Apple’s Let Loose Event: M4 iPad Pro, iPad Air and Apple Pencil Pro

Apple’s Let Loose event was entirely about the iPad. A much thinner iPad Pro introduces the M4 chip and a tandem OLED display, iPad Air now comes in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes with M2, and new accessories include Apple Pencil Pro and a redesigned Magic Keyboard.

iPad Pro moves to M4 and OLED

The new iPad Pro comes in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes with an Ultra Retina XDR display that combines two OLED panels. The result is strong brightness, deep blacks and precise contrast in a much thinner body.

M4 replaces M2 inside the iPad Pro and includes a new display engine plus stronger processor, graphics and machine-learning performance. The front camera also moves to the landscape edge, which makes more sense for video calls with a keyboard attached.

A larger iPad Air option

iPad Air now comes in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. Both use the M2 chip, place the front camera on the landscape edge and support Apple Pencil hover.

The 13-inch Air gives people more screen space without moving to the higher price of iPad Pro. For most study, office and home use, Air is likely to remain the better value.

Apple Pencil Pro

Apple Pencil Pro adds a squeeze gesture, a small haptic response, barrel roll for changing the orientation of shaped tools and Find My support. These features are mainly useful in drawing, design and annotation apps that support them.

Accessory compatibility is important: the new Pencil Pro is designed for the new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, and older Pencils do not all work across every iPad.

Magic Keyboard and software

The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro is thinner, adds a function row and uses a larger trackpad with haptic feedback. Apple also previewed new versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad.

The hardware is increasingly laptop-like, but iPadOS still determines whether an iPad can replace a Mac for a particular workflow.

Choosing between Air and Pro

Choose iPad Air for general use, study, portable work and a larger screen at a lower cost. Choose iPad Pro when the OLED display, very thin design, M4 performance or professional accessories solve a specific need.

Before ordering, check the total cost of the iPad, storage, Pencil, keyboard and any adapters. The accessories can materially change the final price.

Orders open now and the new iPads arrive next week. Back up the old iPad first, and confirm Pencil, keyboard, case and USB-C accessory compatibility before trading it in.