2021 iPad Pro review: More of the same—but way, way faster thanks to M1

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  The 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro. [credit: Samuel Axon ]

Apple’s new iPad Pro is better than its immediate predecessor. It’s a little more versatile, and it’s a lot faster. Like most good sequels, it offers more of the same, but the characteristics you love have been amped up enough to grab your attention all over again.

The major storyline in this sequel is that the new iPad Pro uses the same system-on-a-chip as that found in recent Macs—the M1. This marks the first time that one of Apple’s mobile devices is running on the same silicon as its laptops and desktops. The choice of SoC also means that all the R&D effort that went into making the M1 efficient has arrived on a new platform with performance improvements in tow.

It’s fair to say that the iPad’s move to the much-talked-about M1 is not as monumental as the Mac’s. After all, the M1 isn’t as different compared to the A12Z chip that was in the prior iPad Pro as it is compared to the Mac’s Intel processors.