Versus Engine
iPad Pro M4 vs MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — iPad Pro M4 against MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max, side by side.
Cheaper to start
iPad Pro M4
Starts about $2,400 lower.
Rated higher
iPad Pro M4
9.7 vs 9.2 on our design scale.
Standout
iPad Pro M4
11.1-inch Ultra Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology
iPad Pro M4
The M4 iPad Pro at $999 — extraordinary hardware still governed by iPadOS.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Features a 11.1-inch Ultra Retina XDR display with a high contrast ratio and adaptive refresh rates.
- Equipped with a powerful M4 chip, offering 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, ideal for demanding tasks.
- Includes a wide range of built-in accessibility features, enhancing usability for users with disabilities.
Cons
- The actual formatted capacity is less than advertised, leading to less usable storage space.
- The available space varies due to software and settings, making precise storage management challenging.
Specifications
- Battery31.29-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
- DisplayUltra Retina XDR display, Tandem OLED, 2420-by-1668-pixel resolution at 264 ppi, ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz, Wide color (P3), True Tone, Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, Fully laminated, Antireflective coating, Nano-texture display glass option on 1TB and 2TB models, SDR brightness: 1000 nits max, XDR brightness: 1000 nits max full screen, 1600 nits peak (HDR content only), 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio
- gpu10-core GPU
- memory_bandwidth120GB/s
- neural_engine16-core Neural Engine
- RAM16GB RAM
- size_and_weight / depth0.21 inch (5.3 mm)
- size_and_weight / height9.83 inches (249.7 mm)
- size_and_weight / width6.99 inches (177.5 mm)
- Weight0.98 pound (444 grams)
- Actual formatted capacityless
- Actual viewable arealess
- adapter—
- Additional languagescoming over the course of the year, including Vietnamese
- Apple Intelligenceavailable in beta on iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad models with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to the same supported language, as part of an iPadOS 18 software update
- Available spacevaries due to many factors
- battery_life_max—
- battery_life_pro—
- Built-in accessibility featuresVoiceOver,Zoom,Magnifier,Spoken Content,Voice Control,Switch Control,AssistiveTouch,Siri and Dictation,Type to Siri,Real-Time Text,Audio Descriptions,Subtitles and Closed Captioning,Live Captions
- Buttons and ConnectorsMicrophone,Top button,Volume buttons,Camera,Microphone,Microphone,LiDAR Scanner,Rear camera,Rear ambient light sensor,Flash,Microphone,Smart connector,USB connector,Magnetic connector for Apple Pencil
- cable—
- Camera12MP Wide camera, ƒ/1.8 aperture
- Camera / 12MP Wide camera12MP Wide camera, ƒ/1.8 aperture
- Capacity256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
- charging_ports—
- chip—
- Chip - 1TB or 2TB storage10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, 10-core GPU, Hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 16-core Neural Engine, 120GB/s memory bandwidth, 16GB RAM
- Chip - 256GB or 512GB storage9-core CPU with 3 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, 10-core GPU, Hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 16-core Neural Engine, 120GB/s memory bandwidth, 8GB RAM
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / CPU10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / Hardware-accelerated ray tracingHardware-accelerated ray tracing
- configurable_memory—
- cores—
- Diagonal measurement11.1 inches
- Display / Antireflective coatingAntireflective coating
- Display / Contrast ratio2,000,000:1
- Display / Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coatingFingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
- Display / Fully laminatedFully laminated
- Display / Nano-texture display glass optionNano-texture display glass option on 1TB and 2TB models
- Display / ProMotion technologyadaptive refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz
- Display / Resolution2420-by-1668-pixel resolution at 264 ppi
- Display / SDR brightness1000 nits max
- Display / True ToneTrue Tone
- Display / TypeUltra Retina XDR display
- Display / Wide colorP3
- Display / XDR brightness1000 nits max full screen, 1600 nits peak (HDR content only)
- Displaysrounded corners
- FinishSilver, Space Black
- GB1 billion bytes
- In the BoxiPad Pro, USB-C Charge Cable (1 meter), 20W USB-C Power Adapter, Polishing cloth in nano-texture display glass option
- key_features11-inch/13-inch Tandem OLED display, M4 chip, Face ID, Thunderbolt / USB 4
- Media EngineHardware-accelerated 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW, Video decode engine, Video encode engine, ProRes encode and decode engine, AV1 decode
- Media Engine / AV1 decodeAV1 decode
- Media Engine / Hardware-accelerated8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
- Media Engine / ProRes encode and decode engineProRes encode and decode engine
- Media Engine / Video decode engineVideo decode engine
- Media Engine / Video encode engineVideo encode engine
- memory—
- NPU—
- Operating SystemiPadOS
- operating_requirements / frequency—
- operating_requirements / line_voltage—
- operating_requirements / maximum_shipping_altitude—
- operating_requirements / maximum_storage_altitude—
- operating_requirements / operating_altitude—
- operating_requirements / operating_temperature—
- operating_requirements / relative_humidity—
- operating_requirements / storage_temperature—
- Packaging100% fiber-based packaging, 36% recycled content in fiber packaging
- Packaging / Material100% fiber-based packaging
- Packaging / Recycled content36% recycled content in fiber packaging
- Ports—
- Power and BatteryBuilt-in 31.29-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video, Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data network
- Power and Battery / ChargingCharging via power adapter or USB-C to computer system
- Power and Battery / Web surfing on Wi-FiUp to 10 hours
- Power and Battery / Web surfing using cellular data networkUp to 9 hours
- Processor—
- Size and weightvary by configuration and manufacturing process
- size_and_weight / weight_max—
- size_and_weight / weight_pro—
- Smarter chemistryArsenic-free display glass,Mercury-, BFR-, and PVC-free
- Storage—
- Storage capacitysubject to change based on software version, settings, and iPad model
- storage_max—
- storage_pro—
- Supported languagesEnglish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (Simplified)
- TB1 trillion bytes
- WasteNo established final assembly sites generate waste sent to landfill as part of Apple’s Zero Waste Program
- Year introduced2024
MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max
A flagship mobile workstation designed for peak performance-per-watt and heavy local AI inference.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Up to 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU for heavy workloads
- Up to 24 hours of battery life for extended use
- Multiple high-speed ports for versatile connectivity
Cons
- Expensive price point of $3399
- Limited storage options starting at 512GB
Specifications
- BatteryUp to 22 hours
- Display16.2" Liquid Retina XDR
- gpuUp to 80-core GPU
- memory_bandwidth1.2TB/s memory bandwidth
- neural_engine32-core Neural Engine
- RAMUp to 128GB Unified
- size_and_weight / depth9.77 inches (24.81 cm)
- size_and_weight / height0.66 inch (1.68 cm)
- size_and_weight / width14.01 inches (35.57 cm)
- Weight2.14 kg
- Actual formatted capacity—
- Actual viewable area—
- adapter140W USB-C Power Adapter
- Additional languages—
- Apple Intelligence—
- Available space—
- battery_life_maxUp to 21 hours video streaming, Up to 14 hours wireless web
- battery_life_proUp to 24 hours video streaming, Up to 17 hours wireless web
- Built-in accessibility features—
- Buttons and Connectors—
- cableUSB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable
- Camera—
- Camera / 12MP Wide camera—
- Capacity—
- charging_portsSDXC card slot, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port, Three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports
- chipApple M4 Pro chip, Apple M4 Max chip
- Chip - 1TB or 2TB storage—
- Chip - 256GB or 512GB storage—
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / CPU—
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / Hardware-accelerated ray tracing—
- configurable_memory36GB, 48GB, 64GB, 128GB
- coresUp to 36-core CPU with 12 super cores and 24 performance cores
- Diagonal measurement—
- Display / Antireflective coating—
- Display / Contrast ratio—
- Display / Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating—
- Display / Fully laminated—
- Display / Nano-texture display glass option—
- Display / ProMotion technology—
- Display / Resolution—
- Display / SDR brightness—
- Display / True Tone—
- Display / Type—
- Display / Wide color—
- Display / XDR brightness—
- Displays—
- Finish—
- GB—
- In the Box—
- key_features—
- Media Engine—
- Media Engine / AV1 decode—
- Media Engine / Hardware-accelerated—
- Media Engine / ProRes encode and decode engine—
- Media Engine / Video decode engine—
- Media Engine / Video encode engine—
- memory24GB unified memory, 36GB unified memory
- NPU38 TOPS (Neural Engine)
- Operating System—
- operating_requirements / frequency50Hz to 60Hz
- operating_requirements / line_voltage100V to 240V AC
- operating_requirements / maximum_shipping_altitude35,000 feet
- operating_requirements / maximum_storage_altitude15,000 feet
- operating_requirements / operating_altitudetested up to 10,000 feet (3000 meters)
- operating_requirements / operating_temperature50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
- operating_requirements / relative_humidity0% to 90% noncondensing
- operating_requirements / storage_temperature-13° to 113° F (-25° to 45° C)
- Packaging—
- Packaging / Material—
- Packaging / Recycled content—
- Ports3x Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 3
- Power and Battery—
- Power and Battery / Charging—
- Power and Battery / Web surfing on Wi-Fi—
- Power and Battery / Web surfing using cellular data network—
- ProcessorApple M4 Max
- Size and weight—
- size_and_weight / weight_max4.7 pounds (2.15 kg)
- size_and_weight / weight_pro4.7 pounds (2.14 kg)
- Smarter chemistry—
- StorageUp to 8TB SSD
- Storage capacity—
- storage_max1TB SSD, Configurable to: 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB
- storage_pro512GB SSD, Configurable to: 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB
- Supported languages—
- TB—
- Waste—
- Year introduced—