The Apple iPad Pro (2023) is the best kind of overkill

The case for an ultraportable and ultrapowerful computing device: the case for the new iPad Pro. Is the iPad Pro really the future?

Apple’s case for the iPad Pro seems to be that this is the device for the future. It has the processor, screen, accessories — everything you’ll need to be ready for the next decade of your computing life. You will be happy that you had all the power to run it well because artificial intelligence will change everything. That might well be true! It is not real yet. The important parts of the future will take place on the screen, not behind it.

Instead of recycling the same chassis as it has been doing for the past few years, Apple has finally ditched the old iPad Pro shell for an entirely new one. You have the option of choosing between the standard 11-inch display or the larger 13-inch display. I was sent the latter to see if I would like it. It isn’t a dramatic difference. As a person who is constantly staring at a monitor, I am all for extra screen real estate. My daily driver is the 15-inch MacBook Air. If you plan on working off of the iPad Pro full-time, I’d recommend the bigger size.

Compared to mini-LED, there’s a more vibrant color and better contrast ratios. It usually doesn’t get as bright, but the additional layer within the Ultra Retina XDR screen helps to produce twice as much light as a standard OLED panel. Apple says both sizes can hit 1,600 nits of peak brightness in HDR, which is the same amount as the sixth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The more significant difference is the M4 powered iPad Pro can hit 1,000 nits and the predecessor can hit 600 nits.

The new iPad Pro is a great achievement. It’s the closest thing I’ve ever seen to the idea of a tablets feeling more like glass in your hand. I’m honestly not sure how you’d shrink it more; the USB-C plug I use to charge the 13-inch Pro I’ve been testing is already thicker than the iPad itself. It’s a light, fast, remarkable machine.

Does that really count anymore? The iPad has been a hardware triumph for years, plenty fast and light and long-lasting for just about anything you could do with it. Apple has kept this ultraportable and ultrapowerful machine from becoming the full-fledged computer many users want it to be, by forcing it to run a locked down, oversimplified operating system.

I tested all of the iPad Pro models I could find, including one with 1 terabytes of storage, 16gigabyte of RAM, and a built-in cellular connection. The $2,099 tablet is right there. Add in the $129 Pencil Pro and the new $349 Magic Keyboard, and I’m reviewing $2,577 worth of iPad — the amount you would spend on a high-end laptop. You can get it cheaper, of course, though the Pro is never exactly inexpensive: the 11-inch model starts at $999 and comes with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. (That entry-level storage option is double what it used to be, which is a nice change but still spendy.)

The top-tier models of Pro — with 1TB or 2TB of storage — get the best M4, with an additional performance core in the CPU. Yay for more power, I guess, but I’d be astonished if there were any way to tell the difference in everyday use. In most cases, the iPad’s raw performance hasn’t been an issue for a very long time.

The M4’s main practical purpose is to power the new OLED display. Apple’s new “Tandem OLED” setup basically smashes two OLEDs together to get a sharper, brighter panel. The title of Apple’s product is called Ultra Retina XDR, which is a ridiculous name, but it works well. The obvious upsides are the letterboxes above and below a video, and the fact that the photos look more dynamic because of being able to control each aspect individually. Colors are incredibly vibrant — to the point of occasionally looking too contrasty and HDR-y to my eyes. The new Air has a harder time pulling off an OLED compared to the Pro.

The Air has a much better display than the OLED, but it does pick up a little more glare and reflection. When I’m using it outdoors, that has meant I crank the brightness a little more than I’d like to be able to see everything on the screen. That is a tiny complain, since this screen looks great and I haven’t noticed the battery draining faster than before.

The only other big design change here is that Apple finally — finally — put the front-facing camera in the correct spot: in the middle of the long side of the iPad. This is very much a landscape first device. The iPad, in general, absolutely is a landscape-first device. It is more useful now that the front-facing camera is better than it was before.

The Pencil Pro is one of the new features this year. It has a nifty new squeeze gesture that is useful and makes it quicker to bring up menus and commonly used tools. Apple’s also letting developers customize what happens when you squeeze in their apps, so expect some cool and deeply weird integrations soon. The new Barrel Roll feature is also going to be a big win for artists of all sorts, now that you can turn your virtual brush or pen just by twisting the Pencil as you draw. I am woefully unqualified to review anything from the perspective of an artist. We will have more on that soon.

My iPad leaves the keyboard case only when I’m in use. I use the Magic Keyboard for journaling, emailing, and just as a stand while I’m cooking and watching shows. A better keyboard in a smaller package is important to me. But it won’t to a lot of people, especially at $299. With both of its accessories, Apple is making the Pro more appealing to the people who might already have a Pro and not doing much to win over those who don’t.