Apple iPad Pro 13" M4 2024, 8GB, 256GB, Space Black
Driven by a 10-core M4 chip and 10-core GPU, the iPad Pro delivers swift multitasking, and its 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR OLED display reaches 1600 nits peak brightness with P3 color in a 581g body. Apple Intelligence with on-device privacy enables text generation and task handling, while Thunderbolt/USB 4 supports external monitors and fast transfers. Best for digital illustrators and 4K video editors needing a portable, color-accurate HDR monitor with Apple Pencil Pro precision and ProRes capture.
No current retailer price
Snapshot
The 30-Second Version
The iPad Pro M4 has the best screen we've ever tested and a chip that's overkill for iPadOS. It's a phenomenal tablet that's still held back by software and a brutal price tag.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Best-in-class OLED display, 1000 nits and 120Hz ProMotion 100th
- M4 chip is stupid fast, handles creative work without flinching 98th
- Ridiculously thin and light at 581g 98th
- Battery life is excellent for the size 97th
- Face ID and Apple Pencil Pro support are seamless
Cons
- iPadOS still can't fully replace a laptop for real work
- Price is brutal, especially once you add the Magic Keyboard and Pencil
- 8GB RAM in the base model feels stingy for a 'Pro' device
- Some units ship with defects or arrive in rough open-box condition
- PWM sensitivity bothers a small but vocal group of users
What owners think
The Word on the Street
How owner sentiment changed over time
ExclusiveBased on when customers actually wrote their reviews - so you can see whether early praise held up.
- Q3 202692/100
Buyers in Q3 2026 praised the iPad Pro's screen quality, performance, and versatility for school, work, and entertainment. A few noted slow charging and missing original packaging.
- Excellent screen quality, OLED, crisp, and beautiful colors.
- Great performance, fast processor, smooth for multitasking and editing.
- Versatile for school, work, media consumption, and creative tasks.
- Some complaints about slow charging speed and non-original packaging.
- Q2 202695/100
Buyers in Q2 2026 overwhelmingly praised the iPad Pro M4 for its stunning OLED display, fast M4 chip, long battery life, and lightweight design. A few reported scratches or locked cellular plans on used units.
- Stunning OLED display with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent HDR.
- M4 chip delivers lightning-fast performance for multitasking, editing, and gaming.
- Long battery life easily lasts a full day of work and entertainment.
- Some used units arrived with scratches, locked cellular plans, or residue.
- Q1 202688/100
Buyers praise the iPad Pro's performance, display, and battery life. Some report defects, PWM sensitivity, and fragility.
- Excellent performance, speed, and smooth multitasking.
- Great display quality, brightness, and colors.
- Long battery life and lightweight design for portability.
- Defects out of box, screen flickering, and fragile glass.
- Q4 202585/100
Buyers praise the M4 iPad Pro's speed, display, and laptop-like versatility for work and study. However, some received used or incomplete open-box items, and a few report freezing or dim screen issues.
- Excellent performance, fast processor, smooth multitasking, and great for video/photo editing.
- Stunning display quality, bright and sharp, ideal for movies, gaming, and creative work.
- Open-box items sometimes arrive used, with missing accessories or previous owner's stickers.
- Some find it overkill for basic tasks; a few report freezing or dim screen in dark content.
- Q3 202585/100
Buyers praise the M4 iPad Pro's speed, OLED display, and battery life, with many using it for school or as a laptop replacement. A few report defects, open-box issues, or find it unsuitable for business travel.
- Exceptional speed, smooth multitasking, and powerful M4 chip for demanding apps.
- Stunning OLED display with bright colors, deep blacks, and 120Hz fluidity.
- Great for school, note-taking, and as a portable laptop replacement with keyboard.
- Some units had defects (overheating, won't power on) or open-box prep issues.
- Q2 202593/100
Buyers praise the M4 chip's speed, stunning OLED display, and thin design. A few note high price, slow charging, and a defective USB-C cable.
- M4 chip delivers blazing fast performance for video editing, multitasking, and gaming.
- Ultra Retina XDR OLED display is vivid, bright, and sharp for media and creative work.
- Sleek, thin, lightweight design praised for portability and premium feel.
- Some report slow charging, battery drain, or defective USB-C cable with poor support.
- Q1 202596/100
Buyers praise the iPad Pro M4 for its stunning OLED display, thin and light design, and fast performance. Many upgraded from older models and are very satisfied.
- Stunning OLED display with 120Hz, deep blacks, and vivid colors praised by many.
- Thin, lightweight design and fast M4 performance noted as major upgrades.
- Excellent for productivity, note-taking, video editing, and as a laptop replacement.
- Some mention high price and need for a sturdy case due to thinness.
- Q4 202494/100
Buyers in Q4 2024 overwhelmingly praised the iPad Pro M4 for its stunning OLED display, speed, and thin design. A few noted minor issues with touch responsiveness and value for upgrades.
- Display quality is exceptional, with vibrant colors and sharp clarity.
- Performance is fast and smooth, ideal for video editing and multitasking.
- Touch responsiveness issues reported, particularly with swipe gestures.
- Upgrading to higher storage or processor may not yield noticeable benefits.
- Q3 2024100/100
Buyers in Q3 2024 praised the iPad Pro 13 for its transcendent screen, thin design, long battery life, and excellent speed. All reviews were 5-star.
- Screen quality described as transcendent and best ever.
- Thin design and portability appreciated.
- Battery life and speed praised.
- One buyer preferred black color over the one received.
- Q2 202477/100
Buyers praised the iPad's speed, screen, and power, but some reported issues with charging cable durability, display compatibility with Google Docs, and difficult transitions or store policies.
- Excellent speed, screen quality, and performance; many call it the best iPad yet.
- Charging cable is small and not durable; broke within weeks.
- Google Docs page top/bottom not visible on screen; needs fix.
- Transition from older iPad was time-consuming and difficult; store gift card policy caused hassle.
Based on 752 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.
The proof
Performance
The M4 chip is the real deal. 10 CPU cores and a 10-core GPU chew through 4K video editing, Procreate canvases with dozens of layers, and heavy multitasking without breaking a sweat. The 8GB of RAM in this base 256GB config is fine for most people, though it sits at the 78th percentile, which is solid but not class-leading. The 31Wh battery lands at the 96th percentile, which surprised us given how thin this thing is. Apple squeezed all-day battery life out of a tablet that's barely thicker than a USB-C port. The OLED display with ProMotion at 120Hz makes scrolling feel like butter, and the tandem OLED tech means HDR content looks genuinely stunning. No other tablet comes close on screen quality.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | Apple M4 |
| Cores | 10 |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 8 GB |
| RAM Generation | LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 256 GB |
| Storage Type | SSD |
| Expandable | No |
Display
| Size | 13" |
| Resolution | 2752x2064 |
| Panel | OLED |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz |
| Brightness | 1600 nits |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| USB-C | 1 |
| Cellular | No |
Features
| Stylus Support | Yes |
| Stylus Model | Apple Pencil Pro |
| Fingerprint Reader | No |
| Face Unlock | Yes |
Physical
| Weight | 0.6 kg / 1.3 lbs |
| Battery | 31 Wh |
| OS | iPadOS |
vs Competition
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is the closest competitor, and it's a genuinely great tablet with a bigger 14.6-inch screen and DeX mode that's more desktop-like than iPadOS. But Samsung's OLED panel doesn't hit the same peak brightness, and the M4 chip outruns Samsung's silicon in sustained workloads. The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is the real threat if you need a laptop replacement, because it runs full Windows 11 and has a proper file system. The iPad Pro is the better tablet, but the Surface Pro is the better computer. The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro and Lenovo Idea Tab Plus are fine budget alternatives, but they're not in the same league for display quality or raw performance.
| Spec | Apple iPad Pro 13" M4 | Microsoft Surface Pro 11 | Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus ZAEG0096US | Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 | Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro 62751 | BESTTAB T60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M4 | Intel Core Ultra 7 268V | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Mediatek Dimensity 9400+ | 3000 MHz | AMD Ryzen 5 1600 |
| RAM (GB) | 8 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Storage (GB) | 256 | 1024 | 256 | 512 | 512 | 256 |
| Screen | 13" 2752x2064 | 13" 2880x1920 | 12.7" 2944x1840 | 11" 2560x1600 | 11.2" 3200x2136 | 12" |
| OS | iPadOS | Windows 11 Pro | Android 14 | Android 16 | Android 14 | Android 16 |
| Stylus | true | true | true | true | true | true |
| Cellular | false | false | false | false | false | true |
| Battery (Wh) | 31 | 47 | - | - | - | - |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | CPU | GPU | RAM | Screen | Battery | Feature | Storage | User Sentiment | Sharpness | Portability | Connectivity | Social Proof | Affordability | Reading Battery | Water Resistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad Pro 13" M4 | 97.8 | 97.2 | 77.7 | 99.8 | 95.2 | 91.9 | 83.5 | 58 | 67.4 | 47.8 | 92.8 | 97.9 | 9.1 | 6.9 | 46.7 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 11 Compare | 94 | 94.6 | 92.6 | 99.2 | 98.6 | 84.9 | 97.8 | 0 | 78.3 | 21.7 | 92.8 | 81.2 | 3.6 | 75 | 46.7 |
| Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus ZAEG0096US Compare | 80.9 | 78.8 | 92.6 | 97.1 | 88.8 | 97 | 83.5 | 69.6 | 87.5 | 42.1 | 92.8 | 90.2 | 21.7 | 52.2 | 46.7 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Compare | 82.1 | 79.9 | 80.9 | 93.5 | 83.9 | 99.4 | 89.4 | 93.7 | 89.2 | 64.8 | 63 | 93.2 | 13.7 | 70.3 | 97.5 |
| Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro 62751 Compare | 83.8 | 81.8 | 80.9 | 98.5 | 85.3 | 65.9 | 89.4 | 80.7 | 99.3 | 78.5 | 77.3 | 93.2 | 16 | 71.7 | 46.7 |
| BESTTAB T60 Compare | 82.4 | 80.2 | 80.9 | 42.7 | 86.9 | 88.8 | 74.7 | 80.7 | 0 | 1.2 | 58.6 | 58.3 | 39.6 | 70.3 | 46.7 |
Price
Value & Pricing
Here's the thing. The price spread across vendors is wild, from USD 730 to USD 1,299 for the same 256GB Wi-Fi model. If you're paying full retail at USD 1,299, you're getting hosed. The Best Buy listings and Amazon renewed options are where the real deals live, and at USD 730 this tablet becomes a lot easier to justify. But remember, the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro are sold separately, and they add hundreds more. At full price with accessories, you're looking at laptop money for a device that still can't do everything a MacBook can.
Read more
Overview
The iPad Pro M4 is the best tablet display we've ever tested, period. That 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR OLED panel hits 1000 nits and sits at the 100th percentile in our screen rankings, which means nothing else on the market touches it right now. The M4 chip is absurdly fast too, landing in the 94th percentile for CPU and 96th for GPU. If you want a tablet that feels like it's from three years in the future, this is it. But the user sentiment score of 56th percentile tells a messier story. People love the hardware and get frustrated by the software ceiling and the price tag.
Common Questions
Q: Can the iPad Pro M4 replace my laptop?
For creative work like drawing, photo editing, and video editing, yes. For coding, full desktop app support, or heavy file management, no. iPadOS still doesn't have a real file system or support for full desktop apps. Get a MacBook Air if you need a laptop.
Q: Is the 256GB model enough storage?
For most people, yes. Apps, documents, and a reasonable photo library fit fine. But if you shoot 4K video or work with large design files, you'll fill it fast. Cloud storage helps, but there's no SD card slot, so buy the capacity you need upfront.
Q: Do I need the Apple Pencil Pro or will the USB-C Pencil work?
The USB-C Pencil works for basic note-taking and sketching. But the Pencil Pro adds pressure sensitivity, haptic feedback, and the squeeze gesture, which matter a lot for serious drawing. If art is your main use, get the Pencil Pro. If you just take notes, save the money.
Who Should Skip This
If you're looking for a laptop replacement that runs full desktop software, this isn't it. Go get a MacBook Air M3 or a Surface Pro 11 instead. If you're on a budget, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro or Lenovo Idea Tab Plus will handle media consumption and light productivity for a fraction of the price. And if you're sensitive to PWM flicker, test this in person before buying, some users report eye strain from the OLED panel.
Verdict
Buy the iPad Pro M4 if you want the best tablet experience money can buy and you're already deep in the Apple ecosystem. The display alone is worth the price of admission for artists, photographers, and anyone who watches a lot of HDR content. But if you need a true laptop replacement, get a MacBook Air or a Surface Pro instead. iPadOS is still the bottleneck, and no amount of M4 horsepower can fix a software ceiling. For most people, the 256GB base model at a discounted price is the sweet spot. Skip the 1TB and 2TB configs unless you need the nano-texture glass or extra RAM.
Usage Scores
- Overall90.8
- Reading44.3
- Student90.5
- Business83.8
- Art Design94.3
- Productivity93.4
- Entertainment94.3
