Let's be real for a second. When you hold the 12.9 inch iPad Pro, it doesn't feel like a tablet. It feels like you’ve ripped the screen off a high-end laptop and decided to live your life on the edge. It’s huge. It’s heavy. And honestly, it’s probably the most polarizing piece of tech Apple has ever made because it sits in this weird limbo between "I can do everything" and "Why am I still reaching for my MacBook?"
I’ve spent years watching people try to make this their only computer. Some thrive. Others end up with a very expensive Netflix machine that hurts their wrists after twenty minutes.
The Liquid Retina XDR screen is basically a lie (in a good way)
Most people don't actually understand what makes the 12.9 inch iPad Pro screen different from its smaller siblings. It’s not just the size. It’s the Mini-LED backlighting. Apple calls it Liquid Retina XDR, but basically, it’s 10,000 tiny LEDs crammed behind the glass.
Compare that to the 11-inch model. The 11-inch uses a standard LCD.
The difference? Contrast. On the 12.9-inch, black looks black. Not dark gray. Not "almost black." Pure, void-of-the-universe black. If you’re a colorist or someone who obsesses over HDR content, the 11-inch feels like a toy once you've seen the XDR display. It’s why photographers like Austin Mann have consistently praised the device for field workflows; it’s literally a reference-grade monitor you can shove in a backpack.
But there’s a catch. Bloom. Because there are 2,500 local dimming zones, sometimes white text on a black background gets a little "glowy" around the edges. It’s a physical limitation of the tech. Does it matter? To most people, no. To a pixel-peeper at 2:00 AM in a dark room? Maybe.
Why the M2 (and now M4) chip actually matters
We have to talk about the silicon. Apple started putting the M-series chips—the same ones in their laptops—into these tablets.
It’s absurd.
The 12.9 inch iPad Pro has more raw power than most Windows laptops sold today. But here is the frustrating part: iPadOS is like a Ferrari stuck in a school zone. You have all this power, but the software barely lets you use it. You can render 4K video in LumaFusion faster than a desktop, yet you still can't easily format a USB drive or manage complex file structures without wanting to scream.
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Stage Manager was supposed to fix this. It’s... okay. It’s better than it was, certainly. Using the 12.9 inch iPad Pro with an external monitor now feels like a real workstation setup. But it’s still not macOS. You have to learn a whole new "language" of window management that feels just a bit clunky compared to the 30-year-old logic of a desktop cursor.
The weight tax: A heavy price for greatness
You cannot ignore the physics.
The 12.9 inch iPad Pro weighs about 1.5 pounds. That sounds light until you attach the Magic Keyboard. Suddenly, you’re at nearly 3 pounds.
That is MacBook Air territory.
If you are buying this to read eBooks in bed, stop. Just don't do it. Your nose will thank you when you inevitably drop it. This is a "desk tablet." It’s designed for the person who sits at a coffee shop, snaps it into a keyboard, and cranks out 3,000 words or a storyboard.
- It’s a digital canvas for artists (Procreate is a dream here).
- It’s a mobile video editing suite.
- It is not a casual couch device.
What most people get wrong about the battery
"Up to 10 hours of battery life."
That’s what the box says. In reality? If you are using that XDR display at 100% brightness to edit HDR video, you will be lucky to see six hours. Mini-LED is thirsty. Pushing those 10,000 LEDs takes a lot of juice.
I’ve talked to many users who were disappointed that their 12.9 inch iPad Pro died faster than their old iPad Air. You have to manage your expectations. If you’re doing light office work, sure, it lasts all day. If you’re a "Pro" user doing "Pro" things, bring a charger. Or better yet, buy a high-wattage power bank.
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The Apple Pencil factor
If you don't use the Apple Pencil, you are missing 50% of why this device exists. The 12.9-inch canvas is almost exactly the size of a standard sheet of paper. For architects using Morpholio Trace or illustrators using Clip Studio Paint, that 1:1 scale is everything.
The "Hover" feature on the newer models is neat, but let's be honest, it's a niche benefit. It shows you where your pen will land before it touches. Useful for artists? Yes. Necessary for everyone else? Probably not.
The elephant in the room: Price vs. Value
Let’s look at the math.
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch: $1,099 (starting)
- Magic Keyboard: $349
- Apple Pencil: $129
You’re looking at over $1,500 before you even buy a single app or a screen protector. For that price, you can buy a very well-specced 14-inch MacBook Pro.
The MacBook has a better keyboard. It has a trackpad that doesn't feel cramped. It has "real" multitasking.
So why buy the iPad?
Because the MacBook doesn't have a touchscreen. It doesn't have cellular connectivity (the 5G on the iPad Pro is life-changing for commuters). It doesn't let you draw directly on the screen. The 12.9 inch iPad Pro is for the person who hates the "clamshell" lifestyle. It’s for the person who wants to tear their screen off the base and walk into a meeting to show a client a design.
Real-world performance: Does it actually replace a laptop?
I’ve tried. Many have.
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The answer is: Yes, but with caveats.
If your job is "Web-based," you're fine. Safari on the iPad is a desktop-class browser. It handles Google Docs, WordPress, and Slack perfectly.
If your job involves heavy Excel work—we’re talking macros and complex pivot tables—you will hate your life. The mobile version of Excel is a shadow of the desktop app. Same goes for high-end coding. While apps like Swift Playgrounds are getting better, you aren't going to be compiling massive C++ projects on this thing anytime soon.
The Audio and Mic setup is low-key incredible
One thing nobody talks about is the speakers. There are four of them. They are louder and richer than the speakers on many 15-inch laptops. If you’re traveling and want to watch a movie in a hotel room, the 12.9 inch iPad Pro is arguably the best portable theater on the planet.
The "studio-quality" mics are also surprisingly good. I’ve heard podcasts recorded entirely on an iPad Pro that sounded better than people using cheap USB mics. It’s a sleeper feature for journalists and creators who need to record high-quality scratch tracks on the go.
Final Verdict: Who is this actually for?
The 12.9 inch iPad Pro is a niche tool that Apple marketed as a mass-market device.
It is for the digital artist. It is for the executive who only does email and needs a high-status "clipboard." It is for the video editor who wants to work on the plane.
It is not for the student who just needs to take notes (get the Air). It is not for the casual gamer (get the 11-inch).
Actionable steps for potential buyers:
- Go to an Apple Store first. Do not buy this sight unseen. Hold it. Feel the weight. If it feels too big in the store, it will feel even bigger at home.
- Check your apps. Make sure the specific software you need isn't a "lite" version on iPadOS. Search forums for "[App Name] iPad vs Mac" before you pull the trigger.
- Look for refurbished M1 models. Honestly, the M1 12.9-inch iPad Pro still has the Mini-LED screen and plenty of power. You can often save $300-$400 by going one generation back without losing any major features.
- Invest in a matte screen protector if you plan on writing a lot. Writing on glass feels like ice skating with your fingers. A "paper-like" film makes a world of difference for handwriting.
The 12.9 inch iPad Pro is a magnificent piece of engineering that is still waiting for its software to catch up to its hardware. It’s beautiful, frustrated, powerful, and expensive. It’s the best tablet in the world, even if it’s still trying to figure out exactly what a tablet should be.