Our Rating:
5.0
Apple iPad Pro M4
Review
Ranked #1
Best Tablet of 2025!
Authors: Paige L, Catrina B, Steven H, Jordan E
Introduction
The Apple iPad Pro has long been a benchmark for what a premium tablet can be. We’ve tested and owned every major tablet released over the last decade, and have always admired the Pro line for its blend of power and elegance. With the arrival of the M4 chip model, Apple has done more than just release a new product; it has delivered a definitive statement on the future of mobile computing!
When we evaluated the entire field of competitors, the iPad Pro M4 rocketed to the top of our rankings. Its revolutionary display, immense performance, and impossibly refined design come together in a perfect mix that solidifies its rank #1 position as the best tablet of 2025!
Design and Build Quality
The physical form of the M4 iPad Pro is a breathtaking feat of engineering that you truly have to hold to believe.
-
Super Thin: This is the thinnest product Apple has ever created, and the difference is immediate and impactful. The 13-inch model is an astonishing 5.1mm thin, making it feel less like a slab of technology and more like a futuristic sheet of glass and aluminum. Our hands-on experience with the larger model was transformative; its radical thinness and reduced weight make it vastly more comfortable to hold and use for extended periods.
-
Aesthetics: The new Space Black finish is deep, rich, and sophisticated, while the classic Silver remains as clean and iconic as ever. The enclosure is milled from 100% recycled aluminum, which feels both incredibly premium and reassuringly rigid. Despite its slender profile, there is absolutely no sense of fragility.
-
Ergonomics: The weight reduction is just as significant as the thinness. The 13-inch model is nearly a quarter-pound lighter than its predecessor, a change that completely redefines its portability. It's now an effortless carry, slipping into a backpack or tote bag almost unnoticed, making it a perfect companion for anyone on the move.
Display
The Ultra Retina XDR is, without exaggeration, the most stunning and visually impressive screen ever put into a mobile device.
-
Tandem OLED: Apple’s groundbreaking Tandem OLED technology is the star of the show. By stacking two OLED panels, the display achieves a level of brightness and vibrancy that is simply sensational. It delivers a sustained 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness for all content, making everything from simple web pages to HDR movies pop with incredible life. Our daily media consumption on this screen was simply phenomenal, providing a viewing experience superior to almost any other device we’ve used.
-
Contrast and Color: The per-pixel control of OLED delivers true, inky blacks with an infinite contrast ratio. This means there is zero blooming or halo effect around bright objects on dark backgrounds, a clear advantage over previous screen technologies. Paired with the P3 wide color gamut, colors are not only vibrant but also exceptionally accurate, making it an ideal canvas for photo and video professionals.
-
ProMotion Fluidity: The ProMotion technology, with its adaptive 10-120Hz refresh rate, remains a key differentiator. Scrolling through documents, navigating the OS, and drawing with the Apple Pencil feel buttery smooth and incredibly responsive. This level of fluidity makes every interaction with the tablet feel instantaneous and deeply satisfying.
-
Nano-Texture Option: For the 1TB & 2TB models, professionals working in challenging lighting have to option of getting the nano-texture glass. It’s etched at a nanometer scale to scatter ambient light and dramatically cut down on glare. It provides a more tactile, paper-like surface for drawing, adding a new dimension of control for digital artists.
Performance
The M4 chip debuts in the iPad Pro, delivering a level of performance that is so far ahead of the curve it feels like it’s from the future.
-
Next-Generation Speeds: The new 10-core CPU on the 1TB and 2TB models is an absolute powerhouse. In our extensive testing, the device never once stuttered or hesitated, regardless of the task. Apps launch the moment you tap them, complex projects load in a flash, and heavy multitasking is handled with effortless grace. The M4 chip makes the entire user experience feel incredibly fast and fluid.
-
Graphics: With a new 10-core GPU architecture, the M4 brings hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing to the iPad for the first time. This results in a massive leap in graphics performance, enabling console-quality gaming with stunningly realistic lighting and environments. For creative professionals, it means pro rendering in apps like Final Cut Pro is faster than ever.
-
AI-Ready Foundation: The M4’s Neural Engine is an absolute monster, capable of 38 trillion operations per second. This turns the iPad Pro into an exceptionally powerful device for AI. It’s the engine that will power the next generation of Apple Intelligence features, enabling powerful on-device tools for writing, image creation, and much more.
-
Future-Proof Power: While the power of the M4 may seem immense for a tablet today, it’s a clear investment in the future. This performance headroom ensures that the iPad Pro will not only handle today’s most demanding apps with ease but will also be ready for the next wave of advanced, AI-driven software for years to come.
The Ecosystem
The iPad Pro experience is elevated by its accessories, and the new Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard are transformative upgrades.
-
Apple Pencil Pro: The new Pencil introduces incredibly intuitive interactions. The Squeeze gesture brings up tool palettes instantly, while Barrel Roll allows for precise rotation of brush tools, just like a real paintbrush. From our perspective as daily note-takers and occasional artists, the addition of haptic feedback for these actions provides a subtle but deeply satisfying confirmation that makes the creative process feel more tactile and connected.
-
Magic Keyboard: The redesigned Magic Keyboard is a massive improvement. It’s thinner, lighter, and now features a durable aluminum palm rest and a larger, haptic glass trackpad that feels just as good as a MacBook’s. The addition of a full 14-key function row is an absolute game-changer, providing hardware shortcuts for brightness, volume, and media that dramatically boost productivity.
-
A Pricey Evolution: While the new design means older accessories are no longer compatible (only the previous Apple Pencil USB-C still works). In our view, this was a necessary step to achieve the iPad Pro’s impossible thinness and enable the advanced functionality of the new peripherals. The trade-off results in a far more cohesive and capable professional system but at the cost of the buyer who needs to purchase compatible accessories for the iPad.
Battery Life and Connectivity
The M4 iPad Pro is engineered to provide true all-day power for most users, along with the latest in high-speed connectivity.
-
True All-Day Endurance: The power efficiency of the M4 chip and the OLED display pays off in impressive battery life. In our testing, we were averaging a solid 10 hours of mixed use, which included web Browse, document editing, streaming video, and frequent emails. It easily powered through a full workday and into the evening with charge to spare. Gaming and heavy video editing does use up more battery and resulted in 4-6 hours of mixed use.
-
Pro-Level Power: It’s important to note that, like any pro-grade device, pushing the hardware to its limits will consume more power. Intensive tasks like 4K video editing or playing graphically demanding games will naturally result in shorter endurance, which is an expected trade-off for workstation-level performance in such a portable form factor.
-
Future-Proof Connections: The Thunderbolt/USB 4 port provides blazing-fast 40Gb/s data transfer speeds and support for high-resolution external displays, turning the iPad Pro into the hub of a powerful workstation. Support for Wi-Fi 6E ensures the fastest and most reliable wireless connection available, making it ready for the next generation of network technology.
Audio and Visuals
The M4 iPad Pro delivers significant upgrades to its audiovisual capabilities, making it a stellar device for both communication and media consumption.
-
Webcam: The front-facing 12MP camera has been moved to the landscape edge, a change that is a massive quality-of-life improvement. Our team immediately noticed how much more natural and professional our video calls looked during daily meetings. It’s a smart, practical refinement that shows a deep understanding of how people actually use the device.
-
Immersive Soundstage: For such a thin device, the audio quality from the four-speaker sound system is astonishingly rich and full. Support for Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos creates a wide, immersive soundstage that makes watching movies a truly cinematic experience. The audio is loud, clear, and has a surprising amount of depth.
-
Studio-Quality Microphones: A four-microphone array captures crisp, clean audio, making the iPad Pro excellent for everything from video calls to recording podcasts. The microphones do an excellent job of focusing on your voice while minimizing ambient background noise.
Conclusion: Top Winning Rank!
The Apple iPad Pro M4 earns its #1 rank not just by being better, but by fundamentally redefining what a tablet can be. It is a device of practically flawless execution, where the impossibly thin design, the revolutionary Tandem OLED display, boundless power of the M4 chip, and the thoughtfully redesigned accessories work in perfect harmony!
After living with it, using it for both work and play, and pushing its capabilities daily, it is clear this isn't just an iteration; it's the new gold standard amongst tablets. For those who demand the absolute best in performance, design, and display technology, the iPad Pro M4 is the clear choice for 2025! 🎉🎉🎉