What changed the most (this is the real story)
1. Display: the biggest generational leap
2022: mini-LED (12.9") / LCD (11")
2024: Tandem OLED (“Ultra Retina XDR”)
What that means in practice:
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Much deeper blacks (true OLED contrast)
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Better HDR control (less blooming than mini-LED)
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Higher sustained brightness in SDR/HDR use
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Noticeably thinner and lighter device overall
This is the first time the iPad Pro display truly matches modern high-end OLED standards, putting it closer to premium TVs and phones than previous iPads.
2. Design: thinner + lighter = real usability change
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2024 models are significantly thinner (down to ~5.1 mm)
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Noticeable weight reduction (especially 13-inch model)
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New “space black” finish option
This is not just cosmetic—it changes:
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portability
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tablet-hand comfort
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“laptop replacement” feel in long sessions
3. Chip: M4 vs M2 is a platform shift
2022: Apple M2 chip
2024: Apple M4 chip
Key difference isn’t just speed:
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M4 is built for efficiency + AI workloads
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Better neural engine performance for on-device AI tasks
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Improved sustained performance under load
Important nuance:
For most everyday apps, you won’t “feel” double speed. The gain shows up more in:
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AI features
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3D rendering
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video workflows
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long sustained workloads
4. Accessories ecosystem shift (quiet but important)
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Apple Pencil (2nd gen) → Apple Pencil Pro
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Magic Keyboard redesigned (more laptop-like integration)
This affects:
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drawing workflow (squeeze, barrel roll, haptics on Pencil Pro)
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professional note-taking / illustration precision
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typing experience consistency
5. Front camera + orientation logic improved
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2022: portrait-oriented front camera
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2024: landscape Ultra Wide front camera
This fixes a long-standing issue:
- better video calls when using keyboard/dock setups
6. Connectivity and media pipeline upgrades
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AV1 decode support (better streaming efficiency)
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Faster memory bandwidth
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Improved video encoding pipeline (including higher-end formats)
These matter most for:
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video editors
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streaming efficiency (Netflix/YouTube compression)
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pro workflows
What did NOT fundamentally change
This is important because it explains why upgrades still feel “incremental” to many users:
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iPadOS is still the same core experience
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No radical multitasking redesign
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Same app ecosystem limitations vs macOS
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No new “killer software mode”
So the upgrade is hardware-forward, not software-redefining.
The real takeaway across all your comparisons
Looking at iPhone, iPad Air, and iPad Pro together, Apple’s strategy is consistent:
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Pro devices = display + media pipeline + AI hardware upgrades
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Non-Pro devices = form factor + usability refinements
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Software stays relatively stable across generations
Bottom line (practical interpretation)
The 2024 iPad Pro is less about changing what an iPad is and more about:
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making it thinner
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making the display dramatically better
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pushing it closer to a “display-first computing slab” rather than an LCD tablet
If you want, I can map all the 2024 Apple device upgrades (iPhone 16, Pro, iPad Air, iPad Pro) into a single “which upgrade actually matters” hierarchy, so you can see where Apple is spending its real engineering effort.