iPad Pro M1 vs M2 iPad Pros

[GMShadow]

Definitely not upgrading from my 2021 iPad Pro. I was not expecting to, but I am surprised at how minimal this upgrade is. No wonder this was not event material

Also, why the iPad Pro didn’t get landscape cameras and a Magic Keyboard with a function row? Two things that the iPad nothing gets but that the Pros are not, which is a non sense for me

I'm guessing they'll redesign the MKB when they redo the iPad Pro with the rumored four pin Smart Connector that'll allow data + power. That will likely bring the new camera as well.

The sad part is those of us on 2018/2020 iPads Pro also have no compelling reason to upgrade. I want the better display for watching movies, but it would have required something more. Even moving the camera to landscape like they did for iPad 10 would have been enough of a QOL upgrade to convince me, and they didn't bother.

I could see someone with a 2018 wanting a fresh battery or more RAM, but yeah, the 2020 models are a harder sell, especially with M1 units being cleared out at a discount (with refurbs presumably around the corner).

 

[thadoggfather]

Seeing a trend here this year

iPhone 13 to 14 almost nothing (the iPhone pro’s are pretty sweet though tbh)
S7 to S8 also almost nothing if you don’t need the menstrual cycle tracking thing

While technically “something” with
M1 iPad Pro to m2 iPad Pro
Atv4k 2021 a12 to atv4k a15

Practically no difference in practice

If you blinked you woulda missed all these new releases

M1 isn’t even being remotely tapped as it is and M2 is not a huge leap in macs

 

[yepp]

Very minor upgrade for current M1 Pro users.

Apple, at least, should have bumped up the ram to 12gb/24gb. I bet, some of us would be willing to upgrade then.

 

[ipos]

if I do not have any iPad, between M1 and M2 model, I might be going for M1 model. 2 Reasons, cheaper and secondly, M2 models seem to have issue with heat. M1 will be a safer bet.

 

[lcseds]

if I do not have any iPad, between M1 and M2 model, I might be going for M1 model. 2 Reasons, cheaper and secondly, M2 models seem to have issue with heat. M1 will be a safer bet.

Where in the world did you read about "heat issues" with the M2?? Please cite a few examples of real world testing that describes the "heat issue". I see nothing but spec "reviews", no real world usage.

 

[yepp]

if I do not have any iPad, between M1 and M2 model, I might be going for M1 model. 2 Reasons, cheaper and secondly, M2 models seem to have issue with heat. M1 will be a safer bet.

True. I would also add better battery life for M1. M2 runs at higher clock speed on the same 5nm architecture while new iPad retains the same exact battery capacity.

 

[Johnny365]

iPads have all had the "all-day battery life" since the very first one. That is, 10 hour mark.

 

[TracerAnalog]

The sad part is those of us on 2018/2020 iPads Pro also have no compelling reason to upgrade. I want the better display for watching movies, but it would have required something more. Even moving the camera to landscape like they did for iPad 10 would have been enough of a QOL upgrade to convince me, and they didn't bother.

This year’s update feels like a stopgap before they introduce some real new features next time around… OLED, new (landscape) camera system, wireless charging (?).

 

[TracerAnalog]

iPads have all had the "all-day battery life" since the very first one. That is, 10 hour mark.

Which I never make with the Magic Keyboard and pencil attached…

 

[Devyn89]

Where in the world did you read about "heat issues" with the M2?? Please cite a few examples of real world testing that describes the "heat issue". I see nothing but spec "reviews", no real world usage.

M2 MacBook Air reviews talked about this a lot; one supposes, given the thinner chasis, the issue would also come up on the iPad Pro even more so than the MacBook Air. Time will tell but it‘s a logically consistent conclusion to reach given what we know at this moment in time.

 

[jclardy]

Personally I would just try and find an M1, the price difference is so enormous. I can’t see them dropping support for the M1 for a while.

M1 won't be dropped before this M2 generation...given the base iPad is running an A14. So basically it just got it's lifespan boosted by a year (Forgoing Apple just cutting off support arbitrarily, which unfortunately is no longer beneath them.)

 

[alFR]

So I'm rocking a 2017 9.7 iPad Pro. So tech wise, today's new iPads are a huge jump. But... there is a 25% increase on UK pricing compared to literally 24 hours ago. So now I'm stuck between snapping up a 256GB 12.9" M1 at around £1050 or the M2 at £1369. I do intend on keeping this for 5-6 years too so I'm still tempted by an M2 for better future proofing? Maybe. Aaaahh, i don't know!

Kind of in the same boat here: I was going to buy a M1 IPP last year but was waiting to see if they trickled-down the mini LED panel to the 11” this year. No luck on that, but i didn’t want to wait another 18mo for the rumoured OLED upgrade (my 2017 10.5 is dying, white patch on screen and battery well past its best) so I was going to buy an 11” M2 1TB cellular through the education store. However, I found a heavily-discounted M1 11” 2TB cellular on Amazon for £440 less than the education price for the M2 I was going to buy so ordered that. Do you think that’s a better buy or should I just suck up the extra cost and get the M2 I was originally going to get? I don’t need the extra storage I’m getting with the M1 but would like to hang on to this for a while so thinking along the same lines as you. I guess partly it’s just me thinking “the M1 is cheaper but it’s not the latest model”…

 

[darngooddesign]

Kind of in the same boat here: I was going to buy a M1 IPP last year but was waiting to see if they trickled-down the mini LED panel to the 11” this year. No luck on that, but i didn’t want to wait another 18mo for the rumoured OLED upgrade (my 2017 10.5 is dying, white patch on screen and battery well past its best) so I was going to buy an 11” M2 1TB cellular through the education store. However, I found a heavily-discounted M1 11” 2TB cellular on Amazon for £440 less than the education price for the M2 I was going to buy so ordered that. Do you think that’s a better buy or should I just suck up the extra cost and get the M2 I was originally going to get? I don’t need the extra storage I’m getting with the M1 but would like to hang on to this for a while so thinking along the same lines as you. I guess partly it’s just me thinking “the M1 is cheaper but it’s not the latest model”…

The M1 will be good for you.

 

[Lakersfan74]

M2, WIFi 6E and pencil hover are the main new features

 

[Tooks2089]

Well. We bought both and will enjoy

 

[Macalway]

I'm planning on getting the best one. Not the cheapest one, or the discounted one, or the 'virtually the exact same one'

I think the new ones have important new features. The M2 is a tangible upgrade also.

A lot of complaints about this upgrade. It's just a bump really, and a good one.

 

[slplss]

Worse yet, only the iPad Gen 10 gets a landscape FaceTime camera and awesome new Magic Keyboard Folio (and gets hobbled with the Pencil 1) - what the heck is Apple thinking/smoking?

You’d expect Pro devices to always get new features first...
Magic keyboard with functions keys: first on base iPad.
Centered camera: first on base iPad.
iPhone 14 Pro USB-C: no, but base iPad gets it.

 

[SoYoung]

This year is like the 2020 iPad Pros with the A12Z chip. Minimal upgrade, only a processor upgrade year. Of course it makes no sense for M1 owners to upgrade and we can say the same for the iPhone 14 and 14 Pros over the 13 series.

Its just one of those year and with both the smartphones and tablet market being mature since a good 3-5 years, we can expect more and more years like this in the near future.

 

[darngooddesign]

You’d expect Pro devices to always get new features first...

Depends on the feature and whether that feature required a redesign.

Magic keyboard with functions keys: first on base iPad.

It's a keyboard, but not an iPad Magic Keyboard (which is that floating design) despite what Apple calls it.

Centered camera: first on base iPad.

Every iPad has had centered keyboard. The iPad Pros didn't get a redesign which is why they didn't get a landscape one. I bet next year's Pro redesign will be nice and come with a landscape camera.

If the choices at this time are Portrait Camera and Pencil 2 or Landscape Camera and Pencil 1, I'll choose the Portrait Camera.

iPhone 14 Pro USB-C: no, but base iPad gets it.

Since you're just mentioning devices with Pro in their name... the MacBook Pro has always had Fn keys and have had USB-C since 2016.

 

[slplss]

Depends on the feature and whether that feature required a redesign.

It's a keyboard, but not an iPad Magic Keyboard (which is that floating design) despite what Apple calls it.

Every iPad has had centered keyboard. The iPad Pros didn't get a redesign which is why they didn't get a landscape one. I bet next year's Pro redesign will be nice and come with a landscape camera.

If the choices at this time are Portrait Camera and Pencil 2 or Landscape Camera and Pencil 1, I'll choose the Portrait Camera.

Since you're just mentioning devices with Pro in their name... the MacBook Pro has always had Fn keys and have had USB-C since 2016.

My poor grey matter, what did I read?
1. Of course it depends. Define require.
2. IMO it’s better than the "true" MK already. Function keys+detachable keyboard. Similar to Logi Combo Touch I use.
3. Of course I mean landscape centered. No iPad had a front camera in a corner.
4. It should had both. But Apple saves where it can.
5. ?

 

[Isamilis]

Definitely not worth it for me at £250 more than last year's model, and I'm on a 2020 iPad Pro with the A12z (I think).

Second this. Even for non-M1 owner, difference between processor only, M1 vs M2 isn‘t worth for £250.

 

[darngooddesign]

My poor grey matter, what did I read?
1. Of course it depends. Define require.
2. IMO it’s better than the "true" MK already. Function keys+detachable keyboard. Similar to Logi Combo Touch I use.
3. Of course I mean landscape centered. No iPad had a front camera in a corner.
4. It should had both. But Apple saves where it can.
5. ?

Do you really not know what "requires" means?

 

[slplss]

Do you really not know what "requires" means?

The definition of the word, yes. Don’t understand why you and Apple think not upgrading their Pro line this year to match 2 level lower line of iPads is OK. Some other features they could save for M3- more miniLED dimming zones/OLED, Thunderbolt 5…

 

[darngooddesign]

The definition of the word, yes. Don’t understand why you and Apple think not upgrading their Pro line this year to match 2 level lower line of iPads is OK. Some other features they could save for M3- more miniLED dimming zones/OLED, Thunderbolt 5…

Meh, there is always an offset of features and performance. When the A14 Air was released it was faster in single-core than the A12Z Pro, and then a year later the M1 Pros were faster. This isn't the big crisis you are making it into.

There isn't space above the metal bracket that holds the Face ID array, and the array components which are as thick as the iPad, for the existing Pencil charger, and Apple knows that its awful fans and critics would fixate on the Pencil2 not being centered if they simply put it next to the bracket. The most likely solution is to have smaller chargers on either side of the bracket which then requires a Pencil-3. Apple is probably waiting until the M3 Pro a year from now to improve the screen and redesign the internals to accomodate the new charger location.

If Apple give the M2 landscape camera, and then rolled out OLED next year, everyone who upgraded for the camera would be complaining to high heaven about planned obsolescence and how intentionally spacing the upgrades is customer-hostile.

So just wait a year.

 

[judyg951]

Honestly I really didn't NEED to order a new iPP. My current machine is 4 years old and for what I use it for, reading, playing games and watching movies its fine, but..... by getting the new one, my husband will take over the current one (in as new condition) so he gets a huge upgrade from his 6 year old iPad and I get the new one. He told me he loves my hand-me-downs. As we plan on some bigger and longer trips next year it will be nice for him to have the extra space for work stuff and to download movies for those long flights.