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Apple released the next-generation iPad Pro on October 18, 2022, alongside the 10th Gen iPad. The next-generation base iPad was also released on the same day. There was no event held for the launch. The iPads were released via a press release on Apple Newsroom. The new iPad Pro 2022 is identical to its predecessor. So, what’s new? What are the differences? Read more to find out.
iPad Pro 2022 vs iPad Pro 2021: The Similarities
In 2021, Apple released the iPad Pro 2021 with a new M1 chip for both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models. The iPad Pro 11-inch packs a large Liquid Retina display and Face ID and supports the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil. The 12.9-inch model has all this, except the display is mini LED instead of LCD.
All the above specs are still the same for the iPad Pro 2022. The new iPad Pro 2022 models carry the same display, design, battery size, charging speed, and Face ID as the iPad Pro 2021 models. So, where’s the upgrade? Here are some things that differentiate the iPad Pro 2022 from its predecessor, the iPad Pro 2021.
iPad Pro 2022 vs iPad Pro 2021: The Differences
The iPad Pro 2022 comes with minor upgrades over the iPad Pro 2021. These minor upgrades include the new M2 chip, Wi-Fi 6E support, the ability to now record ProRes video, and Apple Pencil Hover. Let’s talk about these in detail and see if the new iPad Pro 2022 is worth an upgrade or not.
New M2 Chip
The new iPad Pro models are equipped with the next-generation Apple Silicon, i.e., the M2 chip. It has an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. The M2 chip delivers an 18% better CPU and 35% better GPU performance. This means that you can play games even more smoothly. The Neural engine on the M2 is also better, as it is 40% faster than the one on the M1 chip. The memory bandwidth has also been upgraded from 68.25GB/s to 100GB/s. Overall, the M2 chip is a decent upgrade over the M1 chip on the iPad Pro 2021. Also, the iPad Pro 2022 will reportedly get OctaneX and DaVinci Resolve support.
Camera
The camera on the iPad Pro has also been upgraded, at least on the software side. The camera hardware, however, is still the same. It uses the same camera hardware as the iPhone X. The iPad Pro 2022 can now record ProRes and ProRes RAW video in 4K @ 30FPS. However, like iPhones, ProRes is limited to 1080p @ 30FPS on 128GB iPad Pros. The ProRes video quality of this iPad Pro is certainly not comparable to that of the iPhone 14 or even iPhone 13.
The HDR processing has also been upgraded on the iPad Pro 2022. It now comes with Smart HDR 4 instead of the Smart HDR 3 on the iPad Pro 2021. This is the same HDR processing as on the iPhone 13. The camera upgrades are fine, but you should not expect massive improvements.
Connectivity
The iPad Pro 2022 has better connectivity than its predecessor. The new iPad Pro has an upgraded Wi-Fi 6E with 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. However, Wi-Fi 6E usually has a 6GHz band, which is not present on the iPad Pro 2022. Nevertheless, Apple claims that you can get up to 2X the speed with this iPad Pro.
Bluetooth has also been upgraded from Bluetooth 5.0 to Bluetooth 5.3. This means that connections will now be faster and more seamless. Bluetooth 5.3 also has a higher bandwidth and consumes less power. Moreover, GSM and Edge bands have been removed from the cellular iPad Pro 2022. This means you may have no network in a low-signal area.
Apple Pencil Hover
An exclusive feature of the iPad Pro 2022 is Apple Pencil Hover. This feature works very similar to how it does with Samsung’s S Pen. What it does is that it detects your Apple Pencil even if you don’t touch the iPad screen. This enables some valuable features, like adjusting the brush size and previewing what you’ll write. This feature is not something game-changing and cannot justify an upgrade.
Apple has also bumped the price of the iPad Pro 2022 everywhere outside the US. Not just 22 the iPad Pros but all the iPad Pro accessories have also seen a price bump despite being the same accessories from 2020. Yeah, you heard it right. The Magic Keyboard still doesn’t have a function row, while the Magic Keyboard Folio for the base iPad has it. The Apple Pencil is also the same as before.
Should You Upgrade?
Those are the only changes we’ve seen with the iPad Pro 2022. As you can see, the changes are minor. Moreover, Apple has made some questionable decisions with the iPad Pro 2022. The bottom line is that if you already own an iPad Pro 2021 or even an iPad Pro 2020, you shouldn’t upgrade to the iPad Pro 2022 unless you want the latest and greatest. Hopefully, Apple will do better with the next generation of iPad Pro.
