M4 iPad Pro reviews praise OLED display; criticize price, software

Apple last week announced a new generation iPad Pro with the M4 chip, which is now available for pre-order. While the company says the new iPads will be officially launched on Wednesday, May 15, the press has already got their hands on the new iPad – and the first reviews praise the new OLED display but at the same time criticize things like price and software.

Review round-up of the new M4 iPad Pro

The Verge review says that the new iPad is “the best kind of overkill.” The website notes that the OLED panel used by Apple delivers “incredibly vibrant” and “significantly brighter” colors. However, the review also questions whether the hardware upgrade was really necessary as the iPad still runs a “locked-down, oversimplified operating system.”

For now, it’s just an iPad. The best iPad ever, I think — maybe even the best iPad you could reasonably ask for. But the story of the iPad — the “magic pane of glass,” as Apple is so fond of calling it — is actually all about software. The iPad’s software has let its hardware down for years. Apple has led us to believe that’s about to change, that this year’s WWDC will be the great turning point for AI and iPads and everything. We’ll see. Until then, the iPad Pro is almost too good for its own good.

Other reviewers who also got to try out the M4 iPad Pro had similar opinions. Gizmodo said that the new iPad is “beautiful and powerful,” but needs better software. The review also describes the new OLED display as “sharper, brighter, and more colorful.” However, the price increase was seen as a downside.

It’s far prettier than previous versions, as well it should be since it now costs $200 more starting than the one from two years ago. It comes the closest to being my favorite Apple device, far more than my iPhone, but inevitably, for everyday tasks, I’ll have to reach for a Mac or PC first before thinking of this tablet.

Engadget stated that the new iPad Pro is “very nice, and so very expensive.” Once again, the OLED panel was praised, while the higher price and lack of support for accessories for older iPads was criticized.

But when I think realistically about what I need and what I can reasonably justify spending, I realize that the iPad Pro is just too much for me. Too expensive, too powerful, maybe a little too large (I truly love the 11-inch model, however). If you’re in the same boat, then fortunately, there’s an iPad that offers nearly everything the iPad Pro does for significantly less cash.

Jason Snell complained about how iPadOS “remains essentially stupid” despite major hardware upgrades.

Apple’s hardware and chip teams are really at the top of their game. The new M4 iPad Pro is a sleek slab of concentrated computing power, tucked behind a spectacular OLED display. It arrives with a bundle of impressively updated accessories, which is appropriate given that the iPad is partially defined by its ergonomic adaptability.

As has seemingly been the case since the introduction of the first iPad Pro, the challenge is squaring the amazing hardware with the (relatively, compared to macOS) limited flexibility of iPadOS and its library of apps. iPadOS has improved in numerous areas in the past few years, but it’s hard to come close to the speed at which Apple’s hardware designs seem to move.

Prices for the new iPad Pro start at $999 for the 11-inch version and $1299 for the 13-inch version.

Video reviews

You can also watch some video reviews below: