Too big to fail. iPad Pro (2022) is a performance beast that is difficult to tame [TOPtech]

This year’s iPad Pro is even more powerful, but that extra processing power is probably not going to help the average user. Are you wondering if the new iPad is the device for you? Here are 7 things you should know about it before deciding to buy.

1) Mini LED screen, but only in the larger model

Just like last year, the iPad Pro comes in two variants – z display 11 and 12.9 inches. Both models differ not only in the diagonal, but also in the screen backlight technology.

In the larger model we are dealing with a display Liquid Retina XDRwith Mini LED backlight and phenomenal maximum brightnesswhich in mode HDR reaches even 1600 nits.

This screen allows you to start the reference mode, which is important from the point of view of people who deal with photography or video editing. In the smaller iPad Pro, we find a Liquid Retina display with LED backlight and without support for HDR and reference mode.

Both models are connected by ProMotion technology, which increases screen refresh rate up to 120 Hz. Both the smaller and larger iPad offer stylus support Apple Pencil 2nd generation.

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2) Proven design with one major flaw

In terms of new design iPad Pro looks the same as last year’s models. Anyway, previous generations of this device also looked very similar, if not identical.

Apple still it did not slim down the frames, which could be a bit narrower. However, I will not pick on the dimensions of the device, because I wonder how the company from Cupertino managed to fit the powerful M2 system in such a compact housing.

However, I cannot ignore the design flaw, which is the placement of the iPad’s front camera on its short edge. In the case of an almost 13-inch screen, which we will use most of the time in laptop mode, such a decision does not make much sense.

When the iPad is connected to the keyboard, the camera is on the left side of the display, making it difficult to make video calls. The function partially saves the situation Center stagebut this is just a workaround. Interestingly, Apple must be aware that it made a mistake, because in the “ordinary” 10th generation iPad, the camera was located on the long edge of the device.

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3) The M2 chip is a real beast

This year’s iPad Pro is powered by the M2 chip, the same one found in the latest MacBook Pro. To say about this processor that it is very efficient is to say nothing.

It is a real beast, which in benchmarks twists results unattainable for other tablets. Anyway, the new iPad Pro could easily compete with many ultrabooks.

The problem is that this increase in performance, also compared to last year’s iPad Pro, will be imperceptible to the user, which uses the iPad for office tasks and entertainment.

The presence of the M2 system will be appreciated by people using professional photo editing or video editing applications. In their case, the powerful computing power of this processor will have a significant impact on, among others, timely video rendering.

It is worth adding that iPad Pro models with memory 128, 256 and 512 GB have 8GB memory RAMand in models with disks with a capacity of 1. and two 2. we find as much as 16 GB of operating memory.

As for the built-in battery, it allows for about 10 hours of active work on a single charge of the device. On the other hand, in “Standby” mode, the iPad Pro will discharge after about 2 days.

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4) Apple Pencil with a new feature

The new iPad Pro does too second generation Apple Pencil stylus, which, compared to its predecessor, received some interesting features. The iPad now detects when the stylus tip is brought within 12mm of the screen. This additional way of interacting with the system can be used, for example, in photo editing applications.

Example? I run the Pixelmator app, which offers e.g. the function of automatically creating dozens of color filters for a given photo. Using Apple Pencil 2, I no longer have to manually switch between individual filters. I can just slowly move the stylus over the screen and watch the changes take place.

Another new feature of the Apple Pencil 2 stylus is the ability to quickly switch between two tools – such as pen and eraser – by double-tapping your finger on the stylus.

Apple Pencil 2 can now be charged wirelessly. All you have to do is put the pen on one of the side edges of the iPad Pro, which has a magnetic connector. From my perspective, this is probably the most important novelty related to the second generation of the Apple stylus.

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5) Stage Manager is chaos

Stage Manager is new in iPadOS 16, which was supposed to introduce to the world of iPads the long-awaited multitasking. Unfortunately – for now – the mobile Stage Manager is only a poor substitute for the tool of the same name used by MacOS users.

Yes, we can now put 3-4 applications on the iPad screen at the same time, but changing the size of individual windows and moving them is a real pain.

Stage Manager for iPad is not very intuitive, and full of bugs and glitches. More than once it happened to me that an application launched in this mode suddenly “crashed” when trying to reduce the size of the window.

Apple also did not think about placing an additional shortcut in the application dock that would allow us to easily return to Stage Manager mode after closing it.

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6) Magic Keyboard has one downside

While in the case of a regular iPad, the keyboard is just an addition, in the Pro variant it seems to be an essential element to – at least partially – use the potential of this device.

On a keyboard designed specifically for the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard it is very comfortable to write. It is hardly surprising, because it uses the same mechanism as the keyboards installed in the new MacBooks.

However, the Magic Keyboard has a disadvantage, which is the lack of an additional row of function keys. This is all the more surprising that in the cheaper Magic Keyboard Folio keyboard we will already find the function buttons.

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7) iPad Pro is equipment for users … PRO

Buying an iPad Pro for applications such as web browsing, Office suite, mobile games or watching movies completely misses the point.

If you are a potential iPad Pro user, you probably already know at this stage that you are one and you also know what you can use the computing power of the Apple M2 chip for.

The iPad Pro is still and will remain a niche device. And it certainly is in Poland, where you have to pay at least for the 11-inch variant of this tablet PLN 5,199, and for the basic version with a 13-inch display – as much as PLN 7,199.

And we’re talking only about a “pure iPad” – without the Apple Pencil 2 stylus and the Magic Keyboard. We will pay an additional almost … PLN 3,000 for these accessories.