the shortcomings I mentioned earlier need addressing. But that can be done with realistic, considered changes to policy and software. It doesn’t need Apple to throw in the towel and just give you a big Finder-shaped button that lets you launch macOS on an iPad Pro. Because that would be the very definition of giving up – at which point everyone really would ask: why not just buy a Mac?

• Now read: Good riddance to the iPad Home button – now Apple’s tablet finally fulfils its original vision

• Read more: Best tablet 2024: top-grade tablets for all budgets

During Apple’s “Let Loose” launch event, the tech giant revealed that the 10th-gen iPad is getting a big discount. Its price is now $100/£100 lower than before – and that’s the new retail price. You can now buy the tablet for $349/£349 directly from Apple or other retailers. It’s the cheapest Apple tablet on offer, and it might be the best value buy.

We scored the 10th-gen iPad an impressive four stars out of five in our review. While we thought it was a little expensive at the time, we praised its massive upgrade, move to USB-C, and new design. It’s basically a lite version of the Air. And it’s even more so now. Compared to the latest iPad Air, it’s a few steps down. You don’t get the M2 chipset, nor support for the Apple Pencil Pro or Magic Keyboard. But everything else is almost identical, including the display. And for daily browsing, watching, or reading, the A14 Bionic is more than enough. That’s why I think it’s the new best buy for an iPad.

This Touch ID iPad is the entry-level model, and it runs on the A14 Bionic chipset from the iPhone 12 Pro series. There’s a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2360×1640 resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and Apple’s True Tone technology. Other new features to this iPad include a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 122-degree field of view to support Apple’s Center Stage. The new iPad supports Wi-Fi 6, 5G on cellular models plus there’s USB-C too. The only problem is that it still only supports the 1st-gen Apple Pencil.

• Related: Apple iPad rumors: could the iPad Air get a bigger model? We’ll find out in March

That reminded me of the original iPad. That one was also ‘lovable’. And I still have mine, in an office drawer. (So, um, ‘draw[er]able’? Just go with me here.) And it definitely felt ‘magical’, once it finally arrived in my hands. Which at the time required it to go on an exciting road trip with a courier after an Icelandic volcano inconveniently erupted.

Anyway, the original iPad really did feel like the future. Much like the iPhone, it was designed to effectively ‘become’ the app you were running. And because it had a much larger display than a phone, the scope was much greater. Piano keys in music apps where you didn’t have to file your fingers down to prod them. Large canvases for painting. More space for words when writing or reading.

It was an amazing all-screen device. At least if you ignored the honking great bezels and chunky Home button. And then everything changed.

Go Pro

In 2018, I got an 11in iPad Pro in for review. And it instantly hit me. That original iPad might have been more ‘lovable’, given the characterless slab that was its redesigned successor. But the 2018 model was far more ‘magical’. And that was because the iPad Home button was gone. 

I mean, it wasn’t just because the Home button was gone. But without the requirement to have a thumbable button on the front of the iPad, the device suddenly and for the first time fully represented Apple’s original vision. It ‘became’ the app that was running. Equal bezels meant it didn’t matter which way up you held the tablet. There were now even fewer visual distractions as you waded into the task at hand.

People grumbled. The Home button had long guided everyone and helped them interact with Apple’s touchscreen devices. It was a simple, accessible, friendly way to always return to the Home Screen. And it later became a logical place to add a layer of security, by way of Touch ID. But flicking upwards from the bottom of the display instead soon became second nature. We didn’t need a Home button on a tablet anymore.

Six of it

Yet for six further years, it stuck around anyway, gradually being squeezed out of the iPad line-up like the last dollop of toothpaste. And I’ve no doubt that people will grumble that Apple still hasn’t gone far enough. Even with its fancy new iPad Pro, with its slogan of ‘so powerful it singes your eyebrows’ (possibly – I’ve not read the full press release yet), Apple’s tablet still has bezels. “But surely,” gripe those minimalists during their brief moments not paying homage at the Shrine of Ive, “Apple could feed those bezels to the shredder too?”

Well, no. I’m Team Bezels. I’ve gravitated towards increasingly doing things on an iPad over the years. Music composition. Drawing. Browsing. Games. Writing. And, as I’ve already noted, I don’t want distractions. Remove the bezel and there’s going to be a notch. Ugly. Moreover, there’s no longer going to be a frame. I don’t need what’s on my iPad bleeding into the world around it. It’s not a Vision Pro.

I’m just not Team Bezels That Are Absolutely Huge And House A Home Button. In part because that’s a really long name. But mostly because of the things I’ve said so far. Anyway, how about you now do the same for the iPhone SE, Apple, and ditch its Home button too? It’s more than time.

• Now read: Air today, obsolete tomorrow? But my ancient iPad still has value

• Read more: Apple’s ‘Let Loose’ event: what happened and how to recap

Price and release date

The iPad Pro OLED will be available from 15 May in both 11 and 13in sizes, starting from $999/£999 and $1299/£1299, respectively. In contrast, the MacBook Air M3 edition was released on 8 March 2024, and starts at $1099/£1099 for the 13.6in version, and $1299/£1299 for the 15.3in model.

In short, there’s essentially nothing separating the iPad Pro OLED and MacBook Air M3 in terms of their price tags, which mean that if you’ve got the cash, then either one can be considered. With one pretty major caveat — Apple’s new Magic Keyboard accessory for the new iPad Pro will set you back $299/£299 for the 11in version, and and an even more punchy $349/£349 for the 13in model. If you do want the new iPad Pro to act as a bona fide laptop replacement, then this extra chunk of cash needs to be taken into account, pushing the iPad Pro firmly past its MacBook Air cousin by a good few hundred dollars or pounds more.

Design and portability

And so the true comparison begins. The new iPad Pro OLED models are, naturally, svelter and lighter than their MacBook cousins, given their tablet DNA. But that’s underselling them by a fair amount. The 11in iPad Pro OLED weighs just 444g, and measures 5.3mm thick. The 13in model bumps the weight up to 579g, but measures in at a mere 5.1mm, making it the thinnest Apple device ever made. Even thinner than the iPod Nano.

In contrast, the full-fat laptop form factor of the MacBook Air 13in sees it weigh in at 1.24kg, while measuring 1.13cm. The larger 15in model weighs 1.49kg and is 1.14cm thick. Clearly, in terms of pure portability, the iPad Pro models are ahead by miles, and will be noticeably easier and lighter to carry around. Not that the MacBook Air is a hefty beast by any means (quite the contrary, in fact). It’s just hard for anything to match the sleekness of those shiny iPad Pro models.

Now, it’s also worth mentioning that the new Apple Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro OLED will add some extra weight and thickness to both iPad Pro models. There’s no officially listed weight for the keyboard at the time of writing, but it’s safe to say that even with the additional weight and heft, the iPad Pro definitely wins on the portability front.

Screen

First things first — if you want a minimum of 15 inches for your screen size, then the larger variant of the MacBook Air is the clear choice. Size aside though, there’s no escaping the allure of the new iPad Pro models’ incredible OLED displays, and they beat out the MacBook Air’s screen in practically every aspect.

The MacBook Air’s screen is an LED affair, for a start, so it immediately loses out on true blacks, contrast, and richer colours. Its 2560 x 1664 resolution works out to 224 pixels per inch, and it reaches 500 nits of brightness, with a 60Hz refresh rate. The iPad Pro’s new OLED screens on the other hand, offer 264 pixels per inch for a sharper experience, along with an adaptive refresh rate from 10-120Hz. And while you might have to pixel-peep to notice a difference in resolution, you’ll be blown away by the benefits of OLED — not to mention an insane peak brightness of 1000 nits, or even 1600 nits with HDR content, thanks to Apple’s Tandem OLED technique of essentially stacking two OLED screens together. And if you spring for the higher capacity storage 1TB or 2TB iPad Pro models, you can choose to fork out $100/£100 extra for Apple’s new nano-texture display coating, which reduces distracting reflections from ambient light.

In short, the new iPad Pro’s OLED screen, will be an absolute feast for the eyes, and could be a contender for one of the best device screen experiences, period.

Power and software

Simply put, the new 2024 iteration of the iPad Pro isn’t just the most powerful tablet in the world, but its hardware is so cutting edge, it even outmuscles the 2024 M3 MackBook Air. That’s right, Apple has chosen to debut its M4 processor (its most powerful to date) in the new iPad Pro, which is a major selling point for spec fiends.

Now, we’ve yet to put the iPad Pro through a proper review process, but it would be interesting to see if thermal throttling comes into play given the iPad Pro’s extremely thin chassis. Also, no matter how capable iPadOS 17 is, it can’t match the flexibility, compatibility, and power of a full-blown desktop OS like macOS 14 Sonoma, especially for users who do more than web browse and send emails. If you’re the type to take full advanced of the new Apple Pencil Pro though, then that’s an experience that can’t be replicated in the MacBook Air

Battery life

The new iPad Pro OLED might have won with its portability, screen and power, but it can’t defy the laws of physics — especially with such a ludicrously thin chassis. The 11in and 13in iPad Pro OLED models have a 31.29 and 38.99-watt-hour rechargeable battery, respectively. Apple rates them to last up to 10 hours of web surfing or video watching over Wi-Fi, if you prefer some real-world context.

In contrast, the 13in and 15in MacBook Air variants have the luxury of more room, rocking a 52.6-watt-hour battery. That translates to around 15 hours of wireless web browsing, or up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback, to use the very specific example from Apple’s own site.

Which one should you buy?

While the new iPad Pro has come out on top in most comparisons, the best choice is, ultimately, the one that suits your needs and priorities.

The iPad Pro’s knockout screen is brighter, punchier, and faster than the MacBook Air’s display. It’s one of the most powerful portable devices in the world, and is lighter and easier to carry around. For someone who travels and needs a powerful device to unleash their creativity on-the go (video editors and graphic designers come to mind), then the iPad Pro is the better choice.

If, on the other hand, you’re just after a MacBook for light browsing and simpler use (and think the idea of paying extra for a keyboard seems wasteful), then the MacBook Air is probably the sensible choice. Stay tuned for our full new iPad Pro OLED review.

• Read more: This new iPad Pro is thinner than the iPod Nano and the best-performing tablet around

The OLED display (labelled Ultra Retina XDR) is a real stunner and although it was difficult to get a proper impression under bright lights, it clearly was super bright and will be an incredible tool for viewing content with great contrast even though the peak brightness of 1600nits hasn’t increased over the previous generation.

What is particularly stunning is just how thin the iPad Pro is. It was pretty thin anyway, but the new 13 incher (no, not 12.9 anymore but 13) clocks in at a mere 5.1mm. It’s the thinnest product Apple has ever made, even more so than the iPad nano. Remarkable.

There’s also a nano-texture glass option for the 1TB and 2TB models should you want it – this is absolutely stunning to look at with super-low reflectivity even in a bright room.

There’s an 11in model as well still and both are available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB versions.

The reworked slab has Apple’s M4 chip on board as opposed to the widely expected M3 and it’s more graphically capable – it’s 3nm again, but it’s a ‘second generation’ manufacturing process. There’s a step up with this chip across the board, but there’s a redesigned CPU with extra efficiency cores as well as the neural engine.

And it’s 1.5x faster than M2 as well. But we feel like there have to be more reasons why Apple has stepped forward to M4 rather than using M3 and we reckon we’ll hear more about that at Apple’s developer conference next month.

We know there will be new AI-powered elements from Apple’s software side and it’s interesting to hear Apple using AI termology (like the AI PC) to replace the Machine Learning lingo it has used for years. In its press release the company says :M4 has Apple’s fastest Neural Engine ever, capable of up to 38 trillion operations per second, which is faster than the neural processing unit of any AI PC today… M4 makes the new iPad Pro an outrageously powerful device for artificial intelligence.” More to come here, we feel.

• Apple Pencil models compared: which is best for you and your iPad?

Even more Pro-level Pencil

The Apple Pencil Pro is also a new and somewhat impressive partner, too. It’s only compatible with the new iPad Air and Pro and it apparently has a new charging architecture, but in reality that capability works very similarly to the existing Pencil 2. It can be found using Apple FindMy, which is excellent news though!

The powerful part is that there’s a new sensor in the barrel that you can squeeze. This brings up a tool palette on the display that means you can switch brushes/tools as well as select line weights and colours. You can also double press to invoke the eraser. There’s also a gentle haptic engine with a light tap that provides confirmation, too – this all works really well and we found that by the second go we had got used to it.

Rotating the barrel changes the orientation of your selected tool and you can see that on the display with Apple Pencil Hover. If you want a cheaper Pencil, you can also choose the Apple Pencil USB-C, but because of the lack of pressure sensitivity, we’re not sure we’d recommend this unless it’s just for note-taking.

• Apple’s AI is coming: could a Siri successor arrive at WWDC in June?

Here’s what was announced at Apple’s ‘Let Loose’ event:

Features

I got my hands on the iPad Pro OLED and Pencil Pro – here’s why you’ll need to have it

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This new iPad Pro is thinner than the iPod Nano and the best performing tablet around

11in and 13in models pack the latest M4 chipset and a slate of other refinements

7 May 2024 / 15:14 BST7 May 2024 / 16:36 BST

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Apple’s new iPad Air now comes in a larger 13-inch model with a landscape camera

It’s a refresh to the iPad Air, packing in performance upgrades thanks to M2, and other refinements across the board

7 May 2024 / 15:07 BST7 May 2024 / 16:24 BST

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This is the new Apple Pencil Pro for iPad, with major new features

The Apple Pencil Pro would be the first “pro” stylus, with added features like squeeze gestures and an eraser

7 May 2024 / 15:34 BST7 May 2024 / 16:24 BST

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Here are all the AI features that Apple showed yesterday

These AI features came alongside new iPads from Apple, and give us a taste of what’s to come from the tech giant later this year.

7 May 2024 / 15:40 BST8 May 2024 / 08:21 BST

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Apple Pencil models compared: which is best for you and your iPad?

Everything you need to know about Apple’s iPad styluses

7 May 2024 / 16:14 BST7 May 2024 / 16:14 BST

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iPad Pro M4 (2024) vs iPad Air M2 (2024): which should you pick?

Apple’s newest iPads are out, but which should you go for? If you go Pro you get a new chipset, but the Air is more affordable

7 May 2024 / 16:53 BST7 May 2024 / 16:53 BST

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Now the iPad Pro is so skinny, might we see another Bendgate?

The newest iPad Pros are Apple’s thinnest devices ever. And that’s great, but I’m worried about them being a bit too thin

7 May 2024 / 17:42 BST7 May 2024 / 17:42 BST

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Apple iPad Pro OLED vs MacBook Air M3

Apple’s thinnest and most powerful tablet to date, takes on its laptop cousin

7 May 2024 / 21:42 BST8 May 2024 / 08:30 BST

Watch/recap the Apple Event here

The Let Loose event was streamed online, and you can watch it in its entirety below. Alternatively, you can go to Apple’s site or watch it directly on YouTube. You can also rewatch the event straight from the Apple TV app on any Apple device.

Our original article continues below

Apple certainly seems to believe today’s event will bring new impetus to the iPad lineup. During Apple’s latest earnings call on 2 May, CEO Tim Cook suggested that there would be “an exciting product announcement next week and an incredible Worldwide Developers Conference next month.” Apple is expected to announce plenty of AI-infused software at the latter, though there have been some rumors we could get some AI-driven enhancements today.

Perhaps more important is that during the earnings call Apple said it expected double-digit growth in iPad revenue over the next quarter – meaning it expects some huge take-up for the new models.

What to expect from the Let Loose event

An iPad Pro OLED is nailed on

The biggest announcement will likely be two new iPad Pro models. They’ll come with the recent M3 chip, OLED displays with ProMotion, thinner bezels, a matte screen option, and a landscape-oriented front camera (like the 10th-gen iPad). There have been some rumors that Apple will upgrade it to an as-yet unannounced M4 chip, though that seems a little bit of a pipedream. Apple won’t upgrade for the sake of it.

There has been some suggestion that there might be some kind of Apple AI announcement too. This seems like it will be left for Apple’s annual developer conference (WWDC) in early June but it’s possible we might get some kind of iPad Pro-exclusive feature tease to go along with the Apple Pencil reveal I’ve talked more about below.

Surely there will be an iPad Air (6th generation)

I also expect to see two new iPad Air models. They’re set to get the M2 chip (not M3) as well as the same landscape-oriented front camera as the iPad Pro. Some reports suggest it’s getting bigger – with a new 12.9-inch display which will match the screen size on the iPad Pro. Otherwise I’d expect it to be similar in appearance to the current model. It may get Face ID as that feature starts to trickle down the range.

Will there be a new iPad mini?

Rumors suggest it’s unlikely we’ll get an iPad mini refresh, but the last one was in 2021 and it is entirely possible that Apple may choose to debut a 7th genration of the device with a new chip but not a new design. I’m thinking it won’t be now, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it did appear.

‘Squeezable’ Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard

There will also be new iPad accessories including a brand new Apple Pencil which could add to (or simplify?) an already confusing range of pencils. Rumors suggest it may have a new ‘squeeze’ gesture for certain actions and presumably, this could be user-customisable. It also seems nailed on that it will support visionOS to control the Apple Vision Pro headset.

This new Pencil will be a big deal, since it’s shown in the invite graphic as I mentioned earlier. I’dalso expect a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro with an aluminium enclosure and larger trackpad. The previous Magic Keyboard is costly but doesn’t look enough of a premium product – will it be different this time around?

Wider Vision Pro availability?

There may also be an announcement of the Vision Pro coming to other countries outside of the US – I have been expecting this earlier in 2024 and it seems timely.

We’ll be bringing you all the latest news and views from the launch later today – it’ll be time to let loose!

• Related: Apple Pencil 4 rumours: what’s next for Apple’s smart stylus?