Having released the M1 12.9-inch iPad Pro alongside the 11-inch iPad prion 2021, Apple is set to present us with a better iPad Pro in late 2022, namely the M2 12.9-inch iPad Pro. As you’d expect, the iPad is expected to house better features and a sleeker design.
As such, you may be wondering whether to buy the M1 model or wait for the release of the M2. In this article, we will compare the two and see which best suits your need. So, let’s see how they stack up.
M1 and M2 12.9-inch iPad Pro compared
Design
The M1 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a similar design to that of the 2020 and 2018 iPad Pros. It is however wider and taller than the 11-inch, measuring 8.46 inches wide and 11.04 inches tall. It is, however, lightweight, weighing 1.5 pounds, and has a thickness of 6.4mm. This makes it an ideal everyday tablet for home or office use.
You get an edge-to-edge display with flat sides and curved corners. The bezels are relatively huge ensuring the screen does not touch rugged surfaces. The TrueDepth camera mitigates the need for a Touch ID Home Button. The Face Id camera is located at the top of the screen.
The M2 12.9-inch iPad Pro is rumored to come with a notch which is absent in the M1 model. Enthusiasts hint the notch will house the Face ID camera reducing the size of the bezels. This can improve the screen display significantly.
Another extra feature you are likely to get in the M2 is a glass back. This is in a bid to support wireless charging. What’s more? It is rumored the iPad will have reverse charging capability. As such, you can charge other devices such as iPhones using the M2 model.
There are rumors that the M2 will be of titanium make. If this comes to fruition, you can rest assured it will fetch a premium.
Display
The M1 model features the mini-LED display, or as Apple calls it, the Liquid Retina XDR display. While it uses the conventional LCD display, the depth and clarity of images and videos are second to none. In fact, it has 10,000 LEDs for brightening the LCD. Normally, iPads have 72 LEDs. This shows you how premium the display of the M1 is.
It ensures you get appropriate lighting in all areas. For example, a dark area will remain dark while a light area will remain bright. As such, the contrast is bolstered making images and videos look sharper and cleaner. And since it maintains a 120-Hz refresh rate, it is ideal for playing heavy-graphics games.
While there are rumors the M2 will have an OLED display, other leakers say the technology will be available on the iPads from 2024. This means it will likely feature the mini-LED technology in the M1. It will therefore be an excellent choice for gaming, sketching, and others.
Chip
The M1 is the first iPad model to come with the M1 chip, which was initially intended for the Mac. As you’d expect, the performance of the iPad Pro is improved significantly. The chip has 8 cores making it among the fastest in the market. Whether on the iPad or Mac, the technology improves performance by 50 percent.
This means loading and simultaneous use of heavy apps is seamless. You also get a top-notch image signal processor and Neural Engine. Thanks to the M1 chip, you get a storage capacity of up to 16GB and an internal memory of up to 2TB.
For the M2 12.9 inch iPad Pro, there are rumors it will run on the upcoming M2 chip. The chip announced during the WWDC 2022 event, is present in the MacBook Pro 2022and MacBook Air 2022. And according to tech analysts, the chip is likely to be introduced to iPads by the end of the year.
Cameras
The M1 model has a similar camera system to previous iPad Pros. The 12-megapixel wide-angle and 10-megapixel ultra-wide cameras ensure you get clear images and videos. They have an aperture of f/1.8 and f/2.4 respectively.
Some of the features you’ll get include:
- Image stabilization
- Burst mode
- Noise reduction
- True Tone Flash
- 5x digital zoom
- Live Photos
- Smart HDR
Also, a LiDAR scanner scans the distance between the camera and the objects around it. This ensures you can take still images within a fraction of a second. The feature allows you to take photos and videos even in dark settings.
The M2 will likely maintain these features and offer more. In fact, it is rumored it will have a camera system similar to that found in iPhone 13.
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Connectivity
Both the M1 and M2 are compatible with 5G connectivity. This ensures faster download and upload speeds. And the best part? It is not limited to the United States; rather, it supports 5G connectivity across the globe.
Again, they support Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi 6. As such, you get faster speeds, low latency, better network speeds, and improved power efficiency.
Should I buy the M1 12.9-inch iPad Pro or Wait for the M2 12.9-inch iPad Pro?
Well, this is dependent on your preferences. If you desire an iPad Pro that has similar or better performance than the Mac Air, then M1 might be your best bet. However, if you want a high-performing iPad Pro, you’d better wait for the M2 release.
