iPad Pro 12.9" (6th Gen) - Ultimate Powerhouse for Creatives & Pros in the USA

⭐ Reason for Purchase

Needed a larger screen for detailed design work and multitasking between Adobe apps

📌 Purchase Motivation

The M2 chip's performance for creative apps and the 12.9" Liquid Retina XDR display sold me

⭐ Research or Comparison Before Buying

Spent weeks comparing it to the 11" iPad Pro and MacBook Air—watched YouTube reviews, read design forums

⭐ Place of Purchase & Why

Apple Store downtown—wanted hands-on demo and instant trade-in for my old iPad

⭐ First Unboxing & Setup Reaction

The unboxing felt premium! That huge screen made my old iPad look like a toy. Setup was smooth with Quick Start.

⭐ Initial Impressions (Look & Feel)

So thin yet sturdy. The midnight color hides fingerprints better than I expected. The speakers? Insane for a tablet.

⭐ First Week Usage

Battery drained faster while rendering 3D models, but charging’s quick. Stage Manager took getting used to—kept accidentally swiping apps away.

🚀 Daily Usage Experience

Now I sketch on Procreate during commute, edit client videos at coffee shops. The Apple Pencil hover feature? Game-changer for previewing brush strokes.

⭐ Features Found Most Useful

XDR display for color-accurate designs, Center Stage for client calls, and the Magic Keyboard’s trackpad for precision edits

⭐ Any Difficulties Faced

Had to buy a USB-C hub for file transfers—why no SD slot? Also, the $200 repair quote when I cracked the screen hurt.

⭐ Experience Compared to Previous Device

My 2018 iPad felt laggy with Layers in Procreate. This handles 200+ layers like butter. Face ID with mask on? Brilliant.

⭐ Performance in Profession or Personal Life

Cut project turnaround time by 30%. Even use it for streaming—the four-speaker audio beats my TV.

⭐ Social or Lifestyle Impact

Clients now expect ‘iPad previews’ during meetings. My Instagram reels about design tricks gained 5K followers.

⭐ Any Accessories Used or Needed

Magic Keyboard (worth every penny), Paperlike screen protector for drawing, and a beefy stand for desk mode

⭐ Overall Satisfaction & Personal Recommendation

9/10—only docked for price. If you’re serious about creative work, this is the closest thing to a portable studio.

⭐ Reason for Purchase

Replacing clinic clipboards with digital charts during patient rounds

📌 Purchase Motivation

HIPAA-compliant EHR access, antimicrobial casing options, and long battery life

⭐ Research or Comparison Before Buying

Read medical tech blogs, asked IT—needed something lighter than a laptop but more secure than consumer tablets

⭐ Place of Purchase & Why

Hospital’s tech vendor—got a 15% institutional discount and pre-installed medical encryption

⭐ First Unboxing & Setup Reaction

Pleasantly surprised by the anti-glare coating. IT department preloaded Epic EHR—no setup headaches.

⭐ Initial Impressions (Look & Feel)

Slippery without a case! Ordered a grippy one immediately. The screen is crisp even under OR lights.

⭐ First Week Usage

Nurses kept borrowing it to show kids interactive anatomy apps. Battery lasted through 12-hour shifts.

🚀 Daily Usage Experience

Now I annotate X-rays directly, use Apple Pencil for prescriptions. The mic picks up lung sounds clearly during telemedicine.

⭐ Features Found Most Useful

Split View for charts/notes, Touch ID with gloves (via accessibility settings), and the LiDAR scanner for educational 3D models

⭐ Any Difficulties Faced

Disinfecting wipes fogged the camera lens once. Had to explain to older patients that it’s not ‘a giant iPhone’.

⭐ Experience Compared to Previous Device

My Surface Pro overheated during video consults. This stays cool, and the 120Hz refresh helps with ultrasound videos.

⭐ Performance in Profession or Personal Life

Cut charting time by 20%. My kids hijack it for Disney+—the HDR makes Encanto look unreal.

⭐ Social or Lifestyle Impact

Colleagues asked for demos. Hospital admin now considering bulk orders. My back thanks me for ditching paper files.

⭐ Any Accessories Used or Needed

Disposable screen protectors, a clip-on sanitizer holder, and a lanyard for quick access during emergencies

⭐ Overall Satisfaction & Personal Recommendation

10/10 for healthcare. Just get AppleCare+—one resident dropped it in a biohazard bin (it survived).

⭐ Reason for Purchase

4K video editing on-the-go for class projects

📌 Purchase Motivation

ProRes support, Thunderbolt port for SSDs, and that nano-texture glass option

⭐ Research or Comparison Before Buying

Compared codec performance vs. MacBook Pro on Reddit threads. Almost went M1 until the M2’s media engine specs leaked.

⭐ Place of Purchase & Why

Best Buy—price-matched Amazon plus student discount. Got free AirPods during back-to-school promo.

⭐ First Unboxing & Setup Reaction

Geeked out over the box’s magnetic closure. Transferring 200GB of footage via Thunderbolt took 8 minutes—wild.

⭐ Initial Impressions (Look & Feel)

Heavier than expected but balanced. The nano-texture glare reduction works—shot B-roll at noon with no issues.

⭐ First Week Usage

DaVinci Resolve crashed twice with 8K files. Updated to iPadOS 17 beta—fixed it. Now edits 4K timelines with 6 effects smoothly.

🚀 Daily Usage Experience

Color-grading on the XDR screen spoiled me—my dorm monitor now looks washed out. Use it as a wireless monitor for my Canon R5 too.

⭐ Features Found Most Useful

Reference Mode for color accuracy, Center Stage for solo shooting, and the USB-C port’s 40Gbps transfer speeds

⭐ Any Difficulties Faced

External drive formatting was annoying—had to use exFAT. Wish LumaFusion supported more than 4 audio tracks.

⭐ Experience Compared to Previous Device

My Galaxy Tab S8 stuttered with LUTs. This exports a 10-minute 4K video in 12 minutes flat.

⭐ Performance in Profession or Personal Life

Prof asked to borrow it for a demo. Got a PA gig because my ‘tablet workflow’ impressed the DP.

⭐ Social or Lifestyle Impact

Dorm movie nights now use it as the player. My film club peers call it ‘overkill’—until they see the HDR playback.

⭐ Any Accessories Used or Needed

Sandisk Pro Dock, matte black skin to avoid reflections, and a cage mount for on-set monitoring

⭐ Overall Satisfaction & Personal Recommendation

8.5/10—1.5 points off for iPadOS limits. But for mobile filmmaking? Unmatched.

⭐ Reason for Purchase

Book club research, grandkids’ Zoom calls, and replacing my ancient Kindle

📌 Purchase Motivation

My son said ‘the bigger text won’t strain your eyes’—he was right

⭐ Research or Comparison Before Buying

Asked the Apple Store teen to explain it like I’m 80. Almost bought the cheaper one until I saw the mini-LED screen.

⭐ Place of Purchase & Why

Apple website—free engraving! Got ‘Nana’s Library’ on the back. Delivery took 3 days.

⭐ First Unboxing & Setup Reaction

Felt fancy peeling the plastic! My grandson did the setup—made the icons huge and enabled ‘Hey Siri’.

⭐ Initial Impressions (Look & Feel)

So slim it scared me—bought an OtterBox immediately. The screen is like reading a glossy magazine, but brighter.

⭐ First Week Usage

Accidentally took 47 screenshots trying to turn pages in Kindle. Discovered ‘Guided Access’ to stay in one app—lifesaver!

🚀 Daily Usage Experience

Morning crossword puzzles pop now. Book club ladies gasp when I show art books. FaceTime with the baby? Her giggles sound crystal clear.

⭐ Features Found Most Useful

Display Zoom for giant text, Siri reading audiobooks aloud, and the ‘Find My’ app for when I misplace it (weekly)

⭐ Any Difficulties Faced

Couldn’t figure out split screen until my neighbor’s kid showed me. Still don’t know what ‘Stage Manager’ does.

⭐ Experience Compared to Previous Device

My Fire Tablet feels like a calculator now. This doesn’t lag when I pinch-zoom recipe blogs.

⭐ Performance in Profession or Personal Life

Scanned my old book collection with Notes—finally organized! Even joined a digital scrapbooking class.

⭐ Social or Lifestyle Impact

Great-grandkids think I’m ‘cool’ for sending Memojis. Book club now expects PowerPoints (!) on authors.

⭐ Any Accessories Used or Needed

A stand for recipes in the kitchen, a stylus with a holder (so I don’t lose it), and a blue light filter screen protector

⭐ Overall Satisfaction & Personal Recommendation

9/10—took a month to learn, but now I can’t live without it. Worth the splurge for seniors who want to stay connected.

Benchmark Scores

The M2 chip in this iPad Pro is a beast—scoring 15% higher than the M1 in multi-core tests. In 3DMark Wild Life, it hit 14,500 points, matching some gaming PCs. Real-world takeaway? Rendering 4K video in LumaFusion is nearly twice as fast as older iPads.

Build Quality & Materials

The sleek, industrial design is gorgeous, but the 12.9" size makes it less portable. The matte back resists fingerprints better than the 11" model. The four-speaker setup sounds rich, though bass lacks depth without headphones.

Display Quality

Mini-LED is a game-changer—the contrast ratio (1,000,000:1) makes Netflix binges feel like a theater. Color accuracy (P3 wide) is perfect for designers, though the glossy screen reflects sunlight outdoors.

Camera System & Performance

Cameras are solid for a tablet—the 12MP sensor captures crisp docs for scanning, and LiDAR helps with low-light focus. ProRes video is niche but impressive for filmmakers on the go.

Software & User Experience

iPadOS 16’s Stage Manager finally makes multitasking viable, but app windows still feel cramped. The Apple Pencil hover feature is magical for artists—previewing brush strokes before touching the screen is next-level.

Battery Life & Charging

Battery life is stellar for media consumption (12+ hours of video), but creative apps cut that in half. Fast charging supports up to 35W, but Apple still includes a wimpy 20W brick—budget for an upgrade.

Gaming & Graphics Performance

Diablo Immortal runs at 120fps with max settings—the M2 doesn’t break a sweat. The large screen is immersive, but palm rejection isn’t perfect in fast-paced games.

Connectivity & Ports

Thunderbolt 3 supports external GPUs (tested with an eGPU for gaming), but drivers are finicky. Wi-Fi 6E hits 1.2Gbps in ideal conditions—faster than my home broadband.

Durability & Protection

The screen is more scratch-prone than iPhones—I got micro-scratches within a week. AppleCare+ is a must; a cracked screen costs more than a base iPad.

Price & Value Proposition

At $1,099+, it’s hard to justify unless you’re all-in on Apple Pencil workflows. The 1TB model’s 16GB RAM is overkill for most—save $500 and grab the 256GB unless you edit 8K video daily.

Benchmark Scores

The iPad Pro 12.9" (6th Gen) absolutely crushes benchmarks with its M2 chip, scoring over 1.5 million in AnTuTu—that’s desktop-level performance. I ran Geekbench and got single-core scores around 1900 and multi-core near 8900, making it faster than many laptops. If you’re into heavy creative work or

Build Quality & Materials

Apple’s signature aluminum unibody feels premium and rock-solid, but at 1.5 pounds, it’s not the lightest. The flat edges and slim bezels give it a modern look, though I wish the camera bump was flush—it wobbles on desks. The Thunderbolt port is sturdy, but the lack of a headphone jack still stings

Display Quality

The 12.9" Mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display is stunning—1,600 nits peak brightness and perfect blacks. Watching HDR content feels cinematic, but I noticed slight blooming in dark scenes with subtitles. The 120Hz ProMotion is flawless for Apple Pencil artists—zero lag.

Camera System & Performance

The 12MP wide and 10MP ultra-wide cameras are decent for a tablet, but don’t expect iPhone quality. The Center Stage feature works great for Zoom calls, though. LiDAR helps with AR apps—I tested it with Measure and it was scarily accurate.

Software & User Experience

iPadOS 16 is smooth but still feels limiting—Stage Manager helps, but true multitasking lags behind MacOS. The lack of pro apps like Final Cut Pro is frustrating. On the upside, the M2 handles everything without breaking a sweat.

Battery Life & Charging

I got 10-12 hours of mixed use (video editing + browsing), but heavy 3D rendering drained it in 6. The 20W charger is too slow—I’d recommend a 30W+ USB-C PD charger for faster top-ups.

Gaming & Graphics Performance

The M2’s 10-core GPU handles Genshin Impact at max settings (60fps) effortlessly, but the large screen isn’t ideal for touch controls. Pair a controller for AAA games—it’s basically a portable console.

Connectivity & Ports

The Thunderbolt/USB4 port is a game-changer for external displays (supports 6K!) and SSDs, but just one port is limiting. Wi-Fi 6E and 5G are blazing fast—I hit 800Mbps on mmWave.

Durability & Protection

The aluminum body resists scratches, but the screen is a fingerprint magnet. Apple’s Magic Keyboard adds protection, but I’d still use a screen protector—repairs are pricey ($699 for screen replacement).

Price & Value Proposition

Starting at $1,099, it’s a tough sell unless you’re a pro artist or editor. The 1TB/16GB config hits $2,099—that’s MacBook Pro territory. Worth it for creatives, overkill for casual users.