Apple’s 2021 iPad Pro arrived with the M1 chip, promising Mac-level power in a tablet. Five years later, it holds its own. Benchmarks from that era showed Geekbench 5 multicore scores around 7,318 on high-end configs, outpacing the prior A12Z by double digits. Scott Stein at CNET called the hardware “just about perfect,” though iPadOS couldn’t fully tap it. The 12.9-inch model dazzled with Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED, delivering OLED-like blacks and HDR punch. The 11-inch stuck to standard Liquid Retina. Both ran ProMotion at 120Hz. Battery lasted a full day, even under AR loads that drained rivals. Pricing started at $799 for 11-inch Wi-Fi/128GB, $1,099 for 12.9-inch. Add 5G for $200 more. Accessories? Magic Keyboard pushed totals past $1,500. Fast-forward to April 2026. iPadOS 26 runs on M1 Pros, per Apple’s site . New windowing and multitasking mimic macOS—swipe for traffic-light controls, resize apps freely. Users on X report smooth sails.…