You’ve probably seen the headlines. "Thinner than an iPod Nano!" "The M4 chip is a beast!"
Honestly? Most of that is just marketing noise. If you’re dropping nearly $1,300—and that’s before you even touch a keyboard or a pencil—on the iPad Pro M4 13 inch, you deserve to know what it actually feels like to live with this thing once the "new toy" smell fades away. It’s a weird device. It is simultaneously the most impressive piece of hardware Apple has ever engineered and, arguably, one of the most frustrating computers you can buy today.
The Tandem OLED screen is the real hero here
Forget the chip for a second. The M4 is fast, sure, but you won't notice that while scrolling Reddit. What you will notice is the display. Apple calls it "Tandem OLED." Basically, they layered two OLED panels on top of each other because a single panel wasn't bright enough to hit the HDR peaks they wanted.
It’s stunning.
Deep blacks? Check. Highlights that make you squint? Absolutely. When you watch a 4K HDR film on this 13-inch canvas, the liquid crystal displays of yesteryear look like muddy garbage. But there’s a catch. Some users, including reputable testers like those at RTINGS, have noted that at very low brightness, there can be a slight "grain" or "mura" effect. It’s not a dealbreaker for most, but if you’re a professional colorist working in a dark room, it’s something to keep an eye on.
Let's talk about that impossibly thin chassis
It is 5.1mm thin. That is absurd.
Holding the iPad Pro M4 13 inch feels like holding a piece of glass from the future. It’s lighter than the previous M2 model, which actually makes a massive difference if you’re using it as a tablet and not just a docked laptop replacement. You can actually hold it with one hand for more than five minutes without your wrist screaming for mercy.
But there is a trade-off. Physics is a jerk.
Because the device is so thin, there’s less room for heat dissipation. Under sustained heavy loads—think rendering a 10-minute 4K ProRes video in LumaFusion—the back gets spicy. Not "burn your lap" hot, but noticeably warm. Apple moved the copper in the logo to help pull heat away, which is a clever bit of engineering, but you can’t cheat the laws of thermodynamics.
The M4 chip: Overkill or future-proofing?
The M4 chip is built on a second-generation 3nm process. It’s efficient. It’s powerful. It scores higher on Geekbench than many MacBook Pros.
But here is the reality: iPadOS is a straightjacket.
You have all this raw horsepower—a Neural Engine capable of 38 trillion operations per second—and you’re using it to... move windows around in Stage Manager? It feels like putting a Ferrari engine inside a golf cart. For 90% of people, the M2 or even the M1 iPad Pro is still "instant" in daily use. You only really feel the M4 when you’re doing niche tasks like AI-based masking in Final Cut Pro for iPad or heavy 3D rendering in OctaneX.
The accessories will bleed your wallet dry
If you want the full experience, you’re looking at the new Magic Keyboard. It has a function row now (finally!) and a larger haptic trackpad that feels exactly like a MacBook. It transforms the iPad Pro M4 13 inch into a "laptop," but it also brings the total weight back up to roughly the same as a MacBook Air.
And then there’s the Apple Pencil Pro.
The squeeze gesture and barrel roll are cool. Haptic feedback in a stylus feels surprisingly natural. But remember, the old Apple Pencil 2 won’t work with this iPad due to the rearranged magnets and the new landscape camera. You have to buy the new one. It’s an annoying "tax" on upgrading that Apple fans are all too familiar with.
Where the iPad Pro M4 13 inch actually wins
If you are a digital artist, this is the best device on the planet. Period. The combination of the 13-inch OLED and the Pencil Pro’s low latency is unmatched by Wacom or Samsung.
- Portable Video Editing: Editing on the go is actually fun here. The Thunderbolt port handles external SSDs like a champ.
- The "Couch" Factor: It is the ultimate luxury media consumption device.
- Professional Photographers: Using sidecar or just importing RAW files into Lightroom is a dream on this screen.
The "Pro" software wall
We have to talk about iPadOS. It’s the elephant in the room.
Apple keeps insisting the iPad isn’t a Mac, and they’re right. But when you’re paying $2,000 for a kitted-out 13-inch model, you start to wonder why you can't run a proper terminal, or why file management still feels like pulling teeth compared to macOS or Windows. Stage Manager has improved, but it still feels clunky. It tries to solve a problem that the Mac solved 30 years ago, but in a more complicated way.
If you need specialized desktop software—think full-blown AutoCAD, heavy coding environments, or complex Excel macros—the iPad Pro M4 13 inch will frustrate you. It’s not a lack of power; it’s a lack of permission.
Is the Nano-Texture glass worth it?
Apple offers a "nano-texture" glass option for the 1TB and 2TB models. It’s meant to kill reflections.
Unless you work outside in direct sunlight or under heavy studio lights, skip it. It slightly softens the contrast and makes those beautiful OLED blacks look a tiny bit grey in certain lighting. Plus, it’s a pain to clean. Stick to the standard glossy glass for that "pop" that OLED is famous for.
Making the right choice for your bank account
Don't buy the 1TB model just because you think you need the extra RAM or the "full" 10-core CPU. The 256GB and 512GB models have 8GB of RAM, and for iPadOS, that is plenty. Most people will never hit the ceiling of the 9-core CPU found in the lower storage tiers.
Save that money. Buy a nice pair of headphones or, honestly, just keep it in your pocket.
The iPad Pro M4 13 inch is a specialist's tool disguised as a consumer gadget. It’s for the person who wants the absolute best display tech available today and doesn't mind the quirks of a mobile-first operating system. It is a stunning achievement in hardware that is still waiting for its software to grow up.
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Actionable Steps for Potential Buyers
- Check your apps first: Before buying, verify that the "Pro" apps you need actually exist on iPadOS. Don't assume.
- Go to the store: You need to feel the weight of the 13-inch vs. the 11-inch. The 13-inch is a productivity beast, but the 11-inch is a much better "tablet."
- Audit your storage: If you aren't editing 4K video directly on the device, 256GB or 512GB is usually more than enough, especially with iCloud or external SSDs.
- Budget for the "Extras": Factor in $349 for the Magic Keyboard and $129 for the Pencil Pro. That "starting price" is a lie for most power users.
- Consider the M2: If you don't care about OLED or the thinnness, the M2 iPad Pro 12.9 is still an incredible machine and is currently seeing massive discounts on the refurbished market.
The hardware has officially outpaced the software. Whether that matters to you depends entirely on whether you’re looking for a computer that can be a tablet, or a tablet that’s trying its hardest to be a computer.