30 Days Later! 🤔 iPad Pro M4 Review w/ Magic Keyboard, Pencil Pro (2024)
After using the M4 iPad Pro for about a month, I have to say that it comes very close to replacing my laptop. Somewhat. I’m going to talk about how I’m using it, its accessories like the new Magic Keyboard and Pencil Pro, and what could be better about the iPad Pro M4.
(This is a review of the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro 2TB model with Nano Texture Glass, Magic Keyboard and Pencil Pro.)
Nano-Texture Glass is NOT Sharp?
The iPad Pro M4 is quite a beast of a machine. Its display is stunning. The dual OLED technology in the Ultra Retina XDR produces a display with exceptional black levels and minimal color shift at the sides, making it one of the sharpest and most contrasty screens I have ever used. However, some people have expressed concern about the Nano-Texture glass compromising sharpness, and yes, you can see that it’s matted, but images are as sharp as the screen on my iPhone 15 Pro.
Plus, it’s still a very usable screen under direct lighting which normally causes a lot of glare. It’s also much less of a fingerprint magnet since you’ll be touching the screen with your bare fingers a lot. I have to wipe my iPhone’s screen very often, this one, not so.
Speakers Sound Quality
The sound quality is impressive too. When I’m editing, the speakers sound full bodied and much bigger than the device itself, like I’m playing through small satellites at the side. It’s also decent for listening to music, which is impressive.
4 speakers at the side.
M4 Chip Performance
The M4 chip could handle Davinci Resolve easily. It can render 1 minute of 4K video from my SSD in just 1 minute 15 seconds. So, a 10 minute 4K video renders in about 12 minutes. That’s a bit faster than my laptop running an RTX2060 with 8GB of VRAM and 64gb of RAM. As a video editor, this machine is more than adequate for my needs.
Why iPad Pro M4 is NOT Enough For Me?
However, it still CANNOT handle my entire workflow. Not by itself. Why? Because I need a bigger screen for video editing. Otherwise, I can only see small parts of the timeline, which isn’t ideal.
I got around this by connecting an external monitor, in this case, my 27-inch Samsung G7 Odyssey. It outputs in full 4K60, 30 if I’m going through my USB-hub, and this made video editing far more comfortable. The downside is that when extending the display, Davinci Resolve doesn’t fill up the entire screen. That’s because it defaults into Stage Manager Mode, which is meant to let you multitask like on a laptop. The problem is, certain apps can be resized into full screen mode like Safari browser, but some apps like Davinci Resolve cannot. They still keep to the 4:3 aspect ratio.
I can mirror the display so the app fills the entire screen, but I won’t get to use my iPad as a second screen. But either way is a lot better than editing on the 13-inch screen alone.
My Accessories For iPad Pro M4
The video for this review was edited and color graded using DaVinci Resolve on the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard and a USB hub connected to the iPad Pro’s USB-C input. The hub is connected to my Samsung T7 Shield SSD, my camera, a charging cable to power the entire setup, and a wireless mouse. I do like using the trackpad, but it isn’t as intuitive for me as using a mouse.
Magic Keyboard Pros and Cons
The Magic Keyboard is essential because without an external keyboard, my workflow slows down a lot because I lose the shortcuts. While I could use any keyboard, it makes sense to have the Magic Keyboard since, if I had to take it outside, I’d rather carry just one device than an additional keyboard. Plus, the top row turns it into a MacBook alternative with screen brightness, volume controls, and media playback.
But there are 3 things I don’t like about the Magic Keyboard. First, it adds quite a bit of weight to the iPad. By itself, this is the lightest and thinnest iPad, even thinner than the iPod Nano which we old farts used to carry in our pockets. But with the Magic Keyboard, it weighs as much as a small laptop. Second, it’s not great for typing on your lap. It doesn’t tip over if it’s open at 90 degrees, but if you tilt the screen a little, it gets a bit top heavy, so I’ve always had to hold it down to prevent it from tipping over.
As a video editor, I think the Magic Keyboard is essential because it’s easier to tote around, plus it adds a USB-C port for charging which frees up the main port for things like an SSD drive. But in order to use it just like a regular Mac or laptop, I needed to make some changes in the iPad’s settings for the trackpad and the keyboard itself. It’s a little frustrating at first because I had to google these adjustments, but once everything’s set, it works well. If you want me to make a video of what settings I changed let me know in the comments.
Also, is it worth paying $300 for it? For pro users, I think it’s worth it, but honestly a third party keyboard works well too if you don’t need to carry a keyboard all the time.
Battery Life?
When using the M4 iPad with the Magic Keyboard, editing and exporting videos drained the battery quite a bit. About 15% every hour. But with regular usage watching videos, web browsing, listening to music in the background, arguing with people on Twitter, this thing easily lasted me a couple of days. So your mileage really depends on how you use it.
Do I Need Pencil Pro?
But what about the Pencil Pro? Well, if I am already using the keyboard and mouse, it’s just too much work to pick up the Pencil Pro frequently. So I stopped using it. The only time I use it is when I don’t have the keyboard attached and I want to quickly make some simple edits around the timeline or doodle. I would say the Pencil Pro is worth it only if you’re into illustration, such as when I tried to design a new logo for this channel on FreeForm. The Pencil Pro was extremely responsive, pressure sensitive and made it easy to call up the menu by squeezing to switch tools. It even detects rotation too, giving me more control over my laughably unstable pen strokes. I love it, but I just don’t need it to be there all the time.
Is It A Macbook Air Replacement?
Can this package replace a MacBook Air or something similar?
Almost. It depends on what you’re looking to do with it. It can multitask pretty well with stage manager, it’s very power efficient, able to run graphic-intensive apps like Davinci Resolve without heating up, making it the most powerful tablet I’ve tested by far. So clearly if all you do is crunch numbers and illustration, this might even be overkill. But it is still limited to iPadOS and iOS apps and some are locked to a specific aspect ratio, which isn’t great for working on an external monitor. It’s definitely a more controlled experience than what you’ll find on MacBooks and laptops.
But If you want a tablet, the iPad Pro M4 is nothing short of impressive. It blows my mind how they can make this so thin and light, yet handles video editing software so well without overheating and blowing a ton of battery. I’m not a big time gamer but if you want me to test how well it runs certain games, let me know in the comments.
Check latest price:
iPad Pro M4:
- https://amzn.to/3KSBb64 (256GB Standard Glass)
- https://amzn.to/45AKTUk (2TB Nano0Texture Glass)
My iPad Pro Accessories:
Magic Keyboard 13-inch - https://amzn.to/4cvbmVg
Apple Pencil Pro - https://amzn.to/3XDGPAm
Samsung T7 Shield SSD - https://amzn.to/4b7CU1T
Baseus USB C to HDMI Adapter - https://amzn.to/4cod7UV
Samsung Odyssey G7 28" Monitor - https://amzn.to/3QsQwMz
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