The iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) and iPad Pro 11 (2022) have arrived, replacing the iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) and iPad Pro 11 (2021) that launched nearly 17 months ago.
There wasn’t much presentation, though, just a press release, and the low-key nature of the announcement tells you one simple thing about these new models: They really do look like their immediate predecessors. Don’t expect any bold new features or components here.
With that said, there are two important distinctions that need to be identified between the two latest generations of iPad Pro. Here’s how they compare and specs based on our experience reviewing them.
iPad Pro 2022 vs. iPad Pro 2021 price and availability
iPad Pro 2022 launched on October 18, 2022 in two sizes. The 11-inch starts at $799 / £899 / AU$1,399, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099 / £1,249 / AU$1,899. However, adding cellular connectivity and storage to both will increase those numbers significantly.
Either way, the prices listed are for the 128GB Wi-Fi-only models, but you can add cellular connectivity and expand storage capacities up to 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and even 2TB. If you want a top-spec 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2022 with 2TB of storage and cellular connectivity, expect to pay a staggering $2,399 / £2,679 / AU$4,099.
The 2021 iPad Pro hit stores on May 21, 2021, also arriving in the same two sizes. The 11-inch model starts at $799 / £749 / AU$1,199, while the 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099 / £999 / AU$1,649.
Once again, you can add cellular connectivity and more storage, with the range going for the $2,399 / £2,149 / AU$3,549 ready-to-go 12.9-inch 2021 iPad Pro, with 2TB of storage.
As you can see, prices have remained the same in the US, but have gone up significantly for the 2022 iPad Pro in the UK and Australia, thanks to adverse global economic conditions.
If you’re looking to pick up any premium iPad Pro at an affordable price, keep your eyes peeled for our Best iPad Deals roundup, which we’re constantly updating with the best Apple tablet discounts, right across the range.
iPad Pro 2022 design vs. iPad Pro 2021 design
The iPad Pro 2022 and iPad Pro 2021 feature identical flat designs. We are talking here about real things that differ from place to place.
This is evidenced by the fact that both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch variants have identical dimensions of 247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9mm and 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4mm, respectively. It’s the same when it comes to weight, with the 11-inches both weighing 466g, and the 12.9-inches both weighing 682g. You can add the same 3 or 4 gram for cellular models as well.
In terms of the looks of the two generations, well, that’s also pretty much the same. These are the same thin all-aluminium tablets, with the same flat edges. All of this means that any accessories (such as cases) purchased for one generation should work perfectly with the next, no matter how tight the tolerances.
It’s a shame Apple didn’t, at least, get more adventurous with the color schemes for the 2022 iPad Pro. Just like the 2021 iPad Pro, it comes in silver and space gray. Apple delivered a lot of color with the new iPad 10.9 (2022), so why isn’t it here?
iPad Pro 2022 vs iPad Pro 2021 screen
Just as the 2022 and 2021 iPad Pro models look identical, Apple has also stuck with exactly the same displays.
For the smaller iPad Pro variants, that means an 11-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2388 x 1668 with a 120Hz ProMotion adaptive refresh rate, and a typical top brightness of 600 nits.
The larger models sport an unequivocally better screen than their smaller counterparts. This is a 12.9-inch 2048 x 2732 LED mini LCD monitor, which again comes with a 120Hz ProMotion adaptive refresh rate, but benefits from a typical brightness well above 1,000 nits. It can also extend to 1,600 lumens in peak scenarios.
In short, mini-LED screens provide brighter, more vibrant images and contrast than straight-edge IPS LCD screens. HDR content, in particular, looks richer on the larger iPads.
So the only real divisions here lie between the two distinct iPad Pro sizes, not between the two generations.
iPad Pro 2022 vs iPad Pro 2021 camera
In celebration of its low-key theme, Apple left the 2021 iPad Pro camera system completely alone for the 2022 iPad Pro.
All four of these tablets have the same dual camera setup on the back, which includes a 12MP wide sensor and a 10MP ultrawide sensor. In each case it is assisted by a ToF 3D LiDAR scanner, for depth detection with high accuracy, mainly used for object scanning and AR (augmented reality) experiences.
There are also 12MP selfie cameras all-rounder, which can handle face unlock and Center Stage face tracking during video calls.
The only differences in the camera appear due to the availability of the new M2 processor, which enables some advanced video capture capabilities. We will discuss these in the next section.
iPad Pro 2022 specifications and performance vs. iPad Pro 2021
And so we come to the main difference between iPad Pro 2022 and iPad Pro 2021. While the 2021 models run on Apple’s custom M1 chip, the 2022 models run on the latest Apple M2.
Both the M1 and M2 pack 8-core CPUs, but the M2 has a 10-core GPU to the M1’s 8-core. While Apple believes the M2 CPU is only 15% faster than the M1 CPU, it says the new chip’s GPU is 35% faster.
The iPad Pro 2021 was fast enough in everyday tasks, while no game available in the App Store can even come close to the limits of any of these tablets. So while we found the 2022 iPad Pro to be quite powerful, it’s a powerhouse that most people don’t really need in general use.
However, the new M2 gives the iPad Pro 2022 an improved “media engine” and superior image processing clips. This allows it to record ProRes video, whereas last year’s model could only convert it. Meanwhile, the M2 can transcode ProRes footage faster than the M1.
Another bump in the specs has to do with the 2022 iPad Pro’s connectivity. This year’s model comes with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and (in the case of cellular models) 5G. That compares favorably with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and 4G in the 2021 iPad Pro, respectively.
The iPad Pro 2022 also benefits from the improved Apple Pencil 2 connectivity. If you’ve got the latest Apple pencil, you’ll find that the latest iPad Pro can detect when the nib gets within 12mm.
Apple capitalized on this with a number of interactions swirling around it. When you hover the pencil over a text box, for example, it will expand. Speaking of which, the new iPad Pro 2022 has boosted performance when recognizing handwriting.
You can also use the Apple Pencil Hover for brush previews in supported creative apps.
iPad Pro 2022 battery vs. iPad Pro 2021 battery
Apple claims that the iPad Pro 2022 has 10 hours of battery life as it did with the iPad Pro 2021. This should come as no surprise.
Given the identical size and weight of these two generations of iPad Pro, they almost certainly use the exact same batteries as before. That means a 10,758mAh cell for the 12.9-inch models, and a 7,538mAh cell for the 11-inch models.
In practice, we found that the iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) seemed a little easier to get 10 hours of life than the iPad Pro 12.9 (2022), but either way life varies a lot depending on what you’re using the tablet for.
away
Say what you like about Apple, they don’t tend to make a huge song and dance around real incremental upgrades (iPhone 14/iPhone 13S jokes).
The company is certainly not ranting about the iPad Pro 2022, as it hardly differs from the iPad Pro 2021 before it. The new batch of premium tablets has the same design, display, camera system, and — most likely — battery as its predecessor.
But the differences are there. There was a noticeable improvement in performance, as well as superior integration with the Apple Pencil, and better connectivity, across the board.
We would have liked to see some more significant improvements here, but the simple takeaway from all this is that the best tablet on the market by some margin just got better.
Both are among the best iPads and best tablets, but the 2022 model is a slightly better option — if you can stomach the price.