iPad Pro 2021 showing front image
We’ve been anticipating a 2022 update to Apple’s iPad Pro for a while now, and it sounds as though a launch could be just around the corner with many outlets claiming we’ll see the tablet as soon as today.
This latest rumour comes from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who expects Apple to quietly unveil the iPad on its website this week.
“My belief is that Apple has eschewed another event because of the fairly ordinary nature of the announcements. It’s a slew of updates that amount to spec bumps or seen-before designs,” he wrote in his Power On newsletter on October 15th.
The iPad Pro 2022 will be the successor to the M1-powered, 2TB-packing iPad Pro 2021. Editor Max Parker called the Pro a “triumph in terms of hardware” in his review, meaning the 2022 version will have a lot to live up to.
So far, we’ve heard that the iPad Pro 2022 could be powered by the M2 chip found inside the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, making it 20% faster than the M1, but we won’t see any drastic changes in design.
Read on to discover everything there is to know about the iPad Pro M2 (2022).
Price and availability
Right now, the rumour is that the iPad Pro 2022 will launch imminently – possibly as soon as October 18.
“Apple Inc.’s next iPad Pro is arriving in a matter of days. The company is set to announce new 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions of the device, codenamed J617 and J620, that include the same M2 processor found in the latest MacBook Air”, revealed Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter.
According to Gurman, the tablet will launch on the website with no big launch event due to it being a minor update to the line. iPadOS 16.1 is expected to follow around the week of October 24.
As far as pricing goes, the iPad Pro 2021 came in two variations: 11-inches and 12.9-inches. The smaller model started at £749 when paired with the smallest 128GB storage, but jumped up to £1749 if you splashed out for the 2TB configuration.
The bigger tablet started out at £999, with the largest storage variation costing £1999.
Factor in rumoured upgrades, including the M2 chip and perhaps a Mini-LED display for the 11-inch tablet and this year’s Pro may not be a cheap device.
Design and screen
While there is some chatter going around about a massive 15-inch iPad, a move we would be very much on board with after reviewing the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, the 2022 Pro range is expected to stick with the 11 and 12.9-inch variations.
One rumour that has popped up a few times is that the next iPad Pro would have a glass back for wireless charging. In Gurman’s Power On newsletter, he mentions that a wireless charging system will be introduced. However, a 9to5 Mac report suggested the glass back might have been canned already, possibly due to its delicate nature.
Other rumours suggest that the iPad Pro 2022 will take it a step further and introduce reverse-wireless charging, which will allow the device to charge up other devices, such as your Airpods, Apple Watch or iPhone. However, it is possible that these features – especially reverse-wireless charging – will be saved until 2023.
Credit: MyDrivers
Another design choice that has been rumoured is a notch, in a similar fashion to the MacBook Pro 2021 and iPhone 13.
Chinese site MyDrivers published new renders (seen above) of the next Apple tablet, with the inclusion of a notch. Considering that the iPad Pro already uses FaceID for authentication, it does make a bit more sense that it would be included, seeing as that requires a sizable camera on the front of the screen.
However, in reality, we can’t imagine Apple sticking a notch like this on a tablet. You need decent bezels to grip a tablet properly and we’re not crying out for thinner sides on the current iPad Pro.
Specs and Features
The biggest update expected to arrive on the Pro 2022 is Apple’s M2 chipset. The Apple Silicon chip was announced this summer with the launch of the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and would be an upgrade from the M1 found inside the current Pro tablet.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that the smaller 11-inch tablet will pack Mini-LED screen tech, marking a switch from the current LCD.
This move wouldn’t be too surprising as the feature is already available on the 12.9-inch version of the current iPad Pro and it wowed when we reviewed that tablet. Mini-LED is a bit like OLED (that’s the screen tech on the iPhone 13 series) and the vast array of dimming zones allows for it to recreate HDR video far more accurately than a regular LCD. The colours are punchy and the brightness levels are wonderful. We said the following about the Mini-LED on the iPad Pro in our review:
“The result is a stunning display for watching back HDR content. Blacks are now properly black and this is especially obvious in those chunky bars that sit above and below most videos. These now just about match up with the black rim of the iPad Pro, instead of looking grey.”
However, rumours of Mini-LED on the 11-inch Pro have died down over the months.
If the new iPad Pro launches in October, it’ll also coincide well with the incoming iPadOS 16.1 update, which brings along features like the Stage Manager productivity tool.
That’s all we know about the iPad Pro 2022 right now, but we’ll make sure to update this article as soon as we hear more details. Keep this page bookmarked for more updates.
Trusted Take
Putting faster and faster chips inside tablets is fine – what I really want to see from Apple though is software that can properly utilise it.
iPad OS is great on the cheaper iPads, yet it feels hamstrung on these more powerful machines. I’m not asking for Mac OS on a tablet, just a comfortably middle-ground where more ‘Pro’ focused apps can fully take advantage of what’s on offer. Hopefully we’ll get something like this with the iPad Pro 2022 and iOS 16.
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