Is the iPad Pro M4 worth it over the iPad Air?

If you want the best display, the thinnest design, Face ID, ProMotion 120Hz, and the M4 chip — yes, absolutely. The iPad Air with M2 is great for most people, but the Pro is for those who want no compromises. The tandem OLED display alone is worth the upgrade if you consume a lot of content or do creative work.

Can the iPad Pro M4 replace a laptop?

For many people, yes. With the M4 chip, iPadOS Stage Manager, and the Magic Keyboard, it handles 90% of what most people use a laptop for. I travel with just my iPad Pro now. The main limitations are iPadOS restrictions around file management and some pro app workflows.

Which size should I get — 11-inch or 13-inch?

The 13-inch is my personal pick — more screen real estate for multitasking and creativity. But the 11-inch is incredibly portable and still has the same powerful internals. If you carry it everywhere, go 11. If it's primarily a desk/couch device, go 13.

iPad Pro M4 Review — Techie Dani Recommends

Name: iPad Pro M4
Brand: Apple

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Dani's Verdict

9/10 — The Best Tablet Ever Made

The iPad Pro M4 is genuinely the best tablet on the planet. The tandem OLED display is stunning, the M4 chip handles everything I throw at it, and it's thinner than my iPhone. If you're a creator, student, or just want the best — this is it.

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The Display Changes Everything

OK so let me start with the display because WOW. Apple calls it a "tandem OLED" — they literally stack two OLED panels on top of each other to get insane brightness (1,600 nits peak HDR) while maintaining those perfect blacks. It's the best display I've ever seen on a tablet. Period.

ProMotion at 120Hz makes everything butter smooth, and the anti-reflective coating actually works. I've been using this outside on my patio and I can actually see what I'm doing.

Thinner Than My iPhone

This thing is 5.1mm thin. Let that sink in. It's thinner than an iPhone 16 Pro. When I first picked it up I literally said "this can't be real" — it feels like you're holding a sheet of glass. But somehow it still feels solid and premium.

They moved to an aluminum and recycled material design that shed weight everywhere. The 11-inch model is just 0.98 pounds. I carry it everywhere now because it weighs nothing.

M4 Chip — Absurd Power

The M4 chip is a beast. 10-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU, hardware ray tracing, and a 16-core Neural Engine. For context — this tablet is more powerful than most laptops people are using right now.

I edit 4K video on this, run multiple apps in split view, and use it as my travel workstation. It doesn't even get warm. The efficiency is insane.

Apple Pencil Pro

The new Apple Pencil Pro works exclusively with this iPad and it's got some cool new tricks. There's a squeeze gesture to bring up tool palettes, a barrel roll sensor that lets you rotate the pencil for different brush angles, and haptic feedback so you actually feel clicks when you interact with things.

If you're an artist or note-taker, this combo is unbeatable. The latency is so low it genuinely feels like writing on paper.

Who Should Buy This

Look, this is a premium device — starting at $999 for the 11-inch. But if you want the absolute best tablet experience, there's nothing else that comes close. Creators, students, professionals, or anyone who wants a device that can genuinely replace a laptop for most tasks.

The 13-inch model starting at $1,299 is my pick if you want more screen real estate. I use it for everything from editing videos to watching movies to taking notes in meetings.

What I Love

Tandem OLED display is the best screen on any tablet
Impossibly thin and light
M4 chip handles anything
Apple Pencil Pro integration is incredible
Face ID works in landscape

What Could Be Better

Starting price is steep at $999
Magic Keyboard sold separately ($299+)
iPadOS still has some multitasking limitations