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  [credit: Kevin Purdy ]

If you’re an Apple Pencil devotee, someone who shoots or encodes a lot of photos and video on an iPad, or someone upgrading from a much-older, slower iPad, the new 2022 iPad Pro has a lot going for you. It presents a solid CPU/GPU upgrade to what is already the fastest, most capable tablet around. But if there was ever a year to hold out for the next Pro model, this would be it.

The iPad Pro sports the same Apple-designed system-on-a-chip as the latest Macs, the M2. Compared to M1-based iPads or even older A12X and A12Z models, the M2 isn't a revolutionary upgrade. There’s more speed here, especially for those working in editing, rendering, and compiling, but most people won't feel it—it was already a fluid, fast slab.

There are some big new ideas for managing windows and workflows in iPadOS 16, including Stage Manager, which is exclusive to mid-to-higher-end iPads that are mostly on Apple chips. It's a nice feature, but it's not honed enough yet to be completely useful. And there are some frustrations carried over from previous models, including the fact that the front-facing camera is on the wrong side for landscape-mode video calls.