Apple’s iPad Gets a New Look and iPad Pros Get an M2 Chip Upgrade—Here’s the Full Lineup

The new iPad Pros look the same as last year’s models but feature a faster M2 processor and Wi-Fi 6E wireless capabilities, which the company says will allow for download speeds that are twice as fast as the previous generation. There’s also a new Apple Pencil hover feature that previews the stylus’s mark before it hits the screen. 

The 11-inch model starts at $799 with Wi-Fi and $999 with Wi-Fi plus cellular connectivity, while the larger 12.9-inch model starts at $1,099 with Wi-Fi and $1,299 for Wi-Fi plus cellular. The Apple Pencil is sold separately for $129. 

The basic entry-level iPad gets a brand new look, with a larger 10.9-inch display without a home button, in line with the rest of the iPad lineup. Touch ID is now embedded in the power button at the top of the iPad. 

A new USB-C port is more versatile than the previous generation’s Lightning connector. However, the model only supports the first generation Apple Pencil that charges via Lightning, not the newer stylus that charges while magnetically attached to the iPad. A new keyboard cover, called the Magic Keyboard Folio, comes with a trackpad, turning the tablet into a convertible laptop. The internals are also refreshed to the A14 Bionic processor. 

The most exciting update? The front-facing camera is now on the long side of the tablet, so when it’s in landscape mode, no more double chin.

These updates come with a price bump: starting at $449 for Wi-Fi models (up from $329) and $599 for cellular connectivity.

After a pandemic-fueled boom, tablet sales are shrinking. In the second quarter, Apple saw a 12% decline in iPad shipments in the U.S. compared with the same quarter last year, according to data analytics firm Canalys. However, Apple remains the category leader, with 42% market share nationwide. Globally, iPad market share is 31%, according to research firm IDC.

The iPad Air ($599 and up) was recently refreshed, in March, with 5G connectivity and a faster M1 processor. The notepad-size iPad Mini ($499 and up) got a big redesign last year, with a clean, no-home-button design, Apple Pencil support and a USB-C port. 

The lineup is big and a bit confusing. Here’s how to think about them:

The Pros: Best in class. The larger 12.9-inch model has the best screen, even better than a Mac’s. The pro-level features, such as the LiDAR-equipped cameras, are overkill for most people, but the built-in Face ID is really nice.

The Air: The “just right” Goldilocks iPad. It’s compatible with the same Magic Keyboard as the Pros, which essentially turns the iPad into a laptop. Last year’s 5th-generation Air supports the extended display feature in iPadOS 16.

The Mini: Portability for the win. This tablet can fit in purses and doctors’ coat pockets.

The Basic: Cheap and cheerful. The screen isn’t as nice, but it’s a good couch device for basic reading and video streaming. This is the iPad you get for your kid.

Apple has long marketed iPads as laptop replacements. iPads can perform many of the same functions as laptops, especially if you use web-based apps such as Google Docs. But the tablet is worse at file management and multitasking. 

That could change with iPadOS 16, a software update also coming to older iPads on Oct. 24. A new feature called Stage Manager—compatible with higher-end iPad Pro and Air models—allows you to open up to four app windows at once. The apps load as resizable, floating windows, similar to as they would on Mac. Stage Manager also enables external display support, though only for recent M1- and M2-based iPad Air and iPad Pros. When you plug your iPad into a monitor, you can view up to eight windows at once—at least, in theory. In the beta version of the software, the external display feature was buggy, and Apple removed it. The company said full external display support will arrive later this year.

Before you run out to get the new iPads, stay tuned for my review of iPadOS, which could significantly improve the experience on your older iPad.

Apple also announced on Tuesday an updated Apple TV 4K with a faster processor and support for HDR10+. The new Apple TV 4K starts at $129 and arrives Nov. 4, while last year’s model retailed for $179.

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Write to Nicole Nguyen at [email protected]