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iPad Pro Did you upgrade from an 11-inch M1/M2 1TB+ to an 11-inch M4 1TB+ iPad Pro? How much faster/more snappy is the M4 iPP?

M

Mity

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 1, 2014
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I'm trying to decide between the 11" 1TB M2 iPad Pro Cellular from Best Buy for $1165 including tax and the 11" 1TB M4 iPad Pro Cellular for $1763 including tax at Amazon.

M2 https://support.apple.com/en-us/111842
M4 https://support.apple.com/en-us/119892

Here are the main items that I considered (green = improvement, red = deterioration):

M2 iPad Pro 1TBM4 iPad Pro 1TB
ScreenIPS LCD, 264ppiOLED, 264ppi
Thunderboltv3, 40GB/sv3, 40GB/s
Microphones5 studio-quality microphones4 studio-quality microphones

Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes
SpeakersExcellent???Tinny
WiFi / Cellular6E / sub-6 Ghz + mmWave6E / sub-6 Ghz only
Bluetooth5.35.3
SIMeSIM + 1 physical nanoSIMeSIM
Magic KeyboardGood???Excellent
Years since release (as of 2024 Nov 3)20.5
Expected obsolete date
(7 years of support)		2029 Oct 242031 May 14

If you ignore the price difference between the two, the only other major factor left is the experience of the M4 vs the M2. Unfortunately, I haven't had the two side-by-side so I can't do a direct comparison. At the Apple Store, I did notice that the M4 opened apps very quickly and was extremely snappy but again without the M2 iPP next to it, I can't say for certain by how much.

For me, I think the most important items are the keyboard and overall snappiness/speed and WiF-7 (the latter which neither has). I tried out the 2024 Magic Keyboard and it's great. I've never tried the 2022 Magic Keyboard.

If you had the M1/M2 1TB or 2TB models and you upgraded to the M4 1TB or 2TB model did the experience meet your expectations or not? Meaning, would you still upgrade and why? OLED? Speed? Keyboard?

Edit: I ended up paying for a premium Best Buy membership and I now have almost 60 days to return the M2 11" if I decide to opt for the M4 11". But so far, there's nothing the M2 can't do. I may wait for WiFi-7 to upgrade.
 
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bloomfeld

bloomfeld

macrumors member
Mar 1, 2006
71
72
Europe, Berlin, Germany
Switched from 11-inch M1 to 11-inch M4 this year. Main driver was the OLED screen, and I haven't been disappointed so far. Performance wise, I don't use too many apps that even stress the M1, so no change perceived in this regard.

I got the magic keyboard for the M1 as I fell for the "iPad is the new laptop" narrative. But I rarely used it, so the upgrade was an opportunity to sell it and to go with the Pencil Pro instead.

EDIT: yes, the speakers of the M4 iPad are bad. Listening to audiobooks and podcasts was much more fun with the M1.
 
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DougFNJ

DougFNJ

macrumors 65816
Jan 22, 2008
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I had the M1 2 TB 11”. I upgraded this year primarily for that OLED display and the Nano-Texture.

The only thing I miss from the M1 is the Keyboard Folio. Outside of that, I’ve felt M4 is a true upgrade.

M4 vs M1 chips, I don’t think it’s possible to push either to their max with my use scenario, so that was a push.

Battery life advertised ratings are the same on both, but I’ve been finding much better battery life on my M4, I think that’s likely one of the advantages of the chip efficiency.

Thinner and lighter, I do feel the difference as I walk around with the iPad doing drawings for projects and don’t find the fatigue of holding it at all.

Display is outstanding. Colors pop more, the nano texture absorbs so much more light, and working with it outside in the bright sun between the increased nits and the matte finish is awesome. I also do feel a slight difference when using the pencil on the Nano Texture, it’s doesn’t feel as much like writing in glass.

I like the Pencil Pro a lot more, can make more changes on the fly with the Taptics and options on the fly, it’s very convenient.

I have both the folio case and Keyboard. The keyboard is excellent to type on, but I do miss the convenience and portability of the Keyboard Folio, I really hope an aftermarket company can release similar, I didn’t like the Logitech.

The camera location is better in landscape, I don’t feel like I’m looking at the side of the screen anymore.

Only 2 cons I’ve felt is as mentioned, the lack of Keyboard Folio, and the speakers are not as good.
 
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dawnrazor

dawnrazor

macrumors 6502
Jan 16, 2008
422
310
Auckland New Zealand
I have just upgraded from a 2021 M1 12.9” IPP to a 2024 11” M4 IPP….

I didn’t really intend to do this, but the battery on my M1 IPP was at 82% and would need replacing soon as it wasn’t lasting very long at all, also I was finding the 12.9” screen a bit big. I had originally. got it because I thought it would replace my laptop. This turned out not to be the case and I found having two computers with a similar sized screen was not ideal… I was offered a very good trade in price… so I jumped down to the 11” M4 IPP… I was expecting the screen to be a big improvement and it is, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so noticeably faster and snappier… The M4 IPP just flies, hard to quiet believe it.

Now I will admit the 11” is taking a bit of time to get used to, got the keyboard as well and that feels a little cramped, but happy so far… the weight saving makes the 11” IPP so much more portable and useful…
 
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Blowback

Blowback

macrumors 65816
Jan 10, 2018
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dawnrazor said:
I have just upgraded from a 2021 M1 12.9” IPP to a 2024 11” M4 IPP….

I didn’t really intend to do this, but the battery on my M1 IPP was at 82% and would need replacing soon as it wasn’t lasting very long at all, also I was finding the 12.9” screen a bit big. I had originally. got it because I thought it would replace my laptop. This turned out not to be the case and I found having two computers with a similar sized screen was not ideal… I was offered a very good trade in price… so I jumped down to the 11” M4 IPP… I was expecting the screen to be a big improvement and it is, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so noticeably faster and snappier… The M4 IPP just flies, hard to quiet believe it.

Now I will admit the 11” is taking a bit of time to get used to, got the keyboard as well and that feels a little cramped, but happy so far… the weight saving makes the 11” IPP so much more portable and useful…
Click to expand...
Is the file transfer from the Old to the New the same as with an iPhone? Or how?
 
Blowback

Blowback

macrumors 65816
Jan 10, 2018
1,306
736
VA
dawnrazor said:
I have just upgraded from a 2021 M1 12.9” IPP to a 2024 11” M4 IPP….

I didn’t really intend to do this, but the battery on my M1 IPP was at 82% and would need replacing soon as it wasn’t lasting very long at all, also I was finding the 12.9” screen a bit big. I had originally. got it because I thought it would replace my laptop. This turned out not to be the case and I found having two computers with a similar sized screen was not ideal… I was offered a very good trade in price… so I jumped down to the 11” M4 IPP… I was expecting the screen to be a big improvement and it is, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so noticeably faster and snappier… The M4 IPP just flies, hard to quiet believe it.

Now I will admit the 11” is taking a bit of time to get used to, got the keyboard as well and that feels a little cramped, but happy so far… the weight saving makes the 11” IPP so much more portable and useful…
Click to expand...
Any of the OLED screen issues 'noted' when they first came out that you've noticed?
 
dawnrazor

dawnrazor

macrumors 6502
Jan 16, 2008
422
310
Auckland New Zealand
Mity said:
Grainy display. Green color.
www.macrumors.com

OLED iPad Pro Users Report 'Grainy' Displays, But It May Not Be a Defect

Some new M4 iPad Pro models are exhibiting a visible static grain pattern across the OLED display, according to several user reports on Reddit (1, 2,...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
Click to expand...
nope nothing like that to report… clean and smooth and I run it in dark mode around 50% brightness is plenty bright for me and I see no reason to run an OLED at 100% for any length of time anyway… thate asking for trouble on any OLED panel….
 
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