M1 iPad Pro 12.9 Vs. M1 MacBook Pro: Which Is The Better Buy In 2021?

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro shares the same M1 chip and many other specifications of the MacBook Pro, so which is a better buy and for what use cases?

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Apple recently released a big update to the iPad Pro, which is powered by the same processor found in the newest M1 Mac computers. This brings Apple’s largest and most powerful tablet closer than ever to laptop performance levels, creating an opportunity to compare the best iPad Pro to the newest MacBook Pro. While form factor and app availability play a big part in keeping many users on laptops, the gap is closing rapidly.

In November, Apple surprised many in the computer industry with the raw power of its M1 system-on-a-chip, the first chip in the upcoming transition from Intel CPUs to Apple Silicon. Apple claims its M1 is up to 3.5-times faster for CPU performance, as much as 6-times better GPU performance, and 15-times quicker machine learning, while doing this so efficiently that the battery can last up to twice as long as previous-generation MacBook laptops. Third-party testing in the last few months has confirmed these M1 claims are justified. It really is a remarkable chip.

Now, the iPad Pro is powered by the same M1 as every new Mac released since November of 2020. That means the M1 iPad Pro processor can technically match the performance of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, the Mac mini, and the newest iMac desktops that launched in April of 2021. Of course, devices that draw power from a wired connection don’t have to consider battery life and therefore have an advantage. Devices with larger cases and fans may be able to sustain the higher processor speeds for longer before the heat begins to require the chip to limit the speed to allow for cooling. Since the iPad Pro is much thinner (6.4-millimeters) than the MacBook Pro (15.6-millimeters) and doesn’t contain fans, the laptop will have an advantage during heavy, sustained workloads. This may not be noticeable for some users, but working with multiple streams of 4K resolution video, modeling complicated 3D objects or other challenging tasks may reveal the MacBook Pro’s advantage.

iPad Pro Vs. MacBook Pro: Display

The MacBook Pro has a 13.3-inch wide color gamut display with 227 pixels-per-inch, True Tone technology, and 500 nits of brightness. It’s a very nice screen for a laptop, but the 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a remarkable new XDR Display with 264 pixels-per-inch that is backed by 10,000 Mini-LEDs, allowing high dynamic range content to display with a brightness of 1,600 nits. The precise control of the advanced backlighting delivers a contrast ratio of one-million-to-one. It matches the MacBook Pro’s P3 color gamut and True Tone white balance capability, as well as exceeding its resolution. The only advantage the laptop display provides is a slight diagonal size advantage, though the iPad Pro screen still has a larger surface area since its aspect ratio is closer to square at 4:3 to the MacBook Pro’s 16:10.

iPad Pro Vs. MacBook Pro: Use Cases

The books are balancing again with wins for both types of Apple devices. Where the MacBook Pro may clinch the victory is in professional apps. From the beginning, a Mac computer has always been designed to run advanced apps that meet the specific needs of professionals, while an iPad began as a media consumption device that could also browse the internet. The iPad Pro has had six years of app development, but few complex apps were attempted in the early days. That has changed more recently and apps like Affinity Designer, LumaFusion, and Shapr3D have led the way and altered opinions about what is possible on a tablet. However, a few years of development can’t compete with the decades of software designed for the macOS. While not as extensive as the Windows library of apps, the Mac runs most of the industry-leading software that businesses and organizations rely upon. There will continue to be a need for computers for many more years, even if the iPad eclipses the performance of a Mac someday.

Clearly, the iPad Pro wins in terms of touchscreen interaction and drawing with the Apple Pencil. When using a MacBook Pro, the closest thing to drawing is with the touchpad or connecting an iPad or graphics tablet to get a similar experience. The iPad Pro can accept handwritten notes made with the Pencil as if the text was typed in. Directly touching the screen can also speed up some interactions, but sometimes causes problems when the finger obscures the very thing the user is trying to see. It’s a mixed bag with a touchscreen, but it is better to have the option and the iPad Pro also allows use with a keyboard, trackpad, and mouse when needed. The MacBook Pro does have the TouchBar, but that really only serves as customizable function keys, lacking most of the value of a full touchscreen. The touchpad does allow the use of gestures, so it comes close to the ease of using iPadOS in some cases. Generally, the Mac is keyboard and mouse pointer-focused, while the iPad has always been touch-based, with the Apple Pencil having become well-integrated as an input device as well more recently.

iPad Pro Vs. MacBook Pro: Pricing & Cellular

The improved display technology of the iPad Pro 12.9 may be more important to some users than it is to push for the best possible performance and many do not need to run Mac apps. The iPad App Store is very large and there are plenty of powerful apps with more soon to appear since the M1 chip brings even more performance to this slim tablet. The price and cellular capability may be the final considerations. The 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro starts at $1,099, but only includes 128-gigabytes of storage. To match the 256-gigabytes base storage of the MacBook Pro which costs $1,299, the 12.9 iPad Pro cost climbs to $1,199. Pricing is very close for these two devices. Stepping up to the 1-terabyte storage level, the iPad Pro doubles the included RAM to 16-gigabytes while the price jumps to $1,799. Matching the memory and storage brings the MacBook Pro raises to $1,899. Throughout the pricing tiers, the M1 MacBook Pro costs just $100 more than the similarly equipped M1 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Of course, the MacBook Pro comes with a keyboard and trackpad, which adds $349 to the price if choosing Apple’s Magic Keyboard with the trackpad. The iPad Pro can be configured with 5G capability for $200 more, but there is no cellular option for the MacBook Pro.

Apple’s best tablet and best 13-inch laptop are closely matched devices, but many of the features draw clear distinctions and identify specific ways that they can be used. For a mix of casual and work use, the iPad Pro is probably the better value, but for heavy workloads or industry-standard apps, the MacBook Pro will complete the task faster and easier. Artists will be drawn to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil for painting and mobile creativity. The MacBook Pro’s built-in keyboard and precise mouse pointer control will appeal to writers and those pursuing technical work. Either is capable of facilitating a wide variety of tasks, but it is simply quicker and easier to accomplish some things on a tablet and other things on a laptop. A case can easily be made for owning an Apple tablet and an Apple laptop. One or both of those devices might include M1 12.9-inch iPad Pro and an M1 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/m1-ipad-pro-12-9-vs-m1-macbook-pro-comparison/