The 2024 iPad Pro is finally here, and much like any other generation, it’s quite a bit more powerful than the 6th-generation model that preceded it. However, Apple did a bit more than just shove a more powerful CPU inside the thing. The new 7th-generation iPad Pro is thinner than ever before, and features a lovely OLED display that makes pretty much any content pop in a huge way.
But the 6th-generation iPad Pro is still an extremely solid tablet, and with the new model out on the market, the last-gen option is going to start seeing massive discounts, especially once we enter Prime Day or Black Friday later in 2024. You will have to give up some of the features that make the new iPad Pro truly great, but the savings might be worth it.
Just keep in mind that when I’m talking about the 6th-Generation iPad Pro, I’m lumping the iPad Pro 11-inch (4th Generation) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th Generation) together, because other than the display size they’re identical devices. It’s just that it took Apple a couple of generations to introduce a smaller display size.
iPad Pro 7th-Generation vs iPad Pro 6th-Generation: Specs
It really shouldn’t be surprising that a new iPad is a bit more powerful than the last generation, that’s just how technology works. But Apple really took things to another level with the iPad Pro 7th-Generation, equipping it with the brand-new Apple M4 SoC (system on a chip). Apple’s M-series SoCs were first created to be top-end laptop processors for the MacBook back in 2020. These chips have since worked their way into the best iPads, usually lagging behind the current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
Not the iPad Pro 7th-Generation, though. This time around, the M4 is premiering in the iPad Pro, outclassing the MacBook Air 2024 that launched just a couple of months before it. This is also a huge jump from the 6th-Generation iPad Pro, which is equipped with the M2 processor from 2022. In other words, Apple essentially skipped a CPU generation with the 7th-Generation iPad Pro.
That’s not to say the M2 is a weak chip, though – quite the opposite, in fact. The Apple M2 includes an 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, a 10-core GPU and a 16-core neural engine for machine learning and AI workloads. That’s still extremely fast for anything you’re going to be doing on a tablet, up to and including pro video editing. It’s just that the M4 is even faster.
Assuming you spring for the 1TB option, the Apple M4 in the new iPad Pro has a 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, a 10-core GPU, and a 16-core neural engine. That’s on top of a chip that allows for hardware-accelerated ray tracing, much like what’s found in current graphics cards.
These chips don’t seem very different at a surface level, but in addition to the M4’s additional performance cores, the cores themselves are also improved. The performance cores run at up to 4.3GHz, up from the max boost of 3.4GHz on the M2. That’s a pretty big difference, though realistically it won’t make much of a difference if you’re just using your iPad Pro to read comics and play mobile games. Creative pros, on the other hand, will appreciate the extra horsepower the M4 offers.
iPad Pro 7th-Generation vs iPad Pro 6th-Generation: Display
A display is probably the most important part of any tablet: Not only is it what you look at content through, but it’s the primary way you’re going to be interacting with the device, too. It just so happens that the iPad Pro 7th-Generation brings one of the biggest improvements to iPad displays in years.
The 2024 iPad Pro is equipped with a Tandem OLED display for the first time. This is a huge upgrade over the 6th-generation’s mini-LED display. The iPad Pro 7th-generation is only the second mobile device ever to use this display technology, after the Honor Magic 6 Ultimate, which is only available in China. This OLED tech is a huge improvement over other OLED displays, and allows for much less power draw, and has less risk of image burn-in, which is critically important in a device like the iPad Pro.
The mini-LED technology in the iPad Pro 6th-Generation is still quite the looker, though, with extremely vivid colors and a bright backlight. It’s just not quite as bright as the iPad Pro 7th-Generation, which can hit a peak HDR brightness of 1,600 nits, compared to the 1,000 nits of the 6th generation model.
Still, both displays have a pixel density of 264 ppi and feature Apple’s ProMotion variable refresh technology, so the differences are pretty minor, even if the new model edges out a win here.
iPad Pro 7th-Generation vs iPad Pro 6th-Generation: Price
It almost feels inevitable at this point that everything is just going to keep getting more expensive, and it’s definitely true for the latest iPad. Both display sizes got a $200 price hike on their introductory models, with the 11-inch starting at $999 and the 13-inch starting at $1,299. The 4th-Generation 11-inch model launched at $799 to start, with the 12.9-inch launching at $1,099.
That price jump does come with a substantial increase in specs and a much better display, but now that the price on the 6th-Generation iPad Pro has started dropping, it’s going to be much more attractive for anyone looking for a tablet. At the time of writing, you can get an 11-inch iPad Pro from 2022 for just $643 on Amazon. That’s more than $300 cheaper while only having to compromise on the still-incredible mini-LED display and a slightly slower processor.
iPad Pro 7th-Generation vs iPad Pro 6th-Generation: Conclusion
The new iPad Pro is a better device, pretty much across the board, than the 2022 model. But, most of the improvements are generational changes that aren’t going to make a world of difference in your day-to-day life, especially if you’re not the kind of creative professional that makes their living with an Apple Pencil Pro. Both of these devices are incredible, and will make for an excellent daily driver for anything from browsing social media to illustration.
The edge has to go to the iPad Pro 7th-Generation, though, because of the new display on offer. Seriously, this is the kind of display that makes you want to rewatch all of your favorite movies, just to see them in more detail with better color accuracy. The amount of joy I’ve had just reading comics on the new iPad Pro makes it worth the price of admission, and now all Apple has to do is start moving this display tech into iPads that are geared more towards entertainment – looking at you, iPad Air.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
