Apple iPad Pro 2021 review: there’s one big reason you should upgrade your iPad this year

Apple’s new iPad Pro makes a long list of changes but there’s one big reason you should upgrade your tablet this year.

Apple's 2021 iPad Pro tablets feature more powerful chips, new accessories, and new cameras.

Apple’s latest iPad upgrade has a lot going for it.

Namely, it has an army of 10,000 tiny lights to deliver the kind of experience you’d expect of a high-end, impress-the-neighbours, fill-the-lounge-room, big-screen TV.

And, of course, that’s not the only upgrade in Apple’s top tablet. It also comes with a better connection this year, a feature to appeal to work-from-home types and, it could be argued, more power than you’ll actually use.

Apple's 2021 iPad Pro tablets will feature more powerful chips, new accessories, and new cameras.

But it’s that iPad screen, which literally shines when watching or editing video, that will make the biggest impact on buyers in 2021.

So should you upgrade this year? This is why you need to know about the 2021 iPad Pro.

THAT SCREEN

Apple’s big screen upgrade debuts in the biggest iPad this year, with the $1649 12.9-inch Pro model showing off ‘Liquid Retina XDR’ technology.

Those three extra letters are designed to stand for “extreme dynamic range,” but the industry standard name for Apple’s new screen technology is Mini LED.

Apple's 2021 iPad Pro 12.9 model features a Liquid Retina XDR screen.

That’s because the company has achieved its screen boost by using more than 10,000 LEDs to light up the LCD panel on this tablet — a massive jump from just 72 LEDs in the previous model.

This lighting not only serves to deliver brighter images, however, but more nuanced images.

Areas within the screen can now be dimmed to make shadows look darker, for example, and blacks not as washed-out. More contrast is possible, as is more detail in highlights.

Side by side with 2018 iPad Pro, the older model looks like it may have been left in the sun to fade a little.

The benefits of this screen technology kick in when you’re watching films or TV shows on the new iPad (more nature documentary Tiny World than Ted Lasso) or if you’re editing video or photos.

And when you see this device in full brightness, it’s hard to go back to just 72 LEDs.

THAT CHIP

Its screen will steal the attention, but the 2021 iPad Pro is also the first to get Apple’s own M1 chip. And it uses that chip to give this machine a substantial power boost.

Geekbench scores show the new iPad Pro outperforms its predecessor by a large margin and puts it right alongside a MacBook Air for power.

Apple promises a 50 per cent jump in processing power and a graphics boost of up to 40 per cent.

Apple's 2021 iPad Pro tablets comes with a power boost from the M1 chip.

The M1 chip also delivers Thunderbolt support for compatible accessories plugged into this iPad for the first time.

In our tests, this meant that we could import high-resolution RAW photos faster and then batch edit them in Adobe Lightroom without causing a crash.

It’s also possible to edit multiple streams of 4K footage in apps on this iPad (an upcoming addition to LumaFusion), or play games with graphics worthy of a console.

The reality is that the latest iPad Pro is probably more powerful than you absolutely need it to be — particularly the models with 1TB of storage or more than come with 16GB RAM — but those who have always pushed their tablets to the limit should appreciate it.

THAT CAMERA

Even the painfully camera-shy among us have spent time on video calls over the past year and the new iPad has something to make it a little easier.

The new iPad Pro comes with a 12-megapixel ultra wide camera upfront, which is best used by a new feature called Centre Stage.

Apple's 2021 iPad Pro tablets add a feature called Centre Stage.

It uses facial recognition to pinpoint you in the frame and automatically keeps your face front and centre in a video call, even when you move about.

Centre Stage works in challenging lighting conditions too, although it can’t completely overcome the side position of the iPad’s camera, which gives everyone a slight side profile.

WHAT ELSE?

Among the many features inside the new iPad Pro, its new connection could but shouldn’t be overlooked. This is the first Apple tablet to come with 5G compatibility, making it just a little bit faster and more future-proof.

This year’s model also comes with more storage at a top of two terabytes.

WHAT’S MISSING?

Some users might have been expecting a longer battery life from this iPad, given what the M1 chip did to the MacBook Air and Pro laptops earlier this year, but its focus on power means this iPad maintains its 10-hour promise.

It’s also worth noting that this model is about 40g heavier than its predecessor and just slightly thicker — thick enough to warrant the purchase of an updated Magic Keyboard.

And its attention-grabbing screen upgrade is only available in the biggest iPad this year. The 11-inch model, sadly, miss out.

IPAD PRO 12.9-IN 2021 VERDICT

Roughly every two years, those who wear glasses are asked whether they will pay more to see more. It feels like the same is being asked of iPad users here.

There are several reason to appreciate Apple’s new top model iPad — including speed, power, better video calls, 5G and more storage — but the biggest reason to make the switch is that better display and its LED army.

Those who prefer a smaller iPad or who perform power-hungry tasks on a laptop may be immune from the temptation to upgrade, but pro iPad users who wrangle or watch media on a touchscreen will find its appeal harder to ignore.