The 11-inch iPad Pro 2022 doesn’t seem 'Pro' anymore

The eleven-inch iPad Pro 2021 doesn't seem 'Pro' anymore

(Prototype credit: Apple tree)

The xi-inch iPad Pro 2021 breaks from Apple'due south trend of trying to make devices as similar as possible across sizes — and the effect is not great for anyone who wants a smaller tablet (or spend less cash). Yes, while the iPhone 12 line is the aforementioned except for rear camera feature or ii and the 2020 iPad Pros were identical save for size, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021 can tout a huge characteristic over its smaller sibling: a much ameliorate screen.

And the result is that we now have iii iPads that share a design — the iPad Air 2020, the eleven-inch iPad Pro and the 12.nine-inch iPad Pro — and they're all different in ways beyond their footprint. And while the 11-inch iPad Pro has some great new tricks, I wonder if it will feel more than like the iPad Air than its bigger blood brother.

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How the xi-inch iPad Pro compares

	iPad Air 2020	11-inch iPad Pro 2021	12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021
Starting price	$599	$799	$one,099
Display	10.9 inches (2360 10 1640)	xi inches (2388 x 1668 pixels)	12.9 inches (2732 x 2048 pixels) mini-LED
Processor	A14 Bionic	M1 (16-core)	M1 (16-core)
Storage	64GB, 256GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
Rear Cameras	12MP (f/1.8)	12MP wide (f/1.8), ten-MP ultra-wide (f/2.4)	12MP wide (f/1.eight), 10-MP ultra-wide (f/ii.4)
Front Cameras	7MP TrueDepth	12MP TrueDepth	12MP TrueDepth
Dimensions	9.74 vs seven 10 0.24 inches	9.74 ten 7.02 x 0.23 inches	11.04 10 8.46 x 0.25 inches
Weight	ane pound	1.04 pounds	1.51 pounds
Port	USB-C	USB-C with Thunderbolt, USB-4	USB-C with Thunderbolt, USB-iv
Accessories	Magic Keyboard, Apple tree Pencil (gen 1 & 2)	Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil (gen i & 2)	Magic Keyboard, Apple tree Pencil (gen ane & 2)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6, optional 4G LTE	Wi-Fi 6, optional 5G	Wi-Fi 6, optional 5G

What the 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 lacks

The one big omission from the 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 is found in its screen, arguably the most important component of the tablet. While the 12.nine-inch iPad Pro has a Liquid Retina XDR brandish (more than on what that means in a second), the 11-inch iPad Pro has a traditional LED backlit brandish. That's practically the aforementioned display as the iPad Air, just 0.1 inches shorter in its diagonal measurement.

And every bit long as you never meet the new 12.ix-inch iPad Pro for yourself, you might exist OK buying the 11-inch iPad Pro. But we already know enough to think that it will probably exist worth it to spend the extra $300 on the 12.9-inch model. The reasons to get big start with mini-LEDs, which are central in striking the brightness ratings Apple tree's challenge: 1,000 nits for the full screen, with 1,600 nits of superlative brightness in HDR mode. This is possible considering the increased density of the mini-LEDs, which are 120x smaller than those in the eleven-inch iPad Pro and iPad Air.

The 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 won't make your videos look as great as you edit. — (Image credit: Apple)

Those mini-LEDs enable Extreme Dynamic Range (XDR), giving Apple tree the correct to claim a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. And because the mini-LEDs are grouped into 2,500 local dimming zones, you can dim the darker corners of an epitome while keeping the brighter sections especially bright, for overall accuracy and visual quality.

Apple speaks of this technology as giving filmmakers the abilities to run into their "dailies" in exquisite quality no matter where they are, and for image editors to encounter their photos await perfectly. And the inexplicable absence of an XDR/mini-LED panel from the 11-inch iPad Pro means that anyone who cares about flick or prototype quality will definitely be wary almost their purchase.

Heck, information technology even makes the electric current MacBook Pros seem a little less-than-pro as well. That said, we exercise wait the MacBook Pro 2021 to pack a mini-LED display.

The 11-inch iPad Pro 2021's big Pro feature

That said, we can't omit mention of the Apple tree M1 chip replacing the A12Z Bionic flake in both the 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 and its 12.9-inch big brother. This is the big Pro-level differentiator that puts the eleven-inch model to a higher place.

The M1 chip, as we've seen in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini, is a speedy little piece of Apple silicon. Apple tree claims that its 8-core CPU will improve full general operation by upward to 50%, and that its 8-cadre GPU will up graphics performance by 40%.

The 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 gets the M1, which ensures that it's as fast as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro — (Epitome credit: Apple tree)

Those gains are no joke, especially when the iPad Pro was pretty fast to brainstorm with. Apple's even promising that games with "panel-quality graphics at high frame rates" will exist possible, though they didn't call out the high-performing Xbox Serial X or PS5 by proper noun, so we're not sure.

So, video and image editors will all go the operation boosts they want from the 2021 iPad Pro, no matter what size they cull.

Oh, and the 11-inch iPad Pro also packs the improved Thunderbolt/USB-four port, and speedier storage access. On top of that, you also get the Center Stage webcam play tricks for keeping you lot at the heart of your call. I'm not writing these feature off or scoffing at them. They're simply likely not as of import as the M1 bit.

11-inch iPad Pro 2021 outlook

When prototype quality matters so much to moving picture and photo, it'southward hard to envision anyone not going with the 12.nine-inch iPad Pro 2021 ... if their budget supports it. And that'due south why information technology's so frustrating that the iPad Pro that feels truly professional is $300 more, an increment of 38% from the new 11-inch iPad Pro'south toll.

In fact, the XDR/mini-LED screen of the 12.ix-inch iPad Pro 2021 seems like something that everyone volition want, if they run into it for themselves. We don't know why it's limited to only the bigger iPad (a design limitation?), but I bet everyone would desire their images in the Photos app to look better, for Ted Lasso season 2 and all the other perks. To limit this huge upgrade to only those with the biggest budgets isn't exactly surprising, merely the xi-inch iPad Pro's $799 price, before a Magic Keyboard or Apple Pencil, is already pretty high on its ain.

And so I wonder if people who want a smaller tablet, or are concerned with spending, will opt for the $599 iPad Air over the 11-inch iPad Pro. For $200 less, yous become a pretty similar tablet that supports all the aforementioned accessories, and it has the same screen every bit the 11-inch iPad Pro. Is that a good merchandise off when you give up the M1 chip and Confront ID? Hopefully, Apple tree's 2022 iPad Pro lineup won't push button people to think about these merchandise-offs.

Read side by side: When will we get the new iPad 2021?

Henry is a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple tree, reviewing devices and services for the past half dozen-plus years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He'due south also covered the wild world of professional person wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.