iPad Pro Looking for people’s experiences with the new higher spec M4 iPad Pro with 16GB RAM - Updated with real world results

[Allen_Wentz]

I’m looking for some feedback from those who bought the new iPad Pro M4 10 core model with 16gb RAM. Are you noticing any tangible benefits?

I initially bought the base 256gb model (11”) but was so in love with it but I’ve placed an order for the 1TB version (standard glass) and plan on returning the base model. I use Logic Pro (a lot) and could do with the increased storage, and wanted to know if others are seeing any benefits from having the extra core and the 16gb Ram, not necessarily using Logic Pro, but with any use case / work flow.

Thanks!

Edit: I’m back with some real world testing for my use case, and some other general tests that may interest people.

I picked up the 1TB M4 11” this morning and have been able to directly compare it to the 11” M4 base model, which I’ve using since launch.

I started the tests after i had restored all my apps, settings, etc so it was identical to the base model in terms of what was installed. Both iPads were on airplane mode, with no other apps open, on the same brightness. However it was likely the 1TB was still indexing the background, so I will try some of these again tomorrow.

I exported some rather large Logic Pro files (using the exact same export settings). These projects are about 30 mins in length, are very complex with multiple tracks and lots of plugins (some are much more complex than others.) Results are below:


iPad Pro M4 11” 256GB (8GB RAM) 9 cores - 3 performance, 6 efficiency.

Export times (in minutes and seconds):

File 1: 05:19
File 2: 04:32
File 3: 04:45
File 4: 04:09
File 5: 01:58
File 6: 01:32

iPad Pro M4 1TB (16GB RAM) 10 cores - 4 performance cores, 6 efficiency

Export times (in minutes and seconds):

File 1: 04:41 (- 38secs)
File 2: 03:59 (- 33 secs)
File 3: 04:24 (- 21 secs)
File 4: 04:05 ( - 4 secs)
File 5: 01:39 (-19 secs)
File 6: 01:21 (-11 secs)

I did the tests a number of times and the results were consistent.


For reference, I also exported 2 of the files using Logic Pro on a MacBook Pro M1 with 16GB RAM (10 cores - 8 performance, 2 efficiency)

Export times (in minutes and seconds):

File 1: 05:57
File 4: 04:46

Other observations.

I loaded the same 20 tabs on safari on both iPads, and opened other apps like News, a video player, Music, Logic Pro, Weather, etc. I noticed that apps opened consistently quicker on the 16GB model (individual projects on Logic Pro opened quicker too). While the 256GB had to reload apps like Logic Pro after switching to a few different apps, the 16GB model didn’t. The tabs in safari needed to reload on the 256GB model more often too, and never reloaded on the 1TB model.

Incidentally I didn’t notice any ‘grain’ others have reported, either on the 256GB model, and I’m not seeing this on the 1TB model either, and I’ve tested it in a dark room at low brightness.

SSD Speed:

JazzDisk returned the following sequential results for the 1TB model:

Read: 2844.44 MB/s
Write: 2226.09 MB/s

Compared to the following for the 256GB model:

Read: 1656.96 MB/s
Write: 1395.10 MB/s

Edit 2:

After using the the 1TB model for 24 hours and switching back to the base model, the differences in using the higher spec version feel marginal in day-to-day use, and are not substantial enough to me to warrant spending the extra £600, so its likely the 1TB model will be going back.

Thanks for making the effort reporting your tests; much appreciated.

Your empirical observations are about what I would expect at time zero software-wise: observable but not huge. As OS and app designers take more advantage of RAM and mass storage I expect the differential between those two M4 devices to increase. However they are both M4, so for your described usages they may remain not substantial enough to me to warrant spending the extra £600. For other usages involving heavy processing and/or usage of AI the RAM difference may become quite substantive.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Would love to have that too.

Solely for the purpose of scanning Windows malware/virus so I don't pass them from incoming windows machine to outgoing windows machine.

Be ccareful what you wish for. AV apps on Mac usually create far more problems than they solve.

 

[iF34R]

I’m back with some real world testing for my use case, and some other general tests that may interest people (I’ve also added this info to my original post at the start of this thread ).

I picked up the 1TB M4 11” this morning and have been able to directly compare it to the 11” M4 base model, which I’ve using since launch.

I started the tests after i had restored all my apps, settings, etc so it was identical to the base model in terms of what was installed. Both iPads were on airplane mode, with no other apps open, on the same brightness. However it was likely the 1TB was still indexing the background, so I will try some of these again tomorrow.

I exported some rather large Logic Pro files (using the exact same export settings). These projects are about 30 mins in length, are very complex with multiple tracks and lots of plugins (some are much more complex than others.) Results are below:


iPad Pro M4 11” 256GB (8GB RAM) 9 cores - 3 performance 6 efficiency.

Export times (in minutes and seconds):

File 1: 05:19
File 2: 04:32
File 3: 04:45
File 4: 04:09
File 5: 01:58
File 6: 01:32


iPad Pro M4 1TB (16GB RAM) 10 cores - 4 performance cores, 6 efficiency

Export times (in minutes and seconds):

File 1: 04:41 (- 38secs)
File 2: 03:59 (- 33 secs)
File 3: 04:24 (- 21 secs)
File 4: 04:05 ( - 4 secs)
File 5: 01:39 (-19 secs)
File 6: 01:21 (-11 secs)

I did the tests a number of times and the results were consistent.

For reference, I also exported 2 of the files using Logic Pro on a MacBook Pro M1 with 16GB RAM (10 cores - 8 performance 2 efficiency)

Export times (in minutes and seconds):

File 1: 05:57
File 4: 04:46

Other observations.

I loaded the same 20 tabs on safari on both iPads, and opened other apps like News, a video player, Music, Logic Pro, Weather, etc. I noticed that apps opened consistently quicker on the 16GB model (individual projects on Logic Pro opened quicker too). While the 256GB had to reload apps like Logic Pro after switching to a few different apps, the 16GB model didn’t. The tabs in safari needed to reload on the 256GB model more often too, and never reloaded on the 1TB model.

Incidentally I didn’t notice any ‘grain’ others have reported, either on the 256GB model, and I’m not seeing this on the 1TB model either, and I’ve tested it in a dark room at low brightness.

SSD Speed:

JazzDisk returned the following sequential results for the 1TB model:

Read: 2844.44 MB/s
Write: 2226.09 MB/s

Compared to the following for the 256GB model:

Read: 1656.96 MB/s
Write: 1395.10 MB/s

That write speed of 2226.09MB/s is on the 11" 1TB M4? I haven't seen higher than 13xxMB/s on mine.

 

[NewOldStock]

You write how bad things are then you buy one.

 

[Gelam]

Be ccareful what you wish for. AV apps on Mac usually create far more problems than they solve.

That is true. I have to elaborate.

I only encourage virus scanners that are passive (scan on demand) and does not run in the background.
I have been using Bitdefender since 2018, purchased and downloaded from the app store. It runs only when I open the app, and I only have it scan the download folder when I download new files. It does not meddle with any other system other than that. (note that I never enable its live protection feature)

Now that is the only virus scanner that meets my criteria (light and unintrusive). I fear there will be no more such options in the future as all the others have bloated crap and sinks its roots deep in the OS.

 

[Macintosh101]

That write speed of 2226.09MB/s is on the 11" 1TB M4? I haven't seen higher than 13xxMB/s on mine.

According to Jazzdisk yes. I returned mine however and stuck with the base model.

 

[iF34R]

According to Jazzdisk yes. I returned mine however and stuck with the base model.

Interesting. Wonder why mine would be that much slower.

 

[nappes]

Interesting. Wonder why mine would be that much slower.

I don’t think it’s just yours. Goto here https://www.jazzdiskbench.com/resultsbrowser and type in iPad16,3

The average across 80 recorded samples is ~1450

 

[Bubble99]

We still arguing over these semantics of iOS app memory use limitations. lol

There is lot of 2 GB RAM and 3 GB of RAM iPads out in wiled so Apple can’t up the RAM usage.

 

[EugW]

There is lot of 2 GB RAM and 3 GB of RAM iPads out in wiled so Apple can’t up the RAM usage.

RAM allocation would be different on different models.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

You write how bad things are then you buy one.

I mean, like it or not, these things are kind of the best tablets money can buy. I feel it's fair to point out the obvious and arbitrary shortfalls of the best tablet on the market.

 

[iF34R]

I don’t think it’s just yours. Goto here https://www.jazzdiskbench.com/resultsbrowser and type in iPad16,3

The average across 80 recorded samples is ~1450

It's odd, and I'm not sure how much I'm going to wonder about it. I get much better write speeds in other disk benchmark apps. Disk Test (from app store) with a 500MB file test, write is 4663MB/s while read is 952MB/s. 1GB file is 3757/1311 respectively. 3GB: 3279/1800. 10GB 3144/2081. Antutu shows 3408MB/s read and 3403MB/s write.

 

[garethjs]

And how much is due to the faster SSDs...

Yup they should compare the 512gb with 8gb to the 1tb models with 16gb to rule out SSD speeds

 

[nappes]

It's odd, and I'm not sure how much I'm going to wonder about it. I get much better write speeds in other disk benchmark apps. Disk Test (from app store) with a 500MB file test, write is 4663MB/s while read is 952MB/s. 1GB file is 3757/1311 respectively. 3GB: 3279/1800. 10GB 3144/2081. Antutu shows 3408MB/s read and 3403MB/s write.

I couldn't live with it, I'm saving the money and moving to the 512GB...and then spending half the savings on cellular. I didn't need 1TB that strongly and I can't make my m1 iPad Pro reload safari tabs in my usual use

 

[profdraper]

Blatant manipulation. Any other Apple computing device allows us to configure cpu and ram for a base model at the point of purchase. In this single case we‘re required to escalate all the way to a 1TB model & also to ask for a matt screen? Please. Rip off, greedy Apple.

Also quite possibly, they can’t make enough fully functioning chips & bin many that end up in the 256Gb models; the few that fully work are in the higher end models. If so, perhaps we’ll see some more common sense a bit later once chip production is more refined & stable.

 

[gusping]

Blatant manipulation. Any other Apple computing device allows us to configure cpu and ram for a base model at the point of purchase. In this single case we‘re required to escalate all the way to a 1TB model & also to ask for a matt screen? Please. Rip off, greedy Apple.

Also quite possibly, they can’t make enough fully functioning chips & bin many that end up in the 256Gb models; the few that fully work are in the higher end models. If so, perhaps we’ll see some more common sense a bit later once chip production is more refined & stable.

At least they are more 'open' with this information that previous generations where it was all hidden. Still, until iPad OS is actually useful for productivity tasks the binning isn't an issue for me.