Apple today unveiled its next-generation iPad Pro, powered by the same M1 chip found in the latest Macs. The new iPad Pro features Thunderbolt and USB4 support, 5G connectivity on cellular models offering mmWave support in the United States.
Apple says the M1’s 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU provides up to 50% faster performance and up to 40% faster graphics compared to the A12Z Bionic chip in the previous-generation iPad Pro.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro features a new mini-LED powered Liquid Retina XDR display that brings extreme dynamic range to iPad Pro. The display offers up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness, up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
An all-new 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera enables Center Stage, a new feature that automatically keeps users perfectly framed for even more engaging video calls.
“The revolutionary M1 chip has been a breakthrough for the Mac, and we’re incredibly excited to bring it to iPad Pro,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With M1’s huge jump in performance, a groundbreaking extreme dynamic range experience on the 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, up to 2TB of high-speed storage, Thunderbolt expansion, a four-speaker audio system, pro cameras with LiDAR Scanner, blazing-fast 5G connectivity, an amazing video-calling experience with Center Stage — combined with the advanced features of iPadOS and a powerful pro app ecosystem all in a device users can hold in one hand — there’s nothing else like iPad Pro.”
The new iPad Pro is available with up to 2TB of storage, which is double the previous high-end storage amount. iPad Pro models with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage will be equipped with 8GB RAM, while iPad Pro models with 1TB or 2TB of storage will boast 16GB RAM. This marks the first time that Apple has offered varying amounts of RAM in the iPad Pro.
The new iPad Pro is available to order beginning Friday, April 30, on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 31 countries and regions, including the US. iPad Pro will be available in Apple Store locations in the second half of May.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 (US) for the Wi-Fi model and $999 (US) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099 (US) for the Wi-Fi model and $1,299 (US) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
