M1 iPad Pro for Students
What’s your dream device?
When Apple announced the new M1 iPad Pros at their spring loaded event, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one of these amazing devices. Now, after a week of heavy, everyday use of the 12.9 “model, these are my experiences.
Price
Now to first address the elephant in the room when talking about a dream device for students. The iPad Pro is expensive, even more so if you opt for the 12.9 “version I also went for, but you already know that if you are reading this review. However, with its immense price tag, it is likely most students’ worst nightmare. There are no two ways about it. The device is costly. While this is, of course, an essential aspect of consideration, I will circle back in the verdict whether there even is a justification for this price or if the price point is the dream killer right off the bat.
Design
Now, after briefly addressing the price, let’s get to the first thing you’ll actually see of your new device after the invoice mail of Apple. The design of the iPad Pros didn’t change much since the introduction of the new rectangular, boxy with rounded corners design from 2018. In 2020 Apple added the camera square with the ultrawide lens and the lidar sensor, and similarly, from the 2020 to the 2021 M1 models, not much changed. According to the tech sheet, the iPad Pro gained some weight and got a bit thicker, like I did during the past year in lockdown. Nevertheless, it is still the same futuristic design I absolutely love. Minimal and clean are the words that come into mind, also when attached to the Magic Keyboard.
Screen
One of the prominent selling features of the new 12.9 “iPad Pros is the new mini LED screen that basically should be a mini version of Apple’s ProDisplay XDR. While I don’t directly compare to the ProDisplay XDR, I can confidently say the Liquid Retina XDR display is one fantastic screen.
I came from the 11 “iPad Pro from 2018 and upgraded to the bigger screen size because I feel much more comfortable working with the added screen real estate, especially if I have to multitask. While already the 2018 iPad Pros have a glorious screen, the new 12.9 “is a clear upgrade. I noticed the most significant difference in the higher max brightness as well as when watching movies. The colors and the brightness even get the attention of people who aren’t usually into tech. Even my mom noticed that it was an excellent display.
Furthermore, I still enjoy the 120hz refresh rate. While I don’t really mind the 60hz on the iPhone, having ProMotion on this screen is amazing and makes everything even smoother.
However, while the screen is amazing and the colors really pop, a minor issue needs to be acknowledged. When in a dark room (e.g., watching movies in bed at night without any ambient lighting) and the screen set to high brightness, minor blooming appears. In my opinion, to say that the iPad Pro has a blooming issue is a severe overstatement, yet it is something that I took notice of the first evening of use. Over the following evenings, I never noticed it anymore during regular usage, yet I found the more you look at the display from the side, the more noticeable blooming gets.
All in all, the screen is brilliant and will serve you well through the all-nighters but also as a fine display for your Netflix and Chill date.
The M1 chip
The other main selling point of the new iPad Pros, both the 11 “and the 12.9 “, is Apple’s M1 chip. It is the same chip already in the new 13 “MacBook Pros, the new MacBook Air, and the Mac mini and new 24 “iMacs. The M1 processor is mighty powerful, and so far, I can just report that it lives up to the promise of blazing-fast speeds.
Whatever I did, be it taking notes on Notability or GoodNotes 5, editing raw images in Affinity Photo, editing 4K 60 footage in LumaFusion, or just playing Call of Duty mobile or Wild Rift, the processor did not seem to even break a sweat. All the apps that run on the memory just start right at the exact point where I left them, and everything happens extremely fast.
However, the funny thing is that the exact description of how the iPad Pro worked is also accurate for my 2018 iPad Pro with the A12X processor, and I assume it also holds up for the 2020 models with the A12Z.
This leads to the already known that the iPad Pro currently isn’t limited by the cutting-edge hardware it has, but by the software it runs.
Software
All iPad’s run on iPadOS, and the new iPad Pro’s are no exception. While you might think that a device with a similar screen size and the same chip would run the same OS, the M1 iPad Pro’s now blaze even faster through iPadOS.
While there are a plethora of extremely capable iPad Apps in the AppStore and iPadOS runs incredibly smooth, I can’t help and wonder sometimes what this device could do with access to desktop apps.
However, that daydreaming quickly is put to the back of my head when I use the iPad Pro with what it currently has access to. As you would expect, the experience is exceptionally smooth. Apps launch almost instantly, files, etc., sync seamlessly via iCloud, and also, as one comes to expect from Apple, the integration into the ecosystem is fabulous. In this one week of use, I did not encounter any hick-ups or software issues that would have disturbed me in any way.
Yet, in the times where my iPad is slowed down by my lackluster wifi connection, I can’t help to fall back into my daydreaming state, thinking about what more the device could do.
Speakers
One final aspect of the new 12.9 “iPad Pro I want to quickly touch on are the speakers. A familiar picture is apparent. While the previous generations of iPad Pros (namely the 2018) did not have bad speakers at all; this 12.9 “just sounds fantastic. Like with the screen, there is a clearly noticeable difference. The speakers get surprisingly loud, and they still maintain a pretty nice sound without too many distortions. On a regular volume, they sound fantastic, well-balanced, and powerful. It reminds me of the 16 “MacBook Pro, where the speakers, of course, were not one of the most promoted features, yet are something that clearly differentiates the device from the rest.
Everyday use
Now, after all this hardware and a bit of software inputs, how is the 12.9 “M1 iPad Pro to use?
As a student who is integrated very well into the Apple ecosystem, it is incredibly convenient to use. I literally use the iPad the whole day because it is very versatile and enables me to do many things not possible on my other devices or just way more conveniently than on either the MacBook Pro or the iPhone. Taking handwritten notes on Notability, creating Flashcards on StudySmarter, or writing summaries on Notion, I can do everything on the iPad.
Of course, with such a device, I do more than studying and taking notes. Creating Thumbnails for my shared YouTube Channel in Affinity Photo or just relaxing and watching some Netflix are also tasks for which the iPad Pro is more than suited.
So far, I haven’t had many opportunities to take the iPad with me to campus or on the road, as universities here in Switzerland still have severely limited numbers of in-person classes.
However, on the two days the iPad accompanied me, I found it to be not too heavy and very versatile as a sole device for trips to campus. Furthermore, I haven’t run into any battery issues so far. The only time the battery drained faster than anticipated was during the first use of Notability, when the App scans your handwriting so it can find it later on. Apart from that, for a regular day on campus with not too much photo editing in between, I comfortably got a full day of battery without paying any attention to preserving it.
However, still, as previously mentioned, sometimes I find myself limited or at least hindered by iPadOS. Whether it is file managing or multitasking, there are moments in a day where I wish I would have just one window more or the option to more freely place open Apps on my screen.
You should also notice that I am not using the iPad Pro entirely on its own. I also use the second-generation Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard. In my opinion, the pencil and any sort of keyboard are non-negotiable necessities for anyone getting an iPad Pro in order to be able to use the device properly.
So taking these two accessories into consideration, the everyday use of the new M1 iPad Pro is best summed up as highly versatile and convenient. I can do everything I want and need during a regular day on campus, and the battery lasts me the whole day.
Verdict
To come back to the initial question of these impressions, is the new 12.9 “ M1 iPad Pro a student’s dream? All in all, I come to the conclusion that technically, it is a student’s dream, but not in practice.
The aspect that kills the dream is the price. The steep price point makes it difficult to just recommend the 12.9 “iPad Pro, and if you can get warm with an 11 “screen, then the iPad Air 4 is simply an alternative that provides more “Bang for the buck “. Also, the noticeably less pricy 11 “ M1 iPad Pro could be a valid alternative if you are really into getting the new M1 chip.
However, if your budget fits the bigger iPad Pro and you are not concerned with the limitations of iPadOS, then the 12.9 “iPad Pro is a student’s dream. Long battery life, insane computing power, fabulous screen, and great accessories, there is not much more you can ask for.
As always, stay safe
Raffael
