Apple iPad pro and iPad 10th gen review: It’s not fair how good these tablets are

The latest iPad pro comes in two sizes – the sixth-generation 12.9in tablet and the fourth-generation 11in tablet. Both have designs identical to last year’s models, down to the colours (silver and space grey).

Though the outside hasn’t changed, under the hood, there’s a lot that’s different. First of all, the processor is the Apple M2 chip, the company’s latest and most potent chip. It’s here to make sure that, no matter how much you demand of the pro, it can deliver.

Last year’s iPad pro was already an amazingly accomplished device, with outstanding speed and performance, but things have got that bit faster this time around.

Read more: We reviewed Apple’s iPad air 5 – and it’s packed with improvements

This means the M2 is far and away the most effective chip in any tablet, and it is faster than many high-end laptops as well. Apple says graphics performance is 35 per cent faster than on the previous iPad Pro, meaning games have outstanding graphics and even the most demanding apps such as Adobe Photoshop and advanced video-editing apps run at speed and fluidly, no matter how much you ask them to do.

And that’s the point of the iPad pro – to have the headroom to do anything you need effortlessly, now and in the future.

Other crowd-pleasing iPad pro elements are carried over to these new models. These include a special backlighting for the 12.9in model, which adds brightness and makes everything look much peppier. This is not available for the smaller 11in model, though the display is still great.

Apple has included faster wifi (called wifi 6E) on this year’s iPad pros. If you choose the cellular version, there are more 5G bands than on other tablets, Apple says, which helps to ensure a faster connection.

While some may feel it’s disappointing that the new iPad pro doesn’t have a newer, better camera, for instance, it’s worth noting Apple has never upgraded hardware for the sake of it. The current dual rear cameras, with Lidar scanner, are best for augmented-reality features rather than taking photos, and work extremely well. An update to these really wasn’t necessary, it seems.

Read more: Apple iPad mini 2021 review

The magic keyboard accessory also hasn’t been updated on the pro (even though it has been on the iPad 10th generation). Still, it has backlit keys, which the updated version lacks. The magic keyboard is a pricey but really excellent accessory, especially useful now that Apple has introduced new software for select iPads. Called stage manager, this software makes it possible to have multiple windows live at the same time in a much more accessible way. Stage manager needs a fast processor to work, which this iPad pro manages easily.

Apple pencil

There’s a new feature available on the Apple pencil (that’s the second-generation model, which is compatible with the iPad pro). It’s called ‘hover’ and it means, as the pencil comes near to the iPad display, it shows a preview of where it’s about to touch down. This adds to the precision of how you write or draw. Some apps expand as the pencil approaches, which is particularly inviting and feels intimate. Add this to the double-tap mechanic on the pencil, which lets you easily swap between pencil to eraser in Notes, for example, and the already-excellent pencil becomes an even better accessory.

This is strikingly different from the ninth generation, with the flat edges favoured by the rest of the iPad range and the latest iPhones. In moving on from the curved back of previous iPads, Apple has also removed the front-mounted Touch ID fingerprint sensor, mounting it instead in the power button – the same as on the iPad air and iPad mini. This works brilliantly, unlocking quickly and reliably, and, if you let your finger rest for a fraction of a second after unlock, opening the home screen or previous app. Personally, I prefer this to the Face ID option found on the iPad pro.

Repositioning the sensor has enabled the front of the iPad to be updated so that it’s now nearly all screen, placed with perfect symmetry inside bezels wide enough to house the front-facing camera.

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This, for the first time on an iPad, is on the long edge, rather than the short one, meaning video conferencing is better, as your eyes are looking much closer to the camera rather than off to one side. Curiously, Apple didn’t introduce it on the iPad pro.

This is also the first time the iPad has had a display with curved corners instead of right-angled ones (matching the air, mini and pro). The display is very similar to the identically sized one on the iPad air, with the same resolution. But the iPad air has a wider colour gamut, laminated finish and anti-reflection coating.

The new iPad uses USB-C for charging, meaning only the ninth-gen iPad now has a lightning socket.

There are new colours, too. Previously, the regular iPad has only been available in space grey and silver options. Space grey has gone from this new tablet, replaced by pink, blue and a feisty yellow.

Apple pencil

The pencil is Apple’s smart stylus. The pro, air and mini all work with the more advanced Apple pencil second generation, which snaps to a magnetic panel on the side of those tablets to pair and charge. But the iPad (ninth and new 10th generation) use the first-gen Apple pencil, which charges from the lightning connector hidden under a lid on the top. Since the new iPad uses USB-C, you can’t plug in the pencil directly any more.

However, if you buy a first-generation Apple pencil now, it comes with an adaptor for a USB-C cable, so you plug the pencil into the adaptor and the adaptor into the supplied USB-C cable. If you already have an Apple pencil, it will work with the new iPad if you buy the adaptor, which costs £9.

Read more: Apple MacBook pro M2 13in review

Why didn’t Apple switch the Apple pencil to USB-C? I think there are two reasons. First, it didn’t want to leave out users who had an Apple pencil already, so it needed to create the adaptor. Once it had done that, switching the pencil design to USB-C was less pressing. Secondly, it may be that putting the USB-C connector on the pencil would have meant the cap would no longer fit.

It really isn’t that smart, but it has one great benefit: you can connect the pencil by cable and then toss both into your bag, so it charges on your commute, for instance. You couldn’t do that with the previous solution of plugging the pencil directly into the base of the iPad, as though it were a lollipop.

Folio keyboard

The folio is a new keyboard and case, exclusively for the new iPad and it operates in a different way from previous magic keyboards for other iPads, which takes some getting used to. Instead of pulling the tablet forwards (as I have done about 100 times now – it just leaves you with the iPad separately in your hand), you lean the display back and push out the kickstand attached to it. If you haven’t used a magic keyboard, this won’t be a problem for you. Similarly, those familiar with the Microsoft surface will recognise the kickstand set-up.

Performance and battery life

Apple has never under-powered its tablets, I’d say, and this one continues the tradition with a processor that delivers speedy, responsive interaction. In fact, it’s so quick, it may make you wonder if anyone needs the pricier iPad air, which this iPad resembles. The iPad air is more powerful, not least thanks to the M1 processor, which is extremely good. However, for most people, most of the time, the A14 bionic chip, first seen on the Apple iPhone 12, is easily fast and capable enough. Games run smoothly, even if they are graphics-heavy, while productivity apps never leave you waiting, snapping open instantly and performing at speed.

Battery life remains constant at 10 hours. Because iPad use is different from iPhone, this is almost always more than enough.