Comparison: M1 iPad Pro vs M2 iPad Pro
M1 is the winner for me
Apple unveiled the new iPad Pro (M2, 2022) a little while ago, specifically the 6th generation of its 12.9″ version and the 4th generation of its 11″ version. Alongside it, we also saw the introduction of the 10th generation of the classic iPad, along with the 3rd generation Apple TV 4K.
At first glance, we don’t notice any new features on the new iPad Pro — all the changes have been in the hardware. If you’re wondering how the new iPad Pro is better than the previous generation, we’ll look at all the changes, differences and similarities in this article.
Display and design
The displays are completely identical on both models being compared. The larger 12.9″ model offers a Liquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED backlighting that boasts a 2732×2048 resolution with 264 PPI finesse, 600 nits maximum typical brightness, XDR brightness of 1000 nits maximum, and 1600 nits peak brightness. The smaller 11″ model then offers a classic Retina display with LED backlighting and IPS technology with a resolution of 2388×1668 pixels with 264 PPI finesse maximum typical brightness of 600 nits.
Both the 12.9″ version and the 11″ version of both models support ProMotion (adaptive refresh rate up to 120 Hz), P3 and True Tone, anti-glare coating and anti-smudge treatment. The only change is that the new generation supports holding the Apple Pencil over the display. The chassis of both iPad Pros being compared is made from recycled aluminium, with the front glass protected by classic Gorilla Glass. In terms of dimensions (H × W × T), they’re the same.
280.6 × 214.9 × 6.4 millimetres for the 12.9″ version, and 247.6 × 178.5 × 5.9 millimetres for the smaller 11″ version. The weight is also identical, at 682 grams (Wi-Fi) and 684 grams (Wi-Fi + Cellular) for the 12.9″ and 466 grams (Wi-Fi) and 468 grams (Wi-Fi + Cellular) for the 11″ version. All models compared have four speakers.
Camera
Some changes can be found in the camera. Still, again, it is nothing major — practically speaking, it is only about support for ProRes video at up to 4K at 30 FPS (1080p at 30 FPS on models with 128 GB capacity) and support for Smart HDR 4 on the newer generation, instead of Smart HDR 3 on the previous one.
Otherwise, you can look forward to a 12 MP wide-angle camera and a 10 MP camera with f/1.8 aperture and an ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.4 aperture, 2x zoom and 5x digital zoom. As for the video, you can shoot 4K video at up to 60 FPS, extended dynamic range video at up to 30 FPS, 2x zoom and 3x dynamic zoom for video, audio zoom, 1080p slow motion at up to 240 FPS, and time-lapse video.
The front camera is completely identical. It is a TrueDepth with 12 MP resolution and f/2.4 aperture. There is 2x zoom, shot centring, Retina Flash, portrait modes, 1080p video at up to 60 FPS, cinematic video stabilization and more.
Battery and charging
As far as battery life is concerned, nothing has changed, even considering that the M2 chip is a bit more economical than the M1. Specifically, you can look forward to 10 hours of battery life for both models compared when browsing the web via Wi-Fi or watching videos and 9 hours if you use a mobile data network.
For now, it’s not clear how big a battery the new iPad Pro offers, but it’s expected to use the same ones as the previous generation. For the 12.9″ model, it is specifically 10,758 mAh, and for the smaller 11″ model, it is 7,538 mAh.
Processor, memory, technology
The new iPad Pro gets a new M2 chip, which currently runs in the MacBook Air and the 13″ MacBook Pro. The latter specifically offers an 8-core CPU with four performance cores and four power-saving cores, while the GPU is 10-core. The previous generation offered the M1 chip, which also offers eight cores in terms of CPU, namely four power-saving and four performance cores, but as for the GPU, there were “only” 8 cores available.
The operating memory is identical, i.e. 8 GB in the case of the 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB variants. In comparison, 16 GB of RAM is available in the 1 TB and 2 TB variants, which implies, among other things, that the storage capacity variants are the same. The new M2 model has a memory throughput of 100 GB/s, while the previous generation with M1 had a throughput of around 70 GB/s.
It should be mentioned that the new iPad Pro supports not only H.264 HEVC hardware acceleration but also ProRes and ProRes RAW. Both models offer a video encoding and decoding engine, and the latest generation still offers a ProRes encoding and decoding engine. Face ID is used for authentication in both cases, and if you reach for the Cellular-enabled version, you can again enjoy 5G support on both models by using Nano-SIM or eSIM.
As for Wi-Fi, the latest generation finally supports Wi-Fi 6E with speeds of up to 2.4 Gbps, while the original one only supports Wi-Fi 6 with speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps. Bluetooth technology has also been improved, with the new model offering version 5.3, while the original generation offers version 5.0.
It is also important to mention that the new generation no longer supports GSM/EDGE connectivity, which the previous one still did. Both models then offer a USB-C connector with Thunderbolt / USB 4 support, and of course, there is also a Smart Connector on the back. So with a few exceptions, everything is practically the same.
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