I love Apple products. They're sleek, they're powerful, and in the immortal words of Steve Jobs, they "just work" (well, most of the time). But their naming strategy? It's a wild ride.

Take the iPhone lineup, for instance. Remember when it was just "iPhone" followed by a number? Those were simpler times. Now along with the iPhone 16 we recently got the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Plus. Plus right now, we're expecting the imminent appearance of the iPhone SE 4; like that cousin no-one's quite sure how to introduce at family gatherings.

And let's talk about those chips. The M1 made sense as a starting point. Then came M1 Pro and M1 Max – okay, still following. But then Apple threw in the M1 Ultra, which is essentially two M1 Max chips fused together. Just when you thought you had it figured out, they launched the M2 series, and now we're deep into M3 and M4 territory, each with their own variants. It's like a Russian nesting doll of processing power.

The iPad family tree is another puzzle altogether. We've got the iPad Pro (in two sizes), iPad Air, iPad mini, and just... iPad. But wait – this basic / standard / entry-level iPad comes in different generations, and some older models are still sold new. Try explaining to your non-tech-savvy aunt why the 9th-generation iPad Air might actually be a better choice for her than the 10th-generation iPad Pro, depending on her needs and budget. To be honest, even your tech-savvy teenager might get lost at this point.

I could go on, but you get the point. Basically it's all a hot mess. So I set myself the challenge of trying to create a decoder for Apple's product naming system. Here's what I came up with.

This decoder, I should stress, is by no means perfect or foolproof. And it's certainly not something that's been approved by Apple. Because while the broad principles I've outlined in this table will get you some of the way, the company themselves doesn't apply them universally across the board. 

For instance, sometimes "Pro" means it's the most powerful option (like with iPhones), but sometimes there's an even more powerful "Max" or "Pro Max" version. Sometimes "Air" means it's the slimmer, lighter option (MacBook Air), but the iPad Air actually sits in a middle ground between basic and Pro models. 

It gets even worse when it comes to Apple's accessories. For instance, AirPods come in regular, Pro and Max varieties – but the Max is actually over-ear headphones, not pods at all. The Apple Pencil, meanwhile, has four versions that look different and charge differently, and they're not compatible with all iPads.

The naming convention here (and I'm not making this up) begins: Apple Pencil (1st Generation), Apple Pencil (2nd Generation)... so far so good. But then suddenly it veers off into Apple Pencil (USB-C) and Apple Pencil Pro. Would you know that the third of these was the budget model, just from the name? Of course not. And you need a spreadsheet to figure out which Apple Pencil works with which iPad: the names here are no use at all.

Passion for simplicity?

Personally, I often find myself having to create mental maps and charts just to keep track of which device is which, and more importantly, to explain these differences to readers in a way that makes sense. It's like being a translator for a language that keeps changing its grammar rules every few months. Life shouldn't be this difficult!

The irony isn't lost on me that Apple, a company famous for its clean, intuitive interface design, has created a product naming system that requires a decoder to understand. Steve Jobs was known for his passion for simplicity, famously paring down Apple's product line to a simple quadrant when he returned to the company. I wonder what he would make of it all today.

Yes, Apple's product line has grown and diversified over time. But I can't help but think there must be a clearer way to organize and name these products. Until then, if you really want to know the differences between Apple products, it's best to read our in-depth reviews, along with our guides to the different iPad generations, the best iPhones and the best MacBooks.

The Pencil Pro is the latest iPad-compatible stylus in the Apple Pencil line. It joins the Apple Pencil (second generation), the Apple Pencil (first generation), and the cheaper Apple Pencil USB-C. All four pencils enable you to draw, tap, and swipe on your iPad screen as a more accurate alternative to using your finger. Many people find that a stylus provides a more ergonomic and intuitive way to interact with an iPad’s touch-sensitive screen, especially in relation to drawing or using brush-based tools to retouch a picture.

The Pencil USB-C is the cheapest and most basic model. It requires charging via USB-C, while the latter two models charge as they magnetically clamp to your iPad. The original first-generation model charges via a Lightning connection. The second-generation pencil has tilt and pressure sensitivity so you can write and draw naturally and the new Pencil Pro adds additional features such as the ability to roll your brush as well as tilt it.

As you’d expect, the Pencil Pro also has other unique tricks up its sleeve as we’ll explain. The Pencil Pro is compatible with iPad Pro 13-inch (M4), iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) iPad Air 13-inch (M2), and iPad Air 11-inch (M2). The Pencil Pro was released with the M4-powered iPad Pro and I was lucky enough to borrow both to test out for this review.

Apple Pencil Pro: Specifications

Apple Pencil Pro: Design & Handling

Apple hasn’t reinvented the wheel with the look of the Pencil Pro. Like its three predecessors, it’s still a pencil-shaped stylus that you hold like a pencil or a paintbrush, with the iPad screen being your canvas. The first-generation pencil was round and smooth so it would roll off a desk. The Pencil Pro shares the flattened edge introduced in the second-generation model, which stops the pencil rolling. This flat edge also enables you to magnetically attach the Pencil Pro to the top of your iPad where it’s close at hand.

While docked on your iPad the Pencil Pro is wirelessly charged, so it shouldn’t run out of power during a job. This is a nice design touch. We found that the magnetic connection was nice and strong, though if the Pencil Pro does become dislodged you can hunt it down using Apple’s Find My app.

One welcome new design feature is the ability to squeeze near the tip of the Pencil Pro to activate a variety of commands such as popping up a palette to enable you to switch tools for example. This ‘squeezeabilty’ means that the smooth surface of the pencil isn’t interrupted by buttons like you’d find in some third-party styluses.

Apple Pencil Pro: Performance

I’ve been an iPad owner for years, though I’ve not used an Apple Pencil before. I did however have an old Wacom Art Pad tablet that I plugged into my iMac, so I was familiar with using a stylus as a more ergonomic and intuitive way to draw in various apps or dodge and burn in Lightroom. When I used my old Wacom’s stylus to draw on its tablet that movement was translated to the cursor on my iMac’s screen. This put a distance between me and my onscreen work. By drawing with the Pencil Pro directly on the iPad Pro’s display the interaction was immediate, like drawing with a pencil on paper.

The Pencil Pro does much more than being an alternative to a mouse or a trackpad. The iPad Pro can sense the angle of the Pencil Pro which alters the shape of the brush strokes in a natural way. Older Apple Pencils can adjust the tilt and pressure being applied (which changes brush stokes organically), but the Pencil Pro has a unique gyroscope that lets you rotate (or barrel roll) the pencil to adjust the brush stroke that you’re producing in a more realistic way. When you tilt and roll the Pencil Pro in an app such as Pages you’ll see the onscreen brush tip change shape according to how you’re holding the pencil. This lets you preview if you’ll produce a thin or thick stroke for example. Another clever feature is the appearance of a computer-generated shadow of the stylus which changes according to the angle of the Pencil Pro. This virtual shadow is a clever combination of hardware and software wizardry, but I’m not sure how useful it is in practice.

I also enjoyed the way I could perform commands (such as jumping between a brush and an eraser) by double-tapping the Pencil Pro’s side or squeezing its tip. Unlike a real pencil or brush, I could interact with the iPad’s screen by simply hovering the pencil’s tip near it. You can also customize the shortcuts produced by a double tap or a squeeze in the Apple Pencil Settings menu which is very handy. For example, you can use a squeeze to show ink attributes or between the current tool and the last used. A haptic throb also helps confirm that the Pencil Pro has responded to your double tap or squeeze (and you can toggle this feedback on or off in Settings).

I found the Pencil Pro very useful when doodling in Pages, and in Scribble mode it could turn my atrocious handwriting into legible text in the Pages document. However, it takes me much longer to write with a pencil than it does to type (even when using two fingers!) So this scribble-to-text feature is not something I’d use.

I also tested the Pencil Pro in Final Cut Pro which is an app I use on a daily basis. Here I found the Pencil Pro of less use than it was in Apple's Pages app. In Final Cut Pro I couldn’t see the onscreen preview of the Pencil Pro’s angle or its rotation, but to be fair that would only be useful when drawing. Nor could I see the animated shadow graphic that was visible when using a pen tool in Pages.

I could use the Pencil Pro in Final Cut Pro to select and re-order clips in the timeline and trim them by dragging the trim handle. A long press of the Pencil Pro’s nib summoned a pop-up menu that enabled me to detach a selected clip’s audio track which was handy for performing split sound edits. I could also use the pop-up menu to cut a clip at the playhead. This would be useful if I was using the iPad on its own, but as I had it docked in a Magic Keyboard I was able to summon the same pop-up menu with a double click on the keyboard’s trackpad.

So I enjoyed using the Pencil Pro for the purposes of this review, but now that I’ve returned it to Apple I don’t feel compelled to purchase a replacement. However, I do miss that iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard though!

Apple Pencil Pro: Verdict

Thanks to unique features such as its built-in gyroscope the Pencil Pro enables you to change a brush stroke as you rotate the device (as well as responding to the angle of tilt and the pressure on the nib). This will make it an attractive purchase for artists who use the iPad as their digital canvas and need a tool that behaves like a real-world brush. Photo retouchers should also enjoy tweaking images in Lightroom with much more precise control than they’d get by swiping their finger on the iPad’s display. By being able to fine-tune the Pencil Pro’s behaviour using squeezes and taps this frees you up from the need of a keyboard, allowing you to work quickly and intuitively.

Alternatives

If you’re looking for a premium alternative to the best Wacom tablet on the market, then Xencelabs’ range of creative peripherals is worth a look. We rate its Pen Tablet Medium as one of the best drawing tablets available, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on its latest pen display, the Xencelabs Pen Display 16. What sets this device apart from its competitors is its 4K OLED screen, a particularly tantalizing feature from a photography perspective that could make it the best tablet for photo editing and photographers. 

If you typically like to work on a larger pen display, Xencelabs has you catered for via its Pen Display 24. But what makes the Pen Display 16 so attractive, is its portability. Sure, it’s certainly not as portable as, say, the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad or Apple iPad Pro and Apple Pencil 2, but when you consider it’s a pro-grade pen display with decent screen real estate, it’s surprisingly slender and lightweight. So, if you’re looking for a premium pen display that can slip into a rucksack, read on… 

Xencelabs Pen Display 16: Specifications

Xencelabs Pen Display 16: Price

The Xencelabs Pen Display 16 is available in two guises: Essentials and Bundle, with the former priced at $999 / £969 and the latter at $1249 / £1199. Even the Essentials package includes a healthy haul of accessories including two styluses, a pen case, spare nibs, a glove, and a carrying case. But the Bundle is rammed with all that and more, most notably a power adapter and hub, the Mobile Easel (a stand), and Xencelabs’ very own Quick Keys remote. 

If you already have a Quick Keys device, then you’re probably better off going for the Essentials package. And even if you don’t, the Quick Keys is available standalone for (£95.90 / $99.99). If you’re buying the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 at its RRP, you can pick up the Quick Keys separately totaling just $1,099 / £1,065. But you won't have the hub and Mobile Easel.

At face value Essentials sits within a similar price range to the XP-Pen Artist Pro 16TP ($899.99 / £799.99) and Kamvas Pro 16 Plus (4K) ($899 / £899), but at the time of writing, both of these tablets are available for much less on sale. 

With that in mind, it sits somewhere between the aforementioned competitors and the Wacom Cintiq Pro 16 ($1,599.95 / £1,399.99), but when the Wacom's are on sale, the margins close up a bit more. Overall, the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 splits the Wacom Cintiq Pro 16 and cheaper 16-inch, 4K alternatives, making it competitively priced. 

Xencelabs Pen Display 16: Design & Handling

The Xencelabs Pen Display 16 isn’t a standalone device. It requires a compatible PC or Mac to operate and works as a second, stylus-operated screen for use with your choice of software. How you connect the Pen Display 16 will depend on your computer. If you’re plugging into a USB-C DisplayPort you can simply use the included USB-C cable to connect the Pen Display 16, which will emit a minimum brightness of 170 nits. Otherwise, you’ll need to use the included powered hub (Bundle only) and the necessary combination of cables. 

Xencelabs has helpfully simplified things by color-coding the cables and providing a handy color-coded connection chart. It’s important to note that using the hub will also provide the maximum 300-nit brightness. A QR code is included in the paperwork to download the necessary driver and you only need to select the corresponding driver for your OS, regardless of the Xencelabs product you’re using. 

The tablet itself feels very solid and well-built, it also runs quietly and coolly. A thick 1.3-in border surrounds the 16-inch display and while this may feel a little dated – in a world of slick-looking iPads and Galaxy Tablets with edge-to-edge screens – it’s a great feature for pro retouchers and illustrators, providing run-off areas for the palm of the hand to rest, should the stylus stray close to the edges of the display. And since it surrounds the entire tablet, both left-handed and right-handed creatives will benefit.

I also like how the edges of the tablet don’t have a trim. Other tablets on the market do have this and if the trim is slightly raised or there’s a small gap between the trim and screen, it’s less comfortable on the palm.

Most high-end pen displays are removing shortcut keys from the face of the display nowadays, a huge boon for left-handed creatives. Xencelabs gets around this via its Quick Keys remote (Bundle only, but sold separately), a free-standing shortcut peripheral that fits the bill perfectly. It can be operated wirelessly or wired via the included dongle and USB-C cable respectively. It doesn’t feel as premium as the pen display itself and the buttons feel a bit unsatisfying and plasticky, but the command wheel is buttery smooth and I like the rubber grip on the back of the device. This stops it from sliding, should you work on a slanted drawing surface.

Just like the Wacom Cintiq Pro 16, the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 is not a touch-screen device. This will disappoint those who like to quickly pinch to zoom in and swipe their way around their canvas, while pleasing others who detest wearing a glove, leaving them prone to activating touch controls with their bare palm accidentally. I’m used to using an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil 2 for drawing and although constantly reaching for the mouse, keyboard or Quick Keys takes a bit of getting used to, I certainly didn't miss having to constantly undo or erase accidental palm inputs. 

Kudos to Xencelabs for including a pair of styluses, its Thin Pen v2 and 3 Button Pen v2. As you’d expect, the pens don’t require charging to operate and both feel durable and are made from decent plastics. That said, the buttons do feel a little plasticky and clicky. The thicker 3 Button Pen v2 has a nice rubbery grip, while the Thin Pen v2 will feel instantly recognizable to anyone who’s used an Apple Pencil. 

What pen you prefer is entirely up to you and photographers will likely stick with their favorite. But illustrators who enjoy using, say, a thinner pen to sketch and a thicker pen to ink and add color, are well catered for. 

The Mobile Easel that comes with the Bundle package is plastic and features a pair of flaps that lock into place so you can set the pen display at two different heights. And while it might not look like the sturdiest stand in the world, it cradles the device perfectly and can easily withstand as much pressure as you’d care to inflict on a pen display.

Xencelabs Pen Display 16: Performance

Xencelabs Pen Display 16 is the first pen display with a 16-inch 4K OLED screen and for many, this will be worth the price of admission alone. It delivers beautiful colors and vivid brightness, making it a fantastic choice for illustrators and photographers. This is important. Photographers demand accurate colors and the Pen Display 16 delivers that. That said, some degree of sharpness has been sacrificed in favor of an anti-glare, paper-like coating to the display’s surface. 

What Xencelabs calls its Super AG Etching Display isn’t quite as tacky as some displays (what you prefer is down to personal preference), but it still offers a pleasant surface on which to draw. In my opinion, this is absolutely essential for illustrators. Photographers can work around this by mirroring the pen display’s screen on their computer monitor, so they have a super sharp reference.  

I’m very much of the opinion that more is more when it comes to pen display screen size. If you’re used to editing on your 24-inch iMac, 16 inches will take some getting used to. Then again, if you’re used to drawing on a 12.9-inch iPad, the Pen Display 16 will feel like a marked step up. If you’re drawing or editing at the same workstation 24/7 and budget isn’t a consideration then by all means check out the Xencelabs Pen Display 24. If you’re looking for a decent-value tablet that’s beefy enough to become a desktop staple but small enough to slip into a rucksack, then a 16-inch pen display is ideal. In fact, both versions of the Pen Display 16 come with a soft, padded carry case, with room enough for all of the Bundle’s many accessories. 

I spend a lot of time with my 12.9-inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil 2, and the jump to 16 inches is definitely noticeable. The larger space is quite simply nicer to draw on. As is the thick, inactive border that surrounds the device. Tablets like the iPad Pro actually encourage you not to use all of the screen real estate, because it’s easy to run out of screen, be it your stylus meeting the edge or an unsupported palm causing your lines to jitter. The Pen Display 16’s border makes these problems much less likely and the overall drawing experience is all the better for it. 

Another key detail when it comes to this display’s suitability for drawing is the lack of any onboard shortcut keys. This means left-handed creatives don’t have to worry about their palms resting on a row of unhelpfully placed shortcut keys and you can happily sit on the couch, swiveling your device every which way while drawing, without fear of accidentally triggering undo or enlarging your brush. However, this device isn’t touch-sensitive. And while that’s good news for anybody who doesn’t like wearing a drawing glove to prevent accidentally triggered touch functions, you will have to frequently reach for your mouse or touchpad. 

Thankfully, Xencelabs has remedied the lack of onboard shortcut keys and touch functions via its existing Quick Keys remote. This wireless device features eight quick keys and a button to toggle between five sets, totaling 40 fully customizable functions. That’s not including a big command dial, with a button to toggle between four additional functions. The Xencelabs software that you install with the driver can be used to customize the pen display, styluses, and Quick Keys. What I really like about the Quick Keys remote is that you can customize it for a specific application. So, if you use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and want it to perform different functions for each, it’ll remember the settings for both. 

With extended use, I’m sure you’d learn to get the most out of the Quick Keys. But even during my limited time with the device, I was instinctively reaching for the command wheel to rotate my canvas, hitting buttons to undo/redo and alter my brush size. Because it’s a separate peripheral, I could rest my palm on it comfortably, just like a mouse, rather than having to reach over my tablet to tap an awkwardly positioned shortcut button. 

According to Xencelabs, the Quick Keys remote is compatible with other pen displays, too. It’s only available in the Pen Display 16 Bundle, but this makes sense because it can be purchased separately if need be and if you already own the device, you won’t end up with two. My only gripe is its build. The buttons feel a bit cheap and the device could certainly be more ergonomic. 

Drawing with the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 is very enjoyable, if not revolutionary. If you’ve drawn with a decent pen display before, you’ll know what to expect. The screen is optically bonded so there’s no noticeable gap between the protective layer of glass and the display itself. The styluses support a 60-degree tilt angle. And pen-to-screen contact feels suitably papery.  I did experience a slight jitter when drawing lines at slower speeds and like most displays, when you draw gentle, sweeping lines, the line itself will lag a cm or two behind the stylus ( this could simply be a processing limitation of my MacBook). 

Ultimately, the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 provides as good a drawing experience as you could hope for on a dedicated pen display. But, I still think the Apple Pencil 2 delivers a better physical digital drawing experience with its whip-fast responsiveness, pinpoint accuracy, and extreme tilt angles. And yet, that’s not to say Apple’s solution is a better professional solution. 

You see, an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil 2 deliver an outstanding drawing experience, there’s no doubt about it. But if you’re a professional illustrator or a photographer looking to add pen display functionality to your editing regime, a tablet like the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 is arguably still the better option. Apple’s iOS ecosystem is its own worst enemy here. You’re locked into some admittedly fantastic iOS apps such as Procreate and Affinity Photo 2 for iPad, but if you want unbridled access to desktop industry-standard software, a device like the Pen Display 16 allows that. After all, it’s running through your MacBook or PC. And of course, the 16-inch screen is bigger than any iPad’s and you can jump up to 24 inches if you so wish. 

Finally, the styluses are really enjoyable to use. Personally, I find having a thin and thick stylus to be really beneficial since I’m prone to a little RSI when using the same stylus for long periods of time. Having the option to swap helps to keep this at bay. 

Xencelabs Pen Display 16: Verdict

The Xencelabs Pen Display 16 is capable of going pound for pound with the biggest name in the drawing tablet biz. The slick 4K OLED screen is a huge selling point and none of its few shortcomings are deal breakers. Crucially, the vibrant and accurate colors make this an excellent choice for photographers looking to add a pen display to their editing workflow and digital illustrators alike. 

Unless touch-sensitive controls are your line in the sand, it delivers an excellent drawing experience and a solid build to boot. Overall, you can expect a premium performance for slightly less than other premium offerings. It’s also incredibly simple to set up and small enough to slip into a roomy rucksack, making it a great choice for those who require a portable display, without giving up too much screen real estate. Even the Essentials package delivers a formidable roster of accessories. However, I would recommend opting for the Bundle package to get the Quick Keys remote (or purchasing it separately), because this really does enhance the pen display’s usability.

Alternatives

I own a 6th generation iPad which does an adequate job of letting me browse the web, check my email, and even edit the occasional Digital Camera World video review in iMovie. However, my iPad is now showing its age, as it doesn’t support the iOS Final Cut Pro app which was released in June 2024. I was therefore very happy when Apple loaned me an 11-inch iPad Pro (M4) so that I could test out iOS Final Cut Pro and its integration with the new iOS Final Cut Camera app (especially in relation to broadcasting live video from multiple iPhones to iOS Final Cut Pro on the iPad Pro - more on that workflow in the Performance section). Another exciting thing about testing the iPad Pro is that it is the first device to have an M4 chip powering it. I do my day-to-day video editing in macOS Final Cut Pro on a 15-inch MacBook Air which has an M2 chip. That’s still powerful enough to edit 4K movies in macOS Final Cut Pro, so I was therefore very keen to put the M4 chip through its paces in relation to video and photo editing. 

I tested the Silver incarnation of the iPad Pro, but it’s also available in Space Black. If I could afford one I’d go for Space Black as that fits the look of my iPhone 15 Pro Max, though the Silver iPad Pro does look great on the silver Magic Keyboard that I was also loaned for this review. I reviewed the cellular model which is the first time I’ve used an iPad that can connect to the web from anywhere. This was handy when I tested the iPad in a studio environment that didn’t have Wifi, as I needed to connect to the web to subscribe to iOS Final Cut Pro.  Oh - Apple also kindly popped an Apple Pencil Pro into my review kit, which I’ll cover in a separate review. 

iPad Pro 11-inch (M4): Specifications

iPad Pro 11-inch (M4): Design & Handling

The iPad Pro comes in two sizes - the 11-inch model that I’m reviewing here and a 13-inch version which is the thinnest product that Apple has ever created. Although not quite as thin as the 5.1mm deep 13-inch iPad Pro, the 11-inch model is impressively slim. Indeed at 5.3 mm it’s slimmer than my 8.25mm iPhone 15 Pro Max which was a surprise to me.  Like my iPhone 15 Pro Max, the iPad Pro has rounded corners. However, the iPad Pro’s edges are sharper than the iPhone’s and are almost bevel-free, which is a big contrast in design compared to the highly curved bevel on the edge and rear of my 6th generation iPad (which is also much ‘fatter’ at 7.5 mm - sorry to fat-shame my old iPad!). 

The iPad Pro’s M4 chip blows my ‘ancient’ 6th generation iPad out of the water when it comes to speed courtesy of its M4 chip, but what also sets the latest model apart from my old iPad is the iPad Pro’s Ultra Retina XDR OLED display. This kicks out 1,000 nits of brightness (or a peak of 1,6000 when viewing HDR assets), which is much brighter than my 15-inch MacBook Air’s 500 nits).  This makes 10-bit HDR Pro Res footage shot on my iPhone 15 Pro Max look amazing on the iPad Pro - with a striking contrast range of 2,000,000:1 that produces deeper blacks and whiter whites thanks to the combined light of two OLED panels. Thanks to ProMotion’s adaptive 10-120Hz refresh rate video footage looks smoother than ever. (At this stage in my review my fatter, slower, and duller 6th generation iPad is slinking quietly and forlornly out of the room). 

iPad Pro 11-inch (M4): Performance

Normally when I shoot a video review of a product for Digital Camera World I set up an iPhone on a wide shot and position another iPhone to get a close-up view of the product. After recording I then have to AirDrop the clips from both phones onto my MacBook Air and combine them into a Multicam clip in macOS Final Cut Pro. This can take a while, especially when I need to sync up the multiple takes to find my best performance. I can then tap keys to switch between the two iPhone-sourced camera angles in the timeline to jump cut from a wide to a close-up. This is a time-consuming workflow so I was keen to try out the iPad Pro’s ability to create a Multicam clip from the live stream of two iPhones running the new (and free) iOS Final Cut Camera app.

I popped both iPhones onto tripods and fired up the Final Cut Pro Camera app on each of them. I was able to send their feeds to iOS Final Cut Pro on the iPad Pro via Bluetooth. I placed the iPad Pro in my line of sight so that I could see the feed coming from the two iPhones. Normally I shoot ‘blind’ so using the iPad Pro as a monitor to show me the two iPhone camera feeds was very useful indeed. Occasionally I might move a gadget that I’m reviewing out of shot in the close-up view, but that didn’t happen now that I could see both camera angles courtesy of the iPad Pro’s OLED display.

As well as making my video review shoot much easier (I was recording a review of the Godox ML60II-Bi LED the iPad Pro sped up the editing process. I no longer had to spend time AirDropping footage from multiple iPhones to the iPad and then trying and combine them as a Multicam clip in Final Cut Pro (which can take ages if you’re dealing with multiple takes from different devices.)  The clips from both iPhones were already combined as a Multicam clip in iOS Final Cut Pro. All I needed to do was drop the Multicam clip into the timeline and then click on thumbnails to cut between the close-up and wide-angle footage. 

Editing in iOS Final Cut Pro was a pleasure on the iPad Pro. My iPad Pro review unit had 2TB of storage so I was happy to digitise the footage directly onto it. However, I was also pleased to use a USB-C cable to plug in the external SSD drive that I use when editing with macOS Final Cut Pro on my MacBook Air directly into the iPad Pro. I was then able to import footage from macOS Final Cut Projects into iOS Final Cut Pro projects on the iPad. After editing on the iPad Pro I could export the project (and all its Multicam media) directly to my MacBook Air and carry on editing using the extra tools in the macOS version of Final Cut Pro. 

Talking of Final Cut Pro the macOS version is available with a one-off purchase, but you need to subscribe to iOS Final Cut Pro for £4.99 a month. This may sway some editors to stick with editing on their Mac’s version of Final Cut Pro (which I’ll be doing once Apple takes back my iPad Pro review unit.)

Because I’m writing for Digital Camera World this review focuses on the iPad from a video maker and photographer’s point of view (I didn’t test games on it for example). As with all iPads the iPad Pro has a version of the Camera app. This boasts an optical 3x zoom for video shoots and a 5x zoom for stills (like the iPhone 14 Pro Max). 

The front camera feed looks fairly low-res and grainy compared to the FaceTime camera on my MacBook Air (M2). There’s also no option to shoot video in Cinematic mode on the iPad Pro Camera App. To be honest, I’ve never used any of the iPads I’ve owned as a camera (apart from FaceTime calls), so I don’t think this will change with the iPad Pro, which is much more effective at editing video rather than shooting it.

When docked with the Magic Keyboard the iPad Pro behaves like a mini laptop, and I enjoyed swiping on the Magic Keyboard’s trackpad to move a dot-shaped cursor around iOS Final Cut Pro’s interface to drag clips into the timeline and trim them, etc. I was also able to drag clips using the Magic Pencil and click it to undo an edit or summon a pop-up menu (more on that in my separate Magic Pencil review).  I could also of course tap and drag a clip using my finger on the iPad’s touch-sensitive screen, so I was spoiled for choice when it came to interacting with the iPad Pro.

iPad Pro 11-inch (M4): Verdict

If you’re a video maker who shoots on iPhone then the iPad Pro should prove an attractive purchase, especially if you need to sync multiple camera angles into a Multicam clip as you record them. HDR video footage will look amazing as you edit thanks to the Ultra Retina XDR OLED display. Photo fixers will also enjoy working with a display that makes their images look great - with a wide range of colors and tones on display. The M4’s 16-core Neural Engine should help you work faster when using AI-assisted apps. 

However for me, the iPad Pro is a luxury item as I can still get my photos and videos edited effectively on an M2 MacBook Air (which I’m still paying for on a monthly basis), but if you’ve got the cash then you know that you’ll be purchasing an 11-inch iPad Pro M4!

Alternatives

Back when the super-thin 2024 iPads were launched, a Live Multicam feature was demonstrated whereby Final Cut Pro on an iPad Pro could switch between live footage from up to four iPhones.

Now, finally, the app which makes that possible – Final Cut Camera – has been released into the App Store as a free download. This enables, in Apple's words, the user to "Capture professional footage with full manual control" and "Preview, record, and sync up to four devices with Live Multicam in Final Cut Pro for iPad."

You might ask why this is separate from the standard camera app. It does, after all, have features you'd recognise, like pull focus. When you see the features you'll understand why Apple has chosen to ring-fence more deliberate users into an app which offers easy access to settings including shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and manual focus as well as choosing resolution, frame rate and color space.

Other pro features are Focus peaking and overexposure indicators, though these require more recent iPhones (A13 Bionic or newer). To be fair, that means the iPhone 11 and onward. There are also overlays like grids and aspect ratios.

Preview media is automatically synced and instantly available for edit with FCP, and the app allows you to see your available audio recording time as well as levels.

The app is compatible with all iPhones with iOS 17.2 and up, but one especially useful feature – the ability to record video files directly to an external recording device – does (as the USB-C socket might suggest) require an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Perhaps more financially significant, if you're headed down this route, is that Final Cut Pro for iPad requires a subscription. At £49/$49 per year or £4.99/$4.99 per month, it's also Apple's first subscription app.

While this feature might now provide a much better reason for some creators to make that investment – immediately synchronising content and doing an on-the-fly edit can save a lot of time – it is still a choice which will weigh a little more on the wallet than a traditional set-up.

If you're planning on using a few iPhones for an event, check our guide to the best iPhone camera grips.

The XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad is the most recent pen display from the Shenzhen-based manufacturer and one that represents a bold move into uncharted waters. This is XP-Pen’s first standalone tablet. Unlike the best drawing tablets and pen displays, it isn’t a passive peripheral. Instead, it runs independently via an Android operating system. XP-Pen isn’t the only tablet manufacturer to release a standalone drawing device – the Huion Kamvas Slate 10 comes to mind – but the more premium price point and svelte form-factor make one thing abundantly clear. XP-Pen isn’t pulling any punches. 

The Magic Drawing Pad is clearly designed to offer an alternative to the consumer tablets that have traditionally dominated this fledgling market, such as Samsung’s S9 family of tablets and Apple’s iPads. It’s even a contender against the titan of standalone drawing tech, the Apple iPad Pro. And while it might seem unfair to pit this $499.99 / £449.99 device against industry-leading consumer tablet tech, the Magic Drawing Pad doesn't have to appeal to the masses like an iPad. It’s first and foremost a pen display. 

Add in XP-Pen’s ever-expanding heritage as a reputable brand within the digital creative sphere and this might not be the one-sided affair you might think. As a photographer, I’m particularly interested to find out how the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad competes with the best tablet for photo editing and photographers.

XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad: Specifications

XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad: Price

This little pen display’s MSRP is $499.99 / £449.99 / AU$799, and it can be found for slightly less on sale. It’s notably pricier than the Huion Kamvas Slate 10 ($249.99 / £259 / AU$399), but it boasts better specs across the board, including more screen real estate, higher resolution, larger internal storage, and more.

Equivalent Samsung and Apple tablets would arguably be the iPad Air (2024) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE/+. But it’s worth noting that by the time you add 256GB of internal storage (plus an Apple Pencil for the iPad), both the Air and FE+ are considerably more expensive. The S9 FE is right within the Magic Drawing Pad’s price range and boasts similar tablet specs, with slightly less screen real estate but more processing power and newer versions of Android.

Ultimately, the Magic Drawing Pad’s hardware might be at a disadvantage when judged against consumer tablets. But decent screen real estate, competitive pricing, and XP-Pen’s X3 stylus tech, level the playing field.

XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad: Design & Handling

The XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad is just 0.3-inches thick, but feels suitably solid in the hand. Its paper-like display isn’t as textured as some other pen displays – such as the Wacom Cintiq 16 – but given the standalone nature of the tablet, XP-Pen has found a good balance between comfortable drawing surface, sharpness and brightness. It also features XP-Pen’s AF (Anti-fingerprint) tech, and while I was initially worried my grubby little digits had managed to smudge it up relatively quickly, this wasn’t noticeable when the screen was on. 

It feels like the trim is plastic and the back of the tablet is alloy, but it’s difficult to tell. Regardless, it feels suitably slick and well put together. We’re becoming increasingly used to drip- and water-resistant tech, so it’s worth noting that the Magic Drawing Pad is not waterproof. If you’re enjoying an outdoor sketching session, make sure you pack it safely away at the first sign of rain.

The portable pen display comes with a surprising number of accessories, beyond the usual spare pen nibs and USB cable, you also get a nib extractor, drawing glove and TPU protective case. The latter is particularly useful, due to this pen display’s portable nature. It’s hardly the most flattering case you’ve ever seen, but it definitely serves a purpose. I for one felt much happier slipping the tablet into my rucksack, against a MacBook, having it on.

Some pen display users wouldn’t be caught without their trusty drawing glove, while others loathe them. But there’s no denying that gloves minimize touch-screen frustrations by preventing you from accidentally activating touch controls with the palm of your hand. You can turn off touch controls via the drop-down settings menu and toggling the ‘handwriting touch’ option. This means only the stylus can be used. However, I had no problem using the glove and enjoyed the ability to draw unhindered, while still being able to pinch the screen to zoom and move around the canvas while working. 

The X3 Pro Pencil is of a similar thickness to the second-gen Apple Pencil, but is noticeably shorter. Some creatives prefer the thicker styluses present with tablets such as XP-Pen’s own Artist 16 Pen Display, while others prefer a more pencil-like form factor. If you’re new to pen displays or drawing tablets, I personally think that thinner styluses are easier to take to – given their likeness to a traditional pen or pencil – but ultimately, this is down to personal preference. 

Regardless, this svelte stylus fits in with the Magic Drawing Pad’s portable M.O. perfectly. One side is flat, just like the aforementioned Apple Pencil, but sadly it doesn’t magnetically attach to the side of the tablet. The flat side does, however, prevent the stylus from rolling off tabletops. The included case does provide a slot in which to house the X3 Pro Pencil, but if you’d rather not use it, you’ve nowhere to store it. The stylus itself features one clickable function button and is lightweight. Its plasticky build doesn’t boast the premium feel of some styluses, but it does feel solid.

XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad: Performance

At its core, the Magic Drawing Pad is an Android tablet. And that means it’s capable of so much more than just digital drawing. Just like an iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab, you can watch videos, read ebooks, browse the web, link up your smartphone, and much more. And while these functions are unlikely to be the reason why you’d want to pick up this device, they aid the tablet’s portability, since you won’t feel compelled to pack an additional tablet should you hit the road with it. It even has front (8MP) and rear-facing (13MP) cameras. This is extremely useful if, like me, you prefer sketching on paper, photographing the page, and tracing over the drawing when ‘inking’ on a pen display.

Side-by-side with my 2021 iPad Pro (5th-gen), the XP-Pen Magic Drawing tablet holds up well. Its brightness seems to compare to the iPad offering, with vibrant and punchy colors. Both devices boast roughly the same screen real estate in terms of length, but the XP-Pen’s 3:2 aspect ratio loses out against the iPad’s 4:3 in terms of width. Unsurprisingly, the iPad’s superior resolution of 1668 x 2388 is sharper than the XP-Pen’s 2160 x 1440. However, it’s worth noting that the tablet’s subtle softness on closer inspection is due to the screen’s textured surface. And this is where the XP-Pen really comes into its own. 

Drawing with this little tablet is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Glossy, slippery surfaces are a bone of contention with many creatives, when it comes to drawing on consumer tablets. And while you can pick up aftermarket, textured screen protectors, the quality can prove a mixed bag. There’s no denying that the feeling of drawing – especially sketching – on the Magic Drawing Pad is better because of its screen. Another upside of the textured screen is reduced glare and reflections. No screen holds up against direct sunlight, but you’ll experience fewer frustrations than working with a glossy screen. If sitting by a lake and drawing is your thing, the Magic Drawing Pad will fare better than a consumer tablet.

The Apple Pencil (2nd gen) is my favorite stylus I’ve used. I enjoy the pencil-like thickness, the texture, the tilt functionality and I’ve come to appreciate the weight. And although the X3 Pro Pencil doesn’t beat it, I think it’s a decent stylus for the price and portability of the package. The X3 Pro Pencil features XP-Pen’s existing X3 Pro Smart Chip tech found on a raft of tablets including the Artist Pro 16 (Gen2) and Artist 22 PLUS. XP-Pen calls it a ‘drawing-dedicated smart chip,’ and it’s situated inside the stylus.  

Ultimately, the X3 Pro Pencil is a utilitarian device. There’s no tilt functionality or touch controls, but its lightweight and svelte form factor is effortless to draw with. The function button does get in the way, so my preference is to disable it. I cannot find any way to disable it via the tablet’s settings. You just have to hope that the application you’re using allows you to. Thankfully, ibisPaint – you receive a three-month membership with the tablet – allows you to assign the button to a variety of functions as well as turn it off completely.

A big plus is that the stylus doesn’t require charging. I’ve lost count of how many times I've picked up my Apple Pencil following a hiatus, only to find it’s dead. The X3 Pro Smart Chip boasts a world-leading 16,384 pressure level. To put that in perspective, the Apple Pencil (gen 2) clocks in at just 4,096. In practice though – taking into consideration my modest drawing background – I found the two styluses difficult to separate here. 

One thing to keep in mind is the Apple Pencil’s tilt functionality, so when you’re applying very light pressure, it can sometimes seem that the X3 Pro Pencil isn’t registering when in actual fact, you’ve just tilted the stylus too far. When I applied more pressure, it was really hard to pick a winner. And yet, in a real-world test, I think I prefer sketching outlines on the Magic Drawing Pad. And that’s because the matte screen and pen combination really does feel great. Heck, it even sounds like you’re drawing if you’re sitting in silence. 

I’m also pleased to say that noticeable jitter isn’t an issue. Lines drawn are smooth and sweeping. However, the Magic Drawing Pad does exhibit notable lag when drawing slow, sweeping lines. Snake a steady line around your canvas and the line will stay a good cm or two behind. I also found that the stylus would stop working for a few seconds on the odd occasion. And although I cannot be certain, I’m wondering if that’s the tablet’s processor playing catch up. Both of these problems aren’t dealbreakers, but the latter in particular is frustrating when you're busy in the creative zone. Overall though, the drawing experience is great. But, here’s hoping the stability of the tech can be improved with a future update. Just like the – now fixed – offset problem.

You see, the tablet was criticized upon its release for the pen being slightly offset. And kudos to XP-Pen for not only fixing this problem, but introducing a Handwriting offset customization tab in Settings, so you can tweak it to taste. You still won’t find the configuration options you would on most standalone tablets – even one as simple as the One by Wacom – but the drawing experience is good enough that I didn’t feel a burning need to tweak. 

What interests us here on Digital Camera World is using drawing tablets and pen displays for photo editing. And sadly, that’s where the Magic Drawing Pad is lacking. And partially, through no fault of its own. You see, the tablet’s biggest problem – as far as photographers are concerned – is the Android operating system’s lack of editing apps. Photoshop, Affinity Photo, and Capture One simply aren’t available on Android. You can still use Photoshop Express and Lightroom, but a lack of layer-based editing in particular, makes tasks that drawing pads and pen displays really excel at – like dodging and burning – difficult. I also experienced lots of lag when editing a big Raw file on Lightroom. 

And where the glossy screens of other tablets hinder drawing, the Magic Drawing Pad’s matte screen really isn’t up to checking critical sharpness and making delicate tonal adjustments. Don’t get me wrong. The stylus does come in handy. It works well with Lightroom’s masking brush and you can certainly edit photos on this tablet. But at the end of the day, that’s not what it’s made for. It’s a digital sketchpad for digital artists. And in that respect, as a hobbyist digital artist, I think it’s a good buy, providing it meets your needs and you don’t already own a decent Samsung Tab or iPad. 

Internal storage is another area where the Magic Drawing Pad shines. You get 256GB, plus the ability to extend it via a microSD card (up to 512GB). This is great for photographers who require plenty of room to store big raw files. 

XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad: Verdict

I feel like the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad is most likely to appeal to aspiring/hobbyist digital artists and students who require a portable drawing device but cannot justify the price of a top-tier Samsung Galaxy Tab or Apple iPad. The tablet’s processor could be faster to prevent lag and I’d like to see more options to customize the X3 Pro Pencil in future updates. But crucially, the drawing experience is great. 

The thin stylus feels comfortable in the hand and the matte, textured screen is a huge step up from glossy consumer tablets. For drawing, I have no problem recommending the Magic Drawing Pad if you require portability on a budget. But for photo editing, Android just doesn’t boast the software that’s available on iOS. And while that beautiful matte screen is a fine tool for drawing, it’s not as suitable for photo editing. On the flip side, you do get a decent amount of storage for Raw files.

Ultimately, the XP-PEN Magic Drawing Pad deserves a four-star rating, because it delivers a great drawing experience in a portable package that’s more affordable than the Samsung and Apple alternatives. But it can't match the photo editing apps available on iOS, making iPad or a desktop pen display such as the XP-Pen Artist 16 more desirable alternatives for photographers.

Alternatives

Are you disappointed with your tablet's battery life? The new Armor Pad 3 Pro from Ulefone could be the answer. It packs an immense 33280 mAh battery that's around three times the capacity of the battery in an iPad Pro. Ulefone claims it's good for 181 hours of talk time, and 1812 hours (75.5 days!) of standby time. Thankfully there's 66W fast charging to get you juiced up relatively quickly.

Read more:
The best tablet for photo editing
The best tablet camera

As its name suggests, the Armor Pad 3 Pro is also built to survive abuse: it's aimed primarily at industrial and construction sectors, or anyone who needs a tablet built to military standard 810 certification. The Armor Pad 3 Pro is also IP68 rated, meaning it's both dust resistant and waterproof to a depth of 1.5m for up to 30 minutes. Other unusual tablet features include a built-in flashlight with 483 individual LEDS that provide 1100 lumens of light output. There's even support for an optional dual-camera borescope (inspection camera).

Surprisingly for a device which clearly isn't focussed primarily on photography, the Armor Pad 3 Pro still packs a 50MP main camera based around Samsung's GN1 image sensor. This 1.31-inch chip is used in some of the best camera phones like the Google Pixel 7 Pro, so with the right image processing, it's capable of great image quality. In the Armor Pad 3 Pro it can record 1080p video and is fronted by an f/1.95 lens with an 85-degree field of view. On the front of the tablet is a 32MP, 1080p selfie camera that uses a Samsung GD1 image sensor.

The Armor Pad 3 Pro is based around an 8-core MediaTek MT8788 System-on-Chip and features 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. This is expandable up to 2TB using the microSD card slot. The tablet sports a 10.36-inch IPS display with a 1200 x 2000 resolution and 500-nit maximum brightness. In-keeping with the device's rugged credentials, the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

But you don't get all that battery life without some compromise. The gargantuan battery inside increases the tablet's overall weight to a meaty 1.24kg - that's around 2.5x the weight of a standard 10.9" iPad. The device is also rather thick at 21.2mm, and measures 262 x 167mm length x width.

The Ulefone Armor Pad 3 Pro is available to order now, priced at $600.

Following on from the big iPad announcements given by Apple, Final Cut Pro has been given a significant update with a ton of new features for the iPad app and Mac. 

Final Cut Pro is Apple's video editing software and ranks highly among creators for creating, editing and rendering video. As is the case with most software updates in 2024, the new 'Final Cut Pro for iPad 2' and 'Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8' will have a host of new AI-powered features that make editing workflows all the more efficient. 

AI already plays a huge part in Final Cut Pro, with features such as Fast Cut (which accelerates time‑consuming editing tasks) and Auto Crop (which crops your footage for the various aspect ratios required for posting on different platforms).

The new iPad Pro is the first Apple product to come with an M4 chip, meaning that its processing power has enhanced dramatically, enabling fast video rendering and support for more streams of ProRes RAW. This has meant that new and improved features can be added to Final Cut Pro for iPad 2. 

The first on the list is the new Live Multicam feature, which turns the iPad Pro into a portable multicam production studio, as seen in the video above. This enables users to set up four separate camera views that all feed back to the iPad as a central hub, where the exposure focus and zoom can be controlled. 

This on-the-go editing and directing facility can be extremely useful when streaming live events or recording interviews. It does appear that the only cameras that can do this at present are iPhones and iPads, so hopefully this will open to include further cameras in the future. 

In conjunction with Live Multicam, Final Cut Camera comes to iPhone and iPad to enable live monitoring and individual control of each video feed. This changes the camera app used when recording with Multicam, enabling enhanced monitoring and settings adjustments. 

Another improvement that will make Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 more appealing to users is that it now supports external projects. This enables users to create or open projects on an external storage device, and import media without taking up space on their iPad. This is a huge change and will help make the new iPad Pro an even more viable video editing device.

"Editors can quickly hand off external projects to another editor or take them into Final Cut Pro for Mac; create new projects on external storage; and seamlessly import high-resolution files and professional codecs like ProRes and Log," says Apple.

New customizable elements bring more options to projects, with the inclusion of twelve new color-grading presets, eight basic text titles, twenty new soundtracks and additional dynamic backgrounds, overlays, and, title sequences. And the ability to bring controlled and precise adjustments is supported by the new Apple Pencil Pro. 

It's not just Final Cut Pro for iPad that has seen an update, either, as Final Cut Pro for Mac has also benefited from improved features – and of course, they are likewise powered by AI. 

"Available as a free update to existing users, Final Cut Pro 10.8 introduces Enhance Light and Color, offering the ability to improve color, color balance, contrast, and brightness in one simple step, and is optimized for SDR, HDR, RAW, and Log-encoded media," Apple continues.

"With Smooth Slo-Mo, frames of video are intelligently generated and blended, providing the highest-quality movement and more drama to a project."

Improvements have also been made to the naming system, and search functions to speed up workflow efficiency. 

Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 will be available later this spring as a free update for existing users, and available on the App Store for $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$4.99 per month or $49 / £49 / AU$49 per year, with a 1-month free trial for new users.

Final Cut Camera will be available for free later this spring as a standalone app.

Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8 will be available as a free update for existing users and  $299.99 / £299.99 / AU $299.99 for new users on the Mac App Store. All new users can download a free 90-day trial of Final Cut Pro.

You may also be interested in our guides to the best iPad, the best Macbook, and the best iMac.

Apple unveiled its latest iPad Pro and iPad Air models at the company's recent launch event, and both are now open for preorder. Below, I've compiled where you can purchase these new tablets, along with the top preorder offers available for the brand-new iPad Pro M4 and iPad Air M2, along with some amazing trade-in deals.

The newly announced iPad Pro (2024) comes in either 11-inch or 13-inch sizes, offering storage options up to a massive 2TB, with prices starting at $999 / £999 AU$1,699. While this is $200 more than the base price of the previous generation, the new model features the M4 chip, an impressive tandem OLED display, and doubles the standard storage to 256GB.  - so you're getting a lot more for the $200 price hike.

Meanwhile, the new iPad Air 6 is also available in 11-inch and 13-inch models, with storage starting at 128GB. Prices begin at $599 / £599 / AUS$999 or the 11-inch version and $799 / £799 / AUS$1,299 for the 13-inch – matching the pricing of the previous generation. However, this latest iPad Air boasts the M2 chip, providing up to 50% faster performance compared to its previous M1-chipped predecessor.

Both devices are currently open for orders via your favorite retailers and are scheduled to ship on May 15, 2024. Presently, they are available directly from Apple and on Amazon in the US.

Other retailers are expected to begin preorders soon, so keep checking back for the latest availability updates.

iPad Pro and iPad Air preorders in the US

iPad Pro and iPad Air preorders in the UK

iPad Pro and iPad Air preorders in Australia

After a longer than usual wait, Apple made today a big day for the iPad, with both of the photographer's favourite models getting attention on the same day for the first time ever as the iPad Air series and iPad Pro series got major updates.

Many photographers will be very excited by the arrival of a layered Tandem OLED screen (which Apple is calling Ultra Retina XDR). It has up to 1,000 nits by putting two OLED panels atop each other (with peak brightness of 1,600 nits for HDR content). This offers darker blacks and power saving, which the company has taken advantage of by reducing weight and thickness in batteries. Apple have reduced the iPad to 5.1mm (5.3mm for the 11-inch), making it thinner than the iPod Nano, and given the screen a matt finish.

The new device is the first to be powered by Apple's M4 processor, which hasn't even made it to the Mac line yet. The 3nm chip has an "entirely new display engine," as well as 4 performance and 6 efficiency cores, plus 10 GPU cores. Apple say it'll be "up to" 4x faster than M2, or deliver the same performance as M2 with half the power, and boasts hardware ray-tracing acceleration.

The camera is still 12 megapixel, but gets an 'adaptive truetone flash' – the portrait camera is moving to the landscape edge like the iPad air (and every other laptop ever), and goes with a new magic keyboard that has a function row. It looks a lot like (and feels like, they said) using a MacBook.

These, though, come with a massive sting in the tail in the form of a price increase – the new. iPad Pro starts at 256GB at $999 / AU$1,699 11-inch and $1,299 / AU$2,199 for the 13-inch. They'll be available next week. 

Oh, and there's ANOTHER new Apple Pencil too. Apple Pencil Pro. It has a squeezable side and sensor, a haptic engine, a gyro sensor so you can roll it to select tools, and support for Apple's Find My, as well as charging on the side of the iPad Pro. (The pencil will work with the iPad Air too...)

The more cost-conscious choice in the iPad range has long been the iPad Air, which offered a lesser camera but still a meaty processor. One of the main reasons that creatives like photographers and videomakers had to turn away, however, was that Apple didn't offer a large-screen version. That, however, has changed, with the arrival of the a 12.9-inch version (potentially shooting the Pro in the foot for a lot of wiser consumers!)

The iPad Air is now powered by M2, with 8-core CPU / 10-core GPU, nearly 50% faster than the M1 version according to Apple. The front-facing camera is on the landscape edge, and Wi-Fi 6E and 5G is supported.

Has the event answered the real question, though, which ultimately remains "Will the iPad replace the laptop?" The problem remains that it's not really in Apple's interest to encourage people to buy one device when they could buy two.

So what updates has iPad OS got, if any? Well there are a customizable lock screen, interactive widgets, messages with emoji stickers, Stage Manager for overlapping windows (hmm.... now that sounds like a computer....) and Visual Look Up among new AI features, but it won't be until WWDC – a month or so away – that we find out if there will be anything to really use that trackpad with haptic feedback.

The iPad Air will start at 128GB storage, but stays at $599 / AU$999 base price, or $799 / AU$1,299 for the 13-inch version. There are storage options up to 1TB, too. 

Finally, iPad 10th Gen is being cut in price to a starting price of just $349 in the US only (and the iPad Mini remains untouched by today's news).

Pre-orders US:
Pre-order iPad Pro M4 or iPad Air 6 from B&H (US)
Pre-order iPad Pro M4 or iPad Air 6 from Amazon (US)

Pre-orders UK:
Pre-order iPad Pro M4 or iPad Air 6 from Apple (UK) 

Pre-orders AU:
Pre-order iPad Pro M4 or iPad Air 6 from Apple (AU)
Pre-order iPad Pro M4 or iPad Air 6 from JB Hi-Fi (AU)

The last iPad release was in October 2022, over 540 days ago, in fact. Understandably, there is a degree of pent-up excitement in the run-up to the special keynote Apple event on May 7. 

Enthusiasts can attend the livestreamed event on apple.com or on the Apple TV app at 7am Pacific, 10am Eastern, and 3pm UK. 

Remaining characteristically mysterious about the contents of this announcement, eagle-eyed consumers must once again look for clues in the invitation graphics. 

A hand twirls a pen against a rainbow-hued abstract Apple logo including the colors green, yellow, red, blue, purple, and pink, leading some – including Forbes – to believe that this may indicate new iPad colors. 

Apple Pencil 

My colleague reported back in early March that Apple was likely to release another Apple Pencil this spring, and many speculators believe that this accessory is almost certainly going to accompany, you guessed it, another iPad. According to various reports this alleged Pencil might include a squeeze action to activate certain functions.

iPad Pro updates 

It would appear that Apple inadvertently let slip some of their iPad updates earlier this month when they released the code of the iPadOS 17.5 beta to developers. Website 9to5Mac seemingly discovered new display firmware for four new iPad Pro models: iPad16,3, iPad16,4, iPad16,5, and iPad16,6.

Based on their analysis these are the identifiers of the potential release of the next generation iPad Pro. The firmware suggests that these iPads will come with OLED screens.

iPad Air 

The update is also rumored to include the launch of the larger 12.9-inch iPad Air after accessory retailers ESR began selling cases on Amazon designed for a larger sized Air.

This larger iPad Air might be a direct rival to the heavier iPad Pro of the same size, increasing ease of use by reducing weight. Some analysts have also suggested that the iPad Air might come with a mini-LED display delivering brightness and visual quality to rival OLED, or at least close to it. This might be of particular interest to photographers looking for the iPad Pro screen sizes for image editing but reluctant to pay the price for other features of less use.

The leaked schematics hint to some sources including the Hindustan Times at a redesigned camera bump for the new iPad Air models. Rumor has it that a vertically-oriented camera could be on its way with new camera features and possibly even a flash, suggesting Apple is committed to improving the device's photographic capabilities.

Click here to read whether Apple products are really worth the price tag. 

After weeks of speculation about new iPads, MacBooks, and other Apple gear, the tech community is suddenly reacting to the news there might not be an Apple event at which these rumors can crystallize. Yesterday's announcement of new M3 versions of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air seems to suggest that – instead of assembling a pack of products to release at a choreographed event, Apple will instead be updating current models as-and-when.

The new MacBook Air not only gains a M3 processor, which boosts power up to 60% over the original M1 versions and add a more powerful Neural Engine, but Wi-Fi 6E and improved external display support. The starting price is $1,099 / £999 and the device is available from March 8th.

Since the M3 MacBook Air was one of the key predictions for the event, it puts a hole in the side of any chance of it taking place. Further cold water comes from none other than Bloomberg's Mark Gurman himself, which means that if you've watched several over-enthusiastic Apple YouTubers spouting their prophecies then you're allowed to feel a little cheated at this point!

Of course, in fairness, the products approaching market are probably still nearing completion. Instead of a specific event, we can expect a separate press release and launch video for each one. 

There has been a good deal of rumor about new iPad Pro models with M3 processors and OLED displays, and yet another Apple Pencil. A cheaper Apple Pencil came our recently, but the premium version might also need a re-design if Apple are to finally re-position the camera on the iPad Pro along the long edge of the screen so video conferencing looks more normal (because at the moment that's where the magnets charge the pencil). This is all widely predicted, alongside a special version of iOS to support the new hardware.

A giant 12.9-inch iPad Air is also anticipated, which begs the question "Just how expensive the iPad Pro is going to get with an M3 processor in it?" The anticipated OLED display might have some use, perhaps, to creators, but at the moment the starting price for the M2 12.9-inch XDR iPad Pro is $1,099 (same as that MacBook Air)  with just 128GB storage – and another $129 for the pencil. The Magic Keyboard (which has a trackpad) is another $349 if you're looking for a vaguely laptop-like experience.

Since the iPad Pro has 8GB RAM (in the bottom two storage configs), you're parting with a lot more cash than for a MacBook Air with 256GB storage. Oh, and you still need to do your work in iOS which many feel has limitations in contexts beyond pen use is limiting in a lot of contexts beyond pen use.

No Apple rumor sources have suggested these limitations will vanish with a new iPad Pro – though almost all have suggested the price will get higher. Forbes had even reported that prices as high as $1,500 and $1,800 had been floated by chattering fans. It's possible that the lowest storage options will disappear, but even then that would probably be enough to kill off the product line.

With no information, I'd be inclined to anticipate Apple will cover their costs and inflation, and ditch (at least) the lowest storage option, ergo 128GB $799 minimum becomes a 256GB $999 or $1,099 minimum depending on OLED costs. Remember, too, there was also talk of a more expensive iPhone Ultra without anything emerging.

On a tangental note, another reason Apple might want to avoid assembling a crowd of journalists on their turf is that – despite a few enthusiastic videos about the Vision Pro – the extremely expensive AR device is in a tricky place at the moment and there have been some social media posts about returning them.

See our guide to the best tablets for photo editing.

I didn't pick up the Oukitel OT8 expecting to be blown away – it doesn't cost much more than an Apple Pencil after all – but I was genuinely surprised by what you get for your money. 

This isn't a natural competitor for the iPad Pro, even if the styling isn't a million miles away (should you choose to remove it from the included protective case). We're more in the territory of a Samsung Galaxy Tab A9, an 11-inch device though, even in a discount corner, that has rather less memory and an older version of Android for a bit more money.

On the other hand, of course, Samsung is a brand people have heard of (they made my fridge, and a lot of people's phones or TVs) and Oukitel, and let's be absolutely fair, isn't. All the more reason to check out a review.

What we've got is a device which runs the latest Android 13 and, since Oukitel simply don't have the clout, it hasn't been tweaked in any weird or confusing ways from the pure version – which means it's pure and straightforward. For many this is preferable than flagship devices with extra features that pose compatibility questions. The OT8 does, however, make a few proud claims next to the retailers, like Amazon, where you'll find it, so it's certainly worth assessing...

Build and handling

On opening the box, I had very mixed first impressions. The device arrived in a lovely white box, in that regard felt like a well-regarded fruit-themed manufacturer, but then as soon as I opened the box I found the lid of a plastic case that seemed a bit cheap. That was until I realised that the tablet was in fact already tucked in an included protective case made of rubberised plastic which also forms a stand; no keys so it's for entertainment only, but still useful.

Under this there was a tiny manual, a USB-C cable and a small-ish charging block. There was also a two-ended white pen with chrome-like bands around each top. One end conceals a real ball-point-pen which feels a bit naff but might be useful I suppose. Me? I don't like ot mix ink and tech too much. The other end is an alternative to finger-tapping the screen. It feels very light – no battery – but it's just in the box. It doesn't need charging and has no varying pressure sensitivity because it's essentially just finger simulator, but it does offer a different grip, albeit one which is stylistically inconsistent.

The main device has a simple rounded-corner design which will be almost suspiciously familiar to Apple fans – spoiled slightly by extremely inelegant camera protrusion and a lip of almost-matched plastic which, I presume, is to assist wireless. On the front is a IPS LCD panel which can manage 350 nits of brightness – fine if you're looking at it straight on; seems bright indoors, even – but at an off angle isn't very forgiving. Oukitel say there is eye-strain protection and I'm prepared to accept that.

My only real complaint about the body design is the excessive camera surrounds – especially gross since one is basically a fake around an LED flash. There is only one 13 megapixel camera which is perfectly reasonable, but why pretend otherwise? It's embarrassing. There is also a selfie camera in the middle top when held horizontally – nothing to write home about, but it does the job (at 720P), and can be set to face unlock.

I checked the Amazon listing and it described the selfie camera as 5MP and 8MP in different places – not very encouraging (the stills it produces are 2592 x 1944, which works out as 5.7MP). Worse still none of the promotional materials were clear on whether the RAM was 30GB, 6+24GB, or (as the device itself told me) just 6GB. Realistically 6GB is the truth – the ability to address up to 30GB including virtual RAM (some of the storage memory) certainly won't speed things up.

On the positive side, the speakers are rather good – there are four of them and they sound strong. Right in the lower-right corner if you're staying horizontal), actually in the corner, is a 3.5-inch headphone jack. That's a nice touch these days, and something that means you might be able to lend this device to the kids with some economy headphones. On this note, Wildvine L1 support means Netflix, Disney+ and similar apps all will work at 1080P, so at least entertainment is covered.

Performance

In my use of the tablet, there didn't seem to be anything to complain about when it came to responsiveness. That might not sound like an especially forthright piece of praise but that's that category we're in. I did run the Geekbench 6 app test, 366 single-core, 1180 multi-core. By comparison, a flagship phone like the Samsung S23 Ultra gets 1886/5000 on that test!

In use, the speed seemed adequate for most tasks, though to be honest you didn't want to be asking the device to be doing to many things at once. When using the camera app I did find the on-screen shutter button didn't always seem to work when I tried taking my indoor sample selfie.

The other case where the lack of grunt became apparent was if you tried sketching – something I wouldn't have noticed had they not throwin in the pen. The Geekbench 6 OpenGL score was 452, so don't expect gaming to be amazing either. In terms of photo editing the lag is the main irritation, so applying filters is OK but using any kind of brush-like tool is a pain.

Oh, I should add that, as a general entertainment tablet, the battery life is more than respectable – I got over 12 hours playing videos continuously on the default screen brightness, in line with the promises.

Sample images

This gallery shows that the main camera takes adequate pictures in daylight (or rooms with OK daylight), but isn't very good at handling 

The below sample is from the selfie camera. 

Verdict

Ultimately this is a decent package for the money but will frustrate photographers and other creators looking for a workhorse. Perhaps because it over-promises a little by including the pen, or more seriously suggesting that being upgradable to 30GB is the same thing as having 30GB of RAM there is the opportunity for frustration. Seriously, this kind of thing really annoys me, but the device can't really be blamed for the dubious marketing.

I also hate the horrible LED maskerading as a second camera, and the giant camera protrusion (that's building questionable marketing into the frame), but the camera also works, up to a point, and Android 13 even lets you take manual command of the settings if you choose.

If you go into this purchase with your eyes open and are just looking for a cheap tablet which will let you consume media and take photos in reasonable light then it will do the job. It will be useful for siting back and browsing through your Google Photos, playing Wordle, or handing to the kids. It's imperfect, but it's not at all bad for the money.

Alternatives

Apple's Magic Keyboard for iPad originally came out in 2020 and is designed for iPad Pro and iPad Air. It comes in two sizes, one for the 11-inch iPad Pro and the iPad Air ($299 / £319) and one for the iPad Pro 12.9-inch ($349 / £379).

The most expensive iPad case that Apple offers, it's both a cover and a keyboard. It's also the only case from Apple where the iPad seems to hover above the keyboard, rather than resting on it. This means you can adjust the viewing angle with more precision than say the Smart Keyboard Folio, which only has two viewing angles. 

I've been using the Magic Keyboard for iPad for about three years now, with my iPad Pro (2021), as well as with the newer iPad Air (2022). In that time I've used it for typing, doing daily tasks like browsing the internet, using photo and video editing apps, as well as sketching. I've also carried it around with me a lot, taken it on holiday, and even dropped it a couple of times. Here's what I've found...

Specification

Build and handling

The Magic Keyboard for iPad is a pretty sturdy piece of kit. Apple fails to mention its weight on its website but my version of the 11-inch iPad Pro/iPad Air weighs 1.34lb or 609g. This takes the weight of both the iPad Pro and the Magic Keyboard together to 2.39lb / 1,086g, which is pretty hefty for what's supposed to be a portable piece of tech. I don't have the 12.9-inch version to weigh, but others state it to be around 1.56lb / 710g, which means the weight of it plus the iPad Pro reaches a whopping 2.97lb / 1,351g.

The iPad Pro plus the Magic Keyboard are also pretty thick – measuring half an inch/1.5cm (the iPad Air plus the Magic Keyboard is very slightly thinner). Again, this doesn't really help the iPad's portability. It does help it withstand knocks though, and it didn't suffer any visible damage the couple of times I've accidentally dropped it.

The iPad attaches to the Magic Keyboard magnetically, and it holds firmly in place, seemingly hovering above the keyboard. You can adjust the angle of it up to 130 degrees, meaning it doesn't go all the way back so the iPad is flat on its stand. This means it's not ideal for things like sketching. 

There are only two colors available, black and white. I've got two white versions. The one that I've been using for just a few months is pristine, while the other is looking a bit grubby after several years of use. I'd personally go for black next time. It's a shame there aren't more colors available, particularly because the case covers up the purple hue of my iPad Air.

Keyboard and touchpad

The keyboard has a scissor mechanism, like in the MacBook Pros, and I find it pretty comfortable to type on. Whether or not you find the same will largely depend on how big your fingers are. The keyboard lights up in low lighting – a small design detail that I appreciate – and this can be adjusted in Settings if you want to turn it off for whatever reason. 

There aren't any function keys on the keyboard, so to adjust brightness, turn up the volume, and so on, you'll have to swipe to get the Control Center, or you can click the cursor on the right-hand side of the screen. Alternatively, you can program keys to take on these functions. I've never found this to be too much of an issue, but the newer Magic Keyboard Folio for the 10th gen iPad has addressed this by including function keys, which does suggest that the Magic Keyboard for iPad might get them too in future updates.

I find the trackpad pretty smooth to use although it can be a bit fiddly as it's so small. Once you learn the tricks for getting round the iPad (e.g. swipe up with three fingers to go home, swipe between open apps by swiping left and right with three fingers), it gets even easier and you don't have to keep switching between using your fingers and the trackpad. 

Charging

The Magic Keyboard for iPad has a USB-C charging port built into one side of it. This means that you can charge up your iPad while keeping the cable neatly out of the way, and without having to awkwardly dangle the cable from the middle of the right-hand edge of the iPad. This also frees up the iPad's USB-C slot for other accessories. This is definitely a bonus point for the Magic Keyboard.

Verdict

The Magic Keyboard for iPad is a solid piece of kit, but it may be too solid for some. While its heft means it protects your iPad well, it also makes it heavy, which makes the iPad less portable. 

The keyboard is decent, the trackpad works well and the angle is good as long as you don't want to draw on it. The only other issue is the price. The Magic Keyboard is certainly not cheap, but if you want to get more from your iPad, getting one (and swotting up on all the gestures) is one of the best ways to do this.

Alternatives

Trouble streaming the above video? View/download it here

Attempting to usurp the humble mouse and keyboard is a little bit like reinventing the wheel. But if you’ve ever used a mouse to perform delicate dodging or burning, try this digital pen technique once and you’ll never want to go back. The best drawing tablets with screens have become increasingly popular over the years and increasingly affordable too. But even the cheapest options can be difficult to justify, unless they’re going to be getting consistent use. 

That’s why tablet styluses, like the Apple Pencil and Samsung S Pen, are so attractive. You may already have a compatible device at home and if you don’t, investing in an iPad or Galaxy Tab will at least provide you with plenty of other benefits, beyond digital drawing. The Apple Pencil (2nd generation), in particular, has received plenty of plaudits and is an excellent tool for artists and photographers alike. It’s pressure sensitive, just like a real pencil, thin and comfortable to use, and a relatively inexpensive investment at £139/$129 (providing you already have a compatible device).

We paired our iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) and second-gen Apple Pencil with Affinity Photo 2 for iPad (£18/$18.50) to create smooth and accurate edits using the Dodge Brush Tool.

We shot this stunning portrait at TankSpace’s incredible underwater studio.

Download the project file(s) to your Downloads folder of your desktop computer

But I don't own an iPad... 

If you don’t own an iPad, you can pick up an entry-level graphics tablet for very little. The One by Wacom retails from just £36/$50 and although you don’t get the benefit of drawing directly onto the screen, it’s still a much more effective method for creating painterly brush strokes than using a mouse. Wacom’s cheapest family of pen displays is the Wacom One and you’ll find even cheaper options out there from brands such as XP-PEN. If you own an iPad and want to pick up an Apple Pencil, there are currently three variants available: Apple Pencil (2nd generation), Apple Pencil USB-C and Apple Pencil (1st generation). Make sure you check what version your iPad is compatible with and which one best suits your purposes before purchase.

01 Add a curve layer

Open your start file in Affinity Photo. Tap the tick icon at the top of the screen to exit the Develop Persona and enter the Photo Persona. Select the Layers icon in the right-hand toolbar and duplicate the background layer by selecting the three-dotted icon in the top-left of the screen. Select Duplicate in the Clipboard menu. With the new layer selected, hit the Adjustments icon in the right-hand toolbar and select Curves. Tap the graph in the Curves Adjustment window to enlarge it and plot a single point (pictured) to boost the highlights.

02 Inverted masks 

Tap and hold the Curves Adjustment layer in the Layers panel and drag it over the top of the layer you’ve just created. Once released, it will snap to and only affect that layer (this is called a clipping mask). Then hit the plus icon in the Layers panel and select Mask Layer. Select the Channels icon in the right-hand toolbar and tap the dotted icon next to the layer called ‘Mask Alpha’ and select the Invert option. This will instantly hide the curves effect, but don’t worry, we’ll be using a white brush to selectively paint the curves layer back in, later.

03 Build a brush

Go to the brush icon and select your preferred brush (we used Round Soft Brush). Then select the brush-size icon in the top toolbar to bring up the brush-editing menu.  From here, you can alter a multitude of properties. We set Hardness: 25% and then entered the Dynamics tab to set Size: 100%. If you hit Save, your new brush will appear at the bottom of the Brushes panel. With your brush selected, you’ll notice three vertical sliders on the left-hand side. This allows you to change Accumulation, Flow and Width as you paint.

04 Painted lady

Now you’ve created a suitable brush, you can start painting to selectively reveal the brighter curves layer. Ensure that the inverted mask is selected and that you’re using a white brush, then paint liberally over any raised areas of fabric, avoiding the shadows. If you make a mistake you can simply switch to a black brush to paint the curves layer away again. The effect will look overpowering at first, but this is easily remedied. Once you’re finished, select the three-dot icon in the Layers panel and adjust the Opacity slider to taste, we used 36%.

05 Extreme highlights

Duplicate the background layer and drag it to the top of the Layers panel. Then duplicate the Curves Adjustment layer and drag it on top of the duplicated background layer to create a clipping mask. Once again, create an inverted layer mask and start painting with your pencil. This time, focus on the skin tones, by brushing over the skin’s highlights before setting the opacity to 75%. Repeat this whole process again, but focus on carefully brushing only the very brightest highlights on the folds of fabric, before setting the opacity to 85%.

06 Underwater rays

Duplicate the background and a curves adjustment layer yet again to create one final mask, used to tease out the rays of light filtering through the water. The technique is the same as before, but you’ll want to keep your brush strokes smooth and straight. If you make a mistake, tap the screen with two fingers to undo (tap with three fingers to redo). The highlights should be very subtle, so set the opacity to around 9%. Click the three dots in the top toolbar, select Merge Visible to create a merged copy and perform any final tonal edits.

At the time of writing, the 6th generation iPad Pro (2022) is the best iPad that Apple has ever released, with the largest 12.9-inch model boasting a spec sheet that should make the competition blush: A wicked-fast M2 chip; up to 16GB RAM and 2TB SSD; Apple Pencil 2 compatibility; a Thunderbolt port; and a beautiful Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display. This is a serious tablet with loads of power, a great design, and enough features for us to crown it as the best tablet for photo editing and photographers. So what's not to like? 

With the next generation of iPad Pro rumored for an early 2024 release (potentially sporting an OLED display and M3 chip), is the 2022 iPad Pro still a good buy, or are its days of tab dominance numbered? Let's get into it...

Specifications

Display

Though the two iPad Pro models share many features, one big difference is that the larger model sports a mini-LED, Liquid Retina XDR display with 2732x2048 resolution – and that's the one I'm testing in this review. The iPad Pro's ProMotion tech offers the fastest refresh rates of all the iPads, doubling up to 120Hz. What does that mean? Well, when I tested this tablet – soon after testing the entry-level iPad 10th Gen) – I had a buttery-smooth scrolling experience, with both gaming and streaming as silky as I've experienced on a tablet. It may not be a deal-breaker for you, and you may not even notice the difference if you don't have another tablet to compare it to, but if you do, it sure is a pleasurable experience. 

This display is also crisp and bright. Really bright. It will reach 600 nits brightness full screen with SDR content, and hit up to 1,000 nits full screen with XDR content, with up to 1,600 nits for highlights. What does this mean in practice? It means that the image will pop in a darker work room, and will try to compete with the sun outdoors. Drawing and web surfing outside on a fairly well-lit February midday, I found the iPad Pro more than up to the task of giving me a crisp, bright image at all times. Perhaps testing in the middle of summer, under direct sunlight, would offer different results, but in my testing, I was impressed with the brightness and clarity of the image on this tablet. 

And this brightness, as well as its mini-LED screen, is why I'm not too worried about the rumored release of the new iPad Pro (2024) making this 2022 model redundant. It's rumoured that the new tab will have an OLED display, but with the excellent blacks achieved with this tab's mini-LED technology, and its OLED-matching brightness – so what?! This display will still be a stunning feat of technology in a month, even a couple of years' time. 

When you get the Apple Pencil out (the new USB version in my case), sketching and doodling are really fun on the iPad Pro (2022). The stylus is precise, and if other reviews are to be believed, the Apple Pencil 2 is even more so. Offering tilt and pressure sensors, making an array of marks is easy and intuitive with the USB Apple stylus on the iPad Pro. I also love how the Apple Pencil magnetically clips to the side of the tablet – a far more secure connection than with the iPad 10. However, it won't charge while attached like the Apple Pencil 2 will.  

Camera

Although the iPad Pro (2022) could be used by photo and video editors, it's hard to imagine that any serious photographer would ever use the iPad Pro's cameras, other than for video calls and the odd cat capture! The iPad Pro is also way too expensive to be considered a 'family tablet', being passed around a family for casual browsing a snapping. Still, the two cameras on the 2022 model are still worth scrutinizing a bit. 

First off, both front and rear cameras can take pics in portrait mode, which makes sense as the front camera also unlocks face ID. Of course, some photography purists may despise that, but for amateurs, the faux depth of field hack could be a nice touch. The rear camera takes vibrant pics, with decent contrast and as much detail as you'd expect from an Apple 12MP camera. There's also a 10MP Ultra Wide camera, and a LiDAR sensor, meaning quick focus, something that I definitely noticed while taking snaps of my ever-so-shy cat outside.

The front selfie camera is also 12MP and also has Center Stage, so while you're on a video call, the camera will seem to track you if you move. In fact, it just cuts into the ultra-wide view that it has and so appears to be tracking you. In any case, it's a nice feature on a nice camera. But as with the iPad 10, I naturally just ended up using the iPad 2022 as a bigger screen to show photos that I took on other devices, not photos that I took with the iPad. 

Design & Handling

In 2024, some are calling for a new design shake-up to the iPad Pro, as it's sported straight sides for several years now. I think if it's not broken, don't try and fix it, and love the straight edges of the Pro. And not just for aesthetic reasons. When taken away from the Magic Keyboard, I often had the iPad Pro propped up on my belly, or on a bit of duvet/sofa/random material. I noticed that with the straight edges, it was much more likely to stay fixed for longer compared to my (very old) curved-side iPad, which was more prone to slip down. 

One massive detractor when talking about the design of the iPad Pro is the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil. Not that I don't like them, but that I like them so much, and find that they complete the full iPad Pro experience to such a degree, that I genuinely feel annoyed for the customer who will have to spend even more money on getting them separately to the already-expensive tablet. Although I still don't think the iPad can really compare to a laptop for the same money, it's pretty close with the Magic Keyboard, and with the addition of the Apple stylus, it offers a really unique, enjoyable user experience. But you'll need to pay around $300 more for that experience. And add another $150 if you want the Apple Pencil 2 as well. 

This review could so easily have been a full five stars, but seeing that the true potential of this tablet is only unlocked with two accessories that you have to buy on top of it, I don't see how I can give it full marks. 

Price & Performance

First the price. Right now, Apple is selling the entry-level iPad Pro 12.9-inch, which comes with the 128GB storage, for $1,099. If you want a bit more space, the 256GB SSD model will be $1,199 from Apple, but the best price that I've seen on this configuration is $1,049.99 on Amazon, during Black Friday last year. 

That is, even at the record-low, a pretty beefy price tag. When you add the cost of a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil, we're talking closer to a grand and a half. So, is the full iPad Pro 2022 experience worth that much? You can certainly get an excellent laptop that will run full-fat digital software for that money. But we need to look at the iPad Pro's performance to fully answer that question. 

Performance-wise, the iPad Pro 2022 is a bit of a beast. When I ran Geekbench 6 – a software that runs a series of timed processor tests – I got better results than I expected. Looking online, you'll find that the average single-core CPU benchmark for the iPad Pro 2022 is around 2,531 (the higher the number the better). My tablet scored 2,649. For context, this is the current best-scoring iPad on the market, beating the previous 12.9-inch Pro model that scored 2,260. It's also the best-scoring tablet on the market, beating Android competition Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 that achieved 'only' 1,946. The short version? This M2-chipped iPad is really powerful, and really quick at performing tasks.

What that means in day-to-day use is it glides through all minor tasks like browsing, streaming, and mobile games. And when you ask a little more of it, shooting and editing ProRes video with an app like FiLMiC Pro, for example, it performs excellently. When looking at digital art, the iPad Pro is an awesome tablet, but it's worth noting that you won't be able to run the full version of Adobe Photoshop on it. However, the Photoshop for iOS that it can run is still really impressive, and with the recent inclusion of the Generative Fill tool, plus Liquify and Drop Shadow, there is loads to do with this tablet in the photo manipulation and digital art sphere. 

It's not all about Photoshop either, with many pro artists having moved to apps like Procreate on the iPad Pro years ago. This model of the iPad is just a little bit faster, and a little bit more powerful for all such art apps. 

Verdict

I really like the iPad Pro, but the truth is, I probably wouldn't buy it if I were in the market for a new tablet. That's because it's just way too powerful and feature-rich for what I need from a tablet. That may be an obvious thing to mention, but I know many people who have gone out and paid the grand-plus for the 2022 iPad Pro, only to basically do office work and movie-watching on it. If that's what you're planning to do, head over to my iPad 10th Gen review. That's the tablet for you. 

If you're a pro, editing video, and photos, or simply have money to burn and want the best tablet experience for web surfing and movie watching, then at the time of writing, this is hands down the best option out there. Not just from Apple, but from any brand. 

But money is the big issue with the 2022 Pro. If you are going to use it to its fullest, you'll want the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2, and that'll cost you around $400 more on an already sizeable price tag. However, with deals events, such as Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday occurring annually, and with the new 2024 iPad Pro set for release soon, you may be able to get a bundle at a more reasonable price. 

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The Apple Pencil 2 came out in November 2018. At the time, it was much lauded as a worthy upgrade from the previous Apple Pencil 1. It did away with some of the issues users had with the first Pencil – namely the removable tip that was easy to lose, and the awkward charging. It also has a matte finish compared with the first Pencil's more glossy look, and one flat edge so it's much less likely to roll away. 

But now that there's a new kid on the block – the Apple Pencil USB-C, which came out in November 2023 and costs $79 / £79 – does the Apple Pencil 2, at $129 / £139, still stack up? Is it still a worthy choice for photographers and other creatives? And how does it compare to the latest model? 

I've been using the Apple Pencil 2 for a couple of years now and over that time have tested it on a range of apps including Photoshop, Procreate, and Notes as well as for general browsing. I've used it on both the iPad Pro (2021) and the iPad Air (2022) and have also compared it to the Apple Pencil USB-C. Here's what I've found...

Specification

Build and handling

The Apple Pencil 2 is pleasant to hold. It only comes in one color, white, and if you buy direct from Apple you can pay to have it engraved. As I mentioned, it has one flat edge, meaning it doesn't roll off surfaces like the Apple Pencil 1. It's also fairly sturdy, mine has survived several drops with no issues.

The first Pencil and the USB-C both charge via the end of the Pencil housing a charging port. Not so with the Apple Pencil 2, which is smooth all the way to the end. The Pencil 2 doesn't come with a replacement tip, as the Apple Pencil 1 does, but I've been using mine for a couple of years without the need for a replacement. If you do need to buy a new tip, they are readily available. 

Charging and pairing

The Apple Pencil 2 has the most intuitive way of charging and pairing out of all of the Pencils. You just place it near the long edge of the iPad and it magnetically attaches. While it's sitting on the edge it charges and you also pair the Pencil this way, which means you don't have to faff around with any cables. 

I tried to run the battery down in order to test out how long it'd take to charge from zero, but I'm so used to putting the Pencil on the edge when I'm not using it, that I kept forgetting to leave it elsewhere and then it would charge up again. Even when I did leave it elsewhere after using it, the charge went down so slowly that I realized it would take me weeks, maybe even months, to get to zero battery. What I'm trying to say is that you don't need to worry about charging the Pencil. You can use it a little or a lot, then pop it back on the top of the iPad and it'll be back at 100% before you know it. This is a much better system than with the other Apple Pencils, where charging and pairing are awkward and rely on cables.

Note that although the Pencil snaps onto the top of the iPad, it doesn't always stay there if stored in a bag and can easily slide off and get lost. Some of the best iPad cases have pen holders to stop this problem although it is a little annoying that Apple doesn't have a built-in solution.

Performance

The Apple Pencil 2 is very good at doing what it sets out to do. It's intuitive, comfortable, and easy to use.

There are also several features that the Apple Pencil 2 boasts that make it superior to the other Pencils. First up is pressure sensitivity. This means that the Pencil responds deftly to any changes in pressure, which is great for drawing though perhaps not so good for those who want to take notes with even lines. 

The Pencil 2 also has a double-tap feature – you tap it twice to change tools. You set this up via Settings. I've used it previously to switch between the eraser and pen, but you can also use it to bring up the color palette or switch between the current and last tool, for example. This is particularly useful if you're using your Pencil a lot for quite repetitive actions.

As with the Apple Pencil USB-C, if you've got an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th gen) or iPad Pro 11-inch (4th gen) you can also use Apple Pencil hover, which is where you can hover your Pencil over the screen and the iPad will preview where your mark will appear.

Like all Apple's Pencils, one benefit of the Apple Pencil 2 is it is brilliant for precise work, whether that's coloring something in or making precise tweaks to photos. It also has low latency, meaning that it's super-responsive.

What the Apple Pencil doesn't do is all the things you're able to do with your fingers on an iPad. You can't swipe up to close apps, for example, or swipe down to bring up Control Center. This means that you'll likely still have to switch between using your fingers and the Pencil, which can slow things down a bit. It's also a shame that Apple hasn't included more controls within the Pencil, I'd like to be able to slide up and down to change the thickness of the brush, for example, though perhaps this would end up not working in practice.

Verdict

The Apple Pencil 2 is the best Apple Pencil available and is ideal for anyone who wants to use it plus their iPad to create or edit with high precision. Its pressure sensitivity is ideal for artists and one major advantage over the other Pencils is the way it charges and pairs. The double-tap to change tools feature is also useful.

Whether you should buy this Pencil over the others available will first of all depend on compatibility. Those who have the standard iPad, for example, definitely shouldn't get the Pencil 2 as it won't work with their iPad. 

It also depends on which features you value. If you think that pressure sensitivity, tool switching, and easy charging are valuable enough to you to warrant the extra expense ($50 / £60 more than the Apple Pencil USB-C), then the Apple Pencil 2 will be worth it for you, if you'd rather have the money and don't mind faffing around with charging your Apple Pencil, then the USB-C option may be the better bet.

But if you do want the absolute best Pencil money can buy, then you are unlikely to be disappointed by the Apple Pencil 2.

Alternatives

Apple's newest Pencil is marketed as the most affordable Apple stylus. And that is strictly true – it's the cheapest Apple Pencil available, though whether $79 is affordable will depend on your circumstances. 

Apple is aiming this new stylus for iPads at students or those with tighter budgets, who use their stylus for tasks like note-taking and don't necessarily need all the features of the Apple Pencil 1 or 2, like pressure sensitivity, for example.

To test this Pencil, I spent around two months with it, trying it out with the iPad Air (2022) and my older iPad Pro (2021). I used it for drawing, note-taking, and general iPad use including internet browsing, photo editing, and gaming, and I compared it to the Apple Pencil 2, which I've been using for the past year or so.

Specification

Build and handling

The Apple Pencil USB-C is pleasant to hold. It is light in the hand yet weighty enough that you feel it's going to make decent marks, which it does. Like the Apple Pencil 2, it has a matte finish and is flat on one edge. It also magnetically attaches to the horizontal edge of your iPad, though it doesn't charge there (more on that later). Note that unlike the Pencil 2, it's not possible to have this Pencil engraved.

At 155mm / 6.10 inches, the USB-C Pencil is slightly shorter than the Apple Pencil 2, which is 166mm / 6.53 inches. Most people won't notice the difference, but some may find it slightly easier to handle. 

One difference between this USB-C version compared to other Apple Pencils is that its top slides up to reveal a USB-C charging port. The Apple Pencil 2 doesn't have this feature, and the Apple Pencil 1 has the port but it's accessed via a detachable top, which is easy to lose. The USB-C Pencil is definitely an upgrade from the first Apple Pencil in terms of design, though charging it can be a bit awkward...

Charging and pairing

To charge the Apple Pencil USB-C, you need to pull up the top and connect it to the iPad with a USB-C cable. Unfortunately, in a very Apple-like fashion, there's no cable included in the box. You should already have the charger that came with your iPad, but still, this is a bit annoying. Also, once you're charging the Pencil, it will no longer sit quite as nicely on the side of your iPad, which feels like a bit of an oversight.

Once you've plugged it in, charging is pretty fast. It went from 0 to 99 percent in roughly 45 minutes, though then took another 15 minutes to get to 100. Overall I found it took me a long time to use the Pencil enough for the battery to drain right down, and you can still use it for a fair while when it's down to 10% charge or lower. In my testing over several weeks, I only charged it a couple of times. The Pencil automatically goes into low power mode when you store it on the side of your iPad, which helps the battery last longer.

Unlike the Apple Pencil 2, the Apple Pencil USB-C doesn't automatically pair when on the side of your iPad. To pair it, you need to connect it with a cable (the one that isn't included) and then it stays connected via Bluetooth. This is a little awkward, and the Pencil does seem to disconnect if you leave it unattached to the iPad, meaning that you have to keep connecting it, which is quick but inconvenient. 

Performance

I found the Apple Pencil USB-C to be overall really pleasant and comfortable to use. It's especially great for note-taking and it works well for basic photo editing, too. This model doesn't have pressure sensitivity, but unless you're an artist using the Pencil for sketching, you probably won't notice. I found that I preferred the lack of pressure sensitivity as it meant that the marks I made with the Pencil were more uniform. 

Like the Apple Pencil 2, the Apple Pencil USB-C supports Apple Pencil hover, which enables you to preview the mark you're going to make. This only works with the iPad Pro though, and if you're not used to having this feature, you're unlikely to miss it. 

The Apple Pencil USB-C doesn't have the double tap to change tools that the Apple Pencil 2 boasts. Again, if you're not used to having this, you are unlikely to notice not having it. 

One issue with all the Apple Pencils, including this one, is that you can't do everything you can do with your fingers with the Pencil. For example, you can swipe from the left to take a screenshot and swipe from the right to open a Quick Note (you can swap these or disable them in Settings), but you can't swipe down to bring up the Control Center like you can with your finger. This makes the whole experience of using the Pencil not as seamless as it could be, though this isn't necessarily the fault of the Pencil but rather iPadOS and the way they work together. I hope Apple will address this with future releases.

Verdict

Should you buy the Apple Pencil USB-C? If you're looking for an Apple stylus but can't afford the Apple Pencil 1 ($99) or Apple Pencil 2 ($129), then the Apple Pencil USB-C is a good option. 

If you want something for note-taking and general use and don't mind the slightly awkward charging and pairing, then this Pencil is for you. If you need pressure sensitivity for sketching or want to have seamless charging and pairing, then I'd recommend the Apple Pencil 2 instead. 

Alternatives

The iPad Air (2022) is Apple's mid/top-level iPad. It's got better tech credentials than the iPad or the iPad mini, but it doesn't have the power of the iPad Pro. It's priced in the middle of the iPad generations lineup too, starting at $599/£699 for the 64GB version with WiFi. 

Apple is known for its well-built, well-designed tablets, and the newest iPad Air, released in March 2022, is no exception. Apple fans will delight in the gorgeous Liquid Retina screen, the fun colorways, the simple yet elegant design, and of course, the super-speedy M1 chip. Compared to the iPad Air (2020) with its A14 chip, this is one nifty tablet, and I found it more than capable of handling my daily tasks, without so much as a stutter.

The iPad Air is almost a year old now, which is getting on a bit in Apple terms, but I still think it's a really decent option for many creative professionals. Paired with one of the best iPad keyboards and an Apple Pencil, it'll be the right iPad for many people. 

To test this iPad, I used it as my main tablet for around a month. I took photos, and videos, and tried out photo and video editing, and I also used it for streaming, sketching, and browsing the internet. 

iPad Air: Specifications

iPad Air: Build and handling

The 2022 iPad Air is not a big departure from the previous version, in terms of design. It's got the same fairly thin bezels around its 10.9-inch Liquid Retina screen (2,360 x 1,640 px). There's no Home button, so you have to swipe up to get to the home screen and the Touch ID button (there's no Face ID on this model) is housed at the top of the tablet. 

Overall, the screen is big enough for most daily tasks and is comfortable for browsing the internet and viewing movies and series on the go – though you'll likely want one of the best iPad stands to hold the tablet in place. It has 500 nits brightness, which is decent for viewing and editing photos, and it does display some beautiful deep blacks and overall shows pretty impressive colors – though more serious professionals may prefer the 600 nits of the pricier iPad Pro 11-inch (2022) or the 1,000 nits of the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2022).

My only gripe with the design is that when holding the tablet, it's not always obvious where the top of it is, so I found myself searching the sides for the Touch ID/volume buttons on more than one occasion. This problem is solved if you have the iPad Air in a case, such as the Magic Keyboard. 

It's also easier to know where the top of the tablet is if you have an Apple Pencil attached to it. This version of the iPad is compatible with the Apple Pencil 2, and the newer Apple Pencil USB-C, both of which magnetically attach to the top of the iPad (note that the Apple Pencil 2 charges there, while the Apple Pencil USB-C needs to be charged separately).

iPad Air: Performance

I have the now super-seeded version of the 11-inch iPad Pro (2021, M1), and I found the iPad Air (2022) to be comparable to this tablet in terms of performance. This isn't hugely surprising as they both have the M1 chip. 

Both are capable of handling a number of apps open at the same time, and you can stream, create images with several Layers in Procreate, edit some images in Affinity Photo, and browse the internet all at once without the iPad getting at all hot or bothered. It's also good for gaming, and you can even create 3D models in it. 

This is all well and good, but it's worth considering what you'll be using the iPad for. Will you actually be making the most of it, or would you be better off with a cheaper, lower-spec tablet that you can use for photo editing on the fly, and not much else?

It's also worth noting that you are limited by the capabilities of the iPadOS. Sure, you can split screen and technically you can multi-task, but will you really want to on a screen of this size? While testing this iPad, I found that for some tasks, like filling in spreadsheets or doing a lot of copying and pasting, it was easier to open up my laptop and do the task there instead. So that's worth bearing in mind. Whatever Apple claims, this iPad isn't about to replace your main machine or is unlikely to.

Battery life is not bad. Apple says it should last nine or ten hours (nine if you're using Cellular data and 10 otherwise) and I found it lasted around seven hours when looping a video (using WiFi). Charging was fairly speedy, though not amazing, with the tablet going from 0 to 100 in just under three hours. 

iPad Air: Camera

I can't imagine many serious photographers are using their iPad to take photos, but it's good to know that if it comes to it, then this tablet's camera works fine. The rear camera is 12MP wide with a f/1.8 aperture, and a 5x digital zoom. It'll capture HEIF and JPEG, but not RAW. I found it works mostly well and can cope with low lighting, although the image becomes a little grainy when you really zoom in.

The newer iPad Pro, in comparison, has two cameras and a Lidar sensor, so that's the tablet to buy if you want 3D scanning and are really serious about using your iPad for photography.

The front-facing camera is 12MP ultra-wide, with an f/2.4 aperture and a 122-degree field of view. This means it works with Apple's Center Stage feature, where the camera follows you around the room when you're on a video call. Whether or not you'll want to use this feature is up to you, but it can be useful if you want to multi-task and move around a room when on a call, and want to stay in shot.

It's worth noting that Apple has placed the front-facing camera on the top of the iPad, when in portrait mode. The problem is that many people use the iPad in landscape mode when they want to make video calls, meaning that it looks as if they are not looking at the person they're talking to. You may or may not find this annoying, and Center Stage is no doubt supposed to fix this. Note that this issue has been rectified in the new iPad (10th gen), which has the camera along the side of the iPad.

iPad Air: Verdict

Overall, the 5th generation iPad Air is a very capable tablet, which is suitable for a range of uses, whether that's browsing the internet, drawing, or taking or editing photos on the go. It works especially well with the Apple Pencil, although that will cost you extra ($79 or $129 depending on which version you buy).

The iPad Air is slightly let down by its storage options, there's only 64GB or 256GB available with this model, so if you know you want to download a lot of apps then you may find something like the iPad Pro, with its wider range of storage options, is more suitable.

The iPad Air is fast, it looks good and it's comfortable to hold. The camera is decent enough for snapping on the go and the colors are accurate enough to make it ideal for photo or video editing, although the iPad Pro 12.9-inch offers a superior mini-LED LCD panel. Some may also prefer the bigger screen of a laptop or bigger tablet for these tasks, or perhaps even a 2-in-1 machine.

Overall, whether the iPad Air is right for you depends on what you're going to use it for, and whether you'll be making the most of that snappy M1 chip. If you can afford it and you want more storage and a better camera you may want to future-proof your purchase and go for the iPad Pro (2022), you'll want the 12.9-inch version to get the top specs. If you want the same camera as the Air but don't mind so much about the chip, then the standard iPad (10th gen) may be all you need. If you want an all-rounder, then something like the Robo & Kala 2-in-1 may be more suitable.

iPad Air Alternatives

Apple has introduced a new iteration of its Apple Pencil that is easier on the wallet yet still provides the same core experience.   

The new Apple Pencil will bring more choice and value to the existing lineup that currently consists of the 1st and 2nd generations. The new Apple Pencil is not the 3rd generation, however; it is specified as the Apple Pencil (USB-C) due to its new way of charging. The new pencil will be a more affordable alternative, removing some features that may not be required by the everyday user while keeping many others. 

Costing $50 less than the 2nd generation in the US, the new Apple Pencil gives a more affordable option while still being compatible with the best iPads.  

The Apple pencil has become a staple when buying a new iPad, enabling easy note-taking as well as sketching on the go. Up until now, however, it has included a lot of technology that is only really required by artists. 

The new Apple Pencil (USB-C) has removed a few of these features, such as pressure sensitivity and double-tap gesture, for the everyday user that requires a simpler stylus. You can get a better look at the included features from the graphic below. 

Simpler does not mean simple in this case, though, as it still boasts an array of functions that make it a premium stylus. According to Apple: "with pixel-perfect accuracy, low latency, and tilt sensitivity, the new Apple Pencil is ideal for note-taking, sketching, journaling, and more". When the pencil is used with M2 iPad models it also supports hover, enabling more accuracy when sketching or illustrating. 

As expected from Apple products, the new Pencil is a sleek-looking gadget designed to be both comfortable to use and easy to look at. Much like the 2nd generation it is designed with a matte finish and a flat side that magnetically attaches to the side of an iPad for storage. 

The name Apple Pencil (USB-C) provides an insight into another change as, instead of wireless charging like the 2nd generation, it charges by USB-C via a concealed port. Connecting with a USB-C cable will enable both pairing and charging, and while the pencil is magnetically attached to the iPad it enters a sleep mode that preserves battery life.

Apple states that, "The new Apple Pencil is compatible with all iPad models with a USB-C port, including iPad (10th generation), iPad Air (4th and 5th generations), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th generations), and iPad mini (6th generation)."

Adding a third, more affordable pencil to the lineup is a smart move by Apple, as not everyone needs the bells and whistles included in the 2nd generation. Artists who rely on pressure sensitivity are still better off with it, but if you're an iPad user who wishes to take notes and use the accuracy of a stylus over a finger then the new pencil will most likely be the best iPad stylus for you. 

The new Apple Pencil will be available to purchase in early November for $79 / £79 / AU$139. 

See our guides on the best iPad for students, the best iPad for photo editing, and the best iPad alternatives to find the best tablet for you.  

If you're looking for a less fruity iPad Pro - one that's more about Windows than iOS - then Robo & Kala's stunning 2-in-1 might be the alternative you've been looking for. It's powered with an ARM processor - the same energy-efficient tech that Apple Silicon is built with, gifting it silent operation and great battery life. The keyboard and pen attachments are magnetic – more in common with the iPad Pro. Oh, and the body is an elegant CNC unibody style. Then again, it has two USB-C ports, lets you upgrade the storage, and runs a full desktop operating system. Now that's a bit different!

Actually, the OS gives it a bit more in common with the Microsoft Surface, which is also available in energy-efficient ARM-based form with detachable keyboard but, like this device, runs Windows 11. We were very impressed with that, which seems to have wiped away the early concerns about running Windows on ARM which have lingered online but should now be consigned to the bin of history. 

Robo & Kala haven't been around long, but they seem determined to use this modern tech to break traditional boundaries, perhaps making a name for themselves as they shatter Apple's tablet-OS-for-tablets approach. We'll explore whether that's a good idea as we go (spoiler – it probably is), but we also need to know if the Robo & Kala 2–in–1, or Robo&kala as they write it on the case, is the right choice. It'd also be nice if they'd given it an actual name, but you can't have everything. Let's see how close we do get...

Specifications

Processor: Snapdragon 8cx Gen3 chip with 8 cores (4 + 4 efficiency)
Ports: 2x USB-C 3.2 (DP)
RAM: 16GB
SSD: 512GB
Screen: 12.6-inch 
Resolution: 2560 x 1600 px (16:10 OLED) 98% DCI-P3
Battery: 'up to' 20 hours / 41.4Wh
Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Cameras: 13 megapixel rear (4K video), 5MP front (1080P), 1MP infrared face unlock
Dimensions: 7.3mm 
Weight: Tablet only: 690g

Key Features

This is a true 2-in-1 laptop and tablet running Windows 11 on ARM. It's desktop mode works with a color-matched keyboard and trackpad attachment (which, at least at first, is being bundled free via Amazon) and a kickstand. That kickstand can also be used alone, with strong hinges and a good range of movement.

Two USB-C ports allow for charging via the included 65W charger at the same time as connecting to a peripheral, while the optional pencil and keyboard need only magnets to be attached (and don't even need to be attached) making the OLED display very useful around the home and office. There are also front and back cameras for full tablet duties, and face unlock. Oh, and being a proper computer the USB-C ports are DisplayPort, so you can just plug into a monitor and start using it too.

Build and handling

Our device arrived in a few separate boxes; the keyboard, tablet, a lovely case, and a pen. These reflect the alternate bundles on offer, and perhaps we were lucky to get the whole set, but one thing that was apparent from the packaging was the height of Robo&kala's aspiration. White boxes, simple clean design, film wraps, need I say more?

Unlike the iPad, though, this tablet can stand up on its own thanks to the kickstand which allows the device to be positioned at a laptop-like angle all the way around to an angled notepad. That goes well with the pencil which works straight out of the box and is clearly inspired by the Apple Pencil 2 – no bad thing. 

The chassis is a rich green aluminium color and I simply cannot understate how good it looks (though it is a fingerprint magnet, so keep a cloth nearby!) The edges reveal drilled-hole speakers in the gorgeous metallic green build. These come around the 12.6-inch AMOLED display and its thin bezel, and the kickstand closes flat against the back with a hinge at either end. Admittedly the stand edge is so thin because it is metal right to the edge, so there is a risk of scratching, but it seems OK.

Aside from acting as a laptop, tablet, or notebook, the device offers an extra trick via a 'separation mode' in which the keyboard's Bluetooth keeps it working remotely from the tablet. Imagine being able to plug into a display system but take the keyboard to the meeting table? It's a great idea, and very handy, though it'd be better if the keyboard didn't disconnect to save battery so readily and then take a few seconds to relink.

Display

The OLED screen's 600-nit brightness is a noticeable strength of the device and colors are rich and easily seen in normal light. The resolution is such that Windows displays natively at 200%, which means it looks phenomenal compared to the grainy pixelation on a typical monitor. The rounded corners also look good, though they do hide a few pixels.

When using the very Apple-like pencil, the point of interaction seems to follow reasonably smoothly, and the 4,096 pressure levels can be used in different ways via Windows Pen setup. Similarly, the screen seems to detect fingers naturally and the small bezel or sensible error rejection means that using it handheld becomes second nature quickly.

Camera

As with most tablets, you won't be holding a phone replacement in your hand (even the iPad Pro has one fewer camera than the iPhone Pro), but the main camera certainly has the ability to capture usable images in adequate light or to perform other duties like scanning QR codes.

The cameras are both flat against the shell of the device which makes it slip easily into the case and makes them easy to wipe clean (and, to be fair, easy to get finger grease on the selfie/conferencing camera).

Admittedly the face unlock feature does like to be looking straight at you, and blinks agressively at you with a red LED which can be a little annoying. Occasionally I accidentally lifted the tablet from the keyboard in the process of unlocking, but it is all resolved in a moment, and you don't have to use it after all.

Performance

In benchmark testing the Robo & Kala wouldn't be expected to perform faster than high-end computers, but in real-world use the machine blasts through day-to-day tasks like web browsing, file management and the like. Even when we try more demanding tools like Photoshop it works.

Given the size of the machine, that is actually a little difficult to get your head around. The idea that this can be a 'proper' computer is almost incomprehensible. The fact it's doing so – and looking so good doing it – in a world Apple seem to want customers to fork out for a phone, laptop, AND a tablet ought to be a real worry for team Cupertino!

Putting it into numbers it's also apparent that, compared to the Surface Pro 9 or a Dell XPS 13 with an Intel processor, that there is little in it, especially in the multi-core tests.

It's also worth pointing out that even though Robo & Kala's battery claim of 20 hours is wildly over the top it's still possible to get around half that which is excellent. This is where the ARM chip's efficiency outlasts ordinary laptops and this difference is significantly more noticeable than benchmarks for many. 

Robo & Kala for photographers

Of course the built-in cameras aren't really the most exciting aspect of the device for serious photographers – what is more interesting is the chance to take control of your favorite software in as many ways as possible. In that regard a lightweight tablet with a bright screen, a pressure-sensitive pen and a long battery life are appealing, before you even throw in the prospect of a full grown-up operating system and the software choice that brings with it.

I tried Photoshop – real Photoshop, which works on ARM – and it seemed reasonably snappy to me, though I could perceive a hint of a lag which I simply don't on a MacBook. This was especially true with the pencil, but it is still handy, and the button can be used to switch from, say, draw and erase.

In contrast to the world of Apple, it has to be said that Windows on ARM still has a few little pauses. On a fanless machine with silent file storage, they can be somewhat disconcerting, but the trade-off is that you have access to a full file system – you can plug in external storage, copy files over and do with them what you will. The screen's resolution is also well-suited to camera remote control apps.

It's also true that a good number of my Adobe apps weren't available in ARM-friendly form; no Premiere Pro, for example. 

Overall verdict

Looking gorgeous and so sensibly priced, with so much to be said for it in terms of flexibility it's hard to imagine why this shouldn't make it to everyone's shortlist. Perhaps only video editors – who can get Final Cut on the iPad Pro might want to skip this.

Admittedly we encountered a few little glitches that aren't part of the tablet experience for Apple loyalists, but in those instances, we were doing things beyond iOS's abilities anyway.

Similarly there area couple of things the pricier Surface Pro has which would be nice here, not least the rather nice dual-magnet keyboard. Typing on the Robo & Kala is still pretty easy as the keys have about 1.3mm travel, but the keys are resolutely level with the surface. The trackpad is fine, too, though perhaps slightly uneven (easier to press at the bottom). Other devices also offer cellular data connections which would be a nice option to have even if, to be honest, you're usually better off using your phone's hotspot.

Mostly, though, the Robo & Kala just feels like a premium product. It feels good in the hand, the kickstand is tough (but not too tough), the backlighting on the keypad doesn't leak round the keys and they're good to type on. Neither laptop mode nor tablet feel like a compromise, and Windows seems well able to handle both.

When weighed against the investment, this is the best Windows on ARM device out there but, more than that, this should be a real fright for Apple too. It is a powerful, adaptable portable computing device that still manages to feel premium in nearly all the right places without being wallet-busting. It serves to elevate my view of Windows as a platform.

This isn't the only device that should have the iPad quaking in its boots – check our review of the Lenovo Tab Extreme as well as our guides to the best iPad alternatives, the best Android tablets, and the best iPads.

Taking the fight to Samsung and its Tab S8 Ultra and S9 Ultra, the huge-screened Lenovo Tab Extreme has a secret weapon no other Android tablet can match: an excellent, Apple-grade keyboard dock. 

iPads and their Magic Keyboards have kept Android tabs at bay when it comes to productivity, and neither Samsung or its fellow Android tab makers could touch Apple on that front until now. But the Extreme is more than just a stellar optional accessory.

Lenovo's flagship tablet has a giant 14.5-inch Super AMOLED screen, MediaTek Dimensity 9000 power, and a thin chassis, as well as pen support and not one, but two USB-C ports. 

The Tab Extreme also takes advantage of a slew of new tablet software for Android, including the powerful LumaFusion for video edits, Concepts for sketching and mind mapping, and Goodnotes for note-taking. These help Android eke closer to iPad-grade productivity. 

Costing a punchy $949 / £999 for the tablet, and an additional £350 for the keyboard dock, has Lenovo's oversized slate really got what it takes to justify its price and fend off fresh competition from the brand-new Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra? Or should you spend a little more for a tried and tested iPad Pro?

Lenovo Tab Extreme Review: Design

From the front, the Lenovo Tab Extreme and Galaxy Tab Ultra line could almost be mistaken for one another. They both have near-identically sized and specced screens, though Lenovo's slate doesn't have a notch or a dual front camera like Samsung's Ultra.

The back and sides are where Lenovo chooses to stand out with its own highlights. On the right side are no less than two USB-C port, and around the back is a stepped glass panel that runs along the top fifth of the tab, where you'll find the cameras and pen docking point.

The Tab Extreme has a mighty eight speakers under an array of unapologetic speaker holes on each side, a power button and fingerprint scanner combo on the left, and up top is a volume rocker.

Just because the Tab Extreme is a tablet, that doesn't mean it's a featherweight E-Reader alternative. This behemoth is a 740g slab, and with its keyboard dock, it weighs more than many laptops, including the new MacBookAir. While it's elegant for its size and very well built, therefore, you'll absolutely notice it in a bag, and one-handed use for long periods is out of the question.

Lenovo Tab Extreme Review: Display

In addition to its slim chassis, what helps make the Lenovo Tab Extreme pack more appeal than a laptop is its stunning screen and pen support. Shipping with a pen in the box and supporting up to 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, apps like Concepts feel like they were made for tablets like this.

With a resolution of 1876 x 3000, the Tab Extreme is relatively sharp for such a large-screened tablet, with a pixel density of 244 pixels per inch. Images and text look crisp, and thanks to the OLED screen tech at the heart of the display, it's both deep and vibrant.

With support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, videos look excellent when playing back optimized content. While the display has a silky 120Hz refresh rate, Lenovo lets users override this in the settings and set the refresh rate to 60Hz or 90Hz, and customize the color temperature and vibrancy too.

The Lenovo Tab Extreme's manual peak brightness edges slightly ahead of the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, though going on a brief tangent and talking about sound – we prefer the audio from Samsung's slate. The Tab Extreme also has a cooler hue to the screen, while Samsung keeps things a bit warmer. 

Irrespective of differences, these are two of the very best tablet displays available right now, and thanks to their size, they make photo and video editing or working split-screen feel spacious.

Lenovo Tab Extreme Review: Camera

As with most tablets, the Lenovo Tab Extreme's camera isn't going to best your smartphone and should be used for casual snaps, reading QR codes, and document scans when you don't have your phone to hand.

The Tab has two cameras on the back – a primary and ultra-wide – and a front camera for video calls and selfies. The main camera has a 13MP resolution with an f/2.4 lens, while the ultra-wide is a humble 5MP, f/2.2 camera with a fixed-focus lens. Finally, the front camera is a 13MP fixed-focus setup and is likely the one you'll fire up most often for video calls.

None of the cameras do an excellent job in poorly lit environments, and Lenovo doesn't load up a manual mode to help eke out more detail with long-exposure shots. That said, if you do want to get the best from then, a third-party manual camera app is probably the way to go in all but the brightest scenes.

Lenovo Tab Extreme for Photographers

What could be one of the best things about the Tab Extreme for photographers is the screen projection mode. We're not talking about projecting from the tablet to a monitor, but the other way around and using the Tab Extreme's glorious screen as a display for your laptop, mirrorless camera, or DSLR.

The tech you'll need to do this project from your camera will depend on your setup. If, like us, you're testing the Tab Extreme with a Canon R6, you will want a micro HDMI to USB-C solution – not too easy to come by. 

Bear in mind, converter cables are one-way, so if you buy a standard HDMI converter it fires the picture the wrong way – so be sure to hunt around for the right one. Of course, you can use the app for wireless control over your camera.

The Tab Extreme is an excellent plug-and-play second monitor for a laptop, and it will even fire up smartphone desktop interfaces like Samsung DeX, pictured above. This connectivity also extends to pen input which should be a boon for digital artists.

Pressure sensitivity could have meant the Tab Extreme turns into something of a Wacom Cintiq when working in apps like Photoshop across MacOS and Windows devices and using the tablet as a second monitor. Unfortunately, the pen pressure calibration was off on our review unit, so pen taps wouldn't register unless we pressed with a worrying amount of force. If this is the same across all units, this lack of optimization is a missed trick.

When using native Android apps like Lightroom, the pen is a handy, accurate tool for masking and applying edits, and it's also a powerful drawing tool with apps like Concepts, pictured below, though we prefer the softer nib of Samsung's Tab series.

Lenovo Tab Extreme Additional Features

When a piece of tech tries to do too many things, it's at the mercy of its internals, but the Tab Extreme tears through 4K video edits and batch photo processing with gusto, thanks in part to the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 powering the experience. 

Once upon a time, MediaTek was best known for budget chips driving much of the affordable smartphone market, but over the last few years, its Dimensity series has fuelled some of our favorite powerhouses, including the Vivo X90 Pro. 

Taking the fight to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen series, the Dimensity 9000 in the Lenovo Tab Extreme, matched with 12GB RAM, kept up with everything we threw at it, including a fair bit of big-screen gaming. 

What most impressed us was the Extreme's solid performance when working across two monitors and using Lenovo's second-screen desktop experience. So whether typing on the go with the keyboard case, lounging and watching, sketching, or plugged into a monitor at home, the Tab Extreme kept up with us.

What didn't always meet our needs was Android itself. While iPad OS's tablet apps are mostly optimized for big screens, that isn't always the case with Android apps. It's more than just the apps, though. Apple has added native second-screen support for its newer iPads, and Samsung has been honing its DeX desktop experience for years, but Lenovo's bespoke desktop UI feels half-baked by comparison.

With 256GB storage inside and a microSD card slot to bump this number up, the Tab Extreme gives you plenty of space to work, watch and play. 

Lenovo's interface feels like a relatively stock take on Android, similar to the Pixel Tablet, but is turbo-charged in some areas. There's a floating taskbar at the bottom of the screen for easy split-screen working, and Lenovo's floating window support can display more than 14 apps on-screen at once.

Lenovo also tries to squeeze extra productivity from the tab with FreeStyle – a feature that supports file and screen sharing across your tablet and Windows computer, though we found the experience, which is in Beta, to be hit and miss.

The Tab Extreme's massive 12,300mAh battery is larger than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra's, and should see you through a full working day – provided you keep an eye on the brightness. 

It charges up at 68W, taking around 90 minutes to power up fully with the plug in the box. Be mindful, though, if you use a third-party plug, you could be waiting around for hours.

Lenovo Tab Extreme Verdict

The Lenovo Tab Extreme definitely isn't the best tablet of 2023 if you're looking to buy a tablet and a tablet alone. We prefer the sound from the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra's speakers, and Samsung's interface is better optimized for big-screened tablet tasks. If you don't need so much size, smaller tablets are far less unwieldy, and Lenovo's Yoga Tabs have handy kickstands and cost a lot less.

As an Android tablet alone, the Tab Extreme is a four-star choice. Performance is smooth thanks to MediaTek Dimensity 9000 internals, so editing 50fps 4K video in Lumafusion didn't grind it to a halt. Software optimization could be better, but Lenovo gets the basics right, and the Extreme's screen is glorious.

What edges Lenovo's behemoth slate nearer to that coveted five-star score is its second-monitor support and its superb keyboard accessory. If you see yourself using those features, nothing else can touch the Tab Extreme. 

It's no secret that Android tablets have broadly failed to be Swiss Army Knife tools for photographers. But with its stunning display, second monitor functionality, two USB-C ports for dongles and card readers, and the best keyboard accessory outside Apple's ecosystem, Lenovo's the first to truly crack that nut despite the Extreme's imperfections.

See our guides to the best iPad alternatives, the best Android tablets, and the best iPads

More and more devices are no longer including chargers in the box now, and why would they when we already have so many plugs at home? The EU successfully argued that electrical waste alone was a good enough reason for devices sold in its territory to only charge via USB-C. Although, USB-C has naturally become the default way to charge across the world, with only Apple’s iPhone being the major holdout, for now anyway. Even camera manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, with most companies switching to USB-C charging directly in-camera.

Despite all this, the chargers that do still come with products are often ugly, bulky, heavy, and slow at charging any other product with a higher charge capacity. Companies like Anker have been leading the charge (sorry) to improve chargers for the best part of the last decade, with chargers that both look a lot nicer than most in-box chargers, but also are smaller and faster. And now with Gallium Nitride technology, they can make chargers even smaller and faster than ever before.

Anker Prime is the company's new branding for its latest and greatest chargers that offer a balance of size and charging power. The chargers are available in different outputs, depending on your needs, which in turn affects their size. The Anker Prime charger I am testing here is rated at 100W, which is powerful enough for most modern devices such as the MacBook Pro 13, iPad Pro, or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. But does it improve the charging experience?

Specifications

Power (single-port): USB-C (1) 100W, USB-C (2) 100W, USB-A 22.5W
Power (two-ports): USB-C (1) + USB-C (2) 100W, USB-C (1/2) + USB-A 100W
Power (three-ports): Total 100W
Weight: 180 g
Size: 49.6 x 45.6 x 72 mm

Key Features

The GaN technology that powers this plug is the real star, allowing for a smaller and more compact design with less heat, this is something that Anker is pushing throughout its Prime range. If you are worried about overheating your charger, then Anker also offers heat protection that it claims monitors heat levels in the charger 3 million times per day with its ActiveShield 2.0 tech to improve safety, reducing power or cutting the plug off completely on the rare occasion it should get too hot.

This plug has a 100W charge, this size is the Goldilocks of the current Anker Prime chargers. Prime chargers at the time of writing are also available in a smaller-sized plug with 67W of output, or 120W of power, but the charging plug is larger. At 100W, Anker claims that you can achieve a 34% time saving when charging an iPad Pro or iPhone 14 Max. Anker also claims over one thousand devices and counting are compatible with its chargers (anything that charges with USB-C should be just fine).

This charger is separated from others in the range by its super compact folding design which makes it 43% smaller than the 97W Mac wall charger, the Anker Prime plugs also have folding-in pins, which while more common in the US is a rarity in other parts of the world, and makes storage and travel so much easier. 

Build & Handling

The Anker Prime 100W is so much smaller and lighter than the 87W Mac charger that I currently use for my laptop. Having the two side by side the difference is stark, and after picking them both up, I honestly never want to carry the Mac charger with me ever again, the Anker Prime charger just feels like a revelation in comparison. 

If you are buying this mainly to charge your phone, then it is quite a bit bigger than most (still included) phone chargers, however, the Anker Prime is much more powerful. If your phone (or another device) can take advantage of all that power is another question, as maximum charging speeds often get in the way, the iPhone tops out at 27W for instance. However, what those other single-port chargers lack is the ability to divert extra unused power and charge multiple things at once.

My favorite feature of the whole design is the foldable plug pins, while these are much more commonplace in the US, they are very much appreciated here in the UK (and other countries with the type-G plug design) where it is a rare feature, and our chunky plug pins often get in the way when traveling. 

Although it isn’t anywhere near as minimal as the featureless white cubes Apple provides, the overall design of the plug is just really nice, the exterior has a smooth matt finish with minimal branding, it has a futuristic look without looking overly sci-fi and I really like it.

Performance

Good news, the three outputs on the charger all perform to advertised speeds when tested both for single port speeds and in use at once. Digging into my MacBook system report, I can see that it is using the full 100W from one port, which took just a little two hours to fully recharge my 2019 MacBook Pro 13. Using a single port I could power the Zhiyun Molus X100 which requires a 100W USB-C input to go to full brightness. I also managed to charge an Anker 20,000mah power bank in around an hour at 100W. For charging multiple devices, it has no problem providing fast charging to my Google Pixel 7 Pro, Google Pixel Watch, and iPad Air all at the same time.

The Anker Prime charger does get quite hot when running at max capacity, however, while it managed to reach a high temperature reasonably quickly, it maintained that temperature rather than just continually getting hotter, so this might be the expected behavior of the charger, but the heat did cause me a little concern the first time I pulled it out of the socket after use.

Verdict

Simply put, just get this charger. The Anker Prime 100W is a compact and powerful charger that will free you from carrying around large bulky chargers, or even worse, chargers with separate power bricks. The size of this charge is revelatory, it is so light and can easily slip into a pocket if needed. The charger also offers enough power out of one port to easily keep the best (non-gaming) laptops running at max juice all day, and with three ports to charge all your devices quickly when needed.

Read more: find out our other top picks for the best GaN chargers, or if you are a frequent world traveler, then check out the best travel adaptors for your chargers.

The first Microsoft Surface device wasn't a runaway success, in fact, Microsoft had to take a billion-dollar write-down on unsold products, but it did introduce us to the idea of it the detachable laptop and tablet hybrid for the first time. 

It took a few further attempts for Microsoft to finally make a version of the Surface Pro that was worth buying, but with each iteration, they have slowly improved on every aspect of the surface Pro until we have got to where we are today - The Surface Pro 9.

After Microsoft showed how it was done, every Windows computer manufacturer now has a Surface Pro imitator, with a huge variety of the best 2-in-1 laptops available. You could argue even Apple is getting in on the action by maneuvering its iPad Pro to be more and more aimed at a hybrid productivity device rather than a dedicated tablet.

There are a couple of different Surface Pro 9 models. The one we are looking at today is based on Intel's processors. Microsoft also makes a Surface Pro 9 with 5G that is built on an ARM-based processor developed between Microsoft and Qualcomm, called the Microsoft SQ3, which we will cover in a separate review.

With so much fresh competition in the detachable and 2-in-1 space, have Microsoft managed to stay ahead of the game that they started, and is the Surface Pro 9 the best detachable hybrid you can currently buy?

Specifications

Processor: 12th gen Intel iCore i5 or i7
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe graphics
RAM: 8GB, 16 GB, 32 GB (LPDDR5)
SSD: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Screen: 13-inch pixel sense flow display, adaptive color, 10-point multitouch, Dolby Vision IQ
Resolution: 2880 x 1920, 267 PPI, 120hz dynamic refresh rate
Battery: up to 15.5 hours
Cameras: front facing 1080p full HD, rear camera 10MP 4K video
Sound: 2w stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, dual far-field studio microphones
Connections: 2x USB-C with thunderbolt 4, Surface Connection port, Type Cover port
Network: Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1
Size: 287 x 209 x 9.3 mm
Weight: 879g, without Type Cover or Surface Slim Pen

Key Features

The Surface Pro 9 has a 13-inch Pixel Sense touch screen that is compatible with Surface Pens including the latest Surface Slim Pen 2. The screen has a pixel resolution of 2,880x1,920 with a density of 267PPI, support for Dolby Vision IQ, and supports a dynamic refresh rate of 120 Hz for smoother movement when scrolling and in graphical content. There is also adaptive color management, which will adapt the colors on the screen based on the ambient light of the room to decrease eye strain in dim environments. The screen also has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for added scratch protection.

One of the best things about the Surface range is its screen aspect ratio of 3:2, which makes it perfect for viewing documents on word processing software such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. 3:2 is also the default ratio for photos from many digital cameras which makes it perfect for editing.

The Surface Pro 9 comes with a 12th-generation Intel core i5 or i7 processor, and Intel's Iris Xe graphics. The Intel Surface is also configurable with 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of RAM and hard drive sizes from 256GB up to 1 TB.

Whilst the Surface Pro 9 is offered in optional configurations starting with an i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, and this might be tempting as it is the cheapest option. If you plan to use this device heavily, especially for photo and video editing, it will struggle. An Intel i7 and 16 GB of RAM are the minimum recommendations for this machine for a good editing experience.

Microsoft rate the battery of the Surface Pro 9 for up to 15.5 hours of typical device usage, which includes internet browsing and watching videos saved on your hard drive, but don't expect to reach that if you include streaming or any photo or video editing.

The Surface Pro 9 has a Windows Hello face authentication camera on the front which can log you into your computer with just your face, it is capable of 1080p full HD video for high-quality video calls and is paired with dual far-field studio microphones and two stereo speakers which are tuned with Dolby atmos. The Surface Pro 9 also has a rear-facing 10-megapixel autofocus camera which is capable of up to 4K video. 

For connectivity, the Surface Pro 9 has the latest Wi-Fi 6E speeds enabling it to connect to the fastest possible Wi-Fi, although this does require a 6E compatible Wi-Fi router. The surface Pro 9 also has the latest in Bluetooth technology with Bluetooth 5.1.

Build & Handling

Microsoft hasn't changed the design of the Surface Pro much in the last few years, although, if it ain't broke don't fix it, with the Surface Pro devices being some of the nicest looking and best-designed devices around. The latest iteration has slightly more rounded sides but otherwise follows the same design pattern as the previous surface devices. 

The main feature of the design is still its kickstand and hinge on the back of the device. This is something that Microsoft nailed quite early with the Surface and has not been replicated by any other manufacturer anywhere near as well. The hinge is strong and stable and allows you to position the tablet anywhere from almost upright for typing to flat on the table for a slightly raised drawing position.

The port selection on the Surface Pro 9 is still very disappointing. There are only two USB-C ports, although they do support Thunderbolt 4. They are both located on one side and there is a proprietary surface charger connector on the other, this charger connection can't be used for anything else (unless you use a Surface Dock). As a device that would be perfect for content creators on the go, two ports just really aren't enough, it would be fantastic to see Microsoft retire the Surface Connect port in exchange for another USB-C, and add an SD card slot to the Surface Pro line.

Behind the kickstand, there is a small removable cover with a very clever magnetic hatch that hides the Surface Pro 9 hard drive. This hard drive is completely user replaceable so could make for quickly upgrading or swapping between different work or personal laptop setups, and is a really nice touch from Microsoft in a world where upgrading most hardware parts in consumer devices is nearly impossible.

The bezels on the left and right (in landscape) on the Surface Pro 9 are very small, while at the top of the bottom (again, landscape) they still remain larger, this is to house the webcam at the top and at the bottom for the surface keyboard to rest. This looks totally fine when the keyboard is attached, but when it's used as a tablet the screen symmetry is slightly off which spoils the overall design somewhat.

Speaking of the surface keyboard, which, for whatever reason is still an optional accessory, I am using the Alcantara fabric keyboard which just feels exceptionally nice to hold. The keyboard is incredibly slim but still manages to have a really good level of key travel on the full-size keyboard, the stability of the keyboard when typing won't suit heavy typers as it does still have a little flex and wobble, but it is a great keyboard for on the move. The trackpad is okay, if a little small, it also requires quite firm presses which aren't always easy when you are not using the device on a firm surface.

In the Surface Type Cover, there is a small notch for the latest variation of the Surface Slim Pen (again, an optional purchase). This is where the pen sits when not in use which also wirelessly charges the pen, which is an exceptionally clever design. Although this does mean that you cannot own the Surface Slim Pen without owning the Surface Type Cover, or buying another pen charging accessory.

Performance

You can see some benchmarks for the Surface Pro's Intel i7 processor and Iris Xe graphics below. This is a very slim and compact device so it is not expected to be a benchmark champion, however, it performs admirably against similar devices, beating the Dell XPS 13 detachable in multi-core and OpenCL graphics tasks. The Surface Pro 9 also manages to hold its own against the entry-level M2 processor in Apple's MacBook Air, showing Apple isn't as far ahead as it would have you believe.

In practice, the Surface Pro 9 flies through tasks such as web browsing, streaming, downloading and uploading files, and office tasks like word processing. When it comes to more intensive tasks like photo editing, the Surface Pro 9 handles Lightroom and Photoshop well. 

It isn't the fastest device to do heavy photo editing work on, but at the same time it didn't struggle too much and I managed to edit and export a large batch of photos in Lightroom in good time, although large exports did slow down the Surface and prevent much else being done at the same time. 

This won't be a suitable replacement for any computer doing large volumes of image editing, but it is the perfect companion for editing as you travel.

The Surface Pro 9 did struggle more with video editing but managed to do okay. There were a few slowdowns and freezes when trying to scrub quickly through videos on Adobe Premiere and when exporting the finished project, it rendered the rest of the computer unusable until it finished. This is very normal for computers that don't have dedicated graphics cards, and not surprising for this light and compact hybrid.

Microsoft's recent updates to Windows 11 have made a huge impact on how nice it is to use the Surface Pro 9. The latest version of the Microsoft operating system is much more attractive with updated textures, icons, and graphics. It has taken a long time, but I feel the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 finally has an operating system that befits its beautiful hardware.

The touch screen is fast and accurate, when writing with the optional Surface Slim Pen, the tracking and inking were some of the best I have used. Windows 11 is much better for touch than the previous version, however, it is still a desktop operating system first, and I found a lot of the icons and gestures for touch are still a little too small and fiddly, and I often went back to the trackpad.

The speakers in the Surface Pro 9 are very good, although don't expect anything too special as they are still tablet speakers. They offer a good range of sound with clear vocals in songs, the bass is lacking but overall this is a good system to watch videos on the go, but it won't be replacing your home cinema.

Verdict

The Surface Pro 9 is still a device that is hard to pin into any category. If you're looking for a heavy-use laptop, or an uncomplicated tablet, this isn't for you. This is not the best device for either, but it currently is the device that does both of these things the best.

A very well-built and beautiful device with a kickstand and hinge that still reigns supreme in the 2-in-1 world. If you choose to buy the Surface Type Cover and Surface Slim Pen (which you really should) then this is a fantastic productivity device for on the move.

The surface Pro 9 is deceptively powerful from its compact form factor. Not struggling to get through any productivity tasks thrown at it and even managing to handle a good amount of photo and video editing with aplomb. 

• The best photo-editing laptops 
• The best 2-in-1 laptops
• The best laptop docking stations
• The best laptops for video editing

Apple had a strong 2022, with a raft of updates to their popular products, including the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the M2 iPad Pro.

Apple's iPhone for photography lineup continues to include some of the best camera phones out there, and its new models add ProRAW image capabilities. Its iPad range still continues to dominate tablets market as well as our list of best tablets for photo editing. New and improved in 2022 with the latest powerful M2 processors, the gap between laptops and tablets is shrinking fast.

Apple's latest M2 processors in its MacBook range also bring its raw power to photo editing, making the MacBooks some of the best photo-editing laptops on the planet. We can't wait to see what Apple has in store in 2023 and hope that it has a few shocking reveals for photographers and creatives alike.

What could we see from Apple iPhone in 2023?

Apple's iPhone 14 range was another round of fantastic upgrades and still sits very pretty on our list of best camera phones. But honestly, they were a little boring compared to previous years. With only minor redesigns to the cameras and body, the biggest new feature was the nice but gimmicky dynamic island. Does Apple have anything more significant coming for its iPhones?

iPhone 15 / iPhone 15 Plus

Based on current rumors and speculation, it looks like we are due an incremental upgrade for the base-level iPhone next year. Last year, Apple ditched the iPhone Mini and replaced it with the 6.7" Plus, and this looks likely to stay, with Apple planning to release both the regular (6.1") and Plus size again. 

Design-wise, expect much of the same, with maybe a few new color choices. There is a chance that this year we might see USB-C finally arrive on iPhone, but don't count your chickens, as the EU has given Apple until 2024 to comply. The biggest change to expect is the addition of the dynamic island, which was reserved for only the top-tier phones in 2022.

In terms of camera specifications, it looks like the iPhone 15 will inherit last year's cameras from the iPhone 14 Pro, which will be a nice step up from the current model – but it's never exciting to get old tech. We will also be looking at an upgrade to the A16 processor featured in last year's Pro model. 

iPhone 15 Pro

Not much is currently known about the regular old iPhone 15 Pro, with much of the buzz going to its larger sibling (below). 

What we can expect though is a similar design to last year, with the stainless steel frame and glass sandwich and a 6.1" screen. There is a rumor that the back panel will be slightly more rounded at the edge to make it more comfortable to hold, but that has been disputed by other sources.

If the USB-C port makes it to any iPhone in 2023, you can probably expect the Pro to be included.

Based on previous history, the Pro phone would also likely get upgraded to the latest Apple A17 processor, with all the power and performance boosts that it brings. In the camera department, while nothing is confirmed, it would be very surprising not to see some improved sensors in the Pro, combined with some new AI and deep learning tricks from the latest A17 processor.

There is a rumor that Apple is testing under-display fingerprint readers in its iPhones. These have featured in the best Android phones for a few years and have gotten very good in the last couple of generations, so it is about time for Apple to add them as a sign-in option. Although don't expect face ID to go anywhere; Apple would most likely offer both sign-in methods.

iPhone 15 Ultra

Apple is heavily rumored to be replacing the iPhone Pro Max version with a new iPhone 15 Ultra. This would closely follow its strategy with the Apple Watch, which last year got an Ultra version, with a slew of new features, and a hefty price increase. 

We don't quite know what features Apple might add to this Ultra version yet. The Watch Ultra was a more rugged adventure watch, but that wouldn't really make sense for an iPhone. Although we could see the titanium frame from the Watch Ultra make its move to iPhone.

We could finally see the long-rumored debut of a periscope lens in an iPhone, which would give Apple's flagship the optical zoom reach to match up with the latest Pixel 7 Pro or even Samsung's monster 10x optical zoom in the Samsung S22 Ultra.

Might we even see the debut of the M2 chip in a smartphone? Or at least an M2 Lite? This is pure speculation, however, Apple's in-house chips are by far and away its biggest success story from the last few years, so it's likely they would be pleased to grab more headlines with their silicon.

Something we do think we know is the price. It is expected that the Apple iPhone 15 Ultra will come with at least a $200 price increase. If this is $200 on top of last year's price remains to be seen, as the entire iPhone range might be in for a price hike.

iPhone SE

Currently, no new iPhone SE is expected until 2024. The current iPhone SE is one of our best budget phones but is already falling behind the stiff competition as companies like Samsung release newer budget models like the excellent Pixel 6a.

What could we see from Apple iPad in 2023?

iPad Pro

It is likely that Apple will release a new and updated iPad Pro in the next 12 months. Apple released the last two iPad Pros in April 2021 and October 2022.

We should probably expect the latest iPad to come with new Apple M3 silicon, with Apple consistently updating the M chip in the previous two models year after year.

The biggest change we are expecting is in the screen size, with a colossal 16-inch iPad Pro potentially on the way. There are also rival reports suggesting that this might be limited to just 14.1 inches. Apple made a lot of changes to iPadOS to make it easier to multitask and use peripherals, so a 14.1 or 16-inch iPad would essentially release Apple's goal of making the iPad Pro into a legitimate laptop competitor. However a bigger screen certainly comes with a bigger price, so don't expect this 16-inch iPad to come cheap.

In the design department, everything looks set to remain the same, with the same mini-LED screen being used on the latest models. It does look like the front camera might move to the long edge, which would match Apple's move on the regular iPad 10.2" last year.

The rest of the range

We don't have much to go on for the rest of the iPad range. Apple has overhauled the design of the regular iPad, the iPad Air, and the iPad Mini substantially in the last couple of generations, so we would not be expecting anything major in that department. We may see re-releases of essentially the same models as the current generation, but with slightly newer chips.

What could we see from Apple MacBook in 2023?

MacBook Pro

We look set to see a new pair of 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros in the first half of 2023. After last year's debut of the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips in the MacBook Pros, we will very likely see the M2 Pro and M2 Max silicon in these latest models. 

This would continue Apple's slightly confusing strategy of debuting its chips in a 13-inch model and then releasing these upgraded versions. So we might also see a 13-inch MacBook Pro towards the end of the year with an M3 chip.

Everything else on the new 14 and 16-inch models looks set to stay the same, with a pretty significant overhaul coming to the MacBooks last year with the return of MagSafe, the HDMI port, and much improved webcams.

MacBook Air

The MacBook Air got the M2 chip at the end of last year, as well as a very nice new blue option for the chassis. Based on current rumors, don't expect much beyond the potential upgrade to the latest M3 chip, and maybe some fun new color options.

What could we see from Apple Mac in 2023?

iMacs

Are we finally going to see the iMac Pro? Apple released the excellent iMac 24-inch M1 in 2021. This came with a very good screen, but not up to the lofty standards of designers and artists. The M1 chip in the 2021 model has also now been completely eclipsed by the latest coming from Apple's design department.

Pros across the world have been crying out for an iMac Pro ever since the previous version was discontinued in 2021. Apple has shown it is capable of producing some of the best screens in the world with its Apple Studio Display, and its M1 Ultra is setting benchmarks on fire. So is the time for an iMac Pro now? Rumors from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo certainly think so, and we really hope they are right!

Mac Studio

We last saw an update to the Mac Studio in April last year, which added the latest and most powerful processors with the M1 Pro and M1 Ultra. The Mac Studio is a fantastic compact little desktop, so we are not expecting much to change with the design, but we are hoping for a new Mac Studio with upgraded M2 Max and Ultra chips that offer even more raw power!

Bonus Rumors

VR / AR Headset

Apple is rumored to have a new VR/AR headset coming out in 2023 to rival the Meta Quest 2 and the best VR headsets. You can read the latest in this report from Tom's Guide.

A Car

In 2014 Apple started working on "Project Titan", which allegedly was an attempt to build a car to rival the latest Teslas. This project is rumored to have been scaled back quite dramatically in the latest round of fiscal tightening. However, the project is now rumored to be for semi-autonomous self-driving technology.

Apple isn't just the iPhone company, and we are likely to see a lot of other updates coming to Apple's ecosystem, with potential upgrades to its Watches, AirPods range, Beats headphones, AirTags, and more. Apple might even be buying a soccer team. 

What else might we see making its way from the depths of Apple's R&D department next year? Stay tuned for all the latest Apple rumors. You can also check out our guides to the best camera phones, the best tablets for photo editing, and the best photo-editing laptops.

I think the best tablets for photo editing have come a long way over the past few years. Sure, the devices on my list aren’t going to replace the best photo-editing laptops outright, but if you’re a hobbyist photographer who wants a simple editing solution or a professional who requires an ultra-portable device to ferry projects between on-location shoots and your desktop computer, then the best tablet for photo editing might just be the solution.

Flagship tablets such as the iPad Pro M4 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra boast the processing grunt of a decent computer, and plenty of internal storage to boot. Rest assured, the best tablets for photo editing boast the hardware needed to edit high-resolution photos and video; the only caveat is the software. Unfortunately, iPadOS and Android both throttle their respective tablets when it comes to available applications.

You still won’t find a full-fat desktop version of Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom Classic on the App Store or Google Play. And if that’s a dealbreaker for you, then you might want to take a look at the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 or later models. Microsoft’s tablet and laptop hybrids run Windows 11, meaning you can install the desktop versions of Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro.

But for those who don’t want to rely on a tablet for all of their image-editing needs or casual photographers who simply want to make a few editing adjustments and get their images on Instagram ASAP, there are plenty of top-notch budget options in the crowded tablet market. With Apple having just launched the iPad Air M3 and iPad (2025), you can pick up the iPad Air M1 and iPad (2022) relatively cheaply. And if you’re after flagship specs but want to make every dime count, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is hardly a compromise over the incremental update that is the S10 Ultra.

And if you’re intent on going as cheap as possible, without sacrificing quality, then the Amazon Fire Max 11 is hard to beat. Read on to find out each tablet’s specs, a more detailed explanation of its features, and who I’d recommend it for.

Best tablet for photo editing in 2026

The best tablet for photo editing overall

The iPad Pro M4 is Apple’s flagship tablet and hands-down my top pick for the best tablet for photo editing, thanks to its unrivalled combination of screen quality, connectivity, available software, and raw power. But the best product overall isn’t necessarily the best choice for you. If you’re not using huge image files, working with multiple layers, or editing video, then the iPad Pro M4 could be considered overkill. And if you’re working on a budget, then Apple’s most expensive iPad might be difficult to justify. For everyone else, the iPad Pro M4 is an easy sell.

The stunning display is so detailed that even my run-of-the-mill photos look incredible. The iPad Pro M4 can reach 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness when using HDR apps – much higher than any other tablet on this list – and as somebody who likes to edit in cafés, on trains, and outside, brightness is a big factor.

Heck, this device can even hit 1,600 nits of HDR brightness in small areas, while highly localized dimming of the backlight means dark areas look more realistically dark, or truly black, which is rare on OLED screens. Crucially, colors are highly accurate too, and for precision editing, the tablet supports the Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C) and has a 120Hz refresh rate.

The tablet is built around Apple’s M4 chip, but while it’s the most powerful processor in any tablet, it’s arguably too good. I was hard-pressed to find any software that could tax it, after all, it’s the same chip that features in Apple’s baseline MacBook Pros. You can even give your iPad Pro M4 a power boost by upgrading the standard 8GB of RAM to 16GB and adding an extra CPU core, by upgrading the storage to 1TB or 2TB. And this is the only tablet that goes up to 2TB of fast internal storage, too. More RAM means better performance, especially when using multiple editing layers, but honestly, the vanilla version of the iPad Pro M4 is powerful enough for me.

Other mod cons include a USB-C port that doubles as a Thunderbolt port for incredibly fast transfer. Sure, I’m still waiting for a desktop version of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Classic to be released on iPad and iPadOS simply isn’t as suited to multitasking and batch editing as macOS, but if you’re looking for power and portability, then the iPad Pro M4 is king.

Read the full Apple iPad Pro (M4) review

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The best Windows tablet for photo editing

The Microsoft Surface Pro 9’s ability to run desktop Adobe applications makes it the only tablet on this list that you could use exclusively and still enjoy the functionality of a dedicated laptop or desktop. And I think that’s a huge plus point for the right photographer. The Surface Pro 9 is getting a little long in the tooth nowadays – if you want the latest tech, check out the Surface Pro 11 – but max one out with 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and a 12th-gen Intel Core i7, and you’ve still got a capable machine.

Up to 16 hours of battery life is mighty impressive – beating Apple and Android’s flagship offerings – and it also has two Thunderbolt 4 ports so you can connect to your camera and storage at the same time. The screen is impressive in terms of its colour accuracy, and its resolution of 2880 x 1920 is pleasingly crisp. It's not as bright and lacks the deep contrast that the mini-LED backlight of the iPad Pro M4 or the OLED panel of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra tablet can deliver, but in terms of general quality compared to most laptop screens, it's great.

There's a 10MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD and 4K video, plus a 5MP front-facing camera with 1080p full HD video, though neither is anything to write home about. The Surface Pen stylus is also available for precision editing, and the screen is 120Hz, so it feels very responsive to use. For anyone who needs a machine that's zero-compromise when it comes to software, this is the one.

Read the full Microsoft Surface Pro 9 review

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The best Android tablet for photo editing

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is Samsung’s flagship tablet and while it hasn’t reinvented the wheel, so to speak, it offers up arguably the most compelling set of upgrades since the ‘Ultra’ line up debuted with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra back in 2022. The boost in power, courtesy of the Mediatek Dimensity 9400+ CPU and Immortalis-G925 GPU, came as little surprise, but the slimline profile, weight relief and increased display brightness combine to deliver a meaty upgrade package.

And indeed, the first thing I noticed about the S11 Ultra is how thin and lightweight it is. On paper, the difference between the previous iteration’s 5.4mm thickness and the current generation’s 5.1mm doesn’t seem like much, but you certainly notice that 0.3mm difference in the hand. The S11 Ultra also weighs in at 692g/695g to the S10 Ultra’s 718/723g (Wi-Fi/5G), providing an all-around lighter experience, too.

Perhaps the S11 Ultra’s best quality-of-life upgrade is its super-bright screen. You get a gorgeous 1000-nit AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, with a peak HDR brightness of 1600 nits. Very impressive for a tablet with such a large display.

Read the full Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra hands-on review

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The best value iPad for photo editing

The iPad Air M1 might be a couple of generations old, but it’s still a good choice for photographers on a budget. This 10.9-inch tablet’s M1 chip is still mighty capable for most applications. It’s light at 461g and thin at 6.1mm, and with its 11-inch screen, it'll hardly take up any room in your bag. I find my 12.9-inch iPad Pro a little too hefty for rigorous handheld use, but the 11-inch Air is just the right balance of size and weight.

The Apple M1 processor is still incredibly capable as far as tablets go, and even with 8GB of RAM, I still find image editing to be plenty snappy. Sure, high-res multi-layer projects and 4K edits are where the newer M chips excel, but the M1 was a humongous jump in iPad processing power back in 2021, and it shows.

However, there are clear downsides. The screen is very colour accurate, but it's less bright and lacks contrast compared to all the tablets above, and it's 60Hz instead of 120Hz. The tablet also only comes with 64GB or 256GB of storage, which certainly limits how many files you can keep on it. The USB-C port is good for connecting to storage (though it's not Thunderbolt, like the iPad Pro), but there's no other way to expand it.

The built-in cameras are solid-quality, too, so it's still a very strong machine for the price, as long as you won't miss the mod cons you'll have to give up to get there.

Read the full iPad Air (2022) review

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The best value Android tablet for photo editing

Let’s address the elephant in the room first; Samsung has ditched Qualcomm in favor of MediaTek to supply the S10 Ultra’s CPU. But while MediaTek is known as the more budget-friendly brand, the Dimensity 9300 edges the S9 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in most instances. And that’s a familiar story across almost the entirety of the S10 Ultra’s flagship specialist – it edges the S9 Ultra…

If you already own the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, you may opt to pass on the upgrade. But if you’re looking for a new tablet and you want the very best Android has to offer, look no further. Beyond the extra processing grunt, the Galaxy S10 is ever so slightly thinner and lighter, but that 14.6-inch OLED screen is still too big for the daily commute as far as I’m concerned. On the other hand, it is a sight to behold. I’d plump for my 12.9-inch iPad Pro because of its portability, but when I’m using it at home, I’d be lying if I didn’t want for more screen real estate.

And while the iPad Pro M4 has a more lusciously specced screen, the size increase of the Samsung may well be worth it, depending on where and how much you intend to use your tablet device. What I do really love about the S10’s display is its anti-reflective coating – absent on the S9 – a boon for anyone editing out and about.

The big problem here for those wanting a tablet to take on the lion’s share of their editing workflow is Android’s apps. If you want Affinity Photo and/or the best portable version of Photoshop, you’ll need an iPadOS device (although Adobe Photoshop for Android is supposedly coming later in the year). If you can get by using Photoshop Express or Lightroom, this tablet will have no problem handling everything you throw at it.

Read the full Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra review

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The best cheap tablet for photo editing

The Amazon Fire Max 11 is the largest and most powerful of Amazon's suite of tablets, making it the most suitable for photo editing – it offers a good-sized screen with decent resolution, and there's support for an optional (inexpensive) stylus.

Yes, the screen is less accurate than the pre-calibrated iPad screens, but it's fairly bright and looks good overall, so as long as you're not doing pro work on it, the quality should suffice. Unlike iPads, though, this has a microSD card slot for expanding the storage with up to an additional 1TB, so it offers all the capacity I could want.

It's lighter than some of the mid-range competition, too – not by much, but every little helps when you're trying to keep your kit feeling portable. Amazon also promises that its toughened glass is three times stronger than the cheaper iPad's glass, but I haven't tested that. And I'm not sure I want to!

The potential fundamental flaw with this tablet is the software. Fire OS is based on Android, but it lacks the Google Play Store, offering an Amazon equivalent instead that's lighter on apps. There certainly are photo apps here, but if you want to have complex apps with capacity for more complex work, I'd look elsewhere. But if I were concerned by cost – it’s regularly discounted on Amazon – and only required a tablet for some light edits, I’d happily consider the Fire Max 11.

Read the full Amazon Fire Max 11 review

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The best affordable iPad for photo editing

Okay, here’s the deal. Apple has finally upgraded the iPad (2022) here with the iPad (2025), but it’s a bit of an incremental update. The big difference is an upgrade from the former’s A14 Bionic chip to the A16, up to 512GB of storage and 6GB of RAM (up from 256GB and 4GB of RAM), and a 0.1-inch increase in screen size. The display is virtually identical, and the camera is pretty much the same, too.

So, until the Digital Camera World review is released, it’s worth taking a look at the iPad (2022) review to work out whether you’d be better off opting for a more powerful iPad or if Apple’s entry-level option is for you. And if you’re intent on picking up the cheapest iPad available, the iPad (2022) is still being sold new for a slight reduction on the 2025 offering.

Honestly, I'd probably opt for the iPad (2025) at this point as it'll presumably be supported with iPadOS updates longer into the future. And although I was a little disappointed with the upgrades, the iPad (2022) is still a decent little tablet. The screen is colour-accurate out of the box, which is obviously great, though its non-laminated design means it's more prone to reflections, and it's significantly less bright than most newer tablets. Note that both the iPad (2022) and iPad (2025) work with the Apple Pencil 1st gen or the Apple Pencil USB-C, but not the Apple Pencil 2 or Apple Pencil Pro.

Entry-level iPads don’t boast the M chips of their more expensive brethren so this tablet isn't as powerful as the iPad Air M1 and would get smoked by the iPad Pro M4 in terms of raw chip speed. But you can still run the App Store versions of Photoshop, Lightroom, Affinity Photo and so on, which really puts iPadOS above Android. Sure, the A14 isn’t designed for the complex, multi-layered editing of huge images, but that's what the latest Air and Pro models are for. As with all iPads, it's a shame there's no microSD card slot for easily expanding the storage, but at least the USB-C port means you can connect external drives or your camera.

Read the full Apple iPad (10th Gen, 2022) review

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The best premium tablet for photo editing

The OnePlus Pad 3 is a great choice for Android users because it boasts a gorgeous 13.2-inch screen and plenty of power. That 3.5K screen is the first thing you’ll notice. It has a slick 144 Hz refresh rate and is an absolute pleasure to use and work with.

At the heart of the OnePlus Pad 3 is the premium Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite. This octa-core chipset is designed to provide a 45% CPU and 40% GPU performance increase, and it certainly proved itself on test, handling photo editing, video editing, and gaming. And while the base model (used on test) has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, you can opt for 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, should you require.

The camera on this model is pretty standard fare, with an 8-MP front and 13-MP rear camera, with the rear camera able to capture 4K / 30p video. And while most people will no doubt be listening to audio via headphones, kudos to OnePlus for including a surprisingly competent set of speakers for a tablet.

Just know that the keyboard and stylus (optional extras) will really start to push the price up. But if you’re looking for an Android machine to churn through some edits and you don’t mind OnePlus’s proprietary OxygenOS, this competitively priced, premium tablet has both the oomph and the screen to please on-the-go editors.

Read the full OnePlus 3 Pad review

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The best tablet for retouching

I think the best tablet overall for retouching is the iPad Pro M4. But with the 13-inch model starting at $1,299 / £1,299 – and that’s without an Apple Pencil – the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad is a tantalizing alternative for anyone who doesn’t require flagship tech. Not only is this tablet less than half the price of the iPad Pro, but it comes with a stylus, which doesn’t require charging.

The matte, textured screen provides a fantastic drawing experience, but at the expense of a little sharpness. This does mean that I can only recommend this tablet for photo editing if you’re specifically looking to add a stylus to your workflow, something I find particularly useful when retouching skin. It’s also a good choice for any photographers who also want to engage in a little digital illustration in their spare time.

If you don’t think you’ll get much use out of the stylus, then I’d opt for a tablet with a better screen and CPU. The Mediatek MT8771 gets the job done for lighter edits, but I wouldn’t want to rely on it for bigger layer-based jobs or video. And as always, an Android tablet will require you to make sure that you’re happy with the available apps before purchase.

But at the end of the day, it’s affordability that makes this tablet a great choice for the right photographer. It’s cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE – although this is more powerful and also comes with a stylus – and iPad Air M3. Ultimately, the XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad won’t be for everyone, but it does fill a niche within the market.

Read the full XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad review

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FAQs

How to choose the best tablet for photo editing

Just because a tablet has some impressive numbers and a slick design, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's the best tablet for photo editing. There are a few features that you'll want to keep an eye out for, including the size of the screen and its resolution. You'll also want to make sure that the quality of the screen and its color accuracy is assured.

Processing grunt might be at the forefront of your mind when selecting the best tablet for photo editing, but screen size, resolution, and color accuracy are just as high on my list. iPads are known for their excellent-quality displays and DCI-P3 colour gamut support, but Samsung’s flagship tablets also boast top-tier screens, as does Microsoft’s Surface Pro range.

OLED displays offer richer contrast than most LCD screens, making them a tempting choice for photographers who want to view a greater dynamic range. However, some are still prone to burn-in over time. That said, OLED tablets can still be very worthwhile, just make sure you research how prone your choice is to burn-in and set your device to lock quickly when idle.

Photographers who edit on the fly will need to prioritise battery life, as well as weight and size. And don’t forget to check that the pouch on your favorite camera bag is big enough to accommodate your new tablet!

Storage is another significant factor, especially if you’ll be using your tablet as an editing workhorse. More is more when it comes to iPad storage, since you cannot upgrade an iPad’s internal storage, although USB-C devices can accommodate an external hard drive. Most other tablets feature expandable internal storage via microSD cards, but they will have a limit, so make sure you check this before committing.

For more recommendations, see guides to the best drawing tablets for photo editing and our roundup of the best Wacom tablets. Or, if you'd prefer to work on a desktop instead, check out our roundup of the best photo-editing laptops.

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How we test the best tablets for photo editing

My team of writers has extensive experience testing tablets, including not just the new models you find here, but previous versions stretching back over a decade as well, so we know exactly what we're looking for.

To test tablets for photo editing, my team and I put them through their paces in a variety of ways. The screen is central to all this, of course – we'll view photos we know well on them to see if we're satisfied with the colour reproduction, dynamic range, and detail levels. We'll use them indoors and outside to see how they handle reflections.

We test their performance at different levels of photo-editing complexity, seeing how they handle light edits compared to more complex image editing with large files – we're looking for whether changes happen in real-time, or whether there's any lag in the process. With more complex apps, we're looking at how many layers or what kind of size the files can be before we hit a RAM limit or performance slows.

To test battery life, we'll use streaming video as a standard way to test how long tablets can last compared to other tablets. But we'll also use them in more standard, real-world situations, such as for web browsing and, of course, editing photos. We'll also test how good their built-in cameras are, taking shots in various lighting situations using the front and rear cameras.

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If you want to do some photo editing, digital drawing, or other fiddly tasks on your iPad, using your fingers alone can be a clunky and frustrating experience when compared with a stylus. And let's be clear: the best stylus for iPads available today is the Apple Pencil. 

But it's not quite as simple as that, because there are two versions to choose from: the Apple Pencil (First Generation), commonly referred to as the Apple Pencil 1, and the Apple Pencil (Second Generation), usually known as – you guessed it – the Apple Pencil 2.

So which one should you choose? There are many factors to take into account, but the most important is compatibility, because some iPad models only support one or the other. 

The launch of the new iPad Pro M2 and iPad 2022 this month is a good case in point. The former is only compatible with the Apple Pencil 2, whereas the latter only supports the Apple Pencil 1. 

We'll start, then, by looking at which Apple Pencil your current iPad supports. And then look at the other main differences between these two styluses, to help you choose between Apple Pencil 1 vs 2.

Apple Pencil 1 vs 2: compatibility

If you already have an iPad, and don't want to buy another one, then your decision may have already been made by Apple. Because the Apple Pencil 1 is only supported by the following iPad models:

• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) 
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation) 
• iPad Pro 10.5-inch iPad Pro 9.7-inch iPad Air (3rd generation) 
• iPad (10th generation)
• iPad (9th generation) 
• iPad (8th generation) 
• iPad (7th generation) 
• iPad (6th generation) 
• iPad mini (5th generation)
  

Conversely, the Apple Pencil 2 is only supported by the following iPad models:

• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation) 
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation) 
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) 
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) 
• iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) 
• iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) 
• iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) 
• iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation) 
• iPad Air (5th generation) 
• iPad Air (4th generation) 
• iPad mini (6th generation)

Apple Pencil 1 vs 2: price

As the earlier and more basic model, you'd expect the Apple Pencil 1 to be cheaper than the Apple Pencil 2, and you'd be right. On the official Apple site at time of writing, the Apple Pencil 2 was listed at $129 / £139, while the Apple Pencil 1 was significantly cheaper at just $99 / £89. Third-party retailers may have both styluses cheaper still. Below, you'll find the absolute best prices we can find for the Apple Pencil 1 and Apple Pencil 2 today.

When you do your cost-benefit analysis, it's worth noting that the Apple Pencil 1 comes with one extra tip, but the Apple Pencil 2 doesn't. If you need to replace yours, Apple sells packs of four for $19 / £19. Conversely, one benefit of the Apple Pencil 2 is that Apple will engrave it for free, as long as you buy it directly from them.

Apple Pencil 1 vs 2: design 

Which Apple Pencil offers the best performance? Actually, in terms of pressure sensitivity and latency, there's no obvious difference between the two styluses. Both other great tilt sensitivity, pressure sensitivity and palm rejection.

When it comes to design, though, there are a number of key differences. The short version is that the Apple Pencil 2 is definitely the better stylus overall. However, whether it's so much better that it's worth the higher price is still questionable.

The first difference is ergonomic. The Apple Pencil 2 is thinner and shorter, and so looks and feels more like a real pencil. The Apple Pencil, in contrast, is more like holding a felt-tip pen.

Also, while the Apple Pencil 1 is round, the Apple Pencil 2 has a flat edge. This makes it easier to grip, and it also makes it less likely to roll off the table. Finally, the Apple Pencil 1 has a shiny plastic surface while the Apple Pencil 2 has a matte surface which again makes it easier to hold.

A second difference is that the Apple Pencil 2's flat edge works as a button. That means this stylus comes with a double-tap function, which allows you to switch between tools in apps that support it. One popular use of this is to switch between drawing or writing and the eraser.

A third difference is the charging process. Underneath its cap, the Apple Pencil 1 has a Lightning connector, which allows you to charge it by connecting to the Lightning port of your iPad.

This is not ideal, because it means the stylus sticks out at right angles to your tablet, taking up space and making it very difficult to transport while charging. That said, an adapter is also provided. (Indeed, with the 2022 iPad released this month, this is your only option, as the new tablet charges with USB-C instead of Lightning).

Charging is much easier with the Apple Pencil 2, as it connects magnetically to the right side of your iPad for charging. This is makes it easy to carry your iPad and Apple Pencil 2 about, even when the stylus is charging.

Finally, note that if you're buying the new iPad Pro M2, you'll get a new feature from your Apple Pencil 2 called hover. This means your stylus is now detected up to 12mm above the screen, allowing you to see a preview of your mark before they make it.

With Scribble, text fields automatically expand when the pencil gets near the screen, and handwriting converts to text even faster. And no doubt third-party apps will quickly take advantage of this new feature, to enable new marking and drawing experiences.

Apple Pencil 1 vs 2: verdict

If you want to do precision work on your iPad screen, both Apple Pencils do a great job of making you feel like you're using a real pencil. In terms of performance, there's no real difference, but the Apple Pencil 2 has better ergonomics, is easier to charge, boasts a useful double-tap functionality, and benefits from the cool new hover feature on the latest iPad Pro. 

In short, we'd say that if you can afford the extra cash for Apple Pencil 2, it's a no-brainer. That said, if your current iPad only supports the Apple Pencil 1, it's probably not worth upgrading your tablet just to use the Apple Pencil 2.

• Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch M1 review
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There has been a long debate within the filmmaking community for some time to try and get Apple to implement a standard video editor to the iPad, while iMovie is an option this doesn't really cut the mustard when you want to do complex editing on the go. Rumors suggested that Apple would bring Final Cut Pro to the iPad, but this never happened. 

Then a 3rd-party stepped in to fill that void, LumaFusion allowed creators to record on their 4K video camera and be able to edit this footage on the go with an iPad and up to now this has been the only way content creators can get a real video live out to the world. 

However, Apple has just announced a new line of iPads, with the new iPad Pro gaining the powerful Apple-silicon M2 chip, and what is even more impressive than this chip's ability to make the iPad a real laptop alternative is that one of the leading video editors, Davinci Revolve will come to iPad now natively. That's right – a standalone real professional video editor on your iPad, for true on-the-go editing in real-time.

Now, while many industry filmmakers spotted that tell-tale Davinci Resolve symbol, this is will only available on the iPad Pro, now depending on which screen size you go for it will start from $799 for the new 11-inch model, or $1,099 for the traditional 12.9-inch iPad Pro - not cheap when you consider this is now indeed laptop territory capable of video editing 4K footage.

So why is this such a great feature, and why would you consider an iPad over a laptop? Well, the new iPad Pro now features the M2 chip which has the ability to get pro-grade apps natively to the iPad, not some washed-down half-attempt of the computer program that we all know and love. 

This means that we can now use Abode Photoshop to its full potential along with Davinci Resolve to edit and output professional industry-grade footage for the first time, without having to learn a new program, like you would for LumaFision. 

This is due to the 8-core CPU of the M2 chip which is 15 percent faster than Apple's M1 chip, and a 10-core GPU means this iPad can now scrub through 4K, and I imagine even 8K footage shot on professional cinema cameras, as you can currently do this on a Macbook Pro M2.

Before you were only able to shoot 4K and edit via LumaFusion, which is still a great app for video editing on an iPad, but soon with Davinci Revolve you will be able to color grade, edit and apply SFX to your heart's content, without having to give up any features over the desktop variation of the application. Think about it, all that M2 power that Macbook Pros have in either an 11 or 12.9-inch screen that you can fit in your messenger bag, or just pick up and take with you to the coffee shop.- what isn't there to love?

Now, I know some that are reading this thinking you would never record on a professional camera and then edit on an iPad, which is a valid point, and while a traditional desktop experience does offer more for multi-tasking and file sharing, etc, what this new iPad Pro does is take that desktop-level performance and let you go anywhere with it. 

I can see this being extremely useful for content creators who are always on the go, and travel vloggers looking for an easy setup without the bulk of a laptop, I can also see this being used by professionals when out and about, just think of the ability to shoot a project and while you are out accessing those files and doing a quick edit while on the train, or in the coffee shop waiting for your next meeting to arrive.

I'm a hardcore desktop user, but I'd pick the new iPad Pro with Davinci Revolve. Would you? 

Check out our iPad generations guide, and all things Apple with the best iPhone for photography and the best MacBooks for photo editing.

Apple today launched the latest iPad and iPad Pro, which both feature brand new chips – the A14 Bionic and M2 respectively. As ever, the iPad Pro is packed full of advanced tech for advanced users, while the colorful iPad is designed for everyday use.

We'll cover all the key specs and features below, but here are the key updates:

● iPad Pro – features ProRes video capture, superfast Wi-Fi 6E, and powerful features in iPadOS 16, along with a four-speaker audio system. On the back, there are 12MP Wide and 10MP Ultra Wide cameras, plus a 12MP TrueDepth camera system with Ultra Wide on the front. It comes in a choice of two colors, and a screen size of 11 inches or 12.9 inches. 

● iPad - Features a 12MP front camera and 12MP rear camera, and its front camera is now located along the landscape edge of the iPad for the first time, for a better video calling experience. Gets new A14 Bionic chip. The 10.9in tablet comes in four fun colors.

iPad Pro with powerful M2 chip

Coming in the same two sizes as last year, the new M2 chip running the show offers ProRes video capture for the first time and transcode ProRes footage up to 3x faster. Apple says that "This means content creators can capture, edit, and publish cinema-grade video from a single device out in the field."

● Wondering about ProRes vs ProRAW - What's the difference?

The M2 chip promises to deliver enhanced performance for a range of apps, especially those for photographers – including DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Photoshop (see image below).

The standout upgrade for this new iPad is the "Apple Pencil hover experience" which can detect the pencil up to 12mm above the display, essentially allowing users to see a preview of their mark before they actually make it. We'd have to see how this works in real life, but it could be a game-changer for editing photos, or designing artwork using the aforementioned Adobe Photoshop for iPad.

iPad Pro pricing and availability

The 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro are available to order now and will be in stores from Wednesday, October 26. They'll come in silver and space gray finishes with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage options.

The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799/£899/AU$1,399 for the Wi-Fi model and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099/£1,249/AU$1,899 for the Wi-Fi model.

iPad 10th generation with A14 Bionic chip

The latest iPad is billed as "the all‑new colorful iPad for the things you do every day." It comes in four bold colors, but thankfully the redesigns go further than that. The new iPad features an all‑screen design, with a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display and 2360x1640 resolution.

In terms of cameras, there's an ultrawide 12MP front camera with a 122-degree field of view (on the landscape side for more sensible video calling), and an updated 12MP back camera that can record up to 4K or 240fps slow-motion video.

Inside there's WiFi 6, and 5G is optional, but what's most exciting is the Apple A14 Bionic chip, which not only makes the iPad faster but more efficient for longer battery life. The A14 Bionic also means enough performance to edit high-resolution video.

The iPad works with Apple Pencil and a new purpose-made Magic Keyboard. Plus, there's a USB-C port to make the iPad compatible with a wider range of accessories. We've already written about the benefits of iOS 16 for iPhone, and the iPad runs iPadOS 16 straight out of the box.

iPad pricing and availability

The new iPad is available to order starting today, with availability in stores beginning Wednesday, October 26. 

Wi-Fi models of the new iPad are available at a starting price of $429/£499/AU$749, and Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at $599/£679/AU$999. The new iPad comes in 64GB and 256GB configurations, and blue, pink, yellow, and silver colors.

Check out our iPad generations guide to see where both of these iPad models will fit with the rest of the Apple lineup.

When the new iPad Pro 2022 models didn’t launch alongside the iPhone 14 family earlier this month, every man and his dog started to predict we would see the new models launched in October, instead. Indeed, this looks very likely and we are expecting see updated 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ models, which we predict will replace the current Pro-grade iPad generations next month. Here’s everything we know about them so far… 

New M2 chip

Excitingly, Apple is said to have upgraded this year’s iPad Pro models to upgraded to the latest M2 processor –  the same CPU as the M1 but boasting more GPU cores and speed improvements. The two Pro models are also said to come with mini-LED screens (previously exclusive to the 12.9-inch model), according to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who is respected tipster. This information is also corroborated by Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with a great track record for Apple intel, (via iMore), making it even more likely to be true. 

Multiple sources are claiming that the iPad Pro 2022 models will adopt MagSafe, which allows connection, via magnets, to clip-on peripherals like magnetic chargers, stands and cases. 

Back in June, a Bloomberg report said that as well as MagSafe, we could see the tablet with a glass back and supporting both wireless and reverse wireless charging. We aren’t 100% sure on this one but it is possible, or it could perhaps feature a partial glass back. 

As well as MagSafe charging to match the iPhones, it’s expected that the iPad Pro 2022 models will also feature a better battery life, which will be welcome. 

iPad 2022  

The most affordable iPad in the range, the 10.2-inch non-Pro model is expected to be upgraded arguably more than the Pro models. Rather than a Lightning port, it is said to have a USB-C, which will take it on-line with the other Apple iPads. According to rumor, screen size could increase to 10.5 inches or 10.9 inches and get a boost in resolution. It won’t see the M2 chip like the Pro models but it is expected to get an upgrade to the A14 Bionic chip.  

Again according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, (via his Power On newsletter) both yet-to-be announced iPad Pro models are likely to be released, with other remaining 2022 products, “via press releases, updates to its website and briefings with select members of the press" rather than a digital launch event. 

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The 2021 iPad Pro 12.9 M1 looks almost identical to its predecessor, but there are several key changes that make it an especially interesting upgrade for photo and video work. A workstation-class processor, an ultra-bright HDR screen, a Thunderbolt 4 port for rapid file transfer, and the option of 5G connectivity – all in a slim and light body – combine to make it one of the most desirable ways to view and quickly process your photos - and one of the best tablets for photo editing overall. 

It’s not just for photographers, though – it’s generally the best tablet overall, though it has a pro-level price to match its name, and the features that make it so expensive are totally overkill for most people. However, once you see that screen in particular, which uses cutting-edge Mini-LED technology, you still not not be able to resist.

Before we start, we should note that while we’ve tested the 12.9-inch model, everything in this review will apply to the 11-inch model too, with the exception of the Mini-LED HDR screen – we’ll talk about that difference in the ‘Screen’ section.

• iPad generations - which Apple tablet is best for me?

Key features

One of the two flashiest features here is the Apple M1 processor powering the iPad Pro – the same as in the new iMac and 13-inch MacBook Pro. If you buy the versions with 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage, you get 8GB of RAM. The versions with 1TB or 2TB of storage come with 16GB of RAM.

The other flashiest feature is the HDR display, which is capable of going much brighter than previous models, while also offering better control in dark areas.

There’s still a single USB Type-C port, but it’s now been upgraded to both USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4 – the latter makes it even more flexible for connecting to external storage, and when combined with internal storage that’s much faster, means big file transfers to and from the iPad are a cinch. It also means you can connect to displays of up to 6K resolution, which can be great for showing your images.

The twin rear cameras haven’t been altered much, and you still get both a wide-angle and ultra-wide, but now with better processing from the more powerful M1 chip. The front camera is much-changed, however, with a new ultra-wide lens and Apple’s smart ‘Centre Stage’ technology for video calls, which keeps you centred in the frame even if you move around.

The basic version is Wi-Fi only, but you can choose a version that offers Wi-Fi plus 5G/4G connectivity, for an upgrade cost. We’ve measured download speeds of 300Mbps on our model, and uploads of up to 65Mbps up. If you’re in an area with coverage, this makes shooting, transferring to iPad, quickly editing and uploading to the cloud an incredibly fast experience.

You’re still talking 10 hours of battery life under normal use, though more intensive applications (and pushing the HDR screen to its limits) will certainly bring that down.

Screen

In normal use, the new iPad Pro’s screen hits 600 nits of brightness, just like the previous model, so in many apps, the difference is subtle. However, when viewing HDR video or HDR photos, it can step up to 1,000 nits of fullscreen brightness, and 1,600 nits of peak brightness in smaller sections.

This matches Apple’s Pro Display XDR computer monitor, and bests almost any pro-level monitor, actually. Especially when combined with over 2,500 individual dimming zones, thanks to the Mini-LED technology used in the display – again, this is better than you can get from almost any other screen.

It makes a massive difference with HDR video – the extra dynamic range is immediately clear, and the brightness makes for more vibrant and lifelike colors, and there is much more depth and detail in darker areas. It’s easily the best video viewing experience on a tablet. It’s better than most TVs for contrast, even.

However, it’s not necessarily that easy to trigger. Sure, for a movie in Dolby Vision on Netflix, it’s no problem. But HDR photos don’t have a set standard, so while the iPad is willing to show your photos with more brightness, it will be up to your image viewing/editing app of choice to support it. That applies to video you’ve recorded that you want to import to the iPad too – it might include enough information, but you’ll need to check if your workflow would actually support showing it all on the screen.

Even if you’re not using an app with support for the HDR screen, though, you still benefit from it, because of its better control over dark areas. Anything with greys or black areas near light areas will benefit from extra vibrancy in the white areas, because of the extra precision in the backlight dimming. It makes tool icons easier to spot, and generally is a noticeable improvement.

On top of this, you’ve got the same DCI P3 color gamut support and supreme out-of-the-box accuracy we’re used to from Apple, and the resolution of 2732x2048 (264 pixels per inch) looks beautifully sharp at usual viewing distances. Apple’s True Tone screen technology is also here, and makes the screen so much more comfortable to use for reading and similar tasks in the evening.

The 11-inch iPad Pro features all of these last features (though, being a smaller screen, its resolution is just 2388x1668). It’s the HDR features and better local dimming you miss out on.

Performance & cameras

As expected, the M1 processor in the iPad Pro means that it’s astoundingly fast at anything you want to do… but then, so was the previous model. There certainly are processes that the M1 could save you a lot of time on, such as speedier batch exports, but it will depend on your workflow whether the power here will actually improve things for you today. 

Of course, one of the advantages of the M1 is that it has the power to handle anything you might want to do in the future, as the iPad becomes more and more capable (hopefully). However complex your image work, it should be able to stand up to it. And running multiple 4K video streams in an editing app is no trouble for it at all. If you want an iPad for work, this is just the most capable tool on the planet, and will remain so in the future. But for regular tablet use, it’s supremely overkill, no question.

The gentle upgrades to the rear cameras yield similarly gentle improvements. The iPad Pro 2021 takes nice photos, with good dynamic range, pleasing detail that isn’t oversharpened, and the mercifully realistic colors that Apple currently favors in its processing. It’s certainly not up to what the iPhone 12 Pro Max can do, and it’s a real shame there’s no ProRaw option, since there’s certainly enough power and RAM to handle it, but if you find yourself faced with a great shot, you can do far worse.

The forward-facing camera is interesting, because it’s now a 12MP camera, but is designed to mostly crop in from its ultra-wide view for a more narrow framing – it’s just that the wide view gives it the freedom to be flexible in this. The main beneficiary is video calling, using the new ‘Center Stage’ feature. This crops the view onto you, and if you move, the view moves with you. If someone else comes into shot, it reframes to get you both. It works incredibly well, and is a lovely feature to have in the age of numerous video chats.

Verdict

The iPad Pro M1 12.9-inch is simply excellent. It’s in a class of one. Nothing else offers this kind of screen, and this kind of performance, in this kind of portable frame. It is the premium tablet for creative pros that you’d want, and its price is thoroughly reasonable when you look at what a separate display with these features or a computer of this power would cost.

But it remains an iPad, using iPad apps, which not everyone is able to (or likes to) do all their work on, including photography work. And the M1 processor has more power than almost all iPad apps could even hope to make use of. So if you’re using it mostly as a regular tablet, it remains the best in the business, but do consider whether the 10.9in iPad Air (2020) actually would do the work you need for a lot less.

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The latest Apple event saw the introduction of the new iMac (2021) and the iPad Pro (2021). Both products feature the new Apple M1 chipset, which is especially impressive in the case of the iPad Pro – as this is the first iPad to ever feature a chipset designed for computers. This definitely makes it one of the best tablets for photo editing. 

Meanwhile, the new iMac (2021) comes in a brand new array of fetching colors that will look stylish in anyone's home office. As one of the best iMacs for photo editing, this new iMac is over 50% thinner than the previous generation and features a 24" 4.5K Retina display with 500 nits of brightness. 

Both of these new products are now officially available for pre-order – although they won't be shipping until the second half of May. If you just can't wait to get your hands on one, check out the pre-order links for your region below!

• iPad generations - which Apple tablet is best for me?

iMac & iPad Pro in the US

iMac & iPad Pro in the UK

iMac & iPad Pro in Australia

iPad Pro (2021)

The new iPad Pro comes complete with the M1 chip for the first time ever. It also features an 8-core CPU that's 50% faster than the previous generation and an 8-core GPU that delivers 40% faster graphics. We'll also be seeing a 16-core Apple Neural Engine, 2x faster storage access – plus a 2TB storage option too!

The USB-C port at the bottom will now support Thunderbolt and USB 4, offering 4x the bandwidth and being able to pass high resolution video files across. Excitingly, the iPad Pro will now support mmWave 5G, being able to reach 4GB/s at peak speeds. 

The iPad Pro is introducing a new 12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera with a 122º field of view, which enables the new Center Stage function. This enables users to record and stream video while moving around their space. Center Stage will track the user's movement and keep the subject in the field-of-view by panning to follow them. It'll even expand to fit others in the shot if new people join the video. 

Meanwhile, there will be a new Liquid Retina XDR display that will feature 1000 nits of full screen brightness and 1600 nits of peak brightness. 

iMac (2021)

The brand new iMac 2021 has been completely redesigned around the new M1 chip. While this isn't the first time we've seen the M1, this certainly seems to be the first computing product that really makes the most out of the technology. The power of the M1 chip has enabled Apple to shrink the size of components including the thermal system, which makes the iMac 2021 over 50% thinner than the previous iMac generation at 11.5mm thin. 

The iMac will feature a 24" 4.5K Retina display with 500 nits of brightness and 11.3 pixels. Meanwhile, the TrueTone technology will adjust the color output of the display as the environment around it changes. 

The camera has also been given an update, with a 1080p FaceTime HD camera that features a larger sensor for better performance in low light. Plus, the M1 chip has enabled computational video updates that are designed to enhance each pixel of video. Apple bills this as the "best camera ever in a Mac". 

It's clear that Apple has been inspired by the massive shift to working from home that many of us have experienced over the past year. It made a point of highlighting the improved microphone and speakers that are designed to make Zoom calls smoother. 

Meanwhile, the CPU performance is 85% faster than previous models, enabling users to easily and quickly work on 100MP photographs in Lightroom. Plus, the iMac 2021 will also feature 2x faster graphics and 3x faster machine learning. Excitingly, due to the M1 chip featuring the same architecture as the chips found in iPhones and iPads, the iMac 2021 will be able to run iPhone and iPad apps as well. 

The iMac 2021 will feature up to four USB-C ports, including two Thunderbolt ports. There will also be three new keyboards – two of which include Touch ID for the first time in iMac history.

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We saw some impressive announcements at Apple's latest event yesterday, including the new iMac in seven stunning colors and the totally revamped iPad Pro. Many of the technological advancements in both products seemed to come from the M1 chip. While these aren't the first products to include the M1 (it's also been seen in the Apple Mac Mini M1), they definitely look like they're making the most of the new technology. 

One of the most interesting aspects of yesterday's Apple event was the focus on creating a seamless working from home experience. The new iMac features the "best camera, mics, and speakers ever in a Mac", while the new iPad Pro has a new 'Center Stage' function that's perfect for streaming and video conferencing.

• Read more: iPhone 13

The iMac 2021 features a 1080p FaceTime HD camera works together with the image signal processor in the M1 chip and the Neural Engine to enhance camera quality. This means that iMac users should be able to expect better noise reduction, greater dynamic range and improved auto exposure and white balance. 

Meanwhile, the new iMac will also feature a "studio-quality three-microphone array for clearer calls and voice recordings". These mics are positioned to reduce feedback from the rest of the system, while directional beam forming should mean less background noise. 

To enhance the working from home experience even more, the new iMac has two pairs of force-cancelling woofers placed side by side, each balanced with a high-performance tweeter. The speaker enhancements mean that iMac is able to support spatial audio when playing music and video with Dolby Atmos. 

However, the new iMac isn't the only Apple product that seems designed to improve the way we all work from home. The new iPad Pro features an interesting new ultra wide angle front-facing camera that could totally revolutionize video conferencing. 

Using this 12MP ultra wide camera and the machine learning capabilities of the new M1 chip, the iPad Pro features a new 'Centre Stage' video call function that's designed to recognize and keep users centered in the frame. If other people join in, the camera will detect them and smoothly zoom out to fit everyone into view. If the user moves around their space, Centre Stage will automatically pan to keep them in the shot.

Centre Stage isn't the only feature that will benefit home workers. The iPad Pro will now be capable of mmWave 5G (although mmWave is currently only in the US), making it easy for workers to dial into their Zoom calls from anywhere. 

With home working becoming so prevalent over the past year, perhaps it's not surprising that Apple placed such a heavy emphasis on video conferencing in yesterday's event. Could it be that Apple predicts that the home working trend will continue, even after other effects from the global pandemic are mostly over? Well, based on these two new products, it certainly seems like this could be the case.

The base iMac 2021 model will be available in May, starting at $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$1,899 in four colors, while those with the gigabit Ethernet and USB 3 ports will start at $1,799 / £1,449 / AU$2,199 and will be available in seven colors. 

Meanwhile, the 11-inch iPad Pro will begin at $799 / £749 / AU$1,199 and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will cost $1,099 / £999 / AU$1,649. Both will be available to order on 30 April, and the products will begin shipping in the second half of May. 

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It's been a while since we've seen a release from Apple, but the first Apple event of 2021 has finally happened – and it definitely didn't disappoint. We saw the arrival of the new iMac 2021, the iPad Pro, Apple TV 4K and (finally!) the Apple AirTags!

Of course, this won't be the only Apple event of the year, with more Apple products due to arrive in 2021 as well. One of the most anticipated products is the unofficially titled iPhone 13, which has already had plenty of rumors and leaks spilled – despite the fact that the iPhone 12 family have only recently arrived!

• iPad generations - which Apple tablet is best for me?

So, without any further ado, check out the exciting Apple products announced today below…

Apple AirTags

They've been rumored for years now – and they're finally here! Apple AirTags have been officially announced, joining the FindMy ecosystem to enable users to be able to easily find their personal belongings. Similar to the Tile tags, AirTags can be attached to keys, wallets, cameras and more. 

Users will be able to personalize AirTags with emojis – and  they even come with stylish accessories, such as Hermes bag charms or luggage tags. Users will be able to keep track of their AirTags through the FindMy app, which uses 'Precision Finding' and U1 chip (also found in the iPhone 12 family) to help increase the accuracy of the FindMy system. 

Apple made a point of stating that the AirTags are designed to keep track of products, not people. The AirTags have been designed to enable you to make sure you've not had one slipped in your bag with audible alerts to let you know that it's there. 

The Apple AirTags will be available for $29 / £29 / AU$45, or a 4-pack for $99 / £99 / AU$149. It will be available to order from 23 April and will ship from 30 April. 

Apple TV 4K

Apple also announced the new Apple TV 4K, which will feature the A12 Bionic chip and 4K High Frame Rate HDR. Perfect for watching the best streaming services on, it will also feature a completely redesigned Siri remote, which has a new touch-enabled click pad and a one-piece recycled aluminum design. Apple says that it's the only remote you'll ever need, with the addition of power and mute buttons. 

Interestingly, the Apple TV 4K will be able to work in conjunction with your iPhone. Using the light sensor, the iPhone will be able to compare your TV's color with worldwide color standards. The Apple TV 4K will then automatically adjust and calibrate your TV's display.

The Apple TV 4K will be available in 32GB for $179 / £169 / AU$249 and 64GB for $199 / £189 / AU$279. You can order the Apple TV 4K from 30 April and it will begin shipping in May. Don't forget to check out our list of the best best Apple TV VPN services as well.

iMac 2021

The brand new iMac 2021 has been completely redesigned around the new M1 chip. While this isn't the first time we've seen the M1, this certainly seems to be the first computing product that really makes the most out of the technology. The power of the M1 chip has enabled Apple to shrink the size of components including the thermal system, which makes the iMac 2021 over 50% thinner than the previous iMac generation at 11.5mm thin. 

The iMac will feature a 24" 4.5K Retina display with 500 nits of brightness and 11.3 pixels. Meanwhile, the TrueTone technology will adjust the color output of the display as the environment around it changes. 

The camera has also been given an update, with a 1080p FaceTime HD camera that features a larger sensor for better performance in low light. Plus, the M1 chip has enabled computational video updates that are designed to enhance each pixel of video. Apple bills this as the "best camera ever in a Mac". 

It's clear that Apple has been inspired by the massive shift to working from home that many of us have experienced over the past year. It made a point of highlighting the improved microphone and speakers that are designed to make Zoom calls smoother. 

Meanwhile, the CPU performance is 85% faster than previous models, enabling users to easily and quickly work on 100MP photographs in Lightroom. Plus, the iMac 2021 will also feature 2x faster graphics and 3x faster machine learning. Excitingly, due to the M1 chip featuring the same architecture as the chips found in iPhones and iPads, the iMac 2021 will be able to run iPhone and iPad apps as well. 

The iMac 2021 will feature up to four USB-C ports, including two Thunderbolt ports. There will also be three new keyboards – two of which include Touch ID for the first time in iMac history.

The base iMac 2021 model will be available in May, starting at $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$1,899 in four colors, while those with the gigabit Ethernet and USB 3 ports will start at $1,799 / £1,449 / AU$2,199 and will be available in seven colors. 

iPad Pro

And this is clearly the pièce de résistance of today's Apple event – the new iPad Pro complete with the M1 chip for the first time ever. The new iPad Pro will feature an 8-core CPU that's 50% faster than the previous generation. It'll also feature an 8-core GPU that delivers 40% faster graphics – and is 1500x faster than the very first iPad Pro! We'll also be seeing a 16-core Apple Neural Engine, 2x faster storage access – plus a 2TB storage option too!

The USB-C port at the bottom will now support Thunderbolt and USB 4, offering 4x the bandwidth and being able to pass high resolution video files across. Excitingly, the iPad Pro will now support mmWave 5G, being able to reach 4GB/s at peak speeds. 

The iPad Pro is also introducing a new 12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera with a 122º field of view, which enables the new Center Stage function. This enables users to record and stream video while moving around their space. Center Stage will track the user's movement and keep the subject in the field-of-view by panning to follow them. It'll even expand to fit others in the shot if new people join the video. 

Meanwhile, there will be a new Liquid Retina XDR display that will feature 1000 nits of full screen brightness and 1600 nits of peak brightness. 

The 11-inch iPad Pro will begin at $799 / £749 / AU$1,199 and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will cost $1,099 / £999 / AU$1,649. Both will be available to order on 30 April, and the products will begin shipping in the second half of May. 

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The iPhone 11-series is only a few months old, but that isn’t stopping the iPhone rumors from ramping up. The latest sheds some light on a new, smaller iPhone - something fans of the iPhone SE have been longing for since it launched four years ago, back in March 2016. 

Two phones are being suggested that to look almost identical to an iPhone 8 could be launching in 2020, with both 5.4-inch screened devices expected to be variants of the upcoming iPhone 12, which we may get this year. 

The specifics are thin on the ground at this stage, but Japanese site Mac Otakara mentions a new, compact iPhone that includes Face ID. As many as six new devices are expected, with one of the smaller variants featuring Face ID, and another with Touch ID, coming in at a lower price.

These Frankenstein-phones, which sound like they combine old and new are also suggested to have a much bigger rear camera array than the iPhone 8, and, naturally, zippier internals as well. 

The latest rumors corroborate other suggestions that the year will see a staggered multi-iPhone launch, with a Touch ID version of the iPhone SE 2, or iPhone 8 reprise expected for Spring. Around this time, we’re also expecting the latest iPad Pro, which looks set to bring the fantastic triple camera setup on the iPhone 11 Pro to the premium tablet series.

Meanwhile, later in the year during Apple’s main iPhone event, we will certainly see new iPhones, and that’s when we could be seeing a suped up, more premium version of the SE2 with Face ID, alongside 6.1 and 6.7-inch options. 

In addition, the new larger models, expected to be the iPhone 11s or 12-series, are expected to feature the works - multiple cameras, edge-to-edge displays, and for the first time on an iPhone, 5G.

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Apple is set to continue its newfound photographic push, as the next iPad Pro will feature a three-camera array. 

A leaked image of an iPad Pro mockup was recently published, revealing the same triple-camera setup that Apple introduced with the latest generation of iPhone Pro camera phones. 

• Read more: iPhone 11 Pro review, iPhone 11 Pro Max review

The image comes from generally on-the-money leaker, Sonny Dickson. "We’ve obtained a final design mockup of Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro hardware from a source that has repeatedly been reliable about previous iPad hardware, showing Apple’s new camera hardware as featured on the iPhone 11 Pro gracing their upcoming refreshed lineup of iPads."

While a physical mockup doesn't reveal too much about the specs of the three cameras, it's reasonable to assume that they will be much like those found in the new iPhones – if not identical.

"The hardware is extremely similar to what is featured on the iPhone 11 Pro, and is expected to offer the same benefits to creative video professionals," says Dickson.  

"The design is a nod to Apple’s intent to offer pro users of the iPad a device on which they can comfortably shoot and edit 4K quality video all from one device, offering the freedom to take their setups on the go without a bundle of extra hardware attached to a Mac."

Indeed, Apple's newly announced iPad OS is tailored specifically towards producing supercharged tablets. With a bespoke operating system built around the devices' distinct feature sets, along with assuredly beefier processing power, this could make the new iPad Pro a capable all-in imaging system.

Of course, the idea of using a tablet to take photographs may seem peculiar to camera purists. However, as anyone who's been to a tourist destination (or spends time around older friends and relatives) will attest, there are a lot of of non-traditional photographers who use iPads and tablets as their main camera.

With the new iPad Pro set to arrive in October, it will be interesting to see if Apple rolls out additional stills and video features specific to the device. 

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