Apple's new iPad Pro has a super-fast M1 chip and 5G support

Apple was widely expected to launch a new iPad Pro during its live event today, and sure enough, we finally have details about the new model. It's a massive upgrade, bringing features from Apple's new Macs to a tablet form factor.

The new iPad Pro doesn't look too different from the existing model at a glance, but there are many changes on the inside. For starters, Apple is bringing its M1 chip (which is now shipping on several Mac computers) to the iPad Pro, giving the tablet yet another performance boost over its competition. The 8-core CPU gives the new model a 50% speed boost over the previous iPad Pro, according to Apple.

The new iPad Pro also has support for 5G (including millimeter-wave 5G), USB 4, and Thunderbolt. Complementing the upgraded internal hardware is a new 2TB storage configuration, so professional photo and video work won't involve quite as much cloud storage. Paired with up to 16GB of RAM, the new iPad should be capable of some serious on-the-go image and video editing work.

Speaking of video and photos, the new iPad Pro also has an ultra-wide 12MP front camera and LiDAR support. The former is used by the tablet's new "Center Stage" feature that uses AI to automatically keep your face in the frame during video calls.

Apple is bringing an upgraded mini-LED display to the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro, nicknamed the 'Liquid Retina XDR.' Apple says the new LED array is 120X smaller in volume than the previous design. Over 10,000 mini-LEDs are used, and these are grouped to form over 2,500 local dimming zones. It also has a 120Hz touch-sensing rate, tap-to-wake support, a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits, Apple Pencil support, "Extreme Dynamic Range," a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and factory calibration. The 11-inch model, meanwhile, has a lesser 4M pixel LCD that reaches up to 600 nits of brightness.

The new M1-powered iPad Pro not only has the most powerful mobile chip in the world, it also has the best screen Apple has ever used on its non-iPhone devices: a gorgeous Mini LED panel that gets bright and bold. — iPad Pro (2021, 12.9-inch)

The new iPad Pro starts at $799 for the 11-inch model or $1,099 for the 12.9-inch version. You can order it starting April 30th, and full availability starts in the second half of May.

Specification	Apple iPad Pro 11-inch	Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch
Colors	Silver, Space Gray	Silver, Space Gray
Size & Weight	247.6mm x 178.5mm x 5.9mm 466g (Wi-Fi) 470g (5G)	280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.4mm 682g (Wi-Fi) 685g (5G)
Display	Liquid Retina display 11-inch (diagonal) LED backlit Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology 2388-by-1668-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi) ProMotion technology Wide color display (P3) True Tone display Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Fully laminated display Antireflective coating 1.8% reflectivity 600 nits max brightness Supports Apple Pencil (2nd generation)	Liquid Retina XDR display 12.9-inch (diagonal) mini-LED backlit Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology 2D backlighting system with 2596 full‑array local dimming zones 2732-by-2048-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi) ProMotion technology Wide color display (P3) True Tone display Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Fully laminated display Antireflective coating 1.8% reflectivity 600 nits max brightness 1000 nits max full-screen brightness; 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR) 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio Supports Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
SoC	Apple M1 chip 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 8-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine	Apple M1 chip 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 8-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine
RAM & Storage	128GB storage + 8GB RAM 256GB storage + 8GB RAM 512GB storage + 8GB RAM 1TB storage + 16GB RAM 2TB storage + 16GB RAM	128GB storage + 8GB RAM 256GB storage + 8GB RAM 512GB storage + 8GB RAM 1TB storage + 16GB RAM 2TB storage + 16GB RAM
Battery & Charging	Built-in 28.65 watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery 20W USB-C charging	Built-in 40.88 watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery 20W USB-C charging
Security	FaceID Enabled by TrueDepth camera for facial recognition Unlock iPad Secure personal data within apps Make purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Books	FaceID Enabled by TrueDepth camera for facial recognition Unlock iPad Secure personal data within apps Make purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store, and Apple Books
Rear Camera(s)	Pro camera system: Wide and Ultra Wide cameras Wide: 12MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture Ultra Wide: 10MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture, and 125° field of view Five‑element lens (Wide and Ultra Wide) 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x Sapphire crystal lens cover Brighter True Tone flash Camera features Panorama (up to 63MP) Autofocus with Focus Pixels (Wide) Smart HDR 3 Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos Lens correction (Ultra Wide) Advanced red-eye correction Photo geotagging Auto image stabilization Burst mode Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG Video Recording 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps (Wide) 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps 720p HD video recording at 30 fps 2x optical zoom out Audio zoom Brighter True Tone flash Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps Time‑lapse video with stabilization Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) Continuous autofocus video Playback zoom Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264 Stereo recording	Pro camera system: Wide and Ultra Wide cameras Wide: 12MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture Ultra Wide: 10MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture, and 125° field of view Five‑element lens (Wide and Ultra Wide) 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x Sapphire crystal lens cover Brighter True Tone flash Camera features Panorama (up to 63MP) Autofocus with Focus Pixels (Wide) Smart HDR 3 Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos Lens correction (Ultra Wide) Advanced red-eye correction Photo geotagging Auto image stabilization Burst mode Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG Video Recording 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps (Wide) 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps 720p HD video recording at 30 fps 2x optical zoom out Audio zoom Brighter True Tone flash Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps Time‑lapse video with stabilization Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) Continuous autofocus video Playback zoom Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264 Stereo recording
Front Camera	TrueDepth Camera 12MP Ultra Wide camera, 122° field of view ƒ/2.4 aperture Retina Flash Camera features Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono) Animoji and Memoji Smart HDR 3 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps Time‑lapse video with stabilization Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps Cinematic video stabilization (1080p and 720p) Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos Lens correction Auto image stabilization Burst mode	TrueDepth Camera 12MP Ultra Wide camera, 122° field of view ƒ/2.4 aperture Retina Flash Camera features Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono) Animoji and Memoji Smart HDR 3 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps Time‑lapse video with stabilization Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps Cinematic video stabilization (1080p and 720p) Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos Lens correction Auto image stabilization Burst mode
Port(s)	USB 4/Thunderbolt port DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)	USB 4/Thunderbolt port DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)
Audio	5 microphones Quad speakers	5 microphones Quad speakers
Connectivity	All models 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6; simultaneous dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 technology Digital compass iBeacon microlocation 5G model (A2301 and A2379) 5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79)4 5G NR mmWave (Bands n260, n261) FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71) TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48) UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) Data only Wi-Fi calling eSIM+ Nano-SIM card tray	All models 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6; simultaneous dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 technology Digital compass iBeacon microlocation 5G model (A2301 and A2379) 5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79)4 5G NR mmWave (Bands n260, n261) FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71) TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48) UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) Data only Wi-Fi calling eSIM+ Nano-SIM card tray Built‑in GPS/GNSS
Sensors	Face ID LiDAR Scanner Three-axis gyro Accelerometer Barometer Ambient light sensor	Face ID LiDAR Scanner Three-axis gyro Accelerometer Barometer Ambient light sensor
Software	iPadOS 14	iPadOS 14