The moment Apple announced iPadOS 26, it felt like us iPad users have finally been heard. For years the iPad has always been “almost there”. It had the powerful hardware, but the software made the experience too limited for most people. But now with iPadOS 26, that gap is almost gone. The new windowing system, improved multitasking, and better file management make the iPad feel more like a computer than it ever has before.
So the next natural question is, can an iPad be your one and only computer? Let’s break this all down.
A big reason why this thought came up is that the current M4 MacBook Pro is being sold on Amazon for $1299 (absolutely insane value). The M4 iPad Pro retails for $1199. So I thought this would be a great comparison. Be sure to also watch our video below, going into detail and hands-on with both devices.
Internal specs
Let’s start with the “on paper” comparison. The M4 iPad Pro and the M4 MacBook Pro use the same chip, so the raw performance of each is basically identical.
Geekbench single-core: ~3700 on both
~3700 on both Geekbench multi-core: ~13,500–14,500
~13,500–14,500 GPU score: 50,000–60,000 depending on conditions
So from a power standpoint, you are not losing anything on either device. Things start to change a bit when you talk about the RAM on the baseline models. iPad Pro starts with 8GB of RAM, and you can only get the 16GB of RAM if you upgrade to the 1TB storage model. Meanwhile, the baseline M4 MacBook Pro comes with 16GB of RAM standard. So, sheer power is the same, but the MacBook Pro gives you a bit more headroom when you compare the baseline models.
External hardware
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