First impressions at the neighborhood coffee shop
I was waiting for a rain‑soaked delivery while my motion‑graphics deadline ticked away. The moment the Apple box cracked, the 12.9‑inch model felt 682 g in my palm – lighter than the 1.2 kg MacBook Air I lug around daily, yet still solid enough to convince me it wouldn’t bend. The screen lit up with a glare that nearly overpowered the fluorescent ceiling, and the faint whirr of the internal fan (yes, the Pro finally got one) reminded me I was holding a mini‑workstation.
Within ten minutes I had Photoshop, Final Cut Pro and Blender running side‑by‑side. The M3 lived up to the hype: scrolling felt as smooth as coconut water on a Brazilian beach. The downside showed up fast – after a half‑hour of rendering, the back warmed to 45 °C, like a tiny microwave, but the battery still clung to 80 %.
Design & ergonomics
Apple kept the 5.9 mm bezel and milled 6063‑series aluminum. The matte Space Gray finish resists fingerprints, a small win for anyone who spends hours tapping the screen. The Magic Keyboard, sold separately, snaps on like a natural extension, but its ≈600 g adds bulk that can tire you on long flights.
Weight comparison
| Device | Weight |
|---|---|
| iPad Pro 12.9" M3 | 682 g |
| Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra (2024) | 726 g |
| Surface Pro 10 (2025) | 770 g |
The iPad still leads the pack, especially for all‑day carry.
Under the hood: M3 chip and memory
The heart is an 8‑core M3 (4 performance, 4 efficiency) + 10‑core GPU. Apple claims up to 30 % faster AI performance than the M2, and Geekbench 6 scores I logged confirm it: 12,800 (single‑core) and 85,000 (multi‑core). Opening 30 Safari tabs never hiccupped.
- 16 GB of RAM is reserved for the 1 TB model; the 128 GB starter ships with 8 GB – enough for most tasks but a bottleneck for 8K pipelines.
- The 1 TB NVMe SSD reads at 7.4 GB/s, nearly double the 2023 Pro’s speed.
Real‑world benchmarks
- 4 K video (30 fps) rendered in 2 min 45 s on Final Cut Pro, versus 3 min 30 s on the M2.
- Core ML object‑recognition model trained 42 % faster than on the 2023 iPad.
Display and audio: visual immersion
The 12.9‑inch Liquid Retina XDR mini‑LED still tops the class: 1,000 nits typical, 1,600 nits peak HDR. DXOMARK rates it 95 points, edging out the iPhone 15 Pro Max. ProMotion’s adaptive 120 Hz makes scroll feel like a lazy river.
Four speakers with Dolby Atmos fill a small room, but push the volume past 80 % and the highs acquire a faint hiss – a quirk I rarely see mentioned.
iPadOS 18 and the apps you’ll actually use
Stage Manager got a UI polish and Universal Control now works seamlessly with macOS 15. I built a workflow that jumps from Notability to LumaFusion, Affinity Photo, and Microsoft Teams without a pause. Live Text now reads 3‑D text, handy for quick CAD note‑taking.
Apps worth installing
- LumaFusion – real‑time 4 K rendering thanks to the M3.
- Affinity Photo – a one‑time purchase that rivals Photoshop.
- Procreate – still king for illustration, now supports the newest 0.1 mm stylus tip.
- Microsoft Loop – live collaboration that feels native on the iPad.
Battery life and charging
Apple rates the 40.5 Wh cell at up to 14 h web browsing. In my test, 12 h 30 min of 4 K video playback drained the battery to 5 %. USB‑C/Thunderbolt 4 pushes the charge to 50 % in 22 min, but the included 30 W charger feels sluggish compared to the 65 W bricks that ship with many Android flagships.
US pricing
| Model | Storage | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| iPad Pro 12.9" | 128 GB | $2,699 |
| iPad Pro 12.9" | 1 TB | $4,399 |
| Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra | 256 GB | $1,879 |
Apple’s premium still commands a gap, but the XDR screen and ecosystem may justify the outlay for pros.
You might be wondering…
How does it handle video editing?
It delivers desktop‑class performance up to 8 K. In LumaFusion, 4 K exports were 25 % faster than on the 2023 Pro.
Can it replace a laptop for development?
Controversially, I still think it falls short of a full‑blown laptop. The Magic Keyboard helps, but Xcode requires macOS. Still, for rapid UI prototyping and API testing, it’s a solid sidekick.
Pros
- M3 power – up to 30 % AI boost, proven in benchmarks.
- Brilliant display – 1,600 nits HDR, 120 Hz ProMotion.
- Sub‑700 g – lighter than most 12‑inch competitors.
- Ecosystem glue – seamless hand‑off with macOS, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard.
- Future‑proof I/O – Thunderbolt 4, Wi‑Fi 7, optional 5G.
Cons
- Back heats to 45 °C during long renders, which can be uncomfortable on a lap.
- Base price near $2,700 keeps it out of reach for casual users.
- 30 W charger limits fast‑charge speed compared to rivals.
- High‑frequency hiss above 80 % volume.
- 8 GB RAM on the entry model may choke heavy AI‑centric multitasking.
Who should buy it
- Creators needing desktop‑grade compute in a portable shell.
- Anyone already invested in the Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPhone, Watch).
- Design students who crave an accurate, bright canvas.
Who should look elsewhere
- Budget‑focused media consumers.
- Developers who rely on native iOS/macOS compilation.
- Frequent travelers who need ultra‑fast 65 W charging without lugging an extra brick.
Final verdict
Score: 8.7/10 – The iPad Pro M3 offers unmatched screen quality and raw power, but the heating under sustained load and the steep price keep it from being flawless.
If you decide to take the plunge, check out the latest deals at Buy at Amazon and keep an eye on seasonal discounts.
FAQ
1. Does it work with the 2nd‑gen Apple Pencil? Yes – magnetic attachment and wireless charging are still a thing.
2. What’s the practical difference between the 11‑inch and 12.9‑inch models? The larger version uses the XDR mini‑LED panel; the 11‑inch sticks with a Liquid Retina LCD. Internally they share the same M3 chip.
3. Can I hook up external 4K monitors? Thunderbolt 4 drives up to two 4K @ 60 Hz displays simultaneously.
4. How long does the iPadOS 18 upgrade take? Roughly 12 minutes with about 2 GB of free storage.
5. Do I need the 1 TB model if I’m not editing video? Probably not. The 256 GB variant already covers most creative workflows.
