It’s been about six months since Apple released the 2022 M2 iPad Pro. We’re taking another look at Apple’s flagship tablet to see how it’s held up.
Featuring Apple’s 12.9-inch M2 iPad Pro
Apple released the M2-equipped iPad Pro in Fall 2022 with relatively minor upgrades over the previous generation. Since then, we’ve relied on Apple’s 12.9-inch tablet every day.
We believe in its potential. At the same time, we can’t help but feel a little overwhelmed.
New features highlighted include Wi-Fi 6E support, Apple Pencil hover, the M2 chip, and ProRes video capture. Otherwise, it has retained the same design as before.
Our mobile workflow is diverse. We edit high-resolution RAW photos, occasional 4K video editing, lots of writing, lots of emails, and the occasional game.
All of this is thrown out of the park with no new groundbreaking features.
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Buy for $1,049 The new features were underwhelming
We already said that in our first review, but now that we’ve lived with the new features for the past few months, we can confirm that the latest ones aren’t exactly convincing – at least for us.
The hover effect for Apple Pencil is nice, but we almost forgot about it, despite using Apple Pencil regularly. Most developers didn’t even pay lip service to it.
Hover effect in Affinity Photo
When we use apps that have been updated for this, like Affinity Photo, we touch the screen so quickly that we don’t even notice the hover effect. The most useful feature is getting a tooltip to describe a tool before you select it.
ProRes video capture ticks another box from a list of specs. We can’t say that we record professional quality videos on our iPads.
This feature is aimed at creative professionals, but as content creators we have many other options that we would turn to in front of our iPad. Our Nikon Z7, GoPro Hero 11 or iPhone would all be preferable.
We agree that Wi-Fi 6E is an advantage and we see improved network performance, but we do make more downloads on our Mac than on the iPad. If you live in an apartment or a city, Wi-Fi 6E can have additional advantages in certain situations.
The M2 chip feels like overkill, too, as iPadOS and third-party apps struggle to keep up. Apple has yet to migrate its pro apps like Final Cut Pro to iPadOS.
DaVinci Resolve on the App Store
We recently got DaVinci Resolve on iPadOS, but it barely uses the full potential of the M2 chip. The same goes for games, most of which are lightweight mobile titles.
It doesn’t always have to be new
Lest this sound like an increasingly pessimistic outlook on Apple’s latest pro tablet, there’s a lot to love here. We’re fully aware of what we’re complaining about, which is relatively minor on this overly successful device.
The form factor is excellent, Face ID is ultra fast, the screen looks amazing and the M2 is amazing. Apple doesn’t have to introduce a new form factor or design to make the iPad Pro a hit.
With iPad Pro and Apple Pencil
What iPad can do is amazing and we can be more productive than ever as iPadOS has grown too.
That doesn’t stop the product from feeling a little less exciting over the years. Using the iPad Pro in 2023 feels the same as using the iPad Pro in 2018.
Video editing with DaVinci Resolve
We have faith in Apple’s iPad line and are crossing our fingers that Apple will do something, through software or hardware, to make it feel fresh again in the future.
2022 iPad Pro – ProsNew M2 chip shows good year-over-year gains Design still looks good, although unchanged 12.9-inch has an amazing display Hover for Apple Pencil is very useful First Apple devices to support Wi-Fi 6e2022 iPad Pro – Cons Few new features hampered by lackluster software Still no mini-LED on 11-inch modelRating: 4 out of 5Where to buy and save on the Apple iPad Pro M2
Buyers can find aggressive iPad deals today in the Pro line.
For the best prices, see our iPad price guide with jump links to each screen size below. At the time of this long-term M2 iPad Pro review, discounts of up to $150 are available, with additional AppleCare savings.
Exclusive offers about AppleInsider 11-inch iPad Pro M2 (128GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular)
Save $50 on iPad Pro 11-inch with promo code APINSIDER at Adorama. Also, get $29.01 off AppleCare with discount code.
Shop for $949 12-inch iPad Pro M2 (128GB, Wi-Fi only)
Save $50 on iPad Pro 12.9-inch with promo code APINSIDER at Adorama. Also, the coupon gives you $29.01 off AppleCare.
Buy for $1,049
