The 7 best tablets of 2022

Tech specs: Display: 11-inch Liquid Retina display or 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion and True Tone | Processor: Apple Silicon M2 | Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB | Biometrics: Face ID | Colors: Silver, space gray | Cameras: 12MP wide, 10MP ultrawide rear and 12MP TrueDepth FaceTime front | Weight: 11-inch: 1.03 pounds 12.9-inch: 1.5 pounds | Dimensions: 11-inch: 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inches, 12.9-inches: 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25-inches| Connections: USB-C Thunderbolt/USB-4 | Battery life: 10 hours

Apple’s 2022 iPad Pro lineup is by far the most capable and impressive iPad lineup we’ve seen, making it our best overall pick. It’s also the most expensive, by a long shot. The design hasn’t changed all that much on the outside, but on the inside, you’ll find Apple’s M2 processor which consists of 20 billion transistors — 25 percent more than M1. It’s the same exact processor that Apple is using in the new 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

We spent some time with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and found it to be faster and more capable than any other iPad model we’ve tested to date. You can expect downloads up to 2.4Gbps, twice as fast as the previous model, 15 percent faster performance, and up to 35 percent faster graphics performance. 

Read the review: iPad Pro (2022) review: I’m cautiously optimistic. Or foolish

The Pro also supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, and there’s a new hover feature thanks to the M2 chip. The feature works like this: once the tip of the Apple Pencil gets near the iPad Pro’s display, and when it’s within 12 millimeters, parts of the interface come to life in apps that support the new feature.The Smart Connector is on the back of the iPad Pro, giving you the option to use it with the Magic Keyboard that includes backlit keys and trackpad, or Apple’s Smart Keyboard.

And, although the differences between the fifth generation and this sixth generation model are more subtle, the M2 chip is really what shines here, making it a powerhouse tablet. The iPad Pro, combined with iPadOS and the M2 chip, is as close as you can get to a laptop without actually buying a laptop. 

The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 for the Wi-Fi model and $999 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,099 for the Wi-Fi model and $1,299 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.