Apple iPad Pro with M4 chip UK release date, price, how to pre-order

❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more)

The RadioTimes.com Technology team are hand to tell you everything you need to know about this ground-breaking new smart device, including all-important information such as the price and when you can get your hands on the Apple iPad Pro.

Despite its thinner and lighter design, the new Apple iPad Pro packs in more capabilities to take performance to the next level, whether you use your iPad for work or for play.

Speaking about the launch of the new device, John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, said: "iPad Pro empowers a broad set of pros and is perfect for anyone who wants the ultimate iPad experience — with its combination of the world’s best displays, extraordinary performance of our latest M-series chips, and advanced accessories — all in a portable design."

Ternus continues, saying: "Today, we’re taking it even further with the new, stunningly thin and light iPad Pro, our biggest update ever to iPad Pro. With the breakthrough Ultra Retina XDR display, the next-level performance of M4, incredible AI capabilities, and support for the all-new Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, there’s no device like the new iPad Pro."

Let's take a closer look.

Did you know the Google Pixel 8a release date has been announced?

Jump to:

Apple iPad Pro UK release date
Apple iPad Pro UK price
Apple iPad Pro design
Apple iPad Pro features
Where to buy the new Apple iPad Pro in the UK

Apple iPad Pro UK release date: when does the new 2024 iPad come out?

The Apple iPad Pro is available to pre-order from right now (Wednesday 8th May) at the Apple Store.

All variations of the Apple iPad Pro — 11-inch and 13-inch, Silver and Space Black colourways, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB configurations — are available to pre-order.

You'll be able to buy the Apple iPad Pro outright from next Wednesday 15th May.

Apple iPad Pro UK price: how much does the new 202 iPad cost?

Apple iPad Pro editing feature — Apple iPad Pro. Apple iPad Pro via Apple

There are a few different price points for the new Apple iPad Pro, depending on whether you opt for a Wi-Fi only model or a Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and depending on if you'd prefer the 11-inch Apple iPad Pro or the larger 13-inch version. The Technology team has broken down each variation for you, including how much the additional accessories cost.

The 11-inch Apple iPad Pro starts from £999 for the Wi-Fi model and from £1,999 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

The 13-inch Apple iPad Pro is priced from £1,299 for the Wi-Fi model and from £1,499 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. There's the option for additional technical specifications, such as the nano-texture glass option, but more on that later.

Apple also offers 'education pricing', which sees the 11-inch and 13-inch Apple iPad Pros priced £100 less for current and newly accepted university students, parents buying for university students, and teachers and staff at all levels. Education pricing is also applicable on the Apple iPad Pro accessories, too.

The new Apple Pencil Pro is available for £129, and £119 for education.

Pre-order the Apple Pencil Pro for £129 at John Lewis

The Apple Pencil (USB-C) is available for £79, and £69 for education.

The 11-inch Magic Keyboard will set you back £299, and £279 for education. Whereas the 13-inch Magic Keyboard will cost you £349, and £329 for education. The brand-new Magic Keyboard is available in Black and White finishes.

The Smart Folio is available for £79 for the 11-inch Apple iPad Pro, and for £99 for the 13-inch Apple iPad Pro. This new Smart Folio comes in Black, White, and, interestingly, Denim finishes.

Are you looking to switch to Apple Music? Take a look at our Apple Music vs Spotify and Apple Music vs Amazon Music guides to help you choose.

Plus, here are the latest Apple Music offers.

Apple iPad Pro design

The brand-new Apple iPad Pro comes in Space Black and Silver colourways, and in two, portable sizes: 11-inch Apple iPad Pro and 13-inch Apple iPad Pro. As Apple moves towards becoming more sustainable, both Apple iPad Pros have 100% recycled aluminium enclosures.

The new Apple iPad Pro is the thinnest Apple product ever; the 11-inch Apple iPad Pro comes in at just 5.3mm in thickness, and the 13-inch Apple iPad Pro is even thinner at 5.1mm.

You saw us mention the Ultra Retina XDR display earlier, but what is it? And have we seen it before? The new Apple iPad Pro debuts the Ultra Retina XDR display: the world's most advanced display according to Apple. The Ultra Retina XDR display uses two OLED panels and combines the light from both of them to create full-screen brightness — an incredible 1,000 nits of brightness for SDR and HDR content, and 1,600 nits of peak brightness for HDR, to be exact.

What is Apple iPad Pro nano-texture glass?

If you're conscious that you'll be using your new Apple iPad Pro in challenging lighting situations, for example, working outside in the midday sunshine, you might want to opt for the nano-texture glass option.

Nano-texture glass is etched at a nanometre scale, which maintains image quality and contrast yet scatters ambient light for a reduced glare.

It's worth noting that the nano-texture glass feature is only available on the 1TB and 2TB Apple iPad Pro models.

Looking for a saving? Then be sure to read our best UK laptop deals, best UK TV deals and best Kindle deals guides.

Apple iPad Pro features

Apple iPad Pro writing features — Apple iPad Pro. Apple iPad Pro via Apple

All of the fantastic Apple iPad Pro features which we're about to get stuck into are all made possible with the new M4 chip. The M4 chip has a new display engine which makes the precision, colour, and brightness of the Ultra Retina XDR display possible. Its CPU and GPU (which builds upon the GPU architecture that we saw in the M3 chip) creates the most powerful Neural Engine yet. Let's find out more.

The brand-new CPU in the Apple iPad Pro has four performance cores and six efficiency cores with machine learning (ML) accelerators, which delivers up to 1.5x faster performance than the M2 chip which features in the previous Apple iPad Pro.

The 10-core GPU has powerful features such as Dynamic Caching, plus hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing. It also has higher unified memory bandwidth which makes pro rendering apps like Octane perform 4x faster.

It's also worth noting that the operating system (iPadOS) has advanced frameworks such as Core ML which makes it easy for developers to tap into the Neural Engine to deliver AI features locally. For creatives, the Apple iPad Pro supports Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Adobe Firefly, amongst others.

Did you know the Samsung Music Frame release date has been announced?

Plus, here's how you can get a free Samsung Galaxy S24 with a new Samsung TV.

Apple iPad Pro camera

The brand-new Apple iPad Pro boasts a 12MP back camera and Ultra Wide 12MP camera which can capture Smart HDR images and video with better colour, textures, and detail in low light than its predecessor. On the front, there's the TrueDepth camera.

In terms of audio, the updated camera system offers four studio-quality mics, which means Apple iPad Pro users can shoot, edit, and share content all on one device — talk about versatility!

For scanning documents, the new Apple iPad Pro has an adaptive True Tone flash to improve document scanning. Using AI, the Apple iPad Pro automatically identifies documents in the Camera app, and if a shadow is on the page, it takes multiple photos with the new adaptive flash and stitches the scan together.

What is the Apple Pencil Pro for the new Apple iPad Pro?

For creatives, the Apple Pencil Pro is an invaluable tool which aids in both work and play. New for the 2024 Apple iPad Pro, the Apple Pencil Pro features a sensor in the pen's barrel which can sense a user's squeeze, which can bring up a tool palette to quickly switch tools, line weights, and colours, all without interrupting the creative flow.

In addition, rotating the barrel changes the orientation of shaped pen and brush tools, and Apple Pen hover allows you to visualise the exact orientation of a tool before you make a mark.

Plus, Apple Pencil Pro is supported by 'Find My' for the first time, which helps you locate your Apple Pencil Pro if it's misplaced, and at £129 per accessory, this is certainly a welcome feature. The Apple Pencil Pro pairs and charges at the side of the Apple iPad Pro through a magnetic interface.

What is the Magic Keyboard for the new Apple iPad Pro?

Apple has kept the Magic Keyboard's floating design that its customers love, and the technology giant has made it thinner, lighter, and more portable, as well as introducing new functions such as an additional row to access screen brightness and volume controls.

Coming in Black with a Space Grey aluminium palm rest, and White with a Silver aluminium palm rest, the new Magic Keyboard attaches to the Apple iPad Pro magnetically, and it connects to your device automatically without the need for Bluetooth.

The Magic Keyboard charges using a USB-C connector.

Where to buy the new Apple iPad Pro in the UK

The new Apple iPad Pro is available to pre-order right now from the Apple Store, having been released yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 7th May).

New Apple iPad Pro UK availability

As well as the Apple Store, a select number of UK retailers and even mobile networks will have the Apple iPad Pro available to pre-order from Friday 10th May.

Have you heard of Loop Earplugs? We put the noise-dimming earplugs to the test for six months for our Loop Earplugs review.