The new iPad Pro 2022: everything we know so far
Since the new iPad Pro (2022) didn’t show up at the iPhone 14 launch in early September, all eyes are on October – that’s because some leaks suggest Apple is hosting an iPad launch event at the time.
That means we’ll be seeing the company’s latest top slate, as well as the 2022 beginner’s iPad version. Well, if the leaks are correct, but we really hope so, so that we actually see more than one iPad this year.
So far, rumors don’t make the new iPad Pro sound like a big discovery, but we’re starting to get the impression that it could make some useful improvements.
The iPad Pro (2021) was one of our favorite tablets from last year as Apple Pro tablets offer plenty of power and great-looking screens, so if the company continues its winning streak, the 2022 release could be one of the best 2022 tablets.
Apple needs to make sure its iPad Pro (2022) is impressive, not least because it has stiff competition from Samsung, with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.
Before the official presentation of the tablet, we have listed below all the information provided by leaks and rumors. There is also a wish list for the tablet which explores what we want to see based on its predecessors and trends in the tablet market.
To the point
- What is this? Apple’s sixth-generation tablet designed for professionals
- When will this end? Probable October
- How much does it cost? It probably starts at $ 799 / £ 749 / $ 1199 and goes up
iPad Pro (2022) price and availability
The latest leaks make it sound as if the iPad Pro models arrived in late 2022, defying Apple’s trend that is making its debut earlier this year – well, with the exception of the rumored 14-inch iPad, as most leaks indicate. in early 2023.
We have heard from many leaks that the October premiere is likely. Moreover, Apple has revealed that iPadOS 16 won’t land before iOS 16, and with these operating system updates likely to arrive with the appropriate hardware, this means the new iPad Pro likely won’t land before the iPhone 14. So with the iPhone 14 set to unveil on September 7, the October premiere of the iPad Pro would make sense.
As Apple’s most expensive line of tablets, you can’t expect the new iPad Pro to be cheap. The iPad Pro 11 (2021) started at $ 799 / £ 749 / AU $ 1,199 and increased to $ 2,099 / £ 1,899 / AU $ 3,099, while the 12.9-inch model started at $ 1,099 / £ 999 / AU $ 1,649 and limited up to $ 2,399 / GBP 2,149 / AU 3,549.
A leak from the iPad Pro (2022) indicates that tablets are a bit more affordable. We heard that the 11-inch version will cost $ 799 for 128GB of memory and cellular connectivity, while the 12.9-inch version will cost $ 1099 for the same specs.
These prices are slightly lower than the corresponding setup prices for the 2021 model, suggesting the 2022 series might do a little less harm to your wallet.
News and rumors
The first thing to know about the iPad Pro 2022 is that despite talks that Apple is researching the iPad Pro’s larger screen sizes at some point in the future, it will likely be the same size as the iPad Pro 2021, meaning you’ll be able to get it in sizes 11 inches and 12.9 inches. In any case, this is what Ming-Chi Kuo (an analyst with extensive experience with Apple’s information) thinks, although one smaller leak believes the 14.1-inch version is coming.
In the same report, Kuo claimed that the iPad Pro 11 (2022) would receive a Mini LED screen. The iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) will apparently also be, but not an upgrade for the 12.9in model as the current version already uses the Mini LED.
There’s a major leak that thinks the new iPad Pro line (2022) won’t get the big version though, so take it with a grain of salt.
It’s worth noting that we’ve heard before that the iPad Pro 2022 might get an OLED screen instead, but more recent reports suggest the switch is further away. The screen change that seems more likely is that the 11-inch iPad Pro could get mini-LED, a display technology only used on the 12.9-inch model in 2021.
Elsewhere, according to the report, the next iPad Pro will follow in the footsteps of the iPhone 12 and adopt MagSafe – that is, the ability to connect via magnets to clip-on peripherals such as magnetic chargers and a case.
In addition, this report suggests the tablet will have a glass back and will support wireless and reverse wireless charging – the latter allows you to power other gadgets with your tablet. Later rumors suggested that the tablet might not have an all-glass back, making it incredibly fragile, but the Apple logo on the back could be made of this material, so MagSafe will work in that one particular place.
We’ve heard multiple times that the iPad Pro (2022) will get MagSafe, and one report adds that it will apparently also get an M2 chipset – but it will have the same processor as the M1, just with more GPU cores and some speed improvements.
We’ve also heard that future iPad Pro models may focus on landscape orientation, with the Apple logo landscape and cameras. It could also mean new proportions, although these are only speculations for the time being. It’s worth noting that the source of this leak says it’s uncertain whether this change will happen in time for the iPad Pro 2022.
The headline name in Apple’s news says the iPad Pro (2022) will be redesigned over its predecessors, but while the source does matter, there’s not really a lot of information about what “redesign” actually means.
Storage sizes may increase, with one leak pointing to 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, and even 4TB tablet versions.
Weirdly, we’ve also heard that the iPad Pro 2022 might have a pair of 4-pin connectors, possibly instead of the single 3-pin Smart Connector used on current models. But what an advantage this new connector would have and whether the current Smart Connector accessories would be compatible is unclear. For now, however, we would take it with a grain of salt.
What do we want to see
1. Lower the price
If you’ve already read the pricing section above, we probably don’t need to go into detail as to why we want to see the lower price from the iPad Pro (2022).
IPad Pro devices are incredibly expensive tablets, and if you buy extras like Apple pencils, keyboard foils, cases, various apps, and more, you may find yourself at a charge fork just to take advantage of them.
While the iPad Air 4 offers many of the Pro model specs at a lower cost, it’s not quite the same, so some people may want to get the power of the iPad Pro (2022) without the huge cost.
2. Attach the Apple Pencil
Speaking of expensive, let’s discuss the Apple Pencil. It’s a handy tablet accessory – some would call it indispensable – but unlike the Huawei M Pen or Samsung S Pen, the stylus doesn’t come bundled with the tablet.
This means that if you are considering purchasing a tablet and want an Apple Pencil as well, the cost proposition is even higher, which could push you towards one of the competing premium tablets.
Moreover, bonding an Apple Pencil would help Apple crack down on the myriad of Apple Pencil fakes that don’t always work as intended.
3. Improve battery life
We found that the iPad Pro from 2021 and 2020 lasted about ten hours of standard use on a single charge. Sounds good right? Well no, because “standard usage” includes watching Netflix, browsing social media, and the like.
If you use your iPad Pro as a pro (as the name suggests), editing videos, music or pictures, working on multiple documents at the same time, or even playing games, you may find that the battery is draining extremely quickly.
In fact, the battery drain on the iPad Pro is so fast that it has often been the case that plugging it in while it is working only compensates for the power consumption, but doesn’t charge it back.
You should find power improvements, be it by adding software optimizations that reduce power consumption or by simply inserting a larger battery. Oh, and faster charging would be nice too – 18W just isn’t fast enough these days.
4. No limitations on computing power
According to the app’s developers, the iPad Pro (2021) limits the amount of RAM each app can use to just 5GB – since the top version of slate offers 16GB of RAM, that’s an oddly low limit.
This can be a problem for applications that require a lot of RAM to run, including AR tools and editing software, and indeed some developers have complained about this limitation.
Limiting RAM could stop developers from creating applications that also need more power, which would have consequences for iPad software in the long run. We’d like this cap to drop, either for the iPad Pro (2022) or maybe sooner for all iPads.
5. iPad improvements
iPadOS is a good operating system for tablets, but some important productivity tools are still missing, despite the improvements to iPadOS 15.
The problem is multitasking because you can’t view three apps simultaneously or split the screen horizontally, two use cases that some users may find very useful.
The universal control of iPadOS 15 looks useful as it allows you to drag and drop files and windows between iPad and Mac – but iPhone compatibility would make this feature really hassle free for people.
There aren’t too many useful home screen widgets for key productivity apps either, though it’s not something Apple can do much for as it’s up to the developers.
