An iPad Pro 12.9 2021 (Image credit: TechRadar)

Would you buy the new iPad Pro if it were bigger than your MacBook Air? It sounds like Apple is hoping so, because the tech company is said to be working on a massive 14.1-inch tablet.

This comes from an Apple leaker called Majin Bu (opens in new tab) (via iMore (opens in new tab)) - they have a mixed track record with some incorrect leaks, so take this with a pinch of salt, but what they say has been reported by other sources in the past.

According to Bu, the next iPad Pro line-up will include an 11-inch and 12.9-inch option like before, but will also have a 14.1-inch option which would dwarf nearly every other tablet on the market (aside from the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra).

A reliable Apple source, Mark Gurman, has mentioned in the past that Apple is looking to make bigger iPad Pros in the future - that's why we're not discounting Bu's leak.

Bu also mentions that these iPads will run the newly-unveiled Apple M2 chipset which would be incredibly powerful, and that the 14.1-inch version will have a base RAM and storage of 16GB and 512GB. They speculate that the tablet could offer up to 4TB of storage, but that the figure is just a guess for now.

There haven't been many firm iPad Pro release date rumors, but people are looking to the iPhone 14 launch around September in the hopes that it shows up alongside the Apple Watch 8 and entry-level iPad (2022).

Analysis: one change Apple will have to make

Not everyone wants a giant iPad Pro - Apple clearly knows that, which is why the 11- and 12.9-inch models are said to be sticking around. 

But there are some uses for a titan tablet, as evidenced by our time with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra and its 14.6-inch display.

A canvas this massive is useful for sketching and note-taking, as you've got loads of space to stretch out over. It's handy for multi-tasking too, as you've got enough display space to put two apps side-by-side. 

Of course, watching TV and playing games is handy here as well, as you've got a huge screen to look at.

There's one issue, though, in comparing Samsung's tablets with Apple's - the former generally uses 16:10 aspect ratios while the latter tends to stick to 4:3 ones. Apple's more square-like shape isn't as useful for multi-tasking, as the apps you put side-by-side tend to be squished and thin, or for watching movies as there are giant bars above and below the slender widescreen video.

It's a question of science too - if the iPad Pro is really big but also has a 4:3 aspect ratio, it's at risk of destabilizing any keyboard folio it's put into.

So having a bigger iPad Pro wouldn't really be that useful unless Apple decided to adjust the aspect ratio to something wider - maybe 16:10, or perhaps 18:9 like iPhones.

• In defense of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra’s massive size

Tom Bedford

Interim Editor - Phones

Tom's role in the TechRadar team is to specialize in phones and tablets, but he also takes on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working in TechRadar freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. Outside of TechRadar he works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.

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