If you’re looking for portable power in the Apple ecosystem, the MacBook Pro immediately leaps out. But the iPad Pro is also a very capable contender for your attention — its compact frame, beefy processor and Apple Pencil support makes it a very strong choice if you want to work on the go.
Apple often touts its iPads as computer replacements, but how true is that when the iPad Pro comes up against the MacBook Pro? That’s the score we aim to settle today.
Design
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro have hugely different designs, each with their own considerations. Let’s start with the iPad Pro.
Apple’s top-of-the-line iPad comes in 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes, and space gray and silver colours. In October 2018 Apple completely redesigned the iPad Pro to feature much thinner bezels and a flat-edged chassis. On the back is a 12-megapixel camera and Apple’s Smart Connector for hooking up accessories like external keyboards.
That flat edge allows you to magnetically attach the second-generation Apple Pencil, thereby wirelessly charging it up without needing to have it awkwardly sticking out of the Lightning port, as in older iPad models.
The redesigned iPad Pro is now 0.23 inches thick, making it Apple’s thinnest iPad on offer. Weighing between 1.03 pounds and 1.4 pounds (depending on size and configuration), it’s light enough to throw in a backpack and take wherever you go.
The MacBook Pro is a very different beast. It comes in 13.3-inch and 15.4-inch sizes, and those larger dimensions compared to the iPad Pro mean the weight is increased too, tipping the scales at 3.02 pounds and 4.02 pounds respectively.
Like the iPad Pro, the MacBook Pro has an all-metal chassis construction. Both devices are extremely well-made and feel truly premium — no flimsy plastic casings here. There are other similarities, such as how both use USB-C ports (you get one on the iPad Pro and either two or four on the MacBook, depending on display size). Note, though, that the MacBook Pro’s ports support Thunderbolt 3’s super speedy transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps and support for external graphics.
Neither device allows much in the way of modularity or component changes after purchase. While that may be unsurprising for a tablet, it’s slightly more unusual for a laptop. Changing any component in a MacBook Pro, from the memory to the SSD, is a pretty involved task requiring various tools and plenty of patience. Whichever device you go for, make sure you’re happy with the configuration before you buy.
Features
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The iPad Pro’s key feature is, unsurprisingly, its display. Apple has not skimped here, equipping its top-tier tablet with a superb screen that’ll make working on the go a joy. We called it “breathtaking” in our review, and it’s easy to see why.
For one thing, its True Tone feature automatically adjusts the display’s white balance according to your surroundings, making it easier on the eyes and more natural feeling. It doesn’t sound like much, but really makes a difference in use.
The iPad Pro also uses the same Liquid Retina tech that you’ll find in the iPhone XR, and clocks in with a resolution of 2,732 x 2,048 in the 12.9-inch model and 2,388 x 1,668 in the 11-inch device. Each display uses Apple’s ProMotion tech, which automatically adjusts the refresh rate up to 120Hz. That’s faster than the MacBook Pro’s 60Hz screen and results in a super-smooth experience, both when you’re scrolling through web pages or, importantly, using the Apple Pencil. The smoothness of the latter is what helps it feel incredibly natural in use.
Let’s talk Apple Pencil. This lets you use the iPad Pro as a digital notebook of sorts, and was totally redesigned alongside the new iPad Pro. It now has a flat edge so it can magnetically clip to the tablet in order to charge, and now lets you quickly double-tap it on the screen to change tools (say, from a pencil to an eraser). It’s great for when you need to get hands-on with a drawing or writing task.
As for the MacBook Pro, you also get the same True Tone tech as you’ll find in the iPad Pro. Both sizes of MacBook Pro come with IPS Retina displays; the 13-inch model features a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution, while you’ll find a 2,880 x 1,800 resolution in the 15-inch device.
Both sizes come with Apple’s latest Butterfly keyboard with large keys and low travel, as well as an oversize trackpad that works with a huge range of gestures in MacOS. This doesn’t actually move when you press it, but rather uses haptic feedback to simulate movement. It really is superb; we called it “the best, and largest, you can find on a laptop”, comfortably beating its Windows rivals.
Depending on which configuration you go for, there’s also the Touch Bar to consider. This replaces the function keys with an OLED strip that gives you quick shortcuts to various common tasks. The shortcuts available change depending on the app you’re using, and you can customize the Touch Bar to add or remove buttons as you please. To its right is a Touch ID button, letting you quickly log in or verify purchases with just your finger.
Finally, a quick note on software. The MacBook Pro runs Apple’s MacOS operating system, which is a mature system with plenty of heavy-duty apps like Adobe Premiere available to do your pro work. The iPad Pro runs iPadOS, which Apple has just spun out from iOS. It’s far less established than MacOS and, while a very good operating system in its own right, doesn’t have the same range of powerful apps that you’ll find on a Mac. Both platforms have app limitations — the iPad Pro has the benefit of the robust iOS app ecosystem, while the MacBook Pro has the professional native desktop apps the iPad Pro lacks.
Performance
The “Pro” in iPad Pro isn’t just there for show — this really is a powerful device. Apple has been making its own mobile chips for a few years now, and each one gets better and beefier than the last. The chip in the latest iPad Pro — the A12X Bionic — absolutely destroys the competition. Its single-core and multi-core scores of 5,029 and 18,042 blow everything out of the water. For comparison, Samsung’s iPad Pro rival, the Galaxy Tab S4, scored a measly 1,891 and 6,423 in our tests. Apple is leagues ahead here.
In fact, the iPad Pro’s Geekbench 4 scores put even 2018’s MacBook Air to shame. The MacBook Air, sporting an Intel Core i5, hit 4,233 in single-core testing and 7,773 in our multi-core test. That the iPad Pro could score two-and-a-half times the performance in multi-core tests than a MacBook Air is a testament to the strength of Apple’s own chips, and it’s no surprise rumors are swirling that Apple is looking to kit out future MacBooks with its A-series processors.
So, with all this power at your disposal in the iPad Pro, how does the MacBook Pro stack up? We tested a 15-inch model equipped with an Intel Core i9, the top processor Apple lets you buy with a MacBook Pro. In our Geekbench 4 tests, it clocked in at 5,423 and 29,708 in the single-core and multi-core tests respectively.
It’s interesting to note that the single-core tests are extremely close, with the MacBook Pro just edging out the iPad Pro. However, it’s in multi-core tasks that the MacBook Pro really shows its worth and stretches its lead, and it’s tasks like these that you’re more likely to be doing on a MacBook than an iPad anyway. Things like video rendering will really benefit from that extra power – not to mention the fact that most high-end apps will be limited to the MacBook Pro due to its operating system. If your needs include content creation in Lightroom or Premiere, the software capability of the MacBook Pro is your only serious choice.
The MacBook Pro’s power and flexibility win out
Dan Baker/Digital Trends
Ultimately, any decision you make is going to be influenced in some way by price. At $1,299, the low-end MacBook Pro is a tough sell given its dual-core processor and lack of Touch Bar, especially considering you can get a powerful 12.9-inch iPad Pro with more storage for $1,149. That said, the MacBook Pro’s performance really does scale well with its price, and the high-end model blows the iPad Pro out of the water. If you pure power is what you need, it’s worth spending more on a MacBook Pro.
As our review showed, the iPad Pro is an incredibly powerful machine that’s undoubtedly the best tablet money can buy. Its display is superb, the Apple Pencil is an excellent drawing and writing tool, and its processor can chew up any task you throw at it.
Its lightweight, portable nature also makes it ideal for working on the go; pair it with an Apple Pencil and you’ll have a tool that’s perfect for digital painting, photo editing or note-taking.
That said, we have to give the crown to the MacBook Pro for its pure power and flexibility. You get a much larger range of options to customize it how you like, and its faster ports let you hook up high-speed devices (including external graphics cards) to expand its capabilities.
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