Reviewers don’t seem to notice this, either because they always buy the base model iPad Pro, or, Apple rarely sends the high-end models to people for review. Either way, I can confirm the 1TB iPad Pro model, which comes with 16GB of RAM (and an extra core in the M4 series), is better.
I wanted the nanotexture screen. That nanotexture only comes on the ridiculous 1TB model. I do not need anywhere near 1TB of storage on my iPad, but I love that nanotexture display. I work outside almost daily on my iPad Pro and the screen is gorgeous. But the extra RAM has been a welcome addition, too.
Notes on the nanotexture display
- The outer black “rim” of the iPad is still glossy, which is fine.
- The nanotexture reduces glare almost to nothing. Lights in coffee shops, windows, or just the sun are completely gone. I can comfortably use my iPad outside in full sun and it’s like sitting anywhere else.
- The nanotexture gives the iPad Pro a slight “grit” when you run the Pencil over it. I do not, however, notice any difference in feel with my finger. This added texture is actually quite nice. I prefer it over the glossy models.
- The nanotexture also helps save battery. It’s marginal, but if you’re outside on a cloudy day what might have required 100% brightness may now only require 80-90%. That’s not a lot, but 10-20% over several hours adds up.
About that extra M4 core and 16GB of RAM
I don’t notice the extra core in the M4 model much at all. I suspect it’s a little extra oomph when editing photos (my favorite iPad task). A bit like picking up a glide boost in Mario Kart. Not a lot, but it adds up if you do it right.
The real boon is the extra RAM. You wouldn’t think 8GB more in an iPad would matter, but darned if it doesn’t. Reddit users say they don’t notice it, but I do in one big way: I remote into a Mac or a PC from my iPad a lot. It’s how I do “computer things” the iPad refuses to do or can’t. Like earlier I tried to download an .ai (Illustrator) file from a message thread. The iPad just got cranky and said “An error occurred adding this to Wallet.” What!?
So off to Jump Desktop or, truly, the excellent Windows App to connect to a PC that’s all hooked in via Tailscale and a few clicks later it worked. But before, if I had loaded a remote desktop session and went back to my browser, or moved into Illustrator on my iPad, something would get booted from memory. Now these things stay put like you’d expect.
This means I can move between my remote desktop sessions and back into iPad OS to answer an iMessage, handle a notification, browse some tabs, or move some files around and come back several app switches later into Jump Desktop or Windows Remote and it’s still there. This was not the case on a base 8GB iPad Pro model.
