AUGUST 2021 MACWORLD 87This year’s cellular model
uses a 5G modem instead of
an LTE one, so speeds will be
quicker in areas where 5G
networks are available. That’s
nice to have but not all that
necessary, especially if you
have an iPhone 12 nearby. I
tested Verizon’s 5G network
and with top speeds around
80Mbps, it was faster than last
year’s LTE model. But I got the
results using my iPhone 12’s
hotspot, so I’m not sure the
extra expense and monthly fee
is worth it now. It’s nice to have
and offers a bit of future-proofing, but
much like the screen, it’s not essential—or
worth the $200 upgrade fee Apple is
charging (versus $130 previously).
HELD BACK BY THE
SAME CONSTRAINTS
For the first time Apple is listing RAM
specs for the iPad Pro, and it starts at the
same 8GB as the base M1 Macs with 16GB
available at the 1GB and 2GB storage
tiers. That’s a lot of RAM for an iPad—
previous iPad Pro models topped out at
6GB and the iPad Air only has 4GB—and
as with the screen and the chip, I’m not
quite sure all that memory is needed. On
a Mac, more RAM is always good, but
iPadOS isn’t macOS. Apps are currently
limited to 5GB of RAM each, and even
though iPadOS 15 will change that for
some apps, it’s unlikely you’re ever going
to do so much with your iPad Pro that you
need 16GB of RAM. And with simplified
multitasking, it’s unlikely for the system to
ever use anywhere near the available
memory. Some people will scoff at that
notion, but the fact remains that you can
do as much on the iPad Air, which has
lesser specs and costs hundreds less.
Apps open in an instant, scrolling is
incredibly smooth, and Safari feels super
snappy. So the 2021 iPad Pro certainly is
fast—but so is the 2020 model. With
benchmarks and specs that absolutely
blow away the previous model, the 2021
iPad Pro should be leaps and boundsThe 2021 iPad Pro has the same rear camera array as the
2020 model.