Overview
The iPad Pro M4 is Apple's thinnest, most powerful tablet ever — and at $1,099 for the 13-inch model, it's priced like a laptop. With the M4 chip, a tandem OLED display, and the Magic Keyboard accessory, Apple is making a clear statement: this tablet can replace your laptop. But can it really?
After four weeks of using the iPad Pro M4 as my primary device — writing, editing, designing, and managing a full workload — I have a definitive answer. The hardware is genuinely stunning. The software limitations are real. And whether this device makes sense for you depends entirely on what "work" means to your daily life.
This review covers everything: benchmark data, battery measurements, real-world productivity testing, and the honest tradeoffs nobody talks about until after you've spent $1,400 on a tablet and keyboard combo.
How We Tested
We tested the 13-inch iPad Pro M4 with 8GB RAM, 512GB storage, paired with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro. The device served as our primary work machine for 4 weeks — replacing a MacBook Air M2 entirely.
Testing covered real-world productivity (writing in Ulysses, spreadsheet management in Numbers, design work in Affinity Photo, light coding in Swift Playgrounds, 4K video editing in Final Cut Pro for iPad), standardized benchmarks (Geekbench 6, 3DMark, Blackmagic Disk Speed), and controlled battery tests (continuous video loop at 50% brightness, mixed productivity at auto-brightness, and a simulated workday from 9 AM to 6 PM).
All tests conducted on iPadOS 18.2 with background app refresh disabled and True Tone off for display consistency.
Performance Results
The M4 chip in the iPad Pro isn't just fast — it's the same silicon powering the MacBook Pro. In four weeks of testing, here's what the numbers actually showed.
M4 Chip Benchmarks
Single-Core
Multi-Core
GPU Score
(10-min timeline)
The M4's single-core score of 3,787 is the highest we've ever recorded on any tablet. It matches the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Multi-core performance at 14,702 crushes every competing tablet by 40% or more. In real-world use, Final Cut Pro exported a 10-minute 4K timeline in just 4 minutes 12 seconds — only 18 seconds slower than the M3 MacBook Air.
Display Quality
Technology
264 PPI
Brightness
Adaptive
The tandem OLED display is the best screen on any tablet, period. True blacks, 1,600 nits peak HDR brightness, and P3 wide color gamut make it reference-grade for photo and video work. The 120Hz ProMotion adaptive refresh rate keeps scrolling butter-smooth and Pencil latency imperceptible.
Battery Life
50% Brightness
Auto Brightness
(67W Charger)
Battery life is adequate but not class-leading. The 10 hours 47 minutes in our video loop test falls short of the MacBook Air M3's 15+ hours. Under real mixed workloads — writing, browsing, video calls — we averaged 8 hours 22 minutes. Enough for a workday, but the MacBook Air has more headroom.
Build & Portability
(579g)
Keyboard
(Tablet)
At 5.1mm thin and 1.28 pounds, the iPad Pro is impossibly portable. With the Magic Keyboard attached, total weight hits 2.2 pounds — lighter than the MacBook Air's 2.7 pounds but heavier than the tablet alone. One Thunderbolt port means dongle life for anyone connecting external drives or monitors.
Pros & Cons
What We Loved
- Stunning OLED display — best screen on any tablet, reference-grade color accuracy
- M4 chip performance — handles 4K video editing and pro apps without breaking a sweat
- All-day battery — 8+ hours of real mixed productivity on a single charge
- Apple Pencil Pro — haptic feedback and barrel roll make stylus input best-in-class
- Ultralight and thin — 5.1mm profile disappears in any bag or under any arm
What Fell Short
- iPadOS limitations — file management and window handling still trail macOS significantly
- $299 Magic Keyboard tax — essential for productivity, but pushes real cost past $1,400
- One Thunderbolt port — dongle required for external drives, monitors, and accessories
- Pro apps are neutered — Final Cut and Logic exist but lack desktop-class features
- Stage Manager still buggy — external display support is unreliable and confusing
Who It's For & Who Should Skip
Who Should Buy It
- Digital artists and illustrators who want the Pencil Pro experience with desktop-class rendering power and a reference-quality display
- Mobile-first professionals who value extreme portability over traditional laptop workflows and primarily use cloud-based tools
- Content consumers with a productivity side — the best media tablet that can also handle real work in a pinch
Who Should Skip It
- Developers and power users who need terminal access, Docker, or multi-window workflows that iPadOS simply cannot provide
- Heavy spreadsheet workers — Numbers and Excel for iPad lack critical desktop features like Power Query and VBA macros
- Anyone on a budget — the MacBook Air M3 delivers more capability per dollar at $1,099 without requiring a $299 keyboard
Alternatives Worth Considering
MacBook Air M3
Full macOS, 15-hour battery, no keyboard tax. Better value for traditional laptop work — but no touchscreen or Pencil support.
iPad 10th Gen
If you want an iPad for media and light tasks, this saves $750. Don't expect laptop-replacement performance.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Android alternative with a 14.6-inch display and DeX desktop mode. Better multitasking, weaker app ecosystem.
Final Verdict
Incredible hardware, but iPadOS still holds it back
The iPad Pro M4 is the most impressive tablet ever built. The OLED display alone is worth the price of admission for creative professionals. The M4 chip delivers genuine laptop-class performance in a package that weighs barely over a pound.
But here's the truth: it's not a laptop replacement for most people. iPadOS 18.2 has improved multitasking, but file management, external display support, and pro app capabilities still trail macOS by a meaningful margin. For digital artists, note-takers, and media-heavy workflows, the iPad Pro is a dream. For everyone else, the MacBook Air at the same price is the smarter buy.
If you've read this far, you probably already know which camp you're in. The hardware earns a near-perfect score. The software experience brings it down to an 8.7 — excellent, but not the laptop killer Apple wants it to be.