Apple Introduces Next-Generation iPad Pro With M1 Chip, Thunderbolt, 5G, XDR Display, and More

Tuesday April 20, 2021 10:40 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro with the same M1 chip found in the latest Macs, Thunderbolt and USB4 support, 5G connectivity on cellular models with mmWave support in the United States, and more.

ipad pro with m1 chip
With an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, Apple says the M1 chip in the new iPad Pro provides up to 50% faster performance and up to 40% faster graphics compared to the A12Z Bionic chip in the previous-generation iPad Pro.

The new iPad Pro is available with up to 2TB of storage, which is double the previous limit. ‌iPad Pro‌ models with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage will come with 8GB RAM, while ‌iPad Pro‌ models with 1TB or 2TB of storage will feature 16GB RAM, marking the first time that Apple has offered varying amounts of RAM in the iPad Pro.

Exclusive to the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro is an all-new Liquid Retina XDR display, with up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness, up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. As was widely rumored, the display uses mini-LED backlighting with over 10,000 LEDs to deliver true-to-life HDR content.

Newly added support for Thunderbolt and USB4 provides up to 40Gbps total bandwidth. Thunderbolt supports 10Gbps Ethernet, high-performance accessories, and high-resolution displays like Apple's Pro Display XDR at full 6K resolution.

The front-facing TrueDepth camera system in the new iPad Pro features a new 12-megapixel Ultra Wide lens that enables a 120-degree field of view for a new "Center Stage" feature that automatically keeps users perfectly within the frame during video calls.

Cellular models of the new iPad Pro in the U.S. support mmWave, the higher frequency version of 5G, allowing the tablet to reach speeds up to 4Gbps.

The new 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799, while the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099. Pre-orders will begin April 30, with availability beginning in the second half of May. No specific release date was provided.

Apple also announced that the optional Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro is being released in a new white color.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro

Tag: April 2021 Event

Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...

• 90 comments

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by Juli Clover

Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...

• 71 comments

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by Juli Clover

Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...

• 29 comments

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by Hartley Charlton

The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....

• 150 comments

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by Juli Clover

Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...

• 31 comments

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...

• 111 comments

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...

• 82 comments

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...

• 34 comments