Apple’s latest 11-inch iPad Pro received its first $749 discount | Engadget

Apple’s latest 11-inch iPad Pro has received its first discount, with Amazon and B&H dropping the 128GB version of the new tablet for $749. It’s a modest $50 off and still quite pricey, but Apple only rolled out this refresh a few weeks ago. If you were already planning on picking up the device before the holidays, this deal saves you a few bucks compared to buying direct from Apple. Just know that the deal only applies to the Space Gray model.

The new iPad Pro is a minor refresh over the previous model that launched in 2021. The main upgrades are a processor bump – the M1 SoC powering last year’s model has been replaced by the M2 SoC first seen both in this year’s MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro – and a new feature for the second-generation Apple Pencil that lets you preview input and effects with the stylus just by passing it across the screen. WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 networks are also supported, instead of WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

That’s about it, though. The M2 chip is a nice raw performance upgrade for media editing and general future-proofing, but the M1 is still more than powerful enough for most things people would do with an iPad, and tablet design and Accessory support is otherwise unchanged. The latest 11-inch iPad Pro is on sale for $700 at the time of this writing, so if you’re willing to buy an older model to save a little more cash, this is still a worthwhile option.

That said, if you want the latest and greatest, the 2022 model is still superb hardware. We gave it an 87 rating last week. While the more affordable iPad Air offers enough features to be a better assess for the most part — especially with its $520 discount — the 11-inch iPad Pro continues to be a superior tablet, with support for a smoother 120Hz refresh rate, higher peak brightness, much improved speakers and Face ID support. It also starts with 128GB of storage; the Air starts with half that, and you have to upgrade to a 256GB model if you want to upgrade. It would currently set you back $679 (or $749 at MSRP), which makes the 11-inch Pro price a bit more competitive, if still pricey.

The 11-inch Pro is still overkill for most people’s iPad needs, and even with iPadOS’ new Stage Manager multitasking feature, it won’t completely replace most people’s MacBooks. (The base 10.2-inch iPad is probably still the best overall deal for casual iPad users, but it’s almost a different class of device at this point.) The 11-inch Pro also lacks the brighter and noticeably more vibrant mini-LED display of the more expensive 12.9-inch Pro. However, it’s still a solid choice for power users or serious artists looking to upgrade from an aging iPad Air or iPad Pro. We may see a bigger discount compared to Black Friday, but we wouldn’t expect since the device has just been released.

In other iPad deals, the cellular version of the 10th generation iPad is also on sale for $20 off in yellow. We see these sorts of minor Apple deals from Amazon quite often, but again, this is the first discount yet for a brand new model. Our review found it harder to recommend in the context of the wider iPad lineup, but if you need a cellular tablet and can live with a non-laminated display and Pencil support from first generation, it may be interesting.

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