Tested: iPad Pro M2 | The top of the tablet

The iPad Pro of 6^e generation is arguably the best tablet on the market, with a new ultra-powerful M2 chip and a hover function for the Apple Pencil. It is not surprising that it is also the most expensive, and we wonder about the position of the front camera.

Karim Benessaieh
The Press

WE love

Let’s start by seeing what the new M2 chip brings to the iPad Pro, Apple’s highest-end tablet model, which we tested in its 12.9-inch version. The result of our calibration tests is almost terrifying. Although we cannot strictly compare tablets and computers, the functions tested being significantly different, we have here a tablet of astonishing power, which leaves the Android competition and even the previous iPads far behind.

With such a beast, we were able to almost instantly assemble a video with iMovie, combining about sixty photos on a musical background. Exporting the result took 17 seconds. Transformations, for example to apply a sepia filter, were also instantaneous. Chrome, Safari, or any everyday-use app pops up on screen without delay, and four of them can be managed simultaneously with the Stage Manager feature. games like Genshin Impact, Dead by Daylight Where Fortnite are fluid and well served by the gorgeous mini-LED-based Liquid Retina XDR display, with a density of 264 ppi and brightness peaks at 1600 nits.

And we always find with the same pleasure the 12.9-inch screen well suited to the digital versions of magazines, and which gives tone to the application of The Press+.

In terms of new features compared to last year, this iPad Pro can now count on a promising function of the Apple stylus, the Apple Pencil, called “hover” or “flyover”. In some applications, especially Ratings and iMovie, you don’t need to touch the screen for the pen tip to be detected: just point at a maximum of 12 mm. You can fly over filters, manipulate menus or scroll through choices. Apple Pencil enthusiasts will surely appreciate it, while those who are left lukewarm by this tool – we are part of the group – will only see it as a new function that will be little used.

For the 12-megapixel front camera, there’s a rather fun tool called Center Stage. If you move during a videoconference, the lens follows you in a space of approximately 1 meter to keep you in the middle of the screen.

On the news side, this iPad Pro is compatible with the new WiFi 6-E standard, which offers twice the download speed, and the model with cellular connectivity is 5G compatible in frequencies below 6 GHz. The port is USB-C, with Thunderbolt/USB 4 support, and this iPad Pro uses Face ID facial recognition. Finally, video recording is possible in ProRes, up to 4K at 30 frames per second.

We love less

If we exclude the M2 chip, the iPad Pro of 6^e generation looks like a twin to the 5^e generation. Put side by side, the technical specifications are 98% similar.

If it can be found at a starting price of $1099, the price goes up quickly as soon as you add little extras. The model we tested, with a 12.9-inch screen, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, costs a whopping $2,639. To this must be added the accessories, namely the Magic Keyboard at $449 and the Apple Pencil of 2^e generation at $169.

The front camera has been placed on the left side of the tablet when it’s in landscape mode, most commonly used, especially with a keyboard. The result in videoconferencing is that you look at your interlocutor sideways at all times.

One buys ?

You don’t order an iPad Pro for the usual light use of tablets, such as answering emails, watching a few videos, downloading small games and reading daily newspapers. At this price, we are dealing with a powerful tool for professionals, graphic designers, editors and demanding users, which does not bring any revolutionary new features compared to last year, but which benefits from small judicious improvements.

A highly recommendable purchase for those who agree to pay the price.