iPad Pro M2 vs iPad Pro M4: how Apple's premium tablets stack up

Got cash to spend, and want the absolute best iPad for drawing money can buy? Then you'll want to compare the iPad Pro M2 vs iPad Pro M4.

The iPad Pro is Apple's premium flavour of iPad, superior in most ways to the iPad Air, iPad mini and basic iPad. So if you're looking for the best processor speed, display quality and battery life, here's where you'll find it… at a price.

We'll put it simply: the iPad Pro M2 and iPad Pro M4 are the latest and greatest in this range. (Note: here was no iPad Pro M3; they skipped an iPad generation there.) The iPad Pro M4 is the more recent, and pricier, of the two.

So is the M4 the obvious pick? Or will the slightly cheaper M2 provide everything you need? In this article, we'll give you all the information you need to choose the right model for your specific needs.

Before we start, we should make it clear that technically we're comparing four tablets, not two. Because the iPad Pro M4 comes in 11 and 13 inch sizes, while the iPad Pro M2 comes in 11 and 12.9 inch sizes. However, to make this article easier to read, we'll just refer to "M2" and "M4" throughout, except where the size difference is relevant.

To read about each tablet in detail, head to our iPad Pro M4 13-inch review and iPad Pro M4 11-inch review, as well as our iPad Pro 2022 (M2) review.

iPad Pro M2 vs iPad Pro M4: Price and release date

The iPad Pro M2 was released in October 2022, starting at $799 for the 11-inch model and $1,099 for the 12.9-inch version.

The iPad Pro M4 hit the shelves in June 2024, with a starting price of $899 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch version. While the base prices have increased, Apple has maintained similar pricing tiers across storage options.

iPad Pro M2 vs iPad Pro M4: Design and features

Both generations of iPad Pro feature Apple's sleek Pro design language, but the M4 takes thinness to new extremes. The M4 iPad Pro is incredibly slim at just 5.1mm thick for the 13-inch model, compared to the M2's 6.4mm. The 11-inch model is also thinner, at 5.3mm to the M2's 5.9mm.

The M4 is also slightly lighter. The 13-inch model is 1.28lb (579g), compared with the 12.9 inch M2's 1.5lb (682g). The 11-inch model is 0.98lb (444g) to the M2's 1.03lb (466g).

The M4 introduces a landscape-oriented front camera, something that many people have long been asking for. Both the M2 and M4 tablets support the Apple Pencil, but the M4 is compatible with the new Apple Pencil Pro, which adds features like a squeeze function to switch modes, and barrel roll sensitivity, for precise control of shaped pen and brush tools. We really like this new stylus, and if you're a digital artist, this is a significant reason to favour the M4.

The M4 also debuts with an updated Magic Keyboard (sold separately) featuring a function row, bringing it closer to a true laptop-like experience. The older Magic Keyboard that you can buy for the M2, though, is still pretty decent.

iPad Pro M2 vs iPad Pro M4: Display

While both iPad generations offer excellent displays, the M4 takes a significant leap forward. The M2's 12.9-inch model featured a mini-LED display, which was already impressive. However, the M4 introduces "tandem OLED" technology across both 11 and 13 inch versions, resulting in better brightness, contrast and colour accuracy than ever.

The M4's Ultra Retina XDR display boasts a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 1,600 nits of peak brightness, surpassing the already excellent M2 screen. The M4 also introduces a nano-texture glass option for reduced glare, which is particularly beneficial for colour-managed workflows.

That doesn't mean the M2's display isn't lovely, though. In the words of our reviewer: "It offers an exceptional visual experience. It's razor sharp, delivering the most beautiful, accurate colours, and the frankly unbelievable resolution allows you to work on and clearly see the tiniest of details."

iPad Pro M2 vs iPad Pro M4: Cameras

In terms of cameras, the most notable update in the M4 is the repositioned front-facing camera, which is now optimised for landscape orientation. Other than that, the camera setup is the same as the M2's, with both featuring a 12MP wide camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a LiDAR scanner. The M4's improved neural engine may offer enhanced computational photography features, but the core hardware remains largely unchanged.

iPad Pro M2 vs iPad Pro M4: Battery Life

Both generations promise "all-day battery life," which means up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video, and up to nine hours of surfing the web using cellular data network. However, the phrase "Up to" is crucial here. What you actually do with your tablet in the real-world may well result in shorter times for both models, especially with demanding creative applications.

Comparing the two, the M4's more efficient chip may offer slight improvements in battery performance, but in all honesty, this isn't a major differentiating factor between the two generations.

iPad Pro M2 vs iPad Pro M4: Performance

The leap from the M2 to the M4 chip represents a significant boost in performance, though as with battery life, how much this actually impacts on you will depend on what you use your iPad for.

The M2 chip in the 2022 iPad Pro is already incredibly powerful, offering performance that rivals many laptops. It features an 8-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, making ever demanding tasks like 4K video editing, 3D modelling, and complex image manipulation run smoothly and quickly (that you get all this, often with a decent deal, is why the M2 iPad is our pick for the most powerful iPad for students, even since the M4 release).

The M4 chip takes things to a new level. In our tests of its CPU performance, the M4 iPad Pro scored around 3,656 in single-core and 14,662 in multi-core Geekbench 6 tests. This was a significant jump from the M2's scores, which were around 2,500 single-core and 9,000 multi-core.

We also found the M4's GPU performance impressive, with Metal scores around 53,252, compared to the M2's scores in the 30,000 range. Something else to consider is how the M4's enhanced Neural Engine is designed to accelerate machine learning tasks and AI-powered features. However, the full potential of this may not be realised until more apps are optimised for it.

For everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing and media consumption, users may not notice a significant difference between the M2 and M4. However, in more demanding scenarios, the M4's advantages become apparent.

These include 3D modelling and rendering, as the M4 handles higher polygon counts more smoothly and performs faster when remeshing or applying complex effects. In video editing, too, tasks like video stabilisation and applying effects are noticeably faster on the M4.

Working on a large canvas artwork? While both the M2 and M4 can handle large Procreate canvases, the latter offers better responsiveness, with more layers and complex brushes. And if you're looking to future-proof, the M4 has a huge amount power headroom, which means it's more likely to handle software-yet-to-come.

It's worth adding that many current apps may not fully utilise the M4's capabilities yet. As developers optimise their software for the new chip, we may see even greater performance disparities emerge.

The short version is that for most users, the M2's performance is more than adequate. However, for professionals pushing the boundaries of mobile computing or those wanting the most future-proof device, the M4's performance gains could be significant.

iPad Pro M2 vs iPad Pro M4: Verdict

The iPad Pro M4 represents a significant leap forward in several areas. In terms of performance, the M4 chip offers substantial gains in processing and graphics power. The display is nicer, with the new tandem OLED technology providing a noticeably improved visual experience across both iPad Pro sizes. While the design is similar to the M2's, the thinner profile and landscape front camera are welcome improvements. However, at the same, the M2 iPad Pro remains an extremely capable device that will satisfy most users' needs.

In short, both are beautiful, capable and thoroughly desirable tablets. So choosing between them will depend on whether you want to spend the extra money to have the absolute best iPad, or prefer to spend slightly less and nonetheless get a fantastic iPad.

For creative professionals and power users who demand the absolute best cutting-edge performance and display quality, the M4 iPad Pro represents the pinnacle of tablet technology. However, for most people, the M2 iPad Pro still offers an excellent balance of performance and value, especially if you can get one at a significantly lower price than the M4.